Category: Adhkar (Words of rememberance) and Awrad (Litanies)

Recommended Adhkar upon the completion of Friday prayer

On By splendidpearlsIn Adhkar (Words of rememberance) and Awrad (Litanies), Hadith (Prophetic traditions), Tasawwuf (Spirituality)Leave a comment

After one makes the Salam from the Jumuʿah prayer and before he changes his position—and in another narration ‘before he speaks’—he recites Surah Al-Fatihah, Surah Al-Ikhlas, Surah Al-Falaq and Surah an-Nas each seven times. It has been related that whoever recites these will be forgiven for the past and future sins, and will be given in reward according to the number of those who believe in Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. [Fath Al-Muʿin]

The commentary on this is given by ad-Dimyati in Iʿanat ut-Talibin:

It has also been narrated that whoever recites them, Allah will protect his religion, worldly affairs, family and offspring. Our Lady ʿAishah narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said, “Whoever recites Al-Ikhlas, Al-Falaq and an-Nas seven times each, Allah will protect him by them from evil until the next Jumuʿah.”

Ibn Masʿud, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“After reciting what has been previously mentioned, whoever says:

اللهم يا غني يا حميد، يا مبدئ يا معيد، يا رحيم يا ودود، اغنني بفضلك عمن سواك، وبحلالك عن حرامك
Allāhumma  Yā Ghaniyyu Yā Hamīd, Yā Mubdiʾ Yā Muʿīd, Yā Rahīm Yā Wadūd, Ighnini bi-Fadhlika ʿAmman Siwāk wa bi-halālika ʿan Harāmik
[O Allah! O Self-Sufficing One! O Praiseworthy One! O Initiator! O Restorer! O Compassionate One! O Ever-Loving One! Make me independent, by Your Grace, from everyone apart from You. And (Suffice me) by Your lawful sustenance, whilst excluding that which is unlawful in Your sight.]

…Allah will make him not need to rely on others and provide for him from where he knows not.”

Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

“Whoever, on the day of Jumuʿah, says the following 70-times:

اللهم اغنني بفضلك عمن سواك، وبحلالك عن حرامك
Allāhumma Ighnini bi-Fadhlika ʿAmman Siwāk wa bi-halālika ʿan Harāmik
[O Allah! Make me independent, by Your Grace, from everyone apart from You. And (Suffice me) by Your lawful sustenance, whilst excluding that which is unlawful in Your sight.]

…two Jumuʿahs will not pass him except that Allah will be sufficient for him.”

Ibn ʿAbbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ:

“When the Jumuʿah prayer is finished, whoever says the following 100-times:

سبحان الله العظيم وبحمده
SubhānAllāhiʾl-ʿAzīm wa bi-Hamdih
[Transcendent is Allah, the Supreme, and His is the Praise]

…will have 100,000 sins forgiven and his parents will have 24,000 sins forgiven.”

Imam ʿAbdul Wahhab ash-Shaʿrani said:

“Whoever is consistent in reciting the following every Friday, Allah will take his life as a muslim without a doubt,

إلٰهي لَسْتُ لِلْفِرْدَوْسِ أهْلاً وَلا أقْوٰى عَلٰى نَارِ الجَحِيمِ فَهَبْ لي تَوبَةً، وَاغْفِرْ ذُنُوبي فَإنَّكَ غَافِرُ الذَّنْبِ الْعَظِيْمِ
Ilāhi Lastu lil-Firdawsi Ahlan wa Lā Aqwā ‘alā Nārʾl-Jahīm fa-Hab Lī Tawbatan wa-ghfir Dhunūbī fa-Innaka Ghāfir udh-Dhanbil-ʿAzīm
[O Allah, I am not worthy of being an inhabitant of Firdaws and I cannot bear the Fire of Hell. So grant me a repentance and forgive my sins as You are the forgiver of a major sin.]

Some have said that it should be said 5-times after Jumuʿah prayer.

ʿArak b. Malik is reported to have stood at the door of the mosque after he prayed Jumʿuah prayer and said:

اللهم أجبت دعوتك، وصليت فريضتك، وانتشرت كما أمرتني، فارزقني من فضلك وأنت خير الرازقين
Allāhumma Ajibtu Daʿwatik, wa Sallaytu Farīdatik, wan-tashartu kamā Amartanī, far-zuqnī min Fadhlika wa anta Khayr ur-Rāziqīn
[O Allah, I have answered Your call, prayed Your obligation and have spread in the land as You have commanded me to do so. So grant me from Your bounty and You are the best of providers.]

:وقد قلت وقولك الحق
يا أيها الذين آمنوا إذا نودي للصلاة من يوم الجمعة فاسعوا إلى ذكر الله وذروا البيع، ذلكم خير لكم إن كنتم تعلمون
فإذا قضيت الصلاة فانتشروا في الأرض وابتغوا من فضل الله، واذكروا الله كثيرا لعلكم تفلحون

[You said and Your Speech is the Truth: “O you who believe! when the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trading; that is better for you, if you know. And when the prayer has concluded, then disperse within the land and seek of Allah’s grace, and remember Allah much, that you may be successful” (al-Jumuʿah: 9-10).]

Translated by Sayyidi Mohammad Jamili 

The cure for intrusive thoughts

On By splendidpearlsIn Adhkar (Words of rememberance) and Awrad (Litanies), Contemporary Wrongs, Tasawwuf (Spirituality)Leave a comment

Principle 86, from Sidi Ahmad Zarruq’s, Qawa`id at-Tasawwuf:

Perfection of worship is achieved by observing the acts of worship and being mindful of them. This is achieved by following their inner and outer rules without negligence or exaggeration. Negligence leads to perdition while exaggeration leads to innovation, especially if excessive deeds are thought to lead to proximity to God.

Thus it has been said,

– “Subhāna’l-Maliki’l-Khallāq” (Glory be to the King, the Creator), and
– “In-yasha’ Yudh-hibkum wa Yāti bi-Khalqin Jadīd” (If He wills, He can do away with you and bring in a  new creation).

The person affected by intrusive thoughts (wasawis) recites that formula, constantly, whenever he is reading his daily litany (wird). He complements that by frequently practicing forms of recreation (deflecting his mind away from those intrusive thoughts) and by acting in accordance with concessionary rulings (rukhas) of the Shariah, which have been advocated by people of knowledge in order to banish such intrusive thoughts. That is different from scrambling around for concessionary rulings in the various juristic schools across the board of human situations, for that is mere perdition and straying into error. So understand!

Why is my du‘a not being answered?

On By splendidpearlsIn Adhkar (Words of rememberance) and Awrad (Litanies), Fiqh (Jurisprudence), Hadith (Prophetic traditions), Tasawwuf (Spirituality)Leave a comment

Ibn ‘Aṭāillāh al-Iskandari [d. 709AH/1309CE] says in his famous work, al-Ḥikam – or “Aphorisms”:

6. If, in spite of intense supplication, there is a delay in the timing of the Gift, let that not be the cause for your despair. For He ﷻ has guaranteed you a response in what He ﷻ chooses for you, not in what you choose for yourself; and at the time He ﷻ desires, not the time you desire.

‘Abd al-Majīd al-Shurnūbī [d. 1348H/1929CE] explains this aphorism in his work, Sharḥ al-Ḥikam:

That is, let not a delay in the timing of a gift [response] – despite persistence and firm continuance in making du‘a – be a cause to despair about a response to the du‘a. For Allah, transcendent is He, has guaranteed you a response, as per His ﷻ words: “Call upon Me, and I will respond to you” [60:40] in what He ﷻ chooses for you, not what you choose for yourself. For He ﷻ knows what is better for you than you do. Perhaps you may ask for a thing, the denial of which is better for you.

The author writes later: “Sometimes He ﷻ gives while depriving you, and sometimes He ﷻ deprives while giving to you.” This is witnessed by those who realise the station: “It may be that you hate a thing though it is good for you, or love a thing though it is bad for you. Allah knows, but you know not.” [2:216] This is why one of the gnostics stated: “His ﷻ withholding from you is, in reality, a form of giving.”

Likewise, He ﷻ has guaranteed you a response in the time He ﷻ chooses, not in the time of your choosing. You ought to cultivate a Moses like patience, for patience and avoiding hastiness more befits the servant. Don’t you see that Moses would supplicate against Pharaoh and his people, and Aaron would say: “Amen” to it: “O Lord, destroy their riches and harden their hearts so that they persist in disbelief, until they face the painful torment.” [10:88] Yet only after forty years were their prayers answered, as He ﷻ said: “Your prayer is answered. Follow, both of you, the right path and do not walk in the footsteps of those who know not.” [10:89] In one ḥadīth [it says]: “Indeed, Allah loves those who are persistent in supplicating.” It has also been related that when a righteous slave supplicates to Allah, exalted is He, Gabriel says: O Lord, your slave wants a need of his fulfilled. So Allah ﷻ responds: “Leave my slave; for I love him and love to hear his voice.”

So, O aspirant, fulfil what Allah ﷻ has instructed you with in respect to supplication, and submit to His ﷻ will. Perhaps you will be responded to by Him ﷻ withholding from you and giving you other than what you were seeking, by which you are then granted the greatest good, and even more. [10:26]

Source: The Humble “I”
Picture by: Umar Khan ©

Will I be punished even if I believe in the Divine?

On By splendidpearlsIn Adhkar (Words of rememberance) and Awrad (Litanies), Quran, Seeking Islamic Knowledge, Tasawwuf (Spirituality)2 Comments

hopeThe answer can be found in the following verse of the Qur’an, Surah an-Nisā 4:147, in which Allah says:

{ مَّا يَفْعَلُ ٱللَّهُ بِعَذَابِكُمْ إِن شَكَرْتُمْ وَآمَنْتُمْ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ شَاكِراً عَلِيماً }

Why would God punish you if you are thankful and believe? God is ever Thankful, Knowing.

Imam al-Qushayrī [d.376 AH] comments:

This verse is among the verses which engenders beautiful hopefulness and powerful optimism because He has made two things: “Thankfulness” (Shukr) and “Belief” (Īmān), among the signs of protection (amān) in what is to come; and these are easy and light qualities…

It is said that if you are thankful and believe, you confirm the truth that your salvation is through God, not because of your thankfulness or your belief.

It is said, Allah is thankful to his servant because He knows his weakness, and it is said He is thankful to him because He knows that his servant is not disobedient and that his aim is not to oppose His Lord. Rather, he sins because of the overwhelming cravings that are among the states of being human.

It is said [the servant] is thankful to Him because he knows in the state of his sins that he has a Lord who pardons him.

[Latā’if al-Ishārāt [Subtleties of the Allusions] by Imām Abu’l-Qāsim al-Qushayrī].

If you look for the words “most people” in the Qur’an, you will find that most of mankind:

 “do not know” [7:187],
“do not give thanks” [2:243]
“do not believe” [11:17].
“defiantly disobedient” [5:59],
“ignorant” [6:111],
“turning away” [21:24],
“do not reason” [29:23], and
“do not listen” [8:21].

So be of the “few”, whom Allah says about them:

“And few of My servants are grateful.” (34:13)
“But none had believed with him, except a few.” (11:40)

May Allah forgive us all and make us amongst those who believe and are thankful.

Returning to the Qur’ān.

On By splendidpearlsIn Adhkar (Words of rememberance) and Awrad (Litanies), Seeking Islamic Knowledge, Tasawwuf (Spirituality)4 Comments

By Maryam Amirebrahimi 

After two hours of taraweeh and four hours of tahajjud, the Shaykh was crying to Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) in his prostration, pleading with Allah (swt) to forgive him.

This Shaykh would have to stop reciting the Qur’an because he was weeping so much. He would recite verses of the hellfire and you felt that he was witnessing the hellfire; verses of Paradise and it was as if he was in Paradise; he would recite a du`a’(supplication) in the Qur’an and beg with this du`a’ as if he was the only one, amongst thousands of people, making it for his own soul. And then, after losing his voice from hours of recitation and crying, he would go into sujood (prostration), and we could hear him over the microphone weeping, making tawbah (repentance) to Allah (swt).

Why was I not feeling the weight of the Qur’an like he was? Why was I not feeling the weight of my shortcomings like he was? And who could possibly have more shortcomings between the two of us? The most overwhelming feeling that I experienced was that he knew something that I did not. Indeed, Allah `azza wa jal (the Almighty and Majestic) says, “It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah,” (Qur’an, 35:28). And the Shaykh recited this verse over and over.

After Ramadan, I went to his masjid and was blessed to be able to ask him about this.

“Shaykh, I was here in Ramadan— When you recited the Qur’an, I felt that you really understood it. Sometimes you would recite a verse over and over, sometimes you would cry and cry. And even if I understood the meaning of the verse, I would not cry like you would cry. And so I felt you don’t just know the meaning, but you KNOW the meaning. How can I be of those who know?”

He replied, “The means are many:

1. Prepare your heart with the utmost preparation by praying salat al-sunnah (the optional prayer) before the fard salah(the obligatory prayer).

a. Prepare your heart before you enter salah. For example, before Salat al-`Ishaa’ (the night prayer), pray two rak`at (units of prayer) to help your heart feel the Qur’an before the fara`id (obligatory prayer).

 

2. Recite the Qur’an often.
a. When you recite an ayah (verse), recite it over and over—contemplate the ayaat.
b. Interact with the Qur’an, one juz (part) a day, so that you can finish the Qur’an within one month, reciting it plentifully.

3. Read the tafsir (explanation) of the Qur’an.
a. While reciting the Qur’an, if you realize there is a verse that you do not understand, go to the tafsir. Then go back to the verse and read it with knowledge about how it was revealed, why it was revealed, when it was revealed, the situation it was revealed in, and then think: do I understand it now?

4. Realize Allah `azza wa jal is calling YOU.
a. Imagine how it was when the Qur’an was revealed to the Companions. They witnessed the revelation of Qur’an! They knew the reason for the revelation of different verses; they knew the Qur’an was addressing THEM. Imagine how the Companions radi Allahu `anhum (may Allah be please with them) were then affected, when they knew the Qur’an was revealed to them, that the Qur’an was calling them.
b. Know this: Allah (swt) is calling you! As an example, say you heard a verse from Surat al-Hujurat: “O you who have believed, do not put [yourselves] forward before Allah and His Messenger, but fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Hearing and Knowing,” (Qur’an, 49:1). You should think, I am from those who believe. What is Allah asking from ME? What does Allah, the Most Loving, request from me?

5. LIVE these ayaat
a. When you read about Jannah, imagine you are SITTING in Jannah, looking at the fruits of Jannah, watching the people of Jannah, smelling the scents of Jannah.
b. When you read about the Naar (Hellfire), think about your kitchen, think about how hot it is when you are by the stove when the fire of the stove is on. Imagine how hot it would be if you were to touch that fire—so hot that you cannot stand the heat of the fire on your face. This is the fire of this life! Imagine the Naar! How hot is the Naar?

6. Very important: du`a’.
a.  Allah ‘aza wa jall is the Only One who will give you this understanding. You will not get it unless Allah (swt) wants you to understand. So when you make sujood, and you are between His Hands subhanah (the Glorious), make a ton of du`a’: “O Allah! You are the Opener! Open this knowledge for me, open the understanding of the Qur’an for me.”

7. Qiyam al-Layl (the night prayer)
a. Read the verse, and think about the verse, and read it many, many times, and ponder over the verse. The Prophet ﷺ would read just one verse, over and over, weeping to Allah (swt).
b. The reading and contemplation of the Qur’an will move the heart.

8. Lessen the sins and the disobedience to Allah (swt).
a. Raan (the stain of sins and evil deeds) are a barrier from feeling and understanding the Qur’an. They create a covering on the heart: “No! Rather, stain has covered their hearts of that which they were earning,” (Qur’an, 83:14).
b. Thus you can hear a verse, such a strong, powerful verse, but you are not affected by it because you have this covering on your heart. You need to decrease the sins you commit so that your heart can be affected by the Qur’an.

9. Listen to the Qur’an plentifully.
a. When you listen to the Qur’an, think – why does this reciter recite this verse over and over? Why is he crying when he recites this verse? Listen and think about why the reciter is reciting the way he is.

10. Have hope with Allah `aza wa jal.
a. Allah (swt) will NEVER leave me to myself.
b. Realize Allah (swt) will not leave you to yourself when you ask Him! Make du`a’ to Him! Have hope that He (swt) will answer you!
c. Make du`a’: “O Allah! Who am I? Who am I except the companion of sin and disobedience? And You subhanah! You are the Companion of forgiveness! O Allah, open the doors of understanding for me! You are the Only One Who can give me understanding!”
d. KNOW that He will answer you and will never leave you.”

Floored, I asked him – “Shaykh, how do you know all this? You answered me with steps, with a plan of how to return to the Qur’an. Is it all just in a book—that I can read and know exactly what to do?”

He replied, “You know, just like if you are in a certain department in college and you want to get the highest grades, what do you do? You read books, you speak to people who learn the material—just like this, I thought, how do I become successful? So I read books and I listened, and when I heard someone reciting and they were weeping, I thought, why are they weeping in this verse? Why are they weeping here?”

And so he searched, with the goal: “Kayf anjah? How do I succeed?”

Perhaps not all of us can jump into implementing all of the above steps overnight. Instead, let us make sure to take care and guard over doing at least two of them until we get them down, and then move on to do more until insha’Allah (God willing) we too are of those who succeed.

Below, please find the I WANT THE QUR’AN! chart. Print it out, put it somewhere you’ll see every day (like the fridge), and mark your progress with the Qur’an.

The Prophet ﷺ taught us that whoever wants this life, for this person is the Qur’an. And whoever wants the akhira (the next life), for this person is the Qur’an. And whoever wants them both, then for this person is the Qur’an.

From knowledge to dough, whatever you want, cling to the Qur’an! In the end, “…whatever of good (deeds that Allah loves) you send forth for yourselves before you, you shall find it with Allah. Certainly, Allah is All-Seer of what you do.” (Qur’an, 2:110)

Download the Qur’an chart now!

I WANT THE QUR’AN Chart (Microsoft Word document)

I WANT THE QUR’AN Chart (PDF document)

Source: Returning to the Qur’an