A HUMBLE REMINDER: Remember Allah And He'll Remember You!

 

A Humble Reminder

Remember Allah And

He’ll Remember You!

Help Others So That

You’ll Be Helped!

Charity Is The Best Shield

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

Righteousness is godly. It comes from the Divine while evil is devilish and it is produced in the workshops of the Devil (Shaitan/Satan). When Allah wanted to create Adam, he tossed the idea to the angels in the Heaven. They said that they feared humans would spread evil while they were busy praising and glorifying Allah all the time. Vow! Imagine that! The very first man has not been created yet but the angels can sense and see humans spreading evil and committing disobedience to Allah. And they were right. That was the first instance.

Now, the second instance! When Allah commanded all to prostrate in front of Adam, they fell in prostration except Iblis (the Satan). When Allah asked him the reason for disobedience, he said that he was better because he was created from the superior element than mud.

Now, the third instance! When Allah the Almighty declared that Hell would be Satan’s destination, he was not happy and asked Allah to give him respite and he’ll prove that humans were not better than him. He’ll attack them from all sides and they’ll disobey Allah; spread corruption and mischief in the earth. They’ll even revolt against Allah’s commands. Allah gave him respite till the Day of Judgment and declared that all those who would follow the Devil (Satan) would be thrown into Hell along with the Devil and his disciples. And the game started.

We humans have played many rounds since then and it looks that the Devil (Satan) has been winning most of the rounds, most of the times to prove his point. On the contrary, we humans, actually very few of us, have won only those rounds where Allah the Most Merciful stood behind us; helped us and defended us from the Devil. The Most Merciful justified it by saying that “man was created weak.” In other words, we get strength only from Allah, by obeying His commands glorifying His name and seeking His pleasure. If we disobey Allah, there will be no help and we would be lost. Remember one thing in this life! We need Allah, the Most Merciful, in our lives while Allah does not need anything or anybody. He is beyond all needs.

Now, the picture should be very clear for all of us. In the war between Good and Evil, we would be successful only if we side with the Good and strive to promote it while keep fighting Evil all the time. On the Day of Judgment, our fate would be decided on the basis of righteousness and good deeds; and not on the basis of accumulation of money, material wealth, property and offspring.

In my long life, alhamdo-lillah, I had all kinds of experiences (actually more bad than good.. lol.). I spent most of my life overseas in other countries, in strange lands and living with strangers of different cultures and different languages. I learned one thing: Pleasing Allah is the best thing in life; everything else is superficial. Therefore, my advice to you is that you pay attention to the following:

You are smart people. It is not a lecture or sermon; it’s a humble reminder. Relax but stay alert! Allah the Almighty has warned us that we shall be tried and tested once or twice a year. So, always do a little something to prepare for that. And what’s that little something? It is remembering Allah by renewing our loyalty to Him sincerely through thanks (Shukr & Sadaqah or charity), repentance (Tawba & Istaghfar) and glorifying His name (Zikr, Ibadat, Tasbeeh, Nawafil).

Tests & Trials:

You cannot escape the tests and trials of life no matter where you live or hide. If you stay connected to Allah the Most Merciful, your Tests and Trials will be made easy/bearable and your losses will be minimal. Otherwise, it would be harsh, hard, severe, unbearable and maximum. But the Tests and Trials are a ‘must’ part of life to keep us in check. Allah says:

“Do they not see that they are tried once or twice every year? Yet they neither repent nor do they learn a lesson.” -- (al-Quran 9:126)

“Do the people think that they will be left to say, "We believe" and they will not be tried? But We have certainly tried those before them, and Allah will surely make evident those who are truthful, and He will surely make evident the liars.” -- (al-Quran 29:2-3)

Charity (Sadaqah)

Charity (Sadaqah) always fights your adversity and makes your trials easier. Charity (Sadaqah) becomes a great shield to protect you during bad times. It reduces your hurt and losses. Allah says:

“And it is Allah's Will to lighten your burdens, for humankind was created weak.” -- (al-Quran 4:28)

“Spend in the cause of Allah and do not let your own hands throw you into destruction ˹by withholding˺. And do good, for Allah certainly loves the good-doers.” -- (al-Quran 2:195)

Be grateful!

Allah the Most Merciful gives you everything and He can take it away anytime. It is only logical that we thank the Almighty who bestows upon us endless bounties and blessings. As a faithful believer, if you are grateful to Allah, He’ll give you more, and that’s His promise:

“And [remember the time] when your Sustainer made [this promise] known: 'If you are grateful [to Me], I shall most certainly give you more and more; but if you are ungrateful, verily, My chastisement will be severe indeed!" -- (al-Quran 14:7)

Repentance (Tawba & Istaghfar):

Repent to Allah for your bad deeds and evil-doings or sins as much as possible. Seek Allah’s forgiveness and mercy so that you prosper and succeed!

“Unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. And whoever repents and does good has truly turned to Allah with an (acceptable) conversion.” -- (al-Quran 25:70-71)

“But anyone who (in this life) had repented, believed, and worked righteousness, will have hopes to be among those who achieve salvation.” -- (al-Quran 28:67)

Remember Him (Stay connected)!

Staying connected with the Divine is the most important thing in life. And you can connect with Him only by remembering Him and obeying His commands. If you are a faithful believer, a loyal servant to Him, He will never ignore you or leave you when you need Him in times of trouble. Never forget His evergreen promise!

“Therefore, remember Me, I will remember you! Give thanks to Me, and reject not Me!” -- (al-Quran 2:152).

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GLORIFY ALLAH'S NAME If You Want To Escape The Hellfire!

 

Subhan-Allah!

Glorify Allah's Name

If You Want To Escape

The Hellfire!

(M. Javed Naseem)

 

“Lo! In the creation of the heavens and

the earth and (in) the difference of night

and day are tokens (of His Sovereignty)

for men of understanding.”

(al-Quran 3:190)

Allah the Almighty created us and before that He created the universe with all things in it. To Him belong the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them. Being His creation, it is only natural that we pay thanks to Him because He keeps bestowing upon us His blessings and bounties. He is the Best Provider. Praising the Almighty and thanking Him for all the blessings is due upon us without any argument. In the Quran, Allah promises us that if we thank Him, He will give us more. Therefore, it is only logical and reasonable that we glorify His name day in and day out. We need Him in our lives all the time, seven days a week. Without His mercy, we would be ruined and without His guidance, we would be lost.

Allah the Almighty likes those of us who are righteous and try to live their lives according to the Book of Allah. They are mindful of right and wrong, good and evil. They are the ones who always glorify the Most Merciful Allah, in every situation. Allah says in the Quran:

“They remember Allah, standing, sitting,

and reclining, and consider the creation

of the heavens and the earth, (and say):

Our Lord! You created not this in vain.

Glory be to You! Preserve us

from the doom of Fire.”

(al-Quran 3:191)

Once, the army of the Prophet of Allah, Sulaiman – or Solomon – (a.s.), was passing through a valley. There were Jinns and Humans in his flanks, and the birds in the air were casting their shadows to protect them from the heat of the sun. A pious man was passing by and saw that magnificent view of Solomon's grandeur and majesty. He stopped and said to Prophet Sulaiman (a.s.):

 

“Vow! Allah has blessed you with such a big kingdom and you even rule over Jinns, humans, beasts and cattle, animals and birds.”

Prophet Sulaiman (a.s.) smiled and replied: “One word of “Subhan-Allah” in the Record of Deeds of a Muslim, is better than this whole kingdom of Sulaiman. Because this kingdom is going to perish one day, but the reward of “Subhan-Allah” is going to stay for ever.”

Allah-o-Akber! What an assessment! All glory be to Allah! There is nothing better, bigger and more beneficial for us in the entire universe than the glory and praise of the Almighty Allah. We should be grateful to Him for all the blessings He bestows upon us despite our faults and sins.

Scholars have quoted many references from the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.)

and concluded that the best words to utter (Kalima) as “Zikr” (or Dhikr) are “Subhan Allah”, “Alhamdo-lillah” and “Allaho-Akber”. The scholars of all four schools of thoughts also unanimously agree on the notion that the best Kalima (word or phrase) for Zikr (Dhikr) during the day or night, which is very easy and light on the tongue, but would be heavier in the scale of good deeds on the Day of Judgment, is:

“Subhan-Allah wa-behamdeh,

Subhan-Allah il-Azeem.”

The more you recite, the more rewards you get for your Hereafter. It is recommended that you recite it at least 100 times everyday, if not more. Some people recite it 100 times after each prayer (Salaat). If you cannot do that, then at least recite it after Fajr and Isha prayers. This phrase is considered very dear and favorite to Allah the Almighty.

Allah will shower His mercy upon you, Insha-Allah.

“Establish worship at the going down of the sun

until the dark of night, and (the recital of) the

Quran at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Quran

at dawn is ever witnessed.”

(al-Quran 17:78)

Allah tells us in the Quran that we should always be 'mindful' of Him; fear His wrath and anger; and be grateful to Him in all situations, under all circumstances. Sometimes, it is very hard to do that but we have no choice. You can take or bear something with a smile or with a frown. Only smile looks not only better on our face but it also earns rewards for you in the Hereafter. It is a 'Hasanah' or 'Sadaqah'. The other thing is that we cannot change our situation but Allah can, as He is able to do everything. Our job is to do good, and He will reward us with a great prize or compensation.

“Is the reward of good anything but good?”

(al-Quran 55:60)

Here is a beautiful excerpt from the Sufi works of Maulana Rumi: 

“This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.

 

Welcome and entertain them all! 

Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture;

 Still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out, for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent

_{as a guide from beyond.”}

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