Thought For The Day...✍

You should structure your time, arrange your regular devotions, and assign each function a set period of time during which it is given first priority but which it does not overstep. For if you abandon yourself to neglect and purposelessness, as the cattle do, and just do anything that may occur to you at any time it happens to occur to you, most of your time will be wasted. Your time is your life, and your life is your capital; it is the basis of your transactions [with ALLAAH], and the means to attain to everlasting felicity, in the proximity of ALLAAH (SUBHANAHU WA TA'ALA). Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, and when it passes away it never returns.

👉 Abu Ḥamid al-Ghazali (RAHIMAHULLAAH)
@Deepthinking (Q&A)
**📨@IslamNode📥**

Habeeb M Stranger

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STORY — Suspicion

Hasan Basri once noticed a slave with a woman near the banks of the River Tigris. In his hand, the slave held a bottle from which he was drinking. The saint thought to himself, “I regard myself as a sinner, but I am superior to this slave.”
As he looked on, a boat with seven men on board began to sink in the river. The slave instantly jumped into the water and saved six of them. He then turned to the saint and remarked, “I have saved six of the seven. Since you regard yourself as superior to me, I request that you save the remaining person on the boat.”
He then explained, “I was trying to test you to see if you were blind or observant. The woman by my side is my mother and the bottle in my hand contains nothing but water.”
Hasan Basri realised his error and immediately begged the man for forgiveness. He also requested, “Just as you saved six men from drowning, save me from drowning in the sea of blindness.” From then onwards, Hasan Basri never regarded anybody with contempt.

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WHY WE SHOULD STRIVE TO OFFER OUR 5X DAILY PRAYERS. { Part 1}

BismilLaahir Rahmaanir Raheem.

Prayer (salat) is the most important practice in Islam after declaring faith in Allah and His Messenger. The Prophet described the prayer as a light, the pillar of Islam, and among the best deeds.

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud may Allah be pleased with him reported: I asked, “O Messenger of Allah, which deed is best?” The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
الصَّلَاةُ عَلَى مِيقَاتِهَا
Prayer in its proper time.
Source: Sahih Bukhari 2630, Grade: Muttafaqun Alayhi

But this is for the true and sincere prayer that completes its purpose and objectives, both inwardly and outwardly, not simply going through the motions without presence of heart. In order for the prayer to be fulfilled, we must allow it to purify our hearts, to keep us away from sin, and to enrich our lives in the remembrance of Allah.

Purification of the heart is the ultimate religious objective of prayer. A prayer will only be acceptable to Allah if it is done with sincerity, reverence, awareness, and repentance. Our prayers should cleanse the heart of every spiritual disease such as envy, malice, zina, gambling, arrogance etc.

Allah says:
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن تَزَكَّىٰ وَذَكَرَ اسْمَ رَبِّهِ فَصَلَّىٰ
He has succeeded who purifies himself, who remembers the name of his Lord and prays. Surat Al-A’la 87:14-15. Allahu Akbar WALHAMDULILLAH.

May Allah aid us to purify our hearts towards our salaat.
Aameen.

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Humility

STORY — Humility

One day, Imam Bukhari was in the process of constructing a building close to Bukhara. Many people came to assist the Imam with the construction. But, the Imam continued carrying the bricks with his own hands.

Somebody appealed to him, “There is no need for you to carry the bricks. We will do it.”

Imam Bukhari responded, “I am doing this for my own benefit.”

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The man who made a promise to tell the truth

Telling the truth is a very good habit. If you always speak the truth, you can save yourself from a lot of trouble! Here is a story of a man who did a lot of bad things, but his promise to tell the truth saved him.

Once a man came to the prophet Muhammad (S) and said, "Oh prophet of Allah, I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I give up first?" The prophet said, "Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth." The man promised to do so and went home.

At night the man was about to go out to steal. Before setting out, he thought for a moment about the promise he made with the prophet. "If tomorrow the prophet asks me where have I been, what shall I say? Shall I say that I went out stealing? No, I cannot say that. But nor can I lie. If I tell the truth, everyone will start hating me and call me a thief. I would be punished for stealing."

So the man decided not to steal that night, and gave up this bad habit.

Next day, he felt like drinking wine, when he was about to do so, he said to himself, "What shall I say to the prophet if he asks me what did I do during the day? I cannot tell a lie, and if I speak the truth people will hate me, because a Muslim is not allowed to drink wine." And so he gave up the idea of drinking wine.

In this way, whenever the man thought of doing something bad, he remembered his promise to tell the truth at all times. One by one, he gave up all his bad habits and became a good Muslim and a very good person.

If you always speak the truth, you can be a good person, a good Muslim whom Allah likes and favors. If Allah - our Creator - is pleased with us, He will reward us with HEAVEN, which is a place of happiness and joy.

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Be patient, don't complain

Khabbaab ibn al-Aratt (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "We complained to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was reclining on his cloak in the shade of the Ka'bah. We said to him: "Why do you not ask Allaah to help us (grant us victory)? Why do you not pray to Allaah for us?" He said, "A man from the people before you would be placed in a hole dug for him, then they would bring a saw and cut his head in two, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. They would use an iron comb to drag the flesh and nerves from his bones, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. By Allaah, this matter will be completed (i.e. Islam will be perfected and will prevail) until a rider travelling from Sana' to Hadramawt will fear nobody but Allaah or the attack of a wolf on his sheep, but you are too impatient." Source: Sahih Bukhari.

The conditions of Muslims may go up and down but Islam will always remain on top. We should never lose hope even during the most difficult times as Allah is always in control. Surely, Allah helps those who are patient.

Source: islamcan

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A LESSON FROM ATM MACHINE

Yesterday I was at the ATM to get some cash because I dearly needed money.

As I started to transact, the ATM showed me an inscription which said; Please insert your card.

I did

And then another message popped up- Please enter your pin code

I did

And then another message came ...select the amount,

I did that too

After I had done all this...the ATM showed me a message in BOLD letters

YOUR TRANSACTION IS BEING PROCESSED, PLEASE WAIT !

Allow me to say..when you have done all the things you can, you have prayed, you have fasted, you have even asked others to pray with you and for you but it seems as if nothing is happening in your life, wait patiently don't give up, don't move because your request is being processed.

WAIT!

Let me tell you ..What made me wait is because my card was already in the ATM, I had already entered my pin code.

If I give up now and walk away..Lord have Mercy... The next person will get all that I had requested.

Not because your messages aren't heard, not because your prayers are irrelevant, not because your fasting is meaningless..but because

YOUR TRANSACTION IS BEING PROCESSED

Wait and murmur not. Do not think you were born to suffer..
Your prayers are being processed so Wait upon Allah.

I Know it's not easy but I encourage you to wait and do not despair of Allah's mercy.

YOUR TRANSACTION IS BEING PROCESSED. PLEASE WAIT
And after a while, the result came out " CASH"" that brought smile to my face.
After you have waited patiently, you will obtain the promise that will make you smile

Credits : Jeleel Ghaniyyah Oyinkansola

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CHRISTIANS FOLKS SHOULD STOP BLASPHEMING ISHMAEL IF THEY CAN'T ANSWER MY BELOW QUESTIONS

=======================
    •••Five irrefutable argument•••
  ---------------------------------------------------
•WHERE IS IT WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE THAT ISHMAEL IS NOT THE SON OR SEED OF ABRAHAM?
__
•WHERE WAS IT WRITTEN THAT HE WAS NOT PART OF THE COVENANT?
_
•DID COVENANT MADE BY ALMIGHTY GOD TO ISAAC EFFECT THAT OF ISHMAEL NOT TO BE PART OF COVENANT MADE BY GOD ALMIGHTY TO ABRAHAM AND HIS SEED?
_
•WHERE WAS IT WRITTEN THAT ISHMAEL WAS BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK? WHERE DID BIBLE ADDRESS HIM AS ILLEGITIMATE SON OR BASTARD?

Credits : Abu Madakson

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LAST NIGHT OF RAMADHAAN

Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said,
‘On the last night of Ramadhaan the fasting Muslims are forgiven.’ The Sahaabah radiyallahu anhum inquired,
‘O Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, is that the night of power?’ Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam replied,
‘No! But it is only right that a servant should be given his reward on having completed his duty’ [Ahmad]

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A word of smile

About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I was working as an intern at my University's Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.

As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of perched on her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and torso. She was wearing a little white dress with red polka dots.

As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink. As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the cutest, largest smile I have ever seen. All of a sudden her handicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and almost instantly gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world; a world of smiles, love and warmth.

That was ten years ago. I'm a successful business person now and whenever I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she taught me.

From islamcam.com

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A thousand camels

In the times of Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) there was a severe famine. All the people of Madinah were suffering due to the shortage of food. A caravan made up of a thousand camels loaded with a large stock of food grains belonging to Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu) arrived from Shaam (Syria). Several merchants offered to buy all of it. He asked them what profit they would pay. "Five per cent," they said. He answered that he could get higher profit than that. They began to argue with him, saying that they did not know of any merchant who would offer him more than their quote. He said to them, "I know of one who repays a profit of more than seven hundred to a dirham (Arabian currency)." He then recited the verse of the Noble Quran in which Allah Ta'ala mentioned this profit. "The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower." (2:261).

"O traders! Bear witness with me that I donate all this to the poor people of Madinah!" said Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu).

Source: Related by Shaikh Habibullah Mukhtaar in his book "Bringing Up Children in Islaam" in the chapter of Generosity.

Dear readers, what ever we give for the sake of Allah is really ours and whatever we keep with us will one day be someone else's. Let us follow the footsteps of our Prophet and the pious Sahabah, with whom Allah was pleased with, by helping the needy ones in this blessed month of Ramadan.

From islamcam.com

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The boy who use to delay his prayers

He remembered his grandmother's warning about praying on time: "My son, you shouldn't leave prayer to this late time." His grandmother's age was 70 but whenever she heard the Adhan, she got up like an arrow and performed Salah/Namaz/prayer. He, however could never win over his ego to get up and pray. Whatever he did, his Salah was always the last to be offered and he prayed it quickly to get it in on time. Thinking of this, he got up and realized that there were only 15 minutes left before Salat-ul Isha. He quickly made Wudhu and performed Salat-ul Maghrib. While making Tasbih, he again remembered his grandmother and was embarrassed by how he had prayed. His grandmother prayed with such tranquility and peace. He began making Dua and went down to make Sajdah and stayed like that for a while.
He had been at school all day and was tired, so tired. He awoke abruptly to the sound of noise and shouting. He was sweating profusely. He looked around. It was very crowded. Every direction he looked in was filled with people. Some stood frozen looking around, some were running left and right and some were on their knees with their heads in their hands just waiting. Pure fear and apprehension filled him as he realized where he was.

His heart was about to burst. It was the Day of Judgment. When he was alive, he had heard many things about the questioning on the Day of Judgment, but that seemed so long ago. Could this be something his mind made up? No, the wait and the fear were so great that he could not have imagined this. The interrogation was still going on. He began moving frantically from people to people to ask if his name had been called. No one could answer him. All of a sudden his name was called and the crowd split into two and made a passageway for him. Two people grabbed his arms and led him forward. He walked with unknowing eyes through the crowd. The angels brought him to the center and left him there. His head was bent down and his whole life was passing in front of his eyes like a movie. He opened his eyes but saw only another world. The people were all helping others.
He saw his father running from one lecture to the other, spending his wealth in the way of Islam. His mother invited guests to their house and one table was being set while the other was being cleared. He pleaded his case; "I too was always on this path. I helped others. I spread the word of Allah. I performed my Salah. I fasted in the month of Ramadan. Whatever Allah ordered us to do, I did. Whatever he ordered us not to do, I did not." He began to cry and think about how much he loved Allah. He knew that whatever he had done in life would be less than what Allah deserved and his only protector was Allah. He was sweating like never before and was shaking all over. His eyes were fixed on the scale, waiting for the final decision. At last, the decision was made. The two angels with sheets of paper in their hands, turned to the crowd. His legs felt like they were going to collapse. He closed his eyes as they began to read the names of those people who were to enter Jahannam/Hell.

His name was read first. He fell on his knees and yelled that this couldn't be, "How could I go to Jahannam? I served others all my life, I spread the word of Allah to others." His eyes had become blurry and he was shaking with sweat. The two angels took him by the arms. As his feet dragged, they went through the crowd and advanced toward the blazing flames of Jahannam. He was yelling and wondered if there was any person who was going to help him. He was yelling of all the good deeds he had done, how he had helped his father, his fasts, prayers, the Qur'an that he read, he was asking if none of them would help him. The Jahannam angels continued to drag him. They had gotten closer to the Hellfire. He looked back and these were his last pleas. Had not Rasulullah [saw] said, "How clean would a person be who bathes in a river five times a day, so too does the Salah performed five times cleanse someone of their sins?" He began yelling, "My prayers? My prayers? My prayers?"

The two angels did not stop, and they came to the edge of the abyss of Jahannam. The flames of the fire were burning his face. He looked back one last time, but his eyes were dry of hope and he had nothing left in him. One of the angels pushed him in. He found himself in the air and falling towards the flames. He had just fallen five or six feet when a hand grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. He lifted his head and saw an old man with a long white beard.

He wiped some dust off himself and asked him, "Who are you?" The old man replied, "I am your prayers." "Why are you so late! I was almost in the Fire! You rescued me at the last minute before I fell in." The old man smiled and shook his head. "You always performed me at the last minute, and did you forget?" At that instant, he blinked and lifted his head from Sajdah. He was in a sweat. He listened to the voices coming from outside. He heard the adhan for Salat-ul Isha. He got up quickly and went to perform Wudhu.

"Say Your Prayers Before Prayers For You Are Said."

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The tale of the two frogs

A group of frogs were hopping contentedly through the woods, going about their froggy business, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they saw how deep the pit was, the rest of the dismayed group agreed that it was hopeless and told the two frogs in the pit that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because they were as good as dead.

Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all of their might. Some of the frogs shouted into the pit that it was hopeless, and that the two frogs wouldn't be in that situation if they had been more careful, more obedient to the froggy rules, and more responsible.

The other frogs continued sorrowfully shouting that they should save their energy and give up, since they were already as good as dead. The two frogs continued jumping as hard as they could, and after several hours of desperate effort were quite weary.

Finally, one of the frogs took heed to the calls of his fellows. Spent and disheartened, he quietly resolved himself to his fate, lay down at the bottom of the pit, and died as the others looked on in helpless grief. The other frog continued to jump with every ounce of energy he had, although his body was wracked with pain and he was completely exhausted.

His companions began a new, yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just die. The weary frog jumped harder and harder and - wonder of wonders! Finally leapt so high that he sprang from the pit. Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his miraculous freedom and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?" Reading their lips, the astonished frog explained to them that he was deaf, and that when he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were cheering him on. What he had perceived as encouragement inspired him to try harder and to succeed against all odds.

This simple story contains a powerful lesson. Your encouraging words can lift someone up and help him or her make it through the day. Your destructive words can cause deep wounds; they may be the weapons that destroy someone's desire to continue trying - or even their life. Your destructive, careless word can diminish someone in the eyes of others, destroy their influence and have a lasting impact on the way others respond to them.

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The story of the Pious Drunkard and Fornicator

Sultan Murad IV, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623-1640, would often anonymously go into the midst of the people and see their state. One evening, he felt an uneasiness in himself and the urge to go out. He called for his head of security and out they went. They came to a busy vicinity, and found a man lying on the ground. The Sultan prodded him but he was dead and the people were going about their own business. Nobody seemed to care about the dead man lying on the ground.

The Sultan called upon the people. They didn't recognise him and asked him what he wanted. He said, "Why is this man lying dead on the ground and why does no one seem to care? Where is his family?"

They replied, "He is so and so, the drunkard and fornicator!"

The Sultan said, "Is he not from the Ummah of Muhammad (saw)? Now help me carry him to his house."

The people carried the dead man with the Sultan to his house and once they reached, they all left. The Sultan and his assistant remained. When the man's wife saw his dead body, she began weeping. She said to his dead body, "May Allah have mercy on you! O friend of Allah! I bear witness that you are from the pious ones."

The Sultan was bewildered. He said, "How is he from the pious ones when the people say such and such about him? So much so that no one even cared he was dead!"

She replied, "I was expecting that. My husband would go to the tavern every night and buy as much wine as he could. He would then bring it home and pour it all down the drain. He would then say, 'I saved the Muslims a little today.' He would then go to a prostitute, give her some money and tell her to close her door till the morning. He would then return home for a second time and say, 'Today, I saved a young woman and the youth of the believers from vice.'"

The people would see him buying wine and they would see him going to the prostitutes and they would consequently talk about him. One day I said to him, "When you die, there will be no one to bathe you, there will be no one to pray over you and there will be no one to bury you!"

He laughed and replied, "Don't fear, the Sultan of the believers, along with the pious ones shall pray over my body."

The Sultan began to cry. He said, "By Allah! He has said the truth, for I am Sultan Murad. Tomorrow we shall bathe him, pray over him and bury him."

And it so happened that the Sultan, the scholars, the pious people and the masses prayed over him.

We judge people by what we see and what we hear from others. Only if we were to see what was concealed in their hearts, a secret between them and their Lord. If Allah knows, why does it matter who knows and who doesn't know?!

"O you who believe, abstain from many of the suspicions. Some suspicions are sins. And do not be curious (to find out faults of others), and do not backbite one another. Does one of you like that he eats the flesh of his dead brother? You would abhor it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is Most-Relenting, Very-Merciful." (49:12)

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And i hurried to YOU

A Qur'aan teacher always advised her students to live by this Ayah:

وَعَجِلْتُ إِلَيْكَ رَبِّ لِتَرْضَىٰ

"And I hurried to You, my Lord, so that You'll be pleased."

[Taahaa, [20]: 84]

She told them, "This Ayah is what moves me. When I hear the Adhaan and I'm occupied and in the middle of something, I remind myself of this Ayah and so I get up to pray."

"When my alarm goes off at 2am and I want to go back to sleep I remember: 'And I hurried to You, my Lord, so you'll be pleased', and so I get up and stand before Allah."

Her husband had the following arrangement with her: On his way home from a long day at work he'd call her so she'll get the food hot & ready, so he can come home and eat & rest.

One day he asked her to make Mahshi (stuffed grape leaves) - a very time consuming dish. The process involves wrapping many of them and then putting them in a pot to cook. She had 3 more to wrap; but the Adhaan was called.

So she left the 3 remaining grape-leaves (which would have taken her 5 more minutes) and went to pray.

Her husband came home and found that the food was not ready and she was in sujood. He noticed there were only 3 grape-leaves left. A bit upset, he uttered, "You could have just finished them & put the pot to cook then pray!" But she wasn't responding.

He went to her to discover that she had died in her Sujood!

SubhaanAllaah! Had she waited like any of us to "finish whats in her hand" she would have died in the kitchen! Indeed, the way we live our life is how we will die.

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