A Muslim Convert Once More

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is taken from Making-Up Missed Prayers - A Point of Scholarly Consensus on whether making up missed prayers necessary, by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.   The position of all four Sunni schools is that it is fardh , obligatory, to make up all missed prayers, regardless of why they were missed.   Prayer is the first thing we will be questioned about on the Day of Judgement, as the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) informed us in sound narrations.   Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi ( r.a. ) stated, in Majmu’ Sharh al-Muhadzdzab , “There is consensus of the scholars whose opinion counts that whoever leaves a prayer intentionally must make it up.   ibn Hazm differed with them on this, saying that such an individual cannot ever make them up and it is not at all valid to make them up.   Rather, he said, one must do much good works and voluntary prayer in order that one s scales be heavy on the Day of Judgement and one mus...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali ibn Husayn Zayn al-‘Abidin ( q.s. ) was born on a Thursday, the 05 th of Sha’ban, 38 AH, in Madina al-Munawwarah according to Masalik as-Salikin .   He was one of the greatest of the ‘arifin of his era.   Imam Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn Shihab az-Zuhri ( r.a. ) said, “I have not seen any Quraysh more excellent than Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin.”   Sayyidina ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas ( r.a. ) used to look at Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin ( q.s. ), and refer to him as the Beloved of the Beloved.   Sayyidina Husayn ibn ‘Ali ( r.a. ) kept most of his children’s names attached to the name “‘Ali”.   This was due to his love for his father, Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abu Thalib ( k.w. ).   Imam Zayn al-‘Abidin ( q.s. ) was thus also named “‘Ali”.   He was also known as “Abu Muhammad”, “Abu al-Hasan”, “Abu al-Qasim” and “Abu Bakr”.   His titles included Sajjad , Zayn al-‘Abidin and Sayyid al-‘Abidin .   Imam Zayn ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ   The following is from the teachings of Shaykh Muhammad Nazhim Adil al-Haqqani ( q.s. ).   Some are called believers because they believed in the unseen.   When the Prophet ( s.a.w. ) came, he said that he believed in Allah ( s.w.t. ), and so did Jesus ( a.s. ) and Moses ( a.s. ) when they came before him.   Belief, therefore, is in the unseen.   When it is seen, at that time, it is not belief but evidence.   At that time we accept something because we saw is not belief, there is no evidence of faith.   سُوۡرَةُ یُونس ... حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَآ أَدۡرَڪَهُ ٱلۡغَرَقُ قَالَ ءَامَنتُ أَنَّهُ ۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِىٓ ءَامَنَتۡ بِهِۦ بَنُوٓاْ إِسۡرَٲٓءِيلَ وَأَنَا۟ مِنَ ٱلۡمُسۡلِمِينَ (٩٠) ءَآلۡـَٔـٰنَ وَقَدۡ عَصَيۡتَ قَبۡلُ وَكُنتَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِينَ (٩١)   At length, when overwhelmed with the flood, he said, “I believe that there is no god except Him Whom the Children of Israel believe in: ...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali ( r.a. ) wrote, in his Ihya’ ‘Ulum ad-Din , after mentioning the hadits , “Do not travel except to three mosques,” “The gist of the matter is that some ‘ulama use it as evidence for prohibiting travel to places of religious visitation and pilgrimage.   It is clear that this is not the case.   On the contrary, visitation to graves is commanded by the hadits , ‘I have forbidden you in the past to visit graves, but now I tell you to visit them.’   The hadits only mentions the prohibition of frequent visitation to other than the three mosques because of the likeness of one mosque to another.   Furthermore, there is no city in which there is no mosque.   Hence, there is no need to travel to another mosque.   As for places of religious visitation, the blessing of visiting them varies to the measure of their rank with Allah ( s.w.t. ).” The following is an excerpt from t...

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ The following is adapted from a swuhbah by Shaykh Tu‘sun Bayrak al-Jirrahi, Shaykh of the Jirrahi Khalwati thariqa’ .   Allah ( s.w.t. ) Says:   سُوۡرَةُ البَقَرَة يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡڪُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِڪُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ (١٨٣)   O you who believe!   Fasting is Prescribed to you as it was Prescribed to those before you, that you may (learn) self-restraint. ― (Surah al-Baqarah:183)   The last phrase of the Lord’s Order to fast reveals the inner meaning of fasting.   A hadits related by Sayyidina Abu ‘Abd ar-Rahman ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud ( r.a. ) clearly illustrates this meaning: “Whoever can, should marry, because marriage prevents one from forbidden acts and protects one ’ s honour.   The one who cannot marry should learn to fast, for fasting is the best means to control one’s lust and desires of the flesh, and the temptations of ...