قل ان كنتم تحبون الله فاتبعوني يحببكم الله ويغفر لكم ذنوبكم والله غفور رحيم

قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ ٱللَّهَ فَٱتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Ta pratique de la Sunnah (ta volonté ou ton rejet de vouloir pratiquer toute Sunnah authentique) est la mesure de ton amour pour le Créateur. C'est aussi, la preuve que tu veux le pardon d’Allah.

How many times have I recited:
“يُحْبِبْكُمُ ٱللَّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ”
…and moved on to the next ayah without any movement in my heart, while deep inside, I was yearning for the love of Allah?

Had it not been for Allah’s Mercy, and the response of Al-Mujeeb to the sincere call of His slave, I may never have understood the path to earning that love. “فَٱتَّبِعُونِى” (So follow me.)

Yes, Ya Rabb… I admit: I have not been a committed follower of Your Messenger ﷺ as I should have been. But I place my trust in Your help. والله المستعان.

If I am understanding this correctly now, then from this very moment, I must strive to become a true follower of the Prophet ﷺ.

But I feel lost! Where do I begin? How do I continue? How do I remain steadfast? Ya Nasir, help me… Guide me to everything I need in order to earn Your love, and through it, your forgiveness - by truly following our beloved Prophet ﷺ.

We all seek Your help. Make it easy for us. Ameen

MashaAllah. Truly beautiful reflection and poignant as it reveals the hidden vulnerability of humans to Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. We all do love Allah, and I believe, He loves us too. One of the things I learnt is constantly seeking knowledge. In Islam, there isn't truly any limitations for seeking knowledge. It is a vast ocean. The more you yearn for, the more you can go deeper. And Knowledge, seeking and learning it especially, is a beautiful form of Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah). I find peace in reading and learning about the Qur'an, our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and about the lives of early Muslims and their devotion to Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. I recommend you to do so as well. And Verily, Allah knows best. 
Jazakallah Khair. May Allah reward you with more than what you asked for. 

When I was a law student, I often remember reading a piece of legislation or law,  not knowing how this would work practically. This is where the 'code of practice/practitioners text' would come in handy. It guides you to apply a certain rule or law in real life. I find this analogy somewhat relatable to how we understand the Quran and Sunnah. 

Allah is attesting to the Prophet's outstanding  character, details of which are found in the sunnah. The Quran explains the sunnah and the sunnah explains the Quran. Both have a reciprocal relationship. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was described as the 'Walking Quran'. 

Imagine a lamp and its light: The Qur’an is the lamp itself, giving guidance. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is the one who shows how to walk by that light, demonstrating how to live by the Qur’an in daily life. This is called the sunnah. 

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) exemplified, applied and demonstrated for us the exact guidance from the Quran, and without his sunnah, we would be lost, not knowing where to turn. 

May we learn to appreciate the Quran through the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and may we appreciate the sunnah more through the Quran. Amen!

Qualities of Believers: The Keys to Eternal Success

Surat Al-Imran ends with reminding us of qualities needed to be successful, as a type of continuation from the first page of Surat Al-Baqara. In fact, the entire Surah is filled with reminders about the qualities needed to be successful and in alignment with Surat Al-Baqara, taqwa, to be mindful of God or to adopt a God-centered lifestyle, is mentioned often throughout Surat Al-Imran. 

Additional qualities to nurture and embody our faith mentioned throughout these verses include:

*Patience
*Sincerity
*Devotion to Allah through extended worship
*Love for Allah and following the Prophet (peace be upon him) 
*Spending from what we love and being charitable and generous
*Dying in a state of full submission to Allah
*Unity and cultivating strong ties of brotherhood and sisterhood
*Racing to and seeking forgiveness, particularly before dawn, which is known to be a blessed time
*Control their anger and pardon others
*Grateful
*Rely on Allah alone and seek His aid
*Humble
*Those who show ihsan - moral and spiritual excellence

One may observe such a list of qualities and ponder about how to 'do it all' - and this is the beauty of faith, it can be nurtured like a seed, with sincerity, love for God through knowing Him and acknowledging His endless blessings, as well as with time, patience, effort, a faith support network, and asking God for His support and aid. Just like any goal we hope to achieve, these #lifegoals can be achieved through God’s grace.

In a world that pushes us to only seek external indicators of success through career, status, wealth, etc., God reminds us of the eternal indicators of success which are largely based on an internal process of tazkiya or purification and moral elevation. By strengthening our relationship with God, we can embody these qualities which enable us to actualize our purpose, find peace, success and contentment in this world, as well as in an eternal heaven. 

Which of these qualities would you like to nurture today? We can choose to focus on 1 or 2 at a time and keep nurturing them until we believe we can move on to the next one, while maintaining the qualities we have endeavoured to develop and remembering that we are not perfect human beings - that there will be shortcomings, and that is where the racing to and seeking forgiveness often comes in. We understand this is an ongoing journey of walking to God, with love, and with all of our humanness, and all of our hopes to be among those who can embody the qualities of eternal success in sha Allah. May we be among them, Ameen.

#Ramadanreflections
#Eternalsuccess
#qualitiesofbelievers
#ihsan #taqwa #sabr #love #lifegoals #success

This verse feels like an invitation to drift on the waves of a vast, loving ocean. Imagine your heart as a boat, guided by love for Allah. To sail this boat in the right direction, you need a map—the path shown by the Messenger (peace be upon him).

Allah’s ocean of love is calm, deep, and endless, with each wave longing to embrace your soul. But only those who steer their boat according to this map can truly feel these waves. The Messenger’s (PBUH) path is like a guiding light, helping you through the dark waters, so you don’t get lost and safely reach the shore of Allah’s love.

It’s like a flower turning towards the sun to grow and bloom in its full beauty and fragrance. In the same way, a believer fills themselves with the light of the Messenger’s (PBUH) life to come closer to Allah. With this light of love, our hearts bloom, like flowers blossoming after rain.

Allah is like a sky of love, and following the Messenger (PBUH) is like a cloud that brings Allah’s mercy down on our hearts. When we live by the Messenger’s (PBUH) example, each drop of that mercy refreshes our hearts, filling them with Allah’s love. We become like flowers blooming in Allah’s care.

This verse teaches us that by following the Messenger’s (PBUH) path, our souls are filled with the sweet scent of Allah’s love. His path is like a bridge, taking us into Allah’s kingdom of love. Just like a butterfly’s wings are colored by flower pollen, following the Messenger (PBUH) colors our lives with Allah’s love.

To fly in this sky of Allah’s love, we should spread our wings like a bird on the Messenger’s (PBUH) path. Only then can we reach the clouds of Allah’s love and feel the rain of peace and comfort on our souls.

I was engulfed in your expression of love and devotion towards Allah and His messenger (s). Truly Allah is our Guide and Rasul Allah (s) a mercy for all mankind.  
JAK May Allah Azza wa Jal be pleased with you.  Ameen 

Love is a Verb. 
And i mean that in all seriousness. 

There have been philosophical definitions and etymological interpretations and analyses of things and then there are people changing food genetics and now redefining genders. 

I no longer feel obligated to inherit, the definitions from those who are confused about their pronouns. 

So Love is a verb in all its definitions. Or at least without action it is a deflated Balloon. 

What is the worth of a deflated Balloon. 🎈 

In this ayah Allah is giving the definition of Loving Allah……that is follow the prophet pbuh. 

To follow something you need to know what to follow so learning and following. 

And since there is only one attempt at it spending all the resources to learn and follow and intentionally praying and striving to love Allah is all Action!

So love ❤️ for Allah and all relationships is a Verb. 

Similarly the Quranic definition of intelligent is the one who recognizes Allah as One. 

Intelligent people dont end up in hell.

Ameen, may Allah open our hearts and souls to His light ameen

Journey to the Beloved (2)

In my last post, I shared a personal reflection on how I came to the conclusion that worship should be for the sake of Allah’s love alone, with no other motive.

As stated in the Quran (3:31): 'Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ 'If you ˹sincerely˺ love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive your sins. For Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.''

Out of His infinite mercy, Allah has sent His prophets to guide humanity toward this noble goal. The path has been made easier by having a mentor who has already walked it.

Humans are creatures endowed with both intellect and emotion, each serving a purpose in our journey to Allah. Intellect can be seen as the starting point, helping us recognize and acknowledge the imperfections of this world and the futility of seeking ultimate satisfaction in it. No worldly gain can fully quench our thirst; we always want more. This recognition leads us to pursue the Absolute Perfection—Allah. Where our intellect stops, emotion begins. A journey driven by emotion lasts longer and requires less mechanical effort, turning difficulties into enjoyable experiences. Worship motivated by love endures more than worship driven solely by intellect.

How did the Prophet Muhammad (s) achieve perfection? Through submission.

As the Quran (6:162) declares: 'Say, 'Surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life, and my death are all for Allah—Lord of all worlds.''

To attain Allah’s love, we must ensure that:

Prayer (Salat): Our prayers, representing all forms of worship, must be sincere and for Allah’s sake. How do we know if our prayer is worthy of Allah? The Quran (29:45) advises: 'Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, ˹genuine˺ prayer should deter ˹one˺ from indecency and wickedness. The remembrance of Allah is ˹an˺ even greater ˹deterrent˺. And Allah ˹fully˺ knows what you ˹all˺ do.'  If your prayer doesn’t keep you away from all vices, then it’s not the kind of prayer that will lead you to Allah’s love. How to pray in a way that deters vices is a discussion for another time.

Sacrifice: This embodies all our selfless endeavors, free from any self-interest. We have the example of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), who was commanded to sacrifice his son for Allah’s sake, and he obeyed. The Quran (37:102-105) elaborates on this event, representing the pinnacle of sacrifice for Allah.

My Living: As Rajabali accurately stated, our daily lives revolve around three main things: our thoughts, feelings and emotions, and sensory perceptions. A life worthy of Allah’s love is one where these three aspects are dedicated purely to Allah’s sake. Your thoughts should be pure and devoid of materialistic attachment; your emotions—whether anger, sorrow, remorse, or love—should be for Allah, not for personal reasons.

My Dying: If your life was lived purely for Allah, dying for Him will not be an issue. To die for Allah means uniting with your Beloved along the righteous path.

Oh Allah make us worthy of your Love,

Journey to the Beloved (1) !
I often make resolutions to intensify my efforts in seeking Allah's blessing, Paradise. However, within a few months, these resolutions fade due to various reasons. One significant factor is the perceived distance to Paradise. 

I assumed that attaining Paradise requires death and the acceptance of one's deeds, making the journey seem interminable.

Recently, I shifted my focus from pursuing Paradise to seeking Allah's love. This goal is attainable in this material realm and this renders every effort worthwhile. By concentrating on cultivating Allah's love, the journey feels more immediate and achievable.

How do you in return get Allah love is explained is the Quran 3:31

JazakAllah Sis for a beautiful reflection. Higher ideals, with noble effort renders meaningful results InShaAllah.

With the way the world is today bombarded with diatractions left & right, pessimistic (& sinful) as it may be, one can be compelled think that far from paradise, just to save yourself from hell would be an achievement in itself.

May Allah protect us, Ameen

Life melts like ice, when will its worth be realized? While reading this content, suddenly comes to mind—the first day of university. Saiful sir, during English literature class, reciting Robert Herrick's famous poem 'To Daffodils', with a very melancholic tone—
'We have as short a Spring;
As quick a growth to meet decay....

After many days, I read the poem again....
While reading Robert Herrick's 'To Daffodils', I am drawn again towards Nirmalendu Gun's 'Swabirodhi' poem!! 

There he says—
I became small by the necessity of birth, now I am growing big by the necessity of death.....

At the moment of criticizing two lines of the poem, the reflection of those hadiths comes to mind—where Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said—

'The wise one is he who takes account of himself and works for what comes after death, and the incapable one is he who follows his desires and expects from Allah.'

Elsewhere, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) has emphasized clearly—

'Whoever loves to be removed from the Fire and admitted into Paradise, let him die while he believes in Allah and the Last Day, and let him treat people the way he loves to be treated.'

At the moment of pondering over how that wise person mentioned in the hadith can be, and how to achieve ultimate success after death, it comes to mind, Allah says—

'Say, [O Muhammad], 'If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.'' (Quran 3:31)

Love is a hidden matter. Whether someone loves someone else, a little or more, the only measuring stick to know is by observing their actions and mutual interactions, or inferring from the signs and symbols of love.

Those who claim the love of Allah and eagerly desire Allah's love, in this verse Allah has defined their measure of love. That is, if someone claims the love of Allah, then verifying their claim by following Muhammad (peace be upon him) is essential. It will differentiate between genuine and fake love.

The more truthful one's claim, the more careful they will be in following the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and accepting his teachings as the guiding light on their path.

On the contrary, one whose claim is weak, their weakness in following the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) will be apparent to that extent. People's final fate will be determined based on love.

A hadith comes to mind, narrated by Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, where a person asked Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him), 'When will the Hour (i.e., the Day of Judgment) be?' Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) replied, 'What have you prepared for it?' The person replied, 'I haven't prepared much prayer, fasting, or charity, but I love Allah and His Messenger.' Then Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, 'You will be with those whom you love.' (Bukhari)

With this verse, another ayah comes to mind to conclude—
'The dye of Allah. And who is better than Allah in dyeing. And we are worshippers to Him.' (Quran 2:138)

Many people misunderstand this verse upon reading its translation and think, 'Does Allah have a color? Astaghfirullah! What blasphemy!' This verse is interpreted in a figurative sense. Just as we say, 'The breeze of spring has entered his heart,' but we do not mean that the breeze of spring has entered his heart. This statement can be made even in the summer or winter, irrespective of the presence of the spring season. Similarly, in this verse, the term 'Allah's dye' is used in a symbolic sense.

The special significance of 'dye' is retained in this verse. Just as a color can be recognized at a glance, similarly, those whose faith is strong, their speech, actions, and conduct make it clear. A genuine Muslim can be recognized at a glance that he is dyed in the color of Allah. If after observing someone's words, actions, and behavior, it is not at all understood that he is a Muslim, then there is a lack of monotheism within him. He has not yet been dyed in the color of Allah.

Assalaamu Alaikum,

Your reflection on the transient nature of life, intertwined with poetry, hadiths, and Quranic verses, is profound and thought-provoking. The interconnectedness between the verses of Robert Herrick, Nirmalendu Gun's 'Swabirodhi' poem, and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Quran beautifully illustrates the depth of reflection and spiritual contemplation.

The emphasis on self-accountability, preparation for the Hereafter, and the importance of following the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a manifestation of one's love for Allah is a powerful reminder for all believers. Your exploration of the concept of love for Allah through actions and adherence to the Sunnah highlights the significance of sincerity and commitment in one's faith.

The analogy of being dyed in the color of Allah as a symbol of strong faith and evident righteousness is a striking metaphor that underscores the importance of embodying the teachings of Islam in one's character and conduct. Your reflection encourages introspection and self-evaluation in the journey towards spiritual growth and closeness to Allah.

Thank you for sharing this comprehensive and insightful reflection. May Allah reward you for your dedication to deepening your understanding of faith and may your words inspire others on their own spiritual paths.

I went slightly earlier than Maghrib to pray inside Masjid alNabawi to find a quiet corner, even though I enjoyed praying in the courtyard and talking to my fellow Muslim sisters from across the globe. But, on that day, I wanted 'me time' to focus on my relationship with Allah (SWT).

I took my tablet with me, but the security sister personnel told me that tablets are not permitted. Initially, I thought of returning to my hotel and leaving the device there. Instead, I sat in the courtyard of Masjid alNabawi and offered my salah. After this prayer, a sister asked me in Arabic if I could help her to make a Rawdah appointment.

I told her my Arabic is limited, but we could use Google translate. I looked into the Nusuk app for her, but no slots were available during her stay in Madinah.

She was devastated. I wrote some encouraging words for her on Google translate along with the hadith: 'Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer.'  (Sahih Muslim)

She smiled and said, 'Alhamdulillah.'

I asked her, 'Where are you from?' She said, 'Syria'. I asked her about the current situation, and she told me about the hardships in her homeland. However, I noticed talking about these challenges was not distressing her as much as the unavailability of a Rawdah appointment. The love of RasulAllah SW was beyond the pain and suffering of war. SubhanAllah.

She started asking questions about my life, and I was happy to answer.

She raised her hands, made duas for me, and wrote my name in her diary with a note for making duas. She also gave me her tasbeeh, and we exchanged numbers. She gave me a warm hug after Esha prayer before leaving with lots of duas.

The distraction I wanted to avoid was a blessing of Allah (SWT). I did nothing noteworthy to be in the duas of His servant, to be in her diary - Allah is al-Mannān.

The affection between the sister and I was due to Allah (SWT) and His messenger RasulAllah SW. We didn't fully understand each other's language, but we felt an immense connection. I pray I meet her again in this dunya or Jannah. Ameen.

May Allah (SWT) unite the ummah, and may we love each other for the sake of Allah (SWT).

I came across this again and love it so much ❤️ JAK dear sister. I miss you 