Purification of the Heart

Living in a world full of temptations and desires, it can be very easy for us to lose track and fall for its glamour. There comes a time when we can no longer ourselves control our inner self, rather we turn our attention to Shuyookh (spiritual leaders) who have mastered this field and received guidance from their pious Ulama (scholars). This chain goes back all the way to Rasulullah (S.A.W).

They work on helping us purify our hearts and spiritual body. This undoubtedly will also have a good effect on our exterior and one will slowly but surely feel the difference!

By Mufti Ismail Menk

Purify the Heart

We look after our gadgets and phones, putting a case and screen protector on to stop it getting damaged and dirty.

Why then do we not take the necessary steps to protect our hearts, from sins, misdeeds and bad character? 

قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَا

He who purifies the soul, he is successful.

[Surah al Shams 91:9]

Simple Ways To Change Yourself


Simple Ways To Change Yourself by Mufti Ismail Menk

Al-Imdaad Programme Blackburn

The fruits of Honesty

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you.”

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!”

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn’t have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by–still nothing in Ling’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn’t say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful–in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, “Hey nice try.”

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown,” said the emperor. “Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!” All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. “The emperor knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!”

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. “My name is Ling,” he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, “Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!” Ling couldn’t believe it. Ling couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!”

If you plant honesty, You will reap trust
If you plant goodness, You will reap friends
If you plant humility, You will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, You will reap victory
If you plant consideration, You will reap harmony
If you plant hard work, You will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, You will reap reconciliation
If you plant openness, You will reap intimacy
If you plant patience, You will reap improvements
If you plant faith, You will reap miracles
But
If you plant dishonesty, You will reap distrust
If you plant selfishness, You will reap loneliness
If you plant pride, You will reap destruction
If you plant envy, You will reap trouble
If you plant laziness, You will reap stagnation
If you plant bitterness, You will reap isolation
If you plant greed, You will reap loss
If you plant gossip, You will reap enemies
If you plant worries, You will reap wrinkles
If you plant sin, You will reap guilt

So be careful what you plant now, It will determine what you will reap tomorrow,The seeds you now scatter, Will make life worse or better,your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits,Or you will pay for the choices you plant today.

Nourishment of the Soul

Allah created the body from the dust of the earth
So its nourishment (food and drink) comes from the earth

Our soul (nafs, rooh) has come from Allah and the heavens
So too the nourishment of the soul comes from Allah and the heavens

So what is the nourishment of the soul?
It is the Holy Quran, words of Allah, spirituality, our connection with Allah and Ibadaat.

Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq

 Listen to the speech and quote in context below:

Correct Yourself First Before Asking Others

WE SEE FREQUENTLY PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT RAMPANT EVIL PRACTICES, degradation of society, onslaught of vulgarity and obscenity etc. This is generally followed by sermons on righteous path that has been neglected for a long time. In brief it has become our national characteristic to find faults without looking for their remedies in right earnest.

What is unfortunate and disconcerting is the perception and treatment of the problem. Every one joins in and contributes his/her bit by making one remark or the other on the social ills and the drift from the religious practices. In doing so, they place all the blame on others, absolving themselves completely. They totally forget and ignore the fact that they are as much part of the society as others, whom they are blaming. People indulge in this sort of discussion for the sake of discussion and criticize others for the sake of criticism. They have little or no desire to improve the situation or bringing change in the decaying social order. They do not have a clue of the correct track or the righteous path. Neither they try to analyze the situation nor look for the causes which have been instrumental for the drift to the present day degradation.

So, what is really needed? To begin with an honest, sincere and objective analysis of the present situation is required and then an equally honest, sincere, and pragmatic solution is to be found to correct the situation. Unless there is a strong will and commitment to bring about a material change, there is little hope that we could come out of the present predicament by sheer desire. No amount of sermons or criticism for the sake of criticism can bring about any improvement in the present situation. Hence, as the very first step we should make it a habit never to participate in the discussions which are purposeless and devoid of actions and aim at criticizing others.

For analyzing the situation pragmatically, it is easy to recognize that society is made of individuals and we are a part of it. As an individual when we are a part of the society we are to be blamed as much for the degradation as anybody else, because responsibility of ills rest on our shoulders as much. So, why not look at our own actions instead of finding faults with others – Search the Self. It is a lot easier to correct ourselves than to correct others. Now, at this stage the Devil (Satan) is bound to come in the way and show hundred and one ways to absolve oneself and batter the society. For instance, it can be argued:

How can it help the society when only one individual mends his ways and the rest do not change?
How can one individual correct himself in a miasmal environment?
An individual by himself as a mentor or reformer would be an outcast and be jeered at.
An individual is likely to lose the worldly benefits if one adopts the righteous path all by oneself.

So, the easy way out is to stay in the main stream and keep doing as others are doing. It definitely requires a lot of courage and resilience to combat the Devil’s designs. But once the initial shyness is overcome, the sailing should be smooth and calm. When one could bolster enough courage and resilience to act and act single handedly; then is the time for soul searching and realize that what one is doing should not be done and what one is not doing that should be done. Thank God people generally are not in that state of mind where they could be naive and ignorant about the dos and don’ts. Because when they grumble about the degradation of society they surely know what should be done and what not.

Therefore, the bottom line message is; correct yourself first. It is obvious one can not correct himself completely overnight. So, priorities have to be set and then set the ball rolling. For instance, one may not be in the habit of offering prayers (Salah), keeping fast (Sawm), reciting / reading Qur’an, giving obligatory charity, (Zakah), obeying parents etc. On the other hand one might have been in the habit of drinking, gambling, womanizing, cheating, lying, backbiting etc. (Only a few well known dos and don’ts have been listed for reference purpose). In such a situation one should make one’s own selection of things and lay down his priorities i.e. how to go about leaving the don’ts and adopting the dos. One must make a beginning, no matter how insignificant and small, but it must be with a will and conviction so that one sticks to it. Then gradually but firmly one should leave the don’ts and adopt the dos one by one. As one will progress on the righteous path, one will feel the help from Allah (swt), as He has promised in Qur’an:

وَالَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا فِينَا لَنَهْدِيَنَّهُمْ سُبُلَنَا

“As for those who strive hard in Us (Our cause), We will surely guide them to Our Paths (i.e. Allah’s religion – Islamic Monotheism). (29:69)

For the sake of example, if one does not pray at all, he should start with one (Salah) at least which could be of his choice. If one does not recite Qur’an, he can make a beginning by reciting only a few verses daily. Similarly, if one is a habitual liar or backbiter, he should try to cut down the frequency in such indulgence. Likewise, if one indulges in accepting unlawful gratitude’s (bribe) he should make an effort to cut it down. When one makes a sincere and honest effort to leave the munkirats (what is forbidden) and adopt the Al-Maruf (what should be done) and asks for Allah’s (swt) help and mercy, He will Insha Allah grant him that.

When one changes and moulds one’s life style in line with the precepts of Islam, one will most certainly find oneself peaceful and contended. But attainment of that exalted condition is both easy and difficult. It is easy in the sense that Allah’s (swt) help and blessings will follow all along at every step if one endeavors to tread the righteous path with sincerity, zeal, conviction, and perseverance. Also, it is difficult in the sense that one will achieve nothing if one tries to change others before changing oneself. So, the key to success is that one should apply and adopt all the principles and precepts of the Deen (Islam) in one’s own day to day life and present oneself as a model to begin with. Incidentally, by presenting oneself as a model of that one desires others to follow, one would be emulating Rasulullah (saw) as he never asked anyone to do or perform something which he would not be doing himself.

Having attained the position of self modeling, one can then be in a persuasive position to influence others. It is the law of Nature [Allah (swt)] that every human being enjoys a sphere of influence in which his / her opinion and advice carry weight. Rasulullah (saw) has also pointed out toward this Divine rule and said:

كلكم راعٍ وكُلُّكُمْ مَسْؤْلٌ عَنْ رَعِيَّته – مسلم,ابواب الجهاد باب هاجاء فى الامام

Each one of you has (control) a sphere of influence and every one will be asked about those who were under his influence.

It is very true. If we look around we can see that every individual has his/her own sphere of influence, big or small, where people within that sphere look up and listen to him/her for advice and opinion. If this sphere is very small; it consists of at least the family members. Therefore, if none else, a person can at least influence his own family members and his goal (of influencing) becomes easier if his family members see him practicing the same things which he asks them to do. So, as the saying goes, charity begins at home; make a beginning to influence your family members first. It is not only the softest nut to crack, but also the religions (Deeni) duty to make one’s family members tread the righteous path. For Allah (swt) has said in Qur’an:

يَأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ قُواْ أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا

“O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a Fire (Hell).” (66:6)

Influencing family members to follow one’s advice and preaching is much easier than convincing others to adopt his ways. Also, this is a Sunnah, as Rasulullah (saw) did the same when he received the first message from Allah (swt) i.e. he (saw) presented it to his family members to begin with.

It is true that initially one would face some resistance even from the family members also. Some will adopt the change quicker than others, some might accept the change in piecemeal; while, still others would threaten to revolt being the members of the same family they should all see the wisdom and truth in the righteous path and will rally around the leader of the family sooner or later.

When the family members come along and start following the Islamic teachings and precepts, one has succeeded in creating a small world for oneself and the family around him. This by itself should be a great source of the feeling of happiness and contentment. If one could correct oneself and make one’s family members follow the precepts of Islam, it will undoubtedly be a great achievement; an achievement for which one could expect the mercy and blessedness of Allah (swt) the Almighty.

Now, if we pause a little and look back where we had started from. It was about the complaint and criticism of others and the society for drifting from the righteous path and indulgence in unethical and un-Islamic deeds and actions. In this regard all that people are doing is nothing more than lip service and no constructive work. By passing judgments in the cozy atmosphere of drawing rooms, one cannot expect to correct and alleviate the ills of society and un-Islamic way of life. It is a futile and inane exercise with no positive or concrete results.

So, why waste time unnecessarily with no outcome. Instead, why not do something positive and rewarding; also, something on which you have control and can exercise restrain. If one could achieve sanity and purity of purpose through Islamic teachings and precepts in one’s own house hold, it shall indeed be a big leap forward. Those who are genuinely concerned with the present drift from Islamic teachings can make a beginning within their own family.

This way a number of house holds/families will emerge acting upon the teachings and precepts of Islam. Such house holds should act as oasis in the desert and might help others to emulate and change their way for the better.

Anas (ra) says: “A person who was wearing yellow colored clothing was sitting by Rasulullah (saw). It was the habit of Rasulullah (saw) not to bluntly express things he did not approve of. (Therefore he kept silent). When that person left, Rasulullah (saw) said to those present, ‘It would have been better if you told him not to wear yellow clothing’.” (Shamaa-il Tirmidhi pg.363)

Source: Darul Uloom al-Madania

Remember Those Who Serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

“How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked.
“Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.” The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies – You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

Moral: Show kindness to all those you encounter, this is the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him).  Small acts of kindness performed regularly have a big impact, insha’Allah.

Improve Our Condition

Whilst is heartwarming to see many using social networking beneficially, it saddens to see those using it detrimentally.

Language used, pages liked, comments made, images displayed, type of friends or people followed, hobbies mentioned etc are all indicative of our condition.

Let us all make an effort to improve our condition in this regard as there is always room for improvement – myself included.

Mufti Ismail Menk

Human Kindness in Islam

Nasiruddin was the slave of a king, and very fond of hunting. One day he came across a very pretty baby deer and picked it up and rode away. The mother deer saw Nasiruddin take her baby and followed him anxiously. Nasiruddin, pleased with the baby dear, was thinking about presenting it to his children to play with. After a time, he chanced to look back and saw the mother deer following him, her expression full of grief. He noticed too that she did not seem to care about her own safety. Moved to pity, Nasiruddin set the baby deer free. The mother deer nuzzled and licked her baby fondly and the two deer leapt happily away into the forest. But many times the mother deer looked back at Nasiruddin, as if to express her thanks.

That night Nasiruddin dreamt that the revered Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was addressing him: ‘Nasiruddin, your name has been entered in the list of Allah, and you will one day have a kingdom. But remember that when you are king you will also have many responsibilities. Just as you have shown mercy to the deer today, you should be merciful to all Allah’s creatures. You should not forget your people by falling into a life of luxury.’

This dream came true and Nasiruddin did become king, Amir Nasiruddin Subaktagin, father of Sultan Muhammad.

The moral of the story is that if we wish Allah to be merciful to us, we must be eager to show mercy to all the living creatures of the earth.

When a flower blooms, its colour and scent first touch the garden near it, and then spread. In the same way, a Muslim’s acts of human kindness should first touch those nearest to him, his family and his neighbours.

Source: Muslim Manners by Iqbal Ahmad Azami

Inside Our Hearts

Our Muslim names, Islamic dress and our prayers are like the sign board found outside a shop, which informs us that inside this shop, sweets, chocolates, biscuits, cakes, fruit, etc. are stocked and sold. The person reading the signboard thus expects to find what has been advertised outside, inside that shop. What would be the reaction of the person if he or she finds cow dung, horse manure and cat’s droppings inside, instead of sweets and chocolates ?

In a similar vein, our beautiful Muslim names and Islamic garb informs others that inside our hearts there is certain ‘merchandise’ in the form of firm Imaan in Allah Ta’ala and love for His Beloved Rasool e. One expects to find therein, the attributes of trustworthiness, honesty, sincerity, forgiveness, charity, Taqwa (piety), zuhd (asceticism), sabr (patience), shukr (gratitude), etc. These are the qualities and traits a person expects to find in his social dealings with us.

Our beards, kurtas, turbans, tasbeehs, the cloak, purdah, etc. are all additional signs which lay more and more emphasis on the above. What would be a person’s reaction, when instead of these virtues, he or she finds arrogance, pride, malice, greed, jealousy, etc.?

Shaykh Yunus Patel (r.a)

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