Category Archives: MYF News

Congratulations for new parents and how they should respond

Baarakallaahu laka fil-mawhoobi laka, wa shakartal-waahiba , wa balagha ‘ashuddahu, wa ruziqta birrahu.

May Allah bless you with His gift to you , and may you (the new parent) give thanks, may the child reach the maturity of years , and may you be granted its righteousness . The reply of the person being congratulated is to say : Read more

Invocations in times of worry and grief

Allaahumma ‘innee ‘abduka, ibnu ‘abdika, ibnu ‘amatika, naasiyatee biyadika, maadhin fiyya hukmuka, ‘adlun fiyya qadhaa’uka, ‘as’aluka bikulli ismin huwa laka, sammayta bihi nafsaka, ‘aw ‘anzaltahu fee kitaabika, ‘aw ‘allamtahu ‘ahadan min khalqika, ‘awista’tharta bihi fee ‘ilmil-ghaybi ‘indaka, ‘an taj’alal-Qur’aana rabee’a qalbee, wa noora sadree, wa jalaa’a huznee, wa thahaaba hammee . Read more

Everlastingness and Paradise are there, and not here!

Do you wish to stay young, healthy, rich, and immortal? If you desire these things, you will not find them in this world; however, you can find them in the Hereafter. Allah, the Exalted, has decreed misery and impermanence for this world. He called this life a trifle and an enjoyment of deception.

There is a well-known poet from long ago, who for the greater part of his life lived a life of penury. In the prime of his youth, he wanted money and could not get it. He wanted a wife too, but he failed in that pursuit as well. When he became old, with white hair and brittle bones, he became rich. Many women were now willing to marry him and he lived a comfortable life. The irony of his story is that he was poor when he was able to enjoy all comforts and that he became rich when he could no longer enjoy the pleasures of life. He composed these verses in the latter part of his life: Read more

Some other effects of depression

I recently read the translation of Dr. Edward Bodowlski’s book, Stop Worrying and Seek Betterment. Here are some of the chapter titles from his book:

– What Anxiety does to the Heart?

– High Blood Pressure Feeds off of Anxiety

Anxiety may be the Cause of some Forms of Rheumatism

As a Favor to your insides, Seek to Decrease the Level of your Anxiety

How Anxiety can be considered a Cause of the Common Cold Anxiety and the Thyroid Gland

The Victim of Diabetes and Anxiety

Dr. Carl Maninger, a specialist in psychology, wrote a book called Man against Himself: In it, he says:

“Dr. Maninger will not give you the principles of how to avoid anxiety, but instead he will give you an astonishing report on how we destroy our own body and minds through anxiety and nervousness, malice and rancor, fear, and feelings of revenge.”

And those who pardon men; verily, Allah loves the good-doer.}  (Qur ‘an 3: 134)

Among the more salient lessons that we should learn from this verse is that we should have a sound heart, peace of mind, calm nerves, and a feeling of happiness.

The French philosopher Montaigne once said:

“I wish to help you in dealing with your problems with my hands, but not with my liver and lungs.”

Invoke Allah with the following

“O’ Allah, give us a good share of piety, for you serve as a barrier between us and between our disobeying Thu. Give us that share of obedience to you with which you make us enter Paradise, and a share of the faith that serves to make the calamities of this world seem easy for us. Make us enjoy the blessings of our hearing, sight, and strength as long as you give us life… Grant us revenge against those who have wronged us and help us against those who have transgressed against us. And do not make our calamity to him in our religion; do not make the world to be the most important matter with us, nor make it the extent of our knowledge. And on account of our sins, do not give those who show us no mercy the power to subjugate us.”

Invocation for entering the mosque

‘A’oothu billaahil-‘Adheem, wa bi-Wajhihil-Kareem, wa Sultaanihil-qadeem, minash-Shaytaanir-rajeem. [Bismillaahi, wassalaatu.] [Wassalaamu ‘alaaRasoolillaahi.] Allaahum-maftah lee ‘abwaaba rahmatika.

I seek refuge in Almighty Allah, by His Noble Face, by His primordial power, from Satan the outcast.1 [In the Name of Allah, and blessings.]2 [And peace be upon the Messenger of Allah.]3 O Allah, open before me the doors of Your mercy.4

Reference:
1 Abu Dawud and Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jdmi’ As-Saghir (Hadithno. 4591).
2 Ibn As-Sunni (Hadith no. 88), graded good by Al-Albani.
3 Abu Dawud 1/126, see also Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jami’As-Saghir 1/528.
4Muslim 1/494. There is also a report in Sunan Ibn Majah on the authority of Fatimah (RA), : “O Allah, forgive me my sins and open for me the doors of Your mercy.” It was graded authentic by Al-Albani due to supporting Ahadith. See Sahih Ibn Majah 1/128-9.

Invocation for going to the mosque

Allaahummaj’al fee qalbee nooran, wa fee lisaaanee nooran, wa fee sam’ee nooran, wa fee basaree nooran, wa min fawqee nooran, wa min tahtee nooran, wa ‘an yameenee nooran, wa ‘an shimaalee nooran, wa min ‘amaamee nooran, wa min khalfee nooran, waj’alfee nafsee nooran, wa ‘a’dhim lee nooran, wa ‘adhdhim lee nooran, wafal lee nooran, waj’alnee nooran, Allaahumma ‘a’tinee nooran, waj’al fee ‘asabee nooran, wafee lahmee nooran, wafee damee nooran, wa fee sha’ree nooran, wa fee basharee nooran. [Allaahummaj’al lee nooran fee qabree wa nooran fee ‘idhaamee.] [Wa zidnee nooran, wa zidnee nooran, wa zidnee nooran.][Wa hab lee nooran ‘alaa noor.] Read more

Congratulations for new parents and how they should respond

Baarakallaahu laka fil-mawhoobi laka, wa shakartal-waahiba , wa balagha ‘ashuddahu, wa ruziqta birrahu.

May Allah bless you with His gift to you , and may you (the new parent) give thanks, may the child reach the maturity of years , and may you be granted its righteousness . The reply of the person being congratulated is to say : Read more

Beneficial knowledge and fruitless knowledge

And those who have been bestowed with knowledge and faith will say: `Indeed you have stayed according to the Decree of Allah, until the Day of Resurrection, but you knew not.   (Qur’an 30: 56)

There is knowledge that is useful and there is knowledge that is harmful. As for the knowledge that is useful, the believer’s faith strengthens as a result of it; on the other hand, the disbeliever does not reap any benefit whatsoever from gaining this kind of knowledge; though the information acquired is the same, the results are very different. Allah says of His enemies:

They know only the outside appearance of the life of the world [i.e. the matters of their livelihood, like irrigation or sowing or reaping, etc.], and they are heedless of the Hereafter.   (Qur’an 30: 7)

Nay, they have no knowledge of the Hereafter. Nay, they are in doubt about it. Nay, they are blind about it.  (Qur’an 27: 66)

That is what they could reach of knowledge.  (Qur’an 53: 30) 

And recite [O’ Muhammad] to them the story of him to whom we gave Our Aayaat [proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.], but he threw them away so Satan followed him up, and he became of those who went astray. And had we willed, we would surely have elevated him therewith but he clung to the earth and followed his own vain desire. So his description is the description of dog: if you drive him away, he lolls his tongue out, or if you leave him alone, he [still] lolls his tongue out. Such is the description of the people who reject Our Aayaat [proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc]. So relate the stories, perhaps they may reflect.  (Qur’an 7: 175-176)

Allah said about the Jews and their knowledge of the truth:

The likeness of those who were entrusted with the Torah, but who subsequently failed in those [obligations], is as the likeness of a donkey that carries huge burdens of books [but understands nothing from them]. How bad is the example of people who deny the Aayaat [proofs, evidences, signs, verses, etc.] of Allah?  (Qur ‘an 62: 5)

They knew the truth from the Torah, yet they were not guided by it. They distorted its words, and if that failed to work, they distorted the meanings of the words. How could people who treated knowledge in this despicable manner ever have found happiness? It was certainly not possible in their case, for they always tried to eradicate the truth using any means at their disposal.

…hut they preferred blindness to guidance… (Qur ‘an 41: 17) 

And of their saying: our hearts are wrapped [with coverings, i.e. we do not understand what the Messengers sav] – nay, Allah has set a seal upon their hearts because of their disbelief, so they believe not but a little.   (Qur’an 4: 155) Read more

Istikharah (seeking Allah’s Counsel)

Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) said: The Prophet (SAW) used to teach us to seek Allah’s Counsel in all matters, as he used to teach us a Surah from the Qur’an. He would say: When anyone of you has an important matter to decide, let him pray two Rak’ahs other than the obligatory prayer, and then say: Read more