Life by Dua

When your Duas are answered, it’s a moment to pause and express gratitude.

This thankfulness not only deepens your imaan but also serves as a reminder of the power of dua.

Keep making Duas, as this strengthens your spiritual journey and opens your heart to even more blessings.

It is said that gratitude preserves what is present, and brings what is absent, because “Surely if you are grateful, I will increase you (in favour)”(Quran 14:7)”. But the increase is not only in material blessings, it is in fact in spiritual blessings as well.

Hasan Al-Basri said about this verse:

لئن شكرتم نِعَمي لأزيدنكم من طاعتي

If you are grateful for My favours, I will increase you in My obedience.

Gratitude enables a person to worship Allah better. Because of their gratitude, the doors of guidance and good deeds are opened to people.

Shukr is not only done by thanks. Shukr is also shown through your actions.

Show gratitude to your Lord for the blessings you already have, and empathy for those that don’t have those blessings.

This will put you in a constant state of worship and service.

May Allah always guide us to what’s best for us and make us steadfast. Ameen

Stories of the Qur’an

When you contemplate the stories of the Qur’an you realise that the Book is not interested in telling you history, there is no attempt to date events or even individuals, the primary function of the stories is to show how humans have reacted to the message from Heaven.

When you focus on the stories of the Prophets, it becomes very glaring that one of the fundamental lessons being taught is that irrespective of the human condition, the pious ought to/ will always worship God.

The unparalleled opulence and luxury of Sulayman did not bar him from worship… The abject poverty of Eesa, the absolute authority of Daud, the overwhelming sickness of Ayub, the fatherless pregnancy of Maryam did not stop them from following the instructions of their Creator.

Even when the pain was external as seen in the fatherly anguish of Nuh as he experienced the self destruction of an errant son …the unreciprocated, unconditional love of a son towards his father as seen in the story of Ibrahim, the spousal pain over an erring husband as seen in the story of Aasiyah, wife of the Firawn and or a wife, as seen in the case of Lut …

In all of these, the protagonists moved on, despite the challenges of life, knowing and acting with the fact that the life of this world is temporary, what comes after is the greater goal.

When the Quran tells these stories, it tells us showing the human element even in Prophets.

They were pained.

They showed it.

At least to their Creator.

Whatever you’re going through, Allah knows. In fact He already told you about it and how to deal with it in the Qur’an. You probably are not reading the Book as intimately as you ought to. Read it again with the feeling that you are the one being addressed.

You will realise you have been addressed.

Did you ever think your Lord will forget you ?

Your Lord does not forget

19:64

He will show you His Signs

“You’re walking through a trail. You’re enjoying the scenery. You’re losing the calories. The wind is blowing in your face. You’re exercising. And sometimes that’s all you get.

As a creation of God, however, your walks no longer just become walks. They’re chances to see Him and opportunities to fall in love with the rest of His creation.

Every leaf, every ant, every bird, every speck of sand; it’s all a part of His creation. And here you are, a creation of His, taking in the beauty of the rest of His creation.

We don’t have to look far to see Allah in our life. Find Him in the nature around you.

May we be of those who see and recognize His undeniable presence wherever we go. Ameen.”

وَقُلِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ سَيُرِيكُمْ آيَاتِهِ فَتَعْرِفُونَهَا وَمَا رَبُّكَ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
And say “All the praises and thanks be to Allah. He will show you His signs, and you shall recognise them. And your Lord is not unaware of what you do.” 27:93

This is for you..

Do you leave certain good deeds on account of your children, or increase them?

Ibn Masood (r) would pray in the night with his little son sleeping next to him. He would look at his son and say: مِنْ أجْلِكَ يَا بُنَيَّ “This is for you, my dear son.”
He would weep and recite: وَكَانَ أبُوهُمَا صَالِحًا “And their father was righteous.” (18:82)

Allah sent His slave to restore the wall under which the treasure of two orphan boys was buried, because their father was righteous.

The piety of parents benefits their children. So increase your good deeds on account of your children, do not leave them.

– Taymiyyah Zubair

They don’t belong to you…

Too many people believe they *own* others. We take each other for granted way too much. Men believe they own their wives, women feel they own their children, bosses think employees are theirs, but we forget that ultimately we all belong to Allah – as individuals.

See, when you internalise the fact that the one you love belongs wholly to Allah, you’ll see your actions change drastically towards them… you’ll let them be their own person, you become less controlling, and selfishness starts to leave you. You give them their space accordingly, and you become caring and considerate of them to the deepest and highest levels – because you know those levels are witnessed by Allah. In all, your relationship becomes rooted in taqwa (God-consciousness) and you’ll do so many good things without expecting reward (from them) and without batting an eyelid. And that makes your loved one return an ocean of goodness back to you in ways and at times you never anticipated.

…And if they depart from this world, you’ll remember that they were a gift as well as a loan. Yes, you will grieve, yes you will be a mess for a while. But you’ll be alright because you knew that they belonged to Allah and not to you. Thus we say ‘Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un’ – To God we all belong, and to Him we are returning.

Let people be. Cultivate a sound heart for yourself.

-Fajr literary