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Seventy Ways To Jannah Part 2

Oct 14

Posted by Abdullah in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Seventy Ways to Jannah

Part 2 (Part 1 I will be posted later inshaAllah)
This is really beautiful and shows you the nature of our deen, its about community and caring

36. Cheering up Muslims:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will cheer up (by His forgiveness) He who cheers up his fellow Muslim.” (Tabarani)

37. Easing matters for those in hardship:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah will make matters easy in the Hereafter for he who eases hardship for a Muslim.” (Muslim)

38. Being kind and merciful to the weak:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah will be merciful with those who are merciful with others; be merciful with those on the earth, and the One above the heavens will be merciful with you.” (Tirmidhi)

39. Reconciling between people:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Should I not tell you of a deed that is a rank higher than fasting, praying and spending in charity?” People replied: “Indeed, O messenger of Allah” He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: “Reconciling between people.” (Abu Dawood)

40. Having good manners:
When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about which act leads people to enter Paradise the most, he replied: “Piety and good manners.” (Tirmidhi)

41. Being bashful:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Bashfulness is a part of faith, and faith leads to Paradise.” (Ahmad)

42. Truthfulness:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Be truthful, as truthfulness leads to virtue, and virtue leads to Paradise.” (Bukhari)

43. Forgiveness and controlling anger:
Allah says what means: “And march forth in the way (which leads) to forgiveness from your Lord and Paradise as wide as are the Heavens and the Earth, prepared for the pious. Those who spend (in Allah’s cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who repress anger and who pardon men; verily, Allah loves the good- doers.” (ali-‘Imran:133-134)

44. Shaking hands:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Never do two Muslims shake hands except that their sins are forgiven before they depart.” (Abu Dawood)

45. Having a cheerful face:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Do not undermine any kind deed, even if it is to meet your Muslim brother with a cheerful face.” (Muslim)

46. Leniency during trade:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “May Allah have mercy upon the one who is easy when he buys and easy when he disputes (i.e., forgives easily).” (Bukhari)

47. Lowering one’s gaze:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that Allah says: “A lustful look is like a poisoned arrow of Satan; whoever refrains from it out of fear from Me, I will replace it with belief whose sweetness he will find in his heart.” (Tabarani)

48. Enjoining good and forbidding evil:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever sees an evil should stop it with his hands; if he is unable to do so, then with his tongue; if he is unable to do that, then with his heart (by hating it), and this is the lowest level of belief.” (Bukhari)

49. Attending virtuous gatherings:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Never do a group of people gather to mention Allah the Almighty, except that they will be surrounded with angels; the mercy of Allah will descend upon them, tranquillity will shade them and Allah will mention them (with pride) in front of the angels.” (Muslim)

50. Guarding one’s tongue:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever guarantees (i.e., restrains) what is between his two jaws (i.e., the tongue), and what is between his legs (i.e., the private parts), I will guarantee him Paradise.” (Muslim)

51. Guiding people to virtue:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Every good done to others is a charity, and the one who guides to a good deed gets the same reward as the one who performs the good deed.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

52. Calling people to the religion of Allah:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “One who calls people towards guidance gains the same reward (from Allah) as those who follow him, without their reward being reduced.” (Muslim)

53. Concealing people’s faults:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever conceals others’ faults in this life; Allah will conceal his faults on the Day of Resurrection.” (Muslim)

54. Perseverance:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Never is a Muslim is afflicted with a calamity, sadness, worry, harm, or hardship – even a prick of a thorn – except that Allah, will expiate his sins (due to this).” (Bukhari)

55. Expiation of a gathering:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whoever sits in a gathering and commits bad deeds (i.e., speech) in it; then says before he stands up to leave: ‘Subhanaka Allahumma wa bihamdika, ash- hadu alla ilaha illa ant, astaghfiruka wa atoobu ilayk,’ Allah will forgive that which he committed during the gathering.” (Tirmidhi)

56. Rearing daughters:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “He who has three daughters, and he shelters them, provides for them and is merciful to them, will definitely be admitted into Paradise.” (Ahmad)

57. Kindness to animals:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A man saw a dog panting and eating mud out of thirst; so the man used his shoe to give the dog some water from a well. Allah appreciated this action and admitted him into Paradise.” (Bukhari)

58. Not asking anything of people:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whosoever guarantees me that he will not ask people for anything, I can guarantee him Paradise.” (Bukhari)

59. Exalting Allah:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whosoever says: ‘Subhanallah wa bihamdih’ one hundred times a day, Allah will forgive his sins even if they were as great as the foam of the sea.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

60. Charity with continuous benefit:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When a son of Adam dies, he ceases to gain (additional) benefit from his deeds except from three: a charity that is continuous in benefit, beneficial knowledge and a righteous child that supplicates for him.” (Muslim)

61. Giving charity from the husband’s wealth:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “If a woman spends from the wealth of her house without causing harm (to her family), she will get the reward of what she spent and her husband also gets a reward because he earned it. (Moreover) the one who is entrusted with money gets the same reward (of spending it), without any of them (the wife and the entrusted) decreasing the rewards of the others.” (Bukhari)

62. Honesty in trade:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When two people trade, they have the choice (to proceed with or stop the transaction), so if they are honest and clarify (e.g., defects in their merchandise) their trade will be blessed, but if they lie and conceal (defects) there will be no blessing in their trade.” (Bukhari)

63. Relieving Muslims:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whosoever relieves another Muslim of any hardship, Allah will relieve him from one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection.” (Muslim)

64. Assisting people:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Every day, charity is due from each of your joints; assisting a man to mount his beast or helping him load his luggage on it is a charity.” (Bukhari)

65. Intercession to fulfil people’s needs:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Intercede (to fulfil people’s needs) and you will be rewarded.” (Bukhari)

66. Supplicating for parents:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah the Almighty and Exalted will raise the rank of the righteous slave in Paradise, then the slave will ask: ‘O Allah! How did I attain this rank?’ Allah will reply, ‘By virtue of your child’s supplication for your forgiveness.’ ” (Ahmad)

67. Supplicating for Muslims in their absence:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whenever a Muslim supplicates for his Muslim brother in his absence, an angel says: ‘You will get the same (as you supplicated for).’ ” (Muslim)

68. Immediately following up a sin with a good deed:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Fear Allah wherever you are, and follow up a sin with a good deed, it will eradicate it – and deal with people kindly.” (Ahmad)

69. Defending Muslims in their absence:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Whosoever defends his Muslim brother in his absence, Allah will keep the Hellfire away from his face on the Day of Resurrection.” (Tirmidhi)

70. Being fair between people:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Every day that the sun rises, charity is due from each of your joints, and being fair between people is a charity.” (Bukhari)

Quaker Dipps Chocolate Chip Granola Bars – Halal/Haram?

Aug 10

Posted by Abdullah in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

I wouldn’t eat Quaker Dipps Chocolate Chip Granola Bars (187g box, 6×31g Granola Bars)
Manufactured by Pepsi-QTG Canada, Peterborough, ON
UPC 055577107508

Glycerin might comes from Pork/Beef/ source

Here is the official email from Quaker:

RE: Quaker Chocolate Chip Chewy Dipps REF.#

055556413A

Hi Sameer:

We’re always happy to answer questions about the ingredients of Quaker Chocolate Chip Chewy Dipps. Our suppliers state the source of glycerin can be both animal (beef or pork) and/or vegetable.

We hope this information is helpful, Sameer.

Kind Regards,

Michael
PepsiCo Canada
Consumer Relations

www.quakeroats.ca
===================================================
Original Email:

regardign this product http://www.quakeroats.com/products/oat-snacks/chewy-dipps/chocolate-chip.aspx what is the source of the glycerin. Is it animal based?

Theological discussion about the story of Ibrahim

Jul 28

Posted by Abdullah in Uncategorized | No Comments

Interesting theological discussion about the story of Ibrahim alaihis salam and how different groups interpret his story differently, by Yasir Qadhi. Starts with the explanation of the view of the people of kalam (ie philosophers ) then followed by the view of the people of hadith (ahl’ hadith)

The correct understanding, wallahu Alem, is that Ibrahim alaihis salam, did not intend to worship the son or the moon, and he did not mean in his heart that they were real gods, rather that this was a form of debate with his people to show them the futility of their belief.

This is the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah and the people of Hadith.

How did I pay off $30,000 in university loans without paying 1 cent of interest

Dec 3

Posted by Abdullah in Following the sunnah, Having Ihsaan, Uncategorized | 29 Comments

Bismillah.

There is a lengthy series on personal financing (financing your education in a halal fashion) on Muslim Matters. It’s quite interesting to read.

There is a bit of a discussion first of all about whether it’s really even necessary to go to college or university. Well, I won’t debate that, but let me at least give you the real cost of education. In economics they call this “opportunity cost”. When you go to university for 3 or 4 years, that means you are losing that income. Say an entry level job with absolutely no post-highschool diploma education you can make $30,000 to $40,000. For the sake of argument, lets say you are more competent and you can get a decent job at $40,000 (say telemarketing, sales, construction, or whatever). You have to factor this into the cost of your education.

So really your education comes at a cost of 4 years of lost income or $160,000. Now, from a strictly financial perspective, you have to ask yourself, am I going to make up that $160,000 over my lifetime because I have a degree? That is a long discussion and I won’t get into it. But to summarize, it depends and that’s what you need to think about.

Lets say you have now decided you want to go to university. Great. But how to finance it.. ?? ??

First of all you have to realize the seriousness of riba. Interest (paying it or receiving it) is one form of riba. So thats the first step.
Second of all, you have to make sincere intention to avoid it at any costs and try your utmost to do this.
This might require a lot of personal sacrifice. This starts with living frugally (i.e. living simple. No expensive cell phones, avoid eating out, try to get stuff used instead of brand new, and so on)
Enrol in a CO-OP program (such as University of Waterloo Computer Science), and be practical about which programs lead to $$$. This might sound harsh but it’s good advice from a good brother and friend of mine. Alternatively you work part-time in the evenings or on weekends.
Lastly, place your trust in Allah. After you did all that, you place your trust in Allah and leave it to him

Now lets say you did all of the above (or maybe its too late and you are about to graduate) and you need to pay off your loan without paying interest? Well if you have either personal loans from family members or friends and they are not interest bearing, great, this doesn’t apply to you. Otherwise, here is what you can do.

As a background note, before I explain, I live in Canada and received OSAP (Ontario Student Assistance Program which is basically an interest-free loan for the duration of your studies) but as soon as you graduate interest starts accumulating immediately. Update: Someone emailed me to ask if this is halal. I don’t think its halal to sign such a contract, please read the muslimmatters blog for a similar explanation about credit cards and why it’s best to avoid them.

How I personally avoided interest on my entire loan.

Gather a list of all your friends and family members who might be able to help you with your loan. Be creative, your list should include the imam of the masjid you attend, the sheikh teaching the last seminar you attended, and so on.
Contact them and ask them for assistance. Mention to them that you are in a difficult situation, maybe they were also in a similar situation and needed help. One brother who gave me some money as a loan mentioned that he was also in a similar situation and someone helped him, so he told himself that if ever someone asks him for help with student loans he will give him the money for that. The easiest way is to email them and ask them. I would recommend a personal email. Here is a draft:

Dear So and So
Assalam alaikum wa rahmatullah
I am in the final year of my university program at UofXYZ.
I am about to graduate and land my first job inshaAllah. The program I have studied in has given me an excellent background in this field and I feel confident about landing my first job shortly. I hope you can assist me so that I can avoid paying interest on my loans. I am looking for a 2-4 year loan that will be paid back entirely at the end of the term or sooner if required. JazakAllahu Khaira.
Your name

As an exercise, you can look up a few hadith and ayah on the reward of lending loans and the seriousness of riba.

By the way, It helps if you already have a job offer. It also helps if you are well known in the community (i.e. go to the masjid regularly, and so on).

Here is how it worked out for me.

An older brother (doctor) lent me $1000
A university friend (graduated before me) $500
My paternal uncle $1500
A close friend who was graduated and working $500
Another friend who lived with me at one time and graduated before me $2500
My brother undisclosed amount
A brother who I only knew online but emailed him for help (lived in USA) $1000
Another brother whom I only met once before in the masjid – approximately $29000

Now you might be wondering why someone I met only once would lend me so much money? The simple reason is for the sake of Allah. He obviously did some reference checks on me from friends and others. The funny thing is I just asked him for $1000 but due to some circumstance I mentioned that I actually needed more and then he offered to lend me whatever was remaining (asked me to pay him back within 2 years if possible).

The surprising thing is that people I thought who had money didn’t, and where I least expected it, thats where it came from.

As a last note, if you are trying your best but not succeeding, keep in mind, its the effort that counts, not the result. Effort from you, results from Allah. Now sleep soundly knowing that you did whatever you could to please Allah.

Rejoice!
11:56 (listen)

Stand up for your favourite Islamic site now!

Nov 7

Posted by Abdullah in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

Vote for your favourite Islamic Site now

Isn’t it strange that when you search for Islam you end up with sites like submission.org which is a very deviant
site that does not conform to the teachings of Islam but rather they are a small group from among the muslims
that believe in this prophet who called himself “Rashid Khalifa” and they make a very big deal about the number 19
appearing in the Quran, and yet they also reject the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad and they still call themselves
Muslims?

When I was in University, at the start of Ramadan, they posted it on a bulletin web site that the Muslims
were starting fasting in this month called Ramadan and they said for more information on Islam see submission.org!

Incredible, but it was not surprising because it is one of the search results for Islam on Google.

How did they do it? How did they end up at the top?

Well to begin, Google uses a concept called PageRank, and to calculate how “useful” they think your page will be,
they look at the number of links to it. And then they look at how popular each one of those links is.

So what are we supposed to do about it?
Well, first of all, if you have an Islamic site or blog, LINK to other Islamic sites! That is considered
a “vote” by Google, and will increase the rank of the destination site. Also, use the correct keywords
when linking to the site. Don’t put a link that says for more Quran MP3s click here
but rather put Click here for more Quran MP3s.

Read Yusuf Estes’ article on Websites Against Islam – Don’t Promote Them AT ALL (a vote for Islamtomorrow.com)

By following these guidelines, every drop of water will result in an ocean.

The Wahhabi Bogeyman

Aug 19

Posted by Abdullah in Uncategorized | No Comments

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when someone says Wahhab? Allah’s beautiful name?? Nope… There is a common trend, especially in the media, and sometimes among Muslims to refer to other Muslims as Wahhabi, and to talk about ‘wahhabi fundamentalism’. Don’t ever call your Muslim brothers wahhabi, you are falling into the trick of using labels given to us by our enemies, and using divide and conquer.

The name Al-Wahhab, The Bestower of Blessings, is a very beautiful and honourable name, we shouldn’t be lowering it by using it in this manner, the same way we wouldnt call someone “Allahi”.

This article The Wahhabi Myth describes accurately how wahhabi this is a stinky label applied to us that we shouldn’t be using nor promoting.

Light Upon Light Blog

Islam – It just makes…. sense!