Date: February 27, 2015
Who is Allah? What an awful question. Right? You are feeling peace inside your soul. Inside your mind. Then, who is creating this peace? Here is your answer. Allah is the most compassionate strength in you, creates the peace in you. You are always confident in your personality. This is Allah’s grace upon you. This strength and peace help you to speak up and act as a wonderful human being. Expect less and less from others and more and more from Allah. Allah is the best teacher in the universe for your grief and happiness.
"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."
Sunan Ibn Mājah
"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"
Sahih Bukhari
Hiba Masood a writer, speaker and a story teller talks about her Baba's influence in teaching Quran and its holy threads in her wonderful opinion piece "Baba, The Quran and Me". When she was in her younger age, she had to recite Quran every day, that her Baba taught her to do so without fail. She memorizes her childhood experience in the holy month of Ramadan as well as her Baba's powerful Ramadan experiences. Her Baba looked after all his children with extreme care. She had not faced poverty or any other means difficulties in life. Baba used to talk about his life and his days spent with his eight brothers and sisters used to look like. They were like in abject poverty, splitting one bowl of food for Iftar amongst a family of eleven and so on. Baba used to say that once all the work is done, you should recite Quran in every single possible minute. Every letter you recite during Ramadan has 70 times the regular reward? That means every letter, like saying Alif, gets you seven hundred good deeds. Years passed and with all the impetuous, rebellion of youth, of spending my days in smoke-filled rooms, strategizing with socialist/activists, and my evenings protesting against the Iraq war on the frozen streets of Toronto. Of not praying at all, of not so much as glancing towards the dusty shelf where my Qur'an sat the entire year. Next year Hiba got married and her brand new husband got astonished by her behavior and activities. She never proper placed her shoes and she always misplaced her cell phone. And she blessed with a baby boy just before the month of holy Ramadan. And there have many, many more years filled with anxiety, scary financial strain and a stormy marriage of sickness and grief. Years passed with no changes. Hiba recited Quran verses just as a routine, or just like fasting in the month of Ramadan without knowing the rewards of reciting. At last wisdom came to her brain at the age of thirty and she started to settle in life. Slowly, as an enthusiastically expected reconnection, she started reciting Quran well to Allah to the Qur'an to her childhood, to her father and to herself. Now her beloved father is aging and sick and she is in great agony by thinking about her sick dad. She used to caress his dad's grey hair, press her cheeks to his. She says that she misses him a lot and she is afraid of the future. But most of all, she whisper her gratitude. Gratitude for gifting her so freely all the things, all the lessons, all the beliefs, all the forces of habit and inspiring stories and abiding, enriching traditions that have blessed her life. Ultimately he was the lighthouse when he was able.
Read MoreIslam is a religion which teaches us to be dutiful and to show respect to our parents. Allah (SWT) has gifted us with parents which we did not choose, instead HE chose them for us. The Supreme Maker took this decision as a test for them as well as for us. This is the reason why Allah (SWT) says we should be kind to our parents. Parents are given the next highest status after Allah (SWT) and his Prophets. We are blessed with parents who guide us and love us from the beginning of our lives. A baby needs the guidance and support of a human being for survival. If we were not looked after by our mother we would have died. It is the duty of the parent to feed the child and accommodate the child and to have a good relationship with the child. It is said in a hadith: A man came to the Prophet (SAW) and asked him: _“O” Messenger of Allah, who among people is more deserving of my good company?” He said, “Your mother.” The man asked, “Then who?” The Prophet said, “Your mother.” The man asked, “Then who?” The Prophet said, “Your mother.” The man asked, “Then who?” The Prophet said, “Then your father". (Bukhari and Muslim) Children are a trust given to the parents by the ALMIGHTY. HE has given them the power to guide them and to build them as a good human being, but He has given the parents a boundary step which they should not cross to achieve something they want as it is the right of the children to make a choice. If the children make a wrong decision it is the duty of the parents to guide them and tell them and to convince them about this choice. A parent should always try to be the role model of the child by doing good things. Parents should be like friends with their children so that they can run to you without fear when they need to tell you something. As our parents do all these for us we owe to them respect and kindness. Even after the death of our parents we should pray, give charity on their behalf and perform dua for them.
Read MorePart III Benefits of Salah to Human Body 1. Knee joint Joint pains can be cured by means of Prayer. When we stand for a long time, our body gets weak, however when we lift our hands, we gain strength. Our backbone should be in a very healthy condition. Salah gives strength to all the parts of the body and it cures the pain in the joints. 2. To stand The prayer initiates whilst one stand, and this has a few benefits. Our body gains peace as the Quran is being recited. The Quran recitation has a healing effect on the human body. Many researches have been proved that, Arabic sounds are the main reason behind this healing and mental peace. _"And we have sent the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy to the believers; and it adds loss only to the unjust."_ (17:82) Islamic researchers have found that when a devotee recites the holy Quran, his bad thoughts, feelings, fears and guilt are free or healed. Most of the sounds of the Arabic language while reciting the holy Quran can create a balance in all ill affected areas of the human body. The takbir (Allahu akbar) and Qiyam (standing) together are destined to advance posture, balance and self-awareness. This standing posture can normalize the blood pressure and breathing. This can cure diseases like asthma and heart attacks. 3. Heart Illnesses After many research had been taken place, some of the expert cardiologists have come up with the conclusion that the illnesses of the heart are reduced when Prayer is offered. Qiyam helps the lower body to pump blood, ruku to pump the blood to middle parts and sujud helps the blood to reach the upper body with less pressure on the heart. 4. Ruku Ruku helps to pump the blood to middle parts of body. If you perform ruku properly, you can keep away from back pains and joint pains. Everybody know that back problems are painful and limit the daily movements of an individual. Performing Ruku saves a person to cure the kidney stone disease. In ruku the circulation of blood works well, advancing the eyes and mind. Ruku stretches the muscles of the back, thighs, legs, calves and allows blood to be pumped in the higher chest. This position additionally promotes a larger flow of blood into the higher regions of body significantly to the head, eyes, ears, nose brain and lungs to be released. Over time this improves brain perform and one’s personality and is a superb stance to take care of the proper position of the foetus in pregnant ladies. 5. Prostration Prostration in a calm pace is helpful for internal organs. Prostration in the sunnah way aids the stomach to make it muscular. The sunnah can reduce the liver, kidney, back and stomach diseases. When a devotee performs Sunnah and in the position of prostration the blood reaches the head smoothly. During this activity, the blood goes to the eyes, brain and other parts of the head and nerves. If you pray salah, your face will enlighten. Prostration can give more beauty to a woman’s face. Long prostrations with modesty and honesty are helpful to cure diseases of the brain as the blood spreads the brain without effort. As the blood spreads the higher part of the body, such as the eyes, face and teeth-making the wrinkles vanish from the cheeks. 6. Sitting Position The position of Qaida is like the thunderbolt posture in yoga, which firms the toes, knees, thighs and legs. This position can help to decrease the excessive sleeping behavior of a person. This can also help in speedy digestion. 7. Salam To complete the Prayer, devotee should perform the postures using head-like turn the head to the right and then left. The throat is stimulated by rotating the head towards the right and then the left shoulder in the concluding of the prayer. This nerve path is linked to the throat, neck, arms, hands, lung area and hearing affecting individual creativity and communication. Salam also helps in chest strengthening as well as collar bone strengthening. Everyone should keep in mind that, these can only benefit, if he or she offer this prayer with devotion and sincerity. If you perform this prayer daily, you can remain balanced, happy and physically and mentally fit. 8. Supplication When your hands are held open for prayer, they activate your heart. This is termed as to be the center of the emotional state of love, agreement and amity. It also directs the health of your heart, lungs, thymus, immune system and cardiovascular system. End Content Sources
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