Lower Your Gaze

"There was a companion of ours in Glasgow who became ill and was hospitalized. He was admitted for three days and on the fourth day the attendant nurse said, "Marry me".He [the brother in Glasgow] asked, "Why? I am a Muslim, you and I cannot become companions."She said, "I will become Muslim"."What's the reason?" it was asked.She said, "In all my time that I have served in hospitals, except you, I have never seen a man lower his gaze in front of a woman. In my life you are the first person who lowers his gaze when seeing a woman. I come, and you close your eyes. Such great modesty can be taught by none other than a true religion."The protection of one's gaze entered Islam in her. She testified to the Oneness of Allah and became a Muslim. They both got married. By now, the same woman was and is the means of bringing so many other girls and women into Islam.

In a Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported as having said: "And the eyes commit zina (adultery). Their zina is gazing."The Prophet Muhammad (saw) commanded Imam Ali (as) said: "Ali! Do not look once after another, for the first look is for you (since it happens accidentally) while the second is against you."

Showing Off

Informing People of Worship
In the tribe of Bani Isra`il, there lived a worshipper who after years of worship, requested Allah to manifest to him his rank and status, and prayed: 'O' Lord! If my deeds are to Your liking, I would strive further in performing good deeds, but if not, then I would want to make amends for it before death overtakes me, and engage myself (more) in acts of worship.'
In his dreams he was informed: 'In the eyes of Allah, you do not possess any good deed.' Perturbed, he exclaimed: 'O' Allah! Where then have my deeds gone?' It was said to him: 'You do not possess any deed, for whenever you performed a good deed, you informed the people of it. Therefore, the pleasure that you derived out of informing them of your acts is your reward for those acts.' This disturbed him immensely and left him greatly saddened.
For the second time, he was informed in his dreams: 'Now purchase your life from Us. Give charity equivalent to the number of veins in your body, every day!'
He pleaded: 'O' Lord! How can I give such a large amount in charity when I do not possess anything?'
He heard: 'We do not impose any duty on a soul except in the measure of its ability. Recite the following three hundred and sixty times daily; every word of it is charity for a vein of your body:
Subhan Allahi, Wal Hamdu Lillahi, Wa La Ilaha Illallahu, Wallahu Akbar, Wa La Haul Wa La Quwwata Illa Billah.' (Arabic in attachment)
The worshipper, who was overjoyed to hear these words, said: 'Grant me more than this', whereupon it was said to him: 'The more you recite the more reward you shall earn. 'Reference: Anecdotes for Reflection, vol 3, Showing off, Pg 57.

Explanation of above anecdote

Showing off is a tree that comes into existence as a result of hypocrisy and whose fruit is nothing but concealed polytheism. It is exhibited before entities that neither have the ability to grant life and death, nor the authority to fulfil the needs of any person.On the Day of Judgment, at the time of reckoning, it will be said to a person who showed off: "Collect the rewards of your deeds from those, whom you had made partners to Me and for whom you had performed your deeds!!"Showing off usually occurs in gatherings and with respect to clothes and acts of worship. Thus, it is essential to remain attentive towards and heedful of Allah in order to purge our interiors of this satanic vice.

Answers from the Holy Prophet (pbuh)

A traveller once came to the Masjid to see the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) after greeting the prophet, he was asked where he was from. The traveller replied that he came from very far just to get a few questions answered. Following is the dialogue between the traveler and the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH ),
Traveller : I do not want adhab (punishments) to be written in my account.
Prophet : Behave well with your parents
Traveller : I want to be known amongst people as an inteligent person.
Prophet : Fear Allah (Jalla Jalalah), always.
Traveller : I want to be counted amongst Allah's favourites.
Prophet : Recite Quran every morning and evening.
Traveller : I want my heart to always be enlightened. ( Munawer )
Prophet : Never forget death.
Traveller : I never want to be away from Allah's blessing.
Prophet : Always treat fellow creatures well.
Traveller : I never want to be harmed by my enemies.
Prophet : Always have faith in only Allah.
Traveller : I never want to be humiliated.
Prophet : Be careful of your actions.
Traveller : I wish to live long.
Prophet : Always do sile rahm. (Goodness towards blood Relations)
Traveller : I want my sustenance to increase.
Prophet : Always be in wudhoo.
Traveller : I wish to stay free of adhab in the grave.
Prophet : Always wear pure (paak) clothes.
Traveller : I never want to be burned in hell.
Prophet : Control your eyes and tongue.
Traveller : How do I get my sins forgiven?
Prophet : Always ask forgiveness from Allah with a lot of humility.
Traveller : I want people to respect me always.
Prophet : Never extend your hands of need at people.
Traveller : I want to always be honoured.
Prophet : Never humiliate or put down anyone.
Traveller : I don't want to be squeezed by fishare qabr.(Squeezing in the grave)
Prophet : Recite Surat Al Mulk (The Dominion) often.
Traveller : I want my wealth to increase.
Prophet : Recite surat el Waqiah (The Inevitable) every night.
Traveller : I want to be safe and at peace on Day of Judgment.
Prophet : Do zikr (Praises) of Allah from dusk to night.
Traveller : I want to be in full attention & concentration during prayers.
Prophet : Always do wudhoo with concentration and attention.

Advice from Satan

After Prophet Nuh (a.s.) had disembarked from his ark, the Satan approached him and said: "You have greatly obliged me and so I wish to thank you for your obligation and give you something in exchange!"

Nuh (a.s.) said: "I am indisposed to the fact that I oblige you and you recompense me for it. Anyway, go on and tell me the truth."

Satan said: "Indeed I have to strive hard and exert myself before I can lead one person astray, but you cursed the people and all of them were destroyed and so, at least at present, I am at ease till another community is born and reaches the age of responsibility before I invite them towards disobedience (of Allah)!! Now, in reciprocation of your good deed, I shall give you a word of advice. Stay away from three attributes:

Firstly - never exhibit arrogance, for it was because of this vice that I did not prostrate before your father, Adam and was expelled from the presence of Allah.

Secondly - stay away from greed, for it was this due to this that Adam consumed the wheat and was deprived of Paradise.

Thirdly - distance yourself from envy, for it was because of this vice that Qabil killed his brother Habil and eventually perished as a result of Divine punishment."

Reference:

• Anecdotes for Reflection, Vol 3, Satan, Anecdote 1, Pg 88

Why do I read Qur'an?

Why do we read Quran, even if we can't understand a single Arabic word???? This is a beautiful story.
An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Qur'an do?"
The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.
The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.
At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"
"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket."
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.
"Son, that's what happens when you read the Qur'an. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Allah in our lives."

70 names of a dog in Arabic Language

It is said that the great poet and linguist of the eleventh century, Abul-Ala Al-Miary, who was blind, stumbled into one of the princes at the court of Saleh ibn Mirdas, the autonomous ruler of Northern Syria. The noble guest lost his temper, especially because the poet was poor, and poor poets, are not supposed to stumble into rich nobility! So the guest called the poet an ignorant dog. Abul-Ala answered swiftly: “the dog among us is the one who does not know seventy names for the dog!” Of course the noble guest, the prince and half the linguists of the court could not count so many names. Later on, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when the preservation of the language became an obsession, the seventy names were listed. They were not quite synonymous, for they did not all simply mean: “dog”, rather, they were descriptions of a dog’s conditions; an angry dog had a name different from a joyful one, the dog that had one ear pointing up and the other down had a name different from the one who had both ears up or both ears down. What is true of the dog is true of most other creatures.

What is Anger of God

The scholars report that 'Amr b. Ubayd came to visit Muhammad b.Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on them, to test him with questions. He
said: "May I be your ransom, what is the meaning of the words of Him, the Exalted:

Do not those who disbelieve realise that the heavens and the earth were ratq and we made them fitq? [XXI 30] What is this
ratq and this fitq?"

"The heaven was ratq (means) that no rain came down from it," answered Abu Jafar, peace be on him, "and the earth was ratq
(means) that no plants came out of it."

Amr stopped. He could not find any opposition. He went away but then came back.

"May I be your ransom," he said, "tell me of the words of Him, the Mighty and High: On whomsoever My anger alights, he falls (to
disaster) [XX 82]. What is the anger of God, the Mighty and High?"

"The anger of God, Amr, is His punishment," replied Abu Jafar, peace be on him. "Whoever thinks that anything changes
God, is an unbeliever."{Kitab al Irshad (The Book of Guidance) By Sheikh al Mufeed}