Finding Laylatul-Qadr

Finding Laylatul-Qadr

Fresh Home-made Story by Faz Zulkifli

10 Things You Can Do On The Night Of Laylatul-Qadr

Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Quran as, "better than a thousand months" (97:3). Any action done on this night such as reciting the Quran, remembering Allah, etc. is better than acting for one thousand months which do not contain the night of Qadr.

Allah's Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time." (Muslim). Allah's peace and blessings be upon our beloved Prophet.

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, related that the Prophet said: Look for Laylatul Qadr on an odd-numbered night during the last ten nights of Ramadan (Bukhari).

The Prophet said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven." (Bukhari and Muslim recorded from Abu Huraira).

Here are some tips of things we can do on the Night of Power and the time before and after it.

1. Take a vacation for Allah

We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not this time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator.

If this is not possible at least take a few days off if you can. This can make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra Ibadah, not having to worry about getting to work the next day.

It will also facilitate doing Itikaf.

2. Do Itikaf

It was a practice of the Prophet to spend the last ten days and nights of Ramadan in the masjid for Itikaf.

Those in Itikaf stay in the masjid all this time, performing various forms of zikr (the remembrance of Allah), like doing extra Salat, recitation and study of the Quran. They do not go outside the masjid except in case of emergencies, therefore, they sleep in the masjid. Their families or the masjid administration takes care of their food needs.

Itikaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of days is encouraged as well.

3. Make this special Dua

Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of Allah: 'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?' He said: 'Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.' "(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).

The transliteration of this Dua is "Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuhibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee"

4. Recite the Quran

Perhaps you can choose Surahs or passages from the Quran which you have heard in Tarawih this past Ramadan to recite.

If you attend a class where the recitation of the Quran is taught, this is a great time to put your knowledge into practice.

5. Reflect on the meaning of the Quran

Choose the latest Surah or Surahs you've heard in Tarawih and read their translation and Tafseer. Then think deeply about their meaning and how it affects you on a personal level.

6. Get your sins wiped out

Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger said: "Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylatul Qadr while nourishing his faith with self-evaluation, expecting reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven." [Bukhari and Muslim].

Don't just pray using the shorter Surahs that you know. Try to make your prayers longer, deeper and meaningful. If you are familiar with longer Surahs, read the translation and explanation and then pray reciting these Surahs, carefully reflecting on the meaning while you pray.

Even if you are only familiar with the shorter Surahs, read the translation and explanation beforehand, and then pray reflecting on the message of the Surahs.

This is a good way to develop the habit of concentration, even in regular prayers, where many of us tend to be fidgety and/or easily distracted.

7. Make a personal Dua list.

Ask yourself what you really want from Allah. Make a list of each and everything, no matter how small or how big it is, whether it deals with this world or not. Allah loves to hear from us. Once this list is ready, you can do three things:

• Ask Allah to give you those things

• Think about what actions you have taken to get those things

• Develop a work plan to get those things in future.

8. Evaluate yourself.

Ask yourself those questions that need to be asked. Do an evaluation of where you are and where you are going. Let this evaluation lead you to feel happiness for the good you have done and remorse for the bad you have done. (see a short and a long evaluation guide) This latter feeling should make it easier to seek Allah's sincere forgiveness when making the Dua mentioned in tip number one above.

9. Make long, sincere and deep Duas

One of the best times to do this is during the last part of the night.

Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, related that the Prophet said:"When the last one-third of the night remains, our Lord, the Glorious One descends towards the heaven of the earth and proclaims: Who is that who supplicates for Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is that who begs Me for anything and I grant it to him? And who is that who seeks My forgiveness, and I forgive him?"(Bukhari, Muslim).

That means for instance, waking up one hour before Suhoor time to ask Allah for anything and everything you want that is Halal. This can be done using the Duas of the Sunnah, but also Dua in your own language, with sincerity and conviction.

For some tips on making Dua please see the article some personal Duas you can make.

10. Memorize a different Dua every night

They don't have to be long. They can be just one line. And be sure to know what they mean generally at least, even if you don't know the exact translation in English.

You can put them on index cards (or and keep them with you during the day, glancing at them during work, while driving, waiting in line, etc.) Then practice them at night in prayer.

 

Source: www.iluvislam.com

To my friends whoever reads this, I am here taking this chance to ask for forgiveness if I ever done any wrong through my speeches or doings. Zahir & Batin k? Hehe ;]

Muhammad In Top 100

Muhammad In Top 100

Fresh Home-made Story by Faz Zulkifli

Today I wanna share about a non-Muslim who acknowledged the Prophet Muhammad SAW as the FIRST most influential people among 100 others. He actually set aside his lord, Isa Alaihi Salam! From his book, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History, the list of names and their ranks are solely the work of a person called Michael H. Hart

The Prophet Muhammad SAW, Isa Alaihi Salam, Musa Alaihi Salam & Umar Ibn al-Khattab are among those being listed. As a Muslim, we should be proud! ;] We know Muslims will forever acknowledged Muhammad as their top personality but it’s hard to find a non-Muslim do the same thing. Our Prophet Muhammad SAW beat those big names the world kept talking about; Albert Einstein, Buddha, Isaac Newton and all those giant figures lah.

The original list from 1-10. Full list HERE.

1. Muhammad
2. Isaac Newton
3. Jesus Christ
4. Buddha
5. Confucius
6. St. Paul
7. Ts’ai Lun
8. Johann Gutenberg
9. Christopher Columbus
10. Albert Einstein

Of course there are arguments about why Muhammad being placed on top especially at a higher place than Jesus. Here are reasons why Muhammad (not Jesus) should beranked as most influential person in history.

“Furthermore, Muhammad (unlike Jesus) was a secular as well as a religious leader. In fact, as the driving force behind the Arab conquests, he may well rank as the most influential political leader of all time..the Arab conquests of the seventh century have continued to play an important role in human history, down to the present day. It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history.” – Michael Hart

It is better for Muslims to have Muslim as a role model. Beside, we will be assured that their doings are in the way of Islam. Plus, their words will always follow what the Quran taught us to do. Following the Sunnah as their way of life. This book of Hart proved that we don’t need to go far praising non-Muslims as we also have our great personalities, intellectuals and leaders.

Set your mind back to the history of Tanah Melayu. Malays rose gradually after the arrival of Islam. Islam is a great religion indeed.

P/S: Didn’t I say, Rasulullah is superstar!!!

Ramadhan Reminders

Ramadhan Reminders

Fresh Home-made Story by Faz Zulkifli

12^th Ramadhan 1432H: Friday 12^th August.

Ramadhan, a blissful month for Muslims. It is a great regret to just let go this opportunity we have in front of us my friends. I’ll explain later on about the great opportunity we have. Didn’t you ever wonder, what if this is the last Ramadhan for us? Wouldn’t it be such a great loss to us who just watched Ramadhan passing by without any effort to improve ourselves?

Now we have turned to the second phase of Ramadhan which is ‘maghfirat’ or FORGIVENESS phase (11-20). Before, we went through ‘rahmat’ or BLESS phase (1-10). And the last phase for us to improve ourselves, the highest stage of all, LIBERATION FROM HELL-FIRE (21-30).

From the Prophet Muhammad SAW, ‘Its beginning is mercy, its middle is forgiveness, and its ending is liberation from the Hellfire.’ (Ibn Khuzaymah, al-Sahih, Vol. 3, No. 191)

I would like to touch on the opportunity we should exert. This month of Ramadhan should be a cause for us to repair our injuries. This is the month you should practice good deeds and leave those bad habits. We don’t want our fasts being just hunger from foods and drinks. Do we? That is a loss. That only taught you to be more senseless about what Ramadhan is all about. That taught you to think that fasting during Ramadhan is just another custom that we do every year. Such a great loss..

The Prophet Muhammad SAW said, ‘Allah HAS NO NEED for the hunger and the thirst of the person who does not restrain himself from telling lies and acting on them even while observing the fast.’ (al-Bukhary)

The hadith above told us to leave lies, bad words and stuff. If you don’t leave them, your fast will go in vain. That doesn’t go to mouth-watch only. It includes all your body parts too. All of them need to be watched.

This means, what is the use of fasting if you don’t ever try to improve yourself. After all this is the best time you are being encouraged to leave bad lifestyles as the Syaitans have been chained, the Gates of Allah’s Mercy have been opened, the Gates of Hell have been closed.

Prophet Muhammad SAW said, ‘When one of you is fasting, he should abstain from indecent acts and unnecessary talk, and if someone begins an obscene conversation or tries to pick an argument, he should simply tell him, "I am fasting." (Ibn Khuzaymah, al-Sahih)

Who knew, if you really do change after Ramadhan, after a one month practice, turning into a better person than before, this means your fasts are effective and you are very much qualified to celebrate ‘Eid Fitr. Means that you have try your hardest to fully utilise Ramadhan. If you are the same you throughout the year, I don’t see where you are going. And you should be the one to cry out loud when Ramadhan passed. And you shouldn’t be happy celebrating ‘Eid Fitr as it is a symbol for winners. Are you easily saying you are the winner to accomplish 30 days of fasting but actually you are just the same from before? Will you say yes to the question ‘Have you accomplished your spiritual objectives this Ramadan?’ Is there any objective you put anyway?

Still, if you are wondering, the fast that resist hunger from foods, drinks and things that will break your fast is the first level of fasting. There are 3 levels overall. Hope that we will always try to upgrade our level of fasting every year. InsyaAllah :]

A reminder for me who is always neglectful...

So..if this is the last Ramadhan, are you qualify enough to celebrate ‘Eid Fitr?

My source of writing : SOLUSI Magazine (It’s a good magz!) & Fast Ramadhan