ummtaalib

The Natural Inclination Of The Heart Is To Love Allah The Natural Inclination Of The Heart Is To Love Allah The heart has only been created for the worship of Allah, and this is the natural disposition (fitrah) upon which Allah created His servants as the Prophet said, Every new-born child is born upon the natural disposition and it is his parents that make him a Jew, Christian or a Magian, as an animal produces a perfect young animal, do you see any part of its body amputated? Then Abu Hurairah, said, recite if you wish the saying of Allah, The Fitrah of Allah with which He has created mankind. No change is there in the creation of Allah. [Surah Rum (30) : 30], [Bukhari and Muslim] So Allah has made the natural disposition of His servants to love Him and worship Him Alone, so if the natural disposition was to be left as it is without corrupting it, then it would be cognizant of Allah, loving Him Alone; but the natural disposition does become corrupted due to the sickness of the heart - such as the parents making it a Jew or a Christian - even though this be by the Will and Pre-decree of Allah, just like the body is altered by amputation. But, even after this, it is possible for the heart to return to the natural disposition if Allah makes this easy for the one who does his utmost to return it to the natural disposition. The Messengers were sent to affirm and re-establish the natural disposition and to perfect it, not to alter it. So when the heart loves Allah Alone, making the religion sincerely for Him, it will not be tried by the love of anyone else, not to mention be tried with passionate love because were it to be afflicted with passionate love then this would diminish its loving Allah alone. This is why when Yusuf was tried with this passionate love (directed to him) his love of Allah Alone, making the religion sincerely for him, did not allow him to be overcome by this, rather Allah said, Thus it was, that We might turn away from him evil and illegal sexual intercourse. Surely he was one of Our chosen, guided slaves. [Surah Yusuf (12) : 24] As for the wife of al-Aziz, it was because she and her nation were polytheists that she was afflicted with passionate love. No one, is afflicted with passionate love except that this diminishes his singling out Allah Alone for worship and his faith. The heart that repents to Allah, fearing Him, has two routes by which it can remove this passionate love: Repenting to Allah and loving Him, for indeed this is more satisfying and purer than anything else, and nothing will be left to love alongside Allah. Fearing Allah, for indeed fear is the opposite of passionate love and removes it. This love can also be removed by fearing the occurrence of a harm that is more hateful to one than leaving this love. So when Allah is more beloved to the servant than anything else, and more feared by him than anything else; then he will not fall into passionate love or find any love that would compete with his love of Allah, except in the case of negligence or at a time when this love and fear has become weak by his leaving some of the obligatory duties and by performing some of the prohibited actions. For indeed faith increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience, so each time a servant obeys Allah out of love and fear, and leaves a prohibited action out of love and fear, his love and fear becomes stronger, and any love or fear of anything else besides Allah will disappear from his heart. Extracted from the book- 'Diseases of The Heart and Their Cures' based on Fatawa of Ibn Taymiyyah Source

The Ranks of Love The scholars have mentioned that love has ten ranks: (1) Connection ('alaaqa). This rank was named as such because of the heart attaching itself to the Beloved. (2) Desire (iraada). This is the inclination of the heart to its Beloved and its pursuit of Him. (3) Ardent love (sabaaba). This is due to the flowing (insibaab) of the heart's love with the Beloved in a manner of which its owner has no control, just as water flows down a slope. (4) Infatuation (gharaam). This is the love that is fixed within the heart and inseparable from it - it's attachment to the heart is like a creditor's (ghareem) attachment to the one in debt (also called ghareem). (5) Affectionate love (widaad). This is the pure unadulterated love and its core. (6) Enamoured love (shaghaf). This is when love reaches the inner fortifications of the heart. Imaam al-Junayd رحمه الله said: "Enamoured love is when the lover sees no sterness (from his Beloved); rather, he sees it all as justice and loyalty": Your punishment ('adhaab) is sweetness ('adhb) for me And Your sternness against me on account of my desires is justice from You (7) Passionate love ('ishq). Passionate love is the extreme love that would cause one to fear for its possessor. (8) Subservient love (tatayyum). This is worship and humility. It is said "Love made him subservient (tayyamahu)", meaning that it lowered him in humility and caused him to worship. (9) Worship (ta'abbud). This rank is above subservient love, for this is when the servant possesses nothing for his self. (10) Intimate friendship (khulla). This is a rank held only by the two intimate friends of Allaah سبحانه و تعالى: Ibraaheem and Muhammad - may Allaah's peace and blessings be upon them both. This rank is that of love which permeates the heart and soul of the lover, so much so that there remains no place for other than the Beloved. [imaam Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله: Madaarij as-Saalikeen] Source

The Nature & Causes of Love Allah Ta’ala says: "He (Allah Ta'ala) loves them and they love Him" "Those who have Eimaan are strongest in love for Allah." Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: "He who loves to meet Allah, Allah loves to meet him. And, he who detests the meeting with Allah, Allah detests meeting him." The Nature Of Muhabbat The inclining of the heart towards something which gives it pleasure is called Muhabbat (love). Muhabbat consists of two kinds: Muhabbat-e-Tab'ee (physical love) and Muhabbat-e-Aqlee (intellectual love). Muhabbat-e-Tab'ee is not a voluntary or volitional condition. Its occurrence and endurance are non-volitional. Sometimes non-volitional acts are not lasting and are merely transitory. It is for this reason that Muhabbat-e-Tab’ee is not commanded. On the contrary, the origination and endurance of Muhabbat-e-Aqlee are volitional. It is, therefore a state which can endure. Muhabbat -e-Aqlee is thus commanded. It is this kind of Love which is superior and preferable. Since the source of physical love is emotion, it is a passing state. The Causes Of Muhabbat There are three factors giving rise to Muhabbat; 1. Ihsaan (Kindness and favour). Ihsaan shown gives rise to muhabbat. 2. Jamaal (Beauty). Beauty brings about attraction which gives rise to Muhabbat. 3. Kamaal (Perfection). Perfection in a thing also induces muhabbat. These three attributes par excellence exist in only Allah Ta'aalaa. The Muhabbat endures as long as these attributes endure. In so far as the Object of True Love (Allah Ta'aalaa) is concerned, these attributes are eternal. They will endure forever, hence love for Him is perpetual. Since, the existence of attributes in the state of perfection is not found independently (biz-zaat) in any being other than Allah Ta'aalaa, the Kaamileen (the Saints who have attained spiritual perfection) cannot have Muhabbat-e-Aqlee (Intellectual Love for anyone besides Allah Ta'aalaa. Muhabbat-e-Tab’ee (physical love) is possible with others, but the love which has been commanded for Allah Ta'aalaa is Muhabbat-e-Aqlee. The terminology of the Qur’aan and Hadith describes this form of love as Hubb. This should not be understood to mean that the Kaamileen are devoid of Muhabbat-e-Tab’ee. However, in them (the Kaamileen), Muhabbat-e-Aqlee is dominant. At times Muhabbat-e-Tab’ee in the Kaamileen exceeds the love in those in whom Muhabbat Tab’ee is dominant, but Muhabbat-e-Aqlee remains dominant Inspite of this comparative higher degree of Muhabbat-e-Tab’ee. At times, Muhabbat-e-Tab’ee becomes dominant in even the Kaamileen, but this is not frequent. In short, the Kaamileen are perfect in both Muhabbat-e-Aqlee and Muhabbat-e-Tab’e, the former being dominant while in others, Muhabbat-e-Tab’ee (physical love) is dominant. Although this attribute of excellence (in the kaamileen) is not a goal in itself, it nevertheless is praiseworthy. Those devoid of both these aspects of love are in danger. Muhabbat is thus essential. Obedience without muhabbat is not sufficient since there is no resolution and firmness in such acts of obedience devoid of love. Aquiring The Muhabbat Of Allah Constant remembrance and contemplation of the Attributes and Bounties of Allah Ta'aalaa will induce the desired Muhabbat for Him. Compliance with the Laws of the Shari'at and much Zikr of Allah expel the love of others from the heart, making way for the exclusive Love of Allah Ta'aalaa. SHARIAT AND TASAWWUF Published by theMajlis.net

وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِّلَهِ Walladheena Aamanoo Ashaddu Hubbal Lillah And those who believe are strongest in love of Allah (Surah Baqarah - part of verse 165) What is Love? Love of Allah is the basis of worship that should be directed to Him alone. Any other love should be for his sake too. The real love of Allah is to do whatever He ordained and to abandon whatever He forbade, in addition to following Rasulullah ( صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ)’s Sunnah. Whoever obeys someone or something other than Allah and His Messenger ( صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ), or follows any saying other than theirs, or fears other than Allah or seeks the pleasure of other than Allah, or puts his trust in other than Him, does not love Allah, nor does he love His Messenger ( صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ) Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak recited: You disobey Allah, and yet you still claim to love Him. By Allah, such behaviour is disgusting, by any standard! You would have obeyed Him had your love been true. For the lover is always obedient to the Beloved!

"Its better to blacken your nikah paper with pen than to blacken your face with zina!

Erasing the Bad with Good The Messenger of Allah Sallallahu Alayhi wa Sallam said: "Be conscious of Allah wherever you are. Follow the bad deed with a good one to erase it, and engage others with beautiful character." (Tirmizi) “Follow the bad deed with a good one to erase it” This part of the hadith is proactive, an aspect that many Muslims fail at. Our understanding of sin should be mobilizing, not debilitating. Too often, we respond to a sin by putting ourselves in a figurative corner and abusing ourselves psychologically until we get over that sin. This is not what Allah wants from us. Yes, we should feel guilty and have a level of regret, but it should not stop us from moving forward in good deeds. People use their sins as an excuse to stay behind. Do not allow sin to stop yourself from all the other good that you could be involved in. The response to a sin should not be to wait, but rather to race to do something good so the sin can be erased. Our attitude should be proactive and positive. We should always have hope that Allah can, and will, have mercy on us as long as we keep struggling and pushing forward. Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians 223 Alpine Road, Overport, Durban

What time is FAJR JAMA'AH in your local masjid ? Someone came to a father, asking him for the hand of his daughter in marriage: ”Sir I am ready to pay her any Mahr she wants! I have already a house and a car … If you let me marry your daughter, I would treat her like a princess” The father told him:“There is only one Mahr you can pay! For that, I will ask you one question, if you give me the right answer, I will let you marry my daughter… I won’t ask you to give my daughter wealth, house or high status; I want you just to give me the right answer for my question!” The boy was so happy and he accepted the condition of the father.The father looked straight into the eyes of the young man and asked :”In which time the Adhan of Fajr (call for fajr prayer) is called exactly?“ The young man’s face turned to red then yellow, he replied after a long time thinking: ”I guess it’s at 4am? no … I mean 3 maybe?! Honestly Sir, I don’t know!”... “Dear son” said the father smiling: ”I don’t care of your high status or your bank account! My daughter is so precious, she is like a princess to me with her Hijab and purity so she needs someone who treats her like a queen! No one would make her happy more than a man who fears Allah and obeys Him. Only a righteous husband would give her an unlimited happiness by helping her to get closer to Allah."

Q: Is it permissible to wear gloves in the state of Ihraam? If not will damm become waajib? A: It is impermissible for men to wear gloves in the state of Ihraam. If a man wore gloves in the state of Ihraam for an entire day or night (i.e 12 hours) or more, then one damm becomes waajib upon him. If he wore it for less than one day or night then Sadaqah becomes waajib on him. This law applies to men only. ( ولبس قميص وسراويل ) أي كل معمول على قدر بدن أو بعضه كزردية وبرنس… قال الشامى: قوله ( أي كل معمول الخ ) أشار به إلى أن المراد المنع عن لبس المخيط وإنما خص المذكورات لذكرها في الحديث وفي البحر عن مناسك ابن أمير حاج الحلبي أن ضابطه لبس كل شيء معمول على قدر البدن أو بعضه بحيث يحيط به بخياطة أو تلزيق بعضه ببعض أو غيرهما ويستمسك عليه بنفس لبس مثله إلا المكعب اه قلت فخرج ما خيط بعضه ببعض لا بحيث يحيط بالبدن مثل المرقعة فلا بأس بلبسه كما قدمناه وأفاد قوله أو بعضه حرمة لبس القفازين في يدي الرجل وبه صرح السندي في منسكه الكبير وتبعه القاري في شرح اللباب وأما المرأة فيندب لها عدمه كما في البدائع وتمامه فيما علقناه على البحر ( شامى ج 2 ص 489/ 547) (معلم الحجاج ص 110, 233) Answered by: Mufti Zakaria Makada Checked & Approved: Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)

1. BELIEFS: information on the basic beliefs of a Muslim http://www.islamicteachings.org/forum/topic/21508-beliefs-of-a-muslim/ This is very basic info. InshaAllah other topics in the Aqeedah (Beliefs) section will increase your knowledge though a beginner may find some of the articles overwhelming. http://www.islamicteachings.org/forum/category/177-aqeedah-beliefs/ 2. COMPULSORY ACTIONS: The first things which become compulsory are the five prayers for which you need the state of purity. Charts with step by step instructions here: http://www.islamicteachings.org/forum/topic/21176-guide-on-how-to-perform-ablution-wudhu-prayers-salaah/?do=findComment&comment=59443 (Click on the pictures which will enlarge the charts) The booklet in the following topic should be of help inshaAllah http://www.islamicteachings.org/forum/topic/22044-learning-the-basics/?p=63243 Please feel free to ask any question related to Islam by opening another thread where various questions can be asked. Jazakallah (May Allah reward you) for asking here This much should suffice for now. Take it one step at a time

This booklet covers the basic knowledge required for a person reverted to Islam or has just begin to practice. InshaAllah it is of help Learning Basics.pdf

Welcome to the forum! And since you have prayed the shahadah to yourself, Assalaamu 'alaykum warahamatullaahi wabarakaatuh (May peace be upon you and Allah’s mercy and His blessings)! Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah) Who guides us to the truth! Ok so the first thing is to concentrate on the basics and inshaAllah (If Allah wills) let me search and put some links together for you in a while

Question and Answer: Q. What should we do with the musical instruments? Some years ago I played the guitar, then I learned that music is forbidden. What should I do with this musical instrument - to sell it and give this money to charity or simply throw it away? What can I do with audio recordings of music - throw them or I can sell them and give the money to charity? (Query published as received) A. You should break it and throw it away. You cannot sell it or give to another person as this will result in encouraging the person to use the Haraam instrument. (al-Musu’ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah, Vol: 37, Pg: 108) The same applies to the audio recordings of music. You should destroy and discard them. And Allah Knows Best Mufti Suhail Tarmahomed Fatwa Department Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) Council of Muslim Theologians