#How Allah can help you clear all your debt

[loveduaghar]

Powerful Duas for All Problems – A Path to Peace and Relief

Peace and blessings to all. Life is full of ups and downs, and we all face moments of difficulty and uncertainty. In these times, turning to Allah through powerful duas for all problems offers a deep sense of peace and comfort. As Muslims, we are blessed with the ability to seek guidance, strength, and relief through heartfelt prayers. Maulana Rizwan Khan, our great scholar, has helped many people who are facing difficulties in their lives. With his guidance and Allah’s blessings, they live happy and peaceful lives. If you have any questions or problems, you can contact Loveduaghar for help from our scholar Rizwan Khan.

Whether you’re struggling with personal issues, or stress, or seeking tranquillity in turbulent times, these powerful duas provide the solutions you need.

Dua: The Ultimate Solution for All Problems

Reciting duas is a powerful way to connect with Allah and seek His mercy and blessings. It’s essential to believe in the power of your prayers and remain patient, as Allah always knows what’s best for us. Whether you’re facing financial issues, family problems, health concerns, or any other difficulties, there’s a dua for every situation. One of the best duas to recite when seeking relief from any problem is:

1. Dua for Protection and Relief from Hardships

Arabic: اللّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحُزْنِ وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ

Urdu: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ وَضَلْعِ الدَّيْنِ وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ

English Meaning: “O Allah! I seek refuge in You from grief and sadness, from weakness and laziness, from miserliness and cowardice, and from the burden of debts and the overpowering of men.”

This dua is a powerful protection from all forms of hardships. Whether you are feeling overwhelmed by life’s challenges or looking for peace, this supplication can help relieve you from any burden.

2. Dua for Healing and Good Health

Arabic: أَذْهِبِ الْبَاسَ رَبَّ النَّاس��، اشْفِ وَأَنْتَ الشَّافِي، لاَ شِفَاءَ إِلاَّ شِفَاؤُكَ، شِفَاءً لاَ يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا

Urdu: اَذْهِبِ الْبَأْسَ رَبَّ النَّاسِ، اشْفِ اَنْتَ الشَّافِيْ، لَا شِفَاءَ اِلَّا شِفَاءُكَ، شِفَاءً لَا يُغَادِرُ سَقَمًا

English Meaning: “Remove the harm, O Lord of the people, and heal me. You are the Healer. There is no healing except Your healing, a healing that leaves no illness behind.”

This powerful dua calls upon Allah as the ultimate healer. Recite this supplication frequently for yourself or anyone suffering from health issues.

The Benefits of Reciting Powerful Duas Daily

Reciting duas regularly has many benefits for both the body and the soul. Here are some simple ways that making dua daily can improve your life:

Strengthen Your Connection with Allah: By making dua every day, you build a closer relationship with Allah. It shows that you trust Him with your problems and seek His help in all situations.

Bring Peace and Calm to Your Heart: When you pray, it brings a sense of peace to your heart. Knowing that you have turned to Allah for help can reduce anxiety and make you feel calmer.

Offer Clarity and Guidance in Difficult Times: Duas help clear your mind when you are confused or struggling. They open your heart to the right decisions and guide you towards the best solutions.

Instill Hope and Optimism During Hardships: Reciting duas reminds you that no problem is too big for Allah. It helps you stay hopeful, even during the toughest times, as you believe that relief will come.

How to Incorporate Duas into Daily Life

To fully benefit from the powerful duas for all problems, it’s important to incorporate them into your daily routine. Here are some practical tips on how to do so:

Set Aside Time for Prayer — Dedicate specific times of the day, such as after Fajr or Isha, to recite duas with focus and sincerity.

Memorize Important Duas — Memorize the duas that resonate with you, so you can easily recite them in times of need.

Stay Consistent — The key to gaining relief from all problems through dua is consistency. Recite them regularly and with conviction.

Stay Patient — Sometimes, it may take time for your prayers to be answered. Trust in Allah’s timing, as He knows what is best for you.

Conclusion

Duas are a beautiful way to seek Allah’s guidance and mercy in every aspect of our lives. Whether you are facing financial issues, health concerns, or emotional struggles, there is always a dua for relief. By incorporating these powerful duas for all problems into your daily routine and reciting them with sincerity, you can find peace, patience, and strength to overcome any challenge.

May Allah (SWT) grant us all the strength to face our difficulties with patience, and may He accept our duas and protect us from all harm. Ameen!

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Your New Life.Part2

Showing Gratefulness to Allah for His Guidance

A Muslim owes Allah the Almighty a great debt of gratitude for helping him repent of the sins he has committed and for guiding him to the truth. The following are the best things a Muslim can possibly do to express gratitude to Allah for such blessings:

1) Holding Fast to Islam and Patiently Enduring Hardships that Come One’s Way

It goes without saying that if a person has a priceless treasure, he will undoubtedly do his best to protect it. Islam is undeniably the best gift to mankind, for it is not a mere set of abstract ideology, nor is it a hobby which a person may practise whenever he feels like it; rather, it is a religion and a way of life which governs a Muslim’s life in all its aspects without exception. Commanding His Messenger May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him to stubbornly hold fast to Islam and the teachings of the Qur’an, being on the right path, Allah May He be glorified and exalted says in the Qur’an, “So hold fast to what has been revealed to you. You are on a straight path.” (Soorat Az-Zukhrf, 43:43)

A Muslim must not feel sad if he experiences any form of hardship, for it is part of Allah’s wise plan to test His servants. Allah May He be glorified and exalted even tested His prophets and messengers, who are far better than us, and the Qur’an tells us how they encountered untold suffering at the hands of relatives and enemies alike, without losing heart, weakening in their faith or wavering under adversity. The great hardship a Muslim faces due to his dedication to the truth is one of the ways Allah May He be glorified and exalted tests His servants’ faith. Therefore, live up to your lofty principles, try your best to pass the test, adhere to the truth under all circumstances and constantly pray to Allah to keep you on the right path, just as the Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him himself did. Repeat the supplication: “Yaa muqallibal-quloob, Thabbit qalbee‛alaa deenik” (O Allah, Controller of hearts, make my heart adhere firmly to Your religion). (Sunan At-Tirmidhee: 2140)

Allah May He be glorified and exalted says in this context, “Do people think that once they say, ‘We believe,’ they will be left alone and not be put to the test? We certainly tried those who have gone before them, so Allah will certainly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are lying.” (Soorat Al-‛Ankaboot,29:2-3)

2) Doing One’s Best to Call to Islam with Wisdom and fair Admonition

Engaging in da‛wah work (calling others to Islam) is undoubtedly one of the best ways of expressing gratitude to Allah as well as one of the most effective means to remain constant in faith. If a person recovers from a life-threatening disease which has caused him a great deal of suffering and misery after discovering the right cure for his disease, he will certainly spread such a remedy amongst people, particularly amongst his relatives and closest friends. This point is elucidated as follows:

Calling Others to Islam (da‛wah)

Virtues of Calling Others to Islam

Engaging in da‛wah work is indisputably one of the best deeds in the sight of Allah and is highly commended in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Sunnah. Evidence to this effect includes the following:

1) Da‛wah is the means to success in this life and in the hereafter, as the Qur’an states, “Let there be a group among you who call others to good, and enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong: those who do this shall be successful.” (Soorat Aal ‛Imraan,3:104)

2) No one has a better speech than that of those who engage in da‛wah activities. Commending such people, the Qur’an says, “Who speaks better than one who calls to Allah, does good works and says, ‘I am surely one of the Muslims.’?” (Soorat Fussilat, 41:33) It is clear, therefore, that there is no one whose speech is better than that of a person who calls people to the truth, for he is their guide to their Creator and Lord and the one who takes them out of the darkness of misguidance into the light of faith.

3) Engaging in da‛wah work testifies to one’s compliance with Allah’s command: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and argue with them in the best manner possible.” (Soorat An-Nahl, 16:125) A person who dedicates himself to such a noble task must invite others to Islam with wisdom, making sure that he knows the personality of the people he wants to call to Islam so as to choose the best possible method to carry out the task, all the while arguing with them in the kindest, most gracious manner which appeals to them.

4) Engaging in da‛wah work was the very task carried out by all of Allah’s messengers without exception, foremost of whom was Prophet Muhammad (saw), whom Allah sent to all mankind as a witness over people, giving news to the believers of immense reward in the hereafter, warning the unbelievers against severe punishment and spreading his light to all mankind. The Qur’an says, “Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of good news and a warner, and a caller to Allah by His permission and a light-giving lamp. Convey to the believers the good news that they will receive immense favour from Allah.” (Soorat Al-Ahzaab,33:45-47)

5) Inviting people to Islam is the source of unlimited goodness; for each person you invite to Islam, you will get the same rewards for his prayer, worship and teaching others. What a great blessing Allah bestows on those who engage in da‛wah work! The Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him said, “Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to that of those who follow it, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.” (Saheeh Muslim: 2674)

6) The reward Allah has in store for those who invite others to Islam is far better than all the enjoyments of the present world, for such a reward is from Allah Himself, the Most Generous, who will recompense them abundantly for such a noble endeavour: “If you turn away from me, remember I ask no reward from you. Only Allah will reward me, and I have been commanded to submit completely to Him.” (Soorat Yoonus, 10:72)

The Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him also said in this respect, “If Allah guides one man through you, this will be better for you than possessing red camels.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree: 2847; Saheeh Muslim: 2406) Camels were considered the most valuable property in ancient Arabia and the red variety was the most prized of all.

Requirements of the Correct Manner of Inviting Others to Islam

Allah May He be glorified and exalted describes the correct manner of engaging in da‛wah work as one which is characterised by certain qualities which distinguish it from others. These qualities are as follows:

1) Insight and Knowledge

A caller to Islam (daa‛iyah) must be knowledgeable about the truth to which he invites others, clearly presenting divine instructions to them, based on clear evidence: “Say: This is my Way: I invite to Allah, on the basis of a clear proof, and so do those who follow me .” (Soorat Yusuf, 12:108) He does not have to know many things before he starts calling people to Islam. Whenever he learns something new, he has to teach it to others. For instance, If he learns about the necessity of not associating anyone in the worship of Allah, he ought to convey this information to others. Likewise, if he learns about some aspects of the beauty of Islam, he must convey this to them. To put it in a nutshell, he must convey anything he learns about Islam, even if what he has learned is one single verse of the Qur’an, as the Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him once ordered, “Convey what you learn from me [to others], even if [what you have learnt] is one verse of the Qur’an.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree: 3274) This was the very practice of the Prophet’s companions; they would learn the principles of Islam in a few days and then they would go back to their people to call them to Islam and arouse their interest in it, especially through their high moral character.

2) Wisdom

The Qur’an says, “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and argue with them in the best manner possible.” (Soorat An-Nahl, 16:125) Wisdom is the ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice at the appropriate time and place because of the experience and knowledge one has. Given the differences between people regarding their character and level of understanding, a caller to Islam must choose the appropriate method to engage in da‛wah work and wait for the appropriate opportunity to win them over. He must approach them with gentleness and compassion, and engage in a calm and balanced dialogue which does not instigate ill feelings and inflame hatred. It is for this reason that Allah May He be glorified and exalted reminds His Messenger May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him of the favours He bestowed upon him by making him gentle with people: “It is by Allah’s grace that you deal gently with them; had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would surely have deserted you.” (Soorat Aal-‛Imraan, 3:159)

Inviting Family Members and Relatives to Islam

A person who has been guided to Islam must do his best to call his family members and relatives to this religion, because they are the closest and dearest people to him. He ought to endure any harm he may encounter patiently whilst doing so. He should also use all possible means in order to show them the truth. As the Qur’an states, “Instruct your family to offer their prayers, and be steadfast in observing them yourself.” (Soorat Taa Haa, 20:132)

Some callers to Islam may find that people to whom they are not related favourably respond to the invitation, whilst their closest relatives refuse to do so, which causes them a great deal of distress and disappointment. A successful caller to Islam, however, never gives up hope; he tries his best to guide them to the truth, using various methods and techniques and praying to Allah to guide their hearts, even under the bleakest of circumstances. The Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him did just that with his Uncle Abu Taalib. He left no stone unturned in calling him to Islam and continued doing so until the last moments of his life. When Abu Taalib was on his deathbed, the Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him begged him, “Dear uncle, say, laa ilaaha illallaah, (There is no god worthy of worship except Allah) so that I may be able to intercede for you on the Day of Judgement.”(Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree: 3671;Saheeh Muslim: 24)AbuTaalib, however, declined to do so, and so he died a polytheist. It was on this occasion that Allah May He be glorified and exalted revealed the following verse: ‘‘You cannot guide whoever you please: it is Allah who guides whom He will. He knows best those who receive guidance.” (Soorat Al-Qasas, 28:56) A new Muslim, as soon as he embraces Islam, must build a strong and healthy relationship with his relatives and acquaintances, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. He must also observe high moral standards when dealing with them, for Islam is not a call to isolation and withdrawal from social life. Indeed, showing kindness to people and observing high moral standards when dealing with them is the best way to introduce them to this great religion with which Prophet Muhammad May He be glorified and exalted was sent to perfect noble character. Observance of high moral standards and good treatment must start at home, amongst family members.

[sisterssafespace]

How I can stop laziness and procrastination especially in my Deen studies. Like memorizing Quran and Hadith. How to have high enthusiasm? How to be zealous?

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuhu dear, thank you for bringing up such a critical topic that I am sure most of us if not all relate to and are concerned about.

A.N: contrary to popular belief and to my own nature I did not procrastinate this answer, I genuinely did not have time 🙈😅

So before I start, it is really important to differentiate between laziness and procrastination as they are completely different things. As an established professional chronic procrastinator Muslim woman I allow myself to say that calling my procrastination laziness could be offensive 😅🙈 (please note the dark humor)

But yeah, on a serious note, I found a very simplified article on solvingprocrastination.com that could really be helpful. What to keep in mind is that laziness is to willingly not do something or not fulfill a task whereas procrastination is unintentional, and it is often associated with stress and anxiety. A procrastinator basically knows that delaying this task will have negative consequences in the near or far future yet they can't help it, they can't bring themselves to do the task even if they tried. My therapist always says that procrastination is just the other face to anxiety. So it is a bit more complex than laziness.

With that being cleared out of the way, here are three tips that can hopefully help you in your battle:

Pray for guidance, ask Allah swt for help, for guidance, for steadfastness, for courage, for energy, for patience. In fact, you can ask Allah swt all that you want for He swt is the most generous, the ever-giving, the all-knowing.. you can make any duaas you want, let your heart speak for you. And Allah swt will answer 🤍

On the same note, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us to say this great duaa in the morning and evening adhkar which includes seeking refuge in Allah swt from laziness:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْبُخْلِ وَالْجُبْنِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ

‘O Allaah indeed I seek refuge with You from anxiety and sadness and weakness and laziness and being miserly and being cowardly and having a burdensome debt and being overpowered by people.’

Renewing or refreshing your intentions is also an excellent idea. As humans we tend to perform better when we are highly motivated. Although motivation differs from one person to the other, it works the same or it affects us all the same way. So if you spend quite the time reminding yourself of why you wanted to do that certain task in the first place, setting the right intentions, linking it to ikhlas and being loyal to Allah swt in your intentions, foreseeing all the khayr it could bring on your life or the people around you, considering it as a good deed or as an act of sadaqah, making the intention that whatever you are doing is for the sake of Allah swt, that could be quiet the motivation that's gonna fuel you and give you high enthusiasm like you asked.

May I offer you another perspective as well? One of my sisters forward this to me today thinking it could help you:

"لو شاء ربك لجعلك تحفظ القرآن بوقت وجيز، لكن لله الحكمة البالغة...

If your Lord wanted to, He could have made you memorise the Qur'an in a short amount of time; however, Allah has an all-encompassing wisdom. Perhaps there is goodness in the delay. Maybe in the difficulty, you are elevated. Perhaps Allah wanted you to increase in repeating it, so that you may earn more rewards. Perhaps Allah tested you in memorising it in that manner so that you're constantly & continually looking into it & trying to understand it. As such, your heart is revived, your soul is repaired, and you're elevated in rank & in rewards.

Finally, I want to end my answer with one word: DISCIPLINE. DISCIPLINE. DISCIPLINE. That's what makes a difference between successful people, the one who go after their dreams, the one who make things happen, the ones who truly change their lives, vs. the ones who don't. We have to learn how to discipline ourselves. Mind over matter. Sübhanallah, when you really think of it, life is indeed too short to waste it and to not try. Eventually, on judgement day, Allah swt is going to ask us about our youth and our time, how did we spend it. May Allah swt allow us to have a pleasing answer that day. Ameen.

Bonus tip: you better start small and not put so much pressure on yourself because that would only cause more stress, frustration, anxiety, and eventually leads to deeper procrastination. You can have a clear plan, make a daily to-do list, set short-term tangible goals, set your intentions to serve Allah swt, and have tawakkul, Allahu al mustaān 🤍

I hope this answer has brought some peace to your heart and a bit of enthusiasm! May Allah swt protect you from the outcomes of laziness and help you get back on the right track. And do not forget, the adhan calls five times a day " Hayyi alaa al falah " that's a call for work, for taking initiative, for getting things done, for achieving success in shaa Allah.

All the love,

- A.Z. and the girls 🍃

[parrizaad]

The Ultimate Benefits of Surah Ikhlas – The Powerfull Ahadit

Surah Ikhlas is also known as Surah at-Tawheed. Tawheed means unity. So this Surah is all about explaining the Oneness of Allah which is the first pillar of Islam. The importance of Ikhlas can be judged by the following hadith of the Holy Prophet (PBUH):

Surah Ikhlas

Recitation of Surah Ikhlas

“Say: He is Allah, Absolute Oneness….., By Him in Whose hand my soul is, it is equal to one-third of the Quran!” (Bukhari)

So it is evident that one who recites Surah Ikhlas once shall be rewarded for reciting one-third of the Holy Quran. Once a companion of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:

“I really love this Surah (Ikhlas).”

The Holy Prophet answered:

“And your love for it will enable you to enter paradise.” (Tirmidhi)

Hence it is clear how important this Surah is. Its recitation can help you enter Paradise. What more could a Muslim ask for! Another hadith tells us how important Surah Ikhlas is in keeping us protected from evil.

“When you recite Surah Fatiha and Surah Ikhlas upon lying on your bed, you will be safeguarded and should become fearless of everything except death.” (Tafseer Mazhari)

So it is a really good habit to recite these two surahs before sleeping. Especially if this habit of reciting these two surahs is inculcated in children they would not fear to sleep and keep this habit with them forever.

One hadith tells us how important surah Ikhlas is in pleasing Allah and seeking forgiveness from him. It helps you to get love and protection of Allah.

“If anyone recites two hundred times daily, Qul huwallahu Ahad the sins of fifty years will be wiped out unless he is in debt.” (Tirmidhi)

Surah Ikhlas also helps eradicate poverty and bring blessings of Allah in your home. The Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) once said:

“Whoever reads Surat qul hu-wallaahu ‘Ahad when he enters his house, poverty will be eradicated from the family of that household and neighbors.”

The Holy Prophet once advised a man to say Salaam and recite Surah Ikhlas upon entering his home. In a few days, it was observed that the man got rich.

The Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) also encouraged the recitation of Surah Ikhlas when someone is on his deathbed as it increases the presence of angels at this time.

All these ahadith tell us the importance of Ikhlas for the Muslims.

[flowersofjannah]

Assalamualaikum. Please share with us some tips for preparing for ramadhan. Barakallahu feeki.

Wa ‘alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

1. Set Goals

Consider where you’re lacking in your worship and set a goal to focus on adding that to your routine. This could be literally anything - making more dua, engaging in adhakar, fixing your salat, improving your character, etc.

It’s important not to overburden yourself though. Chances are we’re lacking in multiple areas of worship, but only pick maybe 2 areas, add if you feel like you can do so. Quality over quantity! Focusing on quantity over quality also gives risk to you losing the habit, whereas focusing on quality helps you keep up with your habits after ramadan. 

Also set goals for what you already do practice and special things you do for the sake of the month such as how much you want to memorize in the Quran, how much Quran you want to read in the month, etc. 

Also consider your disliked habits and make resolution to work on getting rid of them. This can be - anger, wasting time, using bad language, focusing too much on materialistic things, and so on.

2. Prepare Materials

Prepare materials for your goals in ramadan. For example if your daily goals are to engage in adhkar, recite 1 juz, and get in the habit of making an extensive dua daily - maybe make a daily book where you have all the adhkar you want to engage in, a timeline of what your daily progress of the Quran should be, and bullet points of things you want to include in your duas. This will help you stay on track and will help you resort to only one place for your daily goals. ^-^

It’s also wise to make a timeline of your day:

10 - 11-30 AM : Quran reciting

11:30 - 12:30 PM: Spend time with family

12:00 - 1:00 PM: Adhakar

1:00 - 1:45 PM: Break

1:45 PM - 2:30 PM: Study Seerah

etc.

^^ It’s also important to balance between worship and other obligations (as you can see I did above), spread your worship throughout the day rather than doing all the worship at once continuously and then doing all the other obligations, this can cause you to be tired and demotivate you. 

3. Make some Habits before Ramadan

Making habits before Ramadan is good so that in Ramadan you can strengthen those habits. Personally, I would say to make these habits of your character - not getting angry easily, making people feel comfortable, speaking good words, having a good tone, being generous, etc. Such habits I think are generally harder to establish, so start now and make Ramadan the strengthener of them!

4. Educate yourself on Ramadan

Read up on the importance of Ramadan, why is it a holy month, what’s the point of it, etc. This will help you appreciate Ramadan more and will motivate you to do your best. 

5. Clear up your Time 

Before Ramadan starts, try clearing up duties that may consume your time. Such as if you’re taking a self paced course, try to finish it before Ramadan so that you have more time for worship in Ramadan. 

6. Consider your Money

Figure out how much charity you can give in the month of Ramadan by going through your wealth and set a daily giving amount (if you are able to). If you can’t give charity due to financial strains, then work out your balance to see if you can give a one-time charity if you can do so after paying Zakat (if you are obligated to give Zakaat). Also make a list of all the things that you need to consider for giving Zakaat such as jewelry, debts, etc. Calculate the things that you don’t expect to change such as the amount of gold you have so that you have that ready before hand and just need to calculate what is constantly changing the day you give Zakaat.

7. Engage in Istighfar

Engage in Istighfar to purify yourself before Ramadan, In sha Allah Allah Subhana wa Ta’ala will give you more ability to do more in Ramadan and He will allow you to taste Ramadan to be even sweeter. ^.^

8. Plan Meals and Check your Body

Plan what your suhoor and iftar will be for the month of Ramadan. Be sure to make them healthy and light. Please avoid eating too many pakoray and samosay, eat more chole and fruit chat. 

It would also be good to get a blood test to see if you have any nutritional deficiencies so that you can get your deficiencies to normal (or at least better) before Ramadan as deficiencies causes brain fog, tiredness, insomnia, etc.

9. Check your Intentions

Before doing anything and everything we should check our intentions, whether it be something as small as posting a photo, or something as big as giving charity. Is your intention pure? Check your intentions for Ramadan also, why are you participating?

10. Contacts

Make a list of people you wish to be more in touch with and make sure you contact them. If you’re able to contact them before Ramadan, make sure you contact them again during Ramadan so that you establish strong ties with them. Add those you even lost touch with in your list. Also focus on relationships you want to make stronger that you already have good contact with, this could be your parents, siblings, friends, etc. Forgive those who have wronged you and contact them too. Don’t keep grudges. Keeping good relations with people is part of faith 😌

Here are also some resources you can check out:

https://flowersofjannah.tumblr.com/post/184742770367

https://productivemuslim.com/laylatul-qadr-worship-plan-to-maximise-the-last-10-nights-of-ramadan/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9xLN42yj6e1UWtSZVFoc1IyYWs/view

https://flowersofjannah.tumblr.com/post/161869876157/a-scholar-advised-to-recite-surah-ikhlas-3-times

I hope I was helpful in sha Allah 🌻

[dailytafsirofquran]

TEFSIR ibn KATHIR: Surah Qaf Ayah 16-22

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

16. And indeed We have created man, and We know what his self whispers to him.

And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.

17. (Remember) that the two receivers (recording angels) receive (each human being), one sitting on the right and one on the left.

18. Not a word does he (or she) utter but there is a watcher by him ready (to record it).

19. And the stupor of death will come in truth:

"This is what you have been avoiding!''

20 And the Trumpet will be blown -- that will be the Day of the threat.

21. And every person will come forth along with a Sa'iq and a Shahid.

22. (It will be said to the sinners):

"Indeed you were heedless of this. Now We have removed from you, your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!''

Allah encompasses and watches all of Man's Activity

Allah the Exalted says,

And indeed We have created man, and We know what his self whispers to him.

Allah the Exalted affirms His absolute dominance over mankind, being their Creator and the Knower of everything about them. Allah the Exalted has complete knowledge of all thoughts that cross the mind of man, be they good or evil.

In the Sahih, the Messenger of Allah said, Verily, Allah the Exalted has forgiven my Ummah (Muslims) for what they talk (think) to themselves about, as long as they do not utter or implement it.

The statement of Allah the Exalted, And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.

means, His angels are nearer to man than his jugular vein.

Those who explained `We' in the Ayah to mean` Our knowledge,' have done so to avoid falling into the idea of incarnation or indwelling; but these two creeds are false according to the consensus of Muslims. Allah is praised and glorified, He is far hallowed beyond what they ascribe to Him. The words of this Ayah do not need this explanation (that `We' refers to `Allah's knowledge'), for Allah did not say, `and I am closer to him than his jugular vein.' Rather, He said, (And We are nearer to him than his jugular vein). just as He said in the case of dying persons, (But We are nearer to him than you, but you see not). (56:85), in reference to His angels (who take the souls).

Allah the Exalted the Blessed said,

Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr and surely, We will guard it. (15:9)

Therefore, the angels brought down the revelation, the Qur'an, by the leave of Allah, the Exalted, the Most Honored. Thus, the angels are closer to man than his own jugular vein, by the power and leave of Allah. Consequently, the angel touches mankind, just as the devil touches them, for the devil is as close to them as the blood that runs in their veins; just as Allah's Prophet, who is truthful and was told the truth, told us.

Allah's statement here, (Remember) that the two receivers receive, in reference to the two angels who receive and record the deeds of mankind. one sitting on the right and one on the left.

means ready to note, whatever he utters, (in reference to the human), of a word, means any word that he or she speaks, but there is a watcher by him ready.

means, but there is a scribe whose job is to record it, leaving no word or movement unrecorded.

Allah the Exalted said,

But verily, over you (are appointed angels) to watch you, Kiraman (honorable) Katibin writing down (your deeds), they know all that you do. (82:10-12)

Therefore, the scribe records every word that is spoken, according to the explanation of Al-Hasan and Qatadah.

This is also the apparent meaning of this Ayah.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Bilal bin Al-Harith Al-Muzani said,

"The Messenger of Allah said, Verily, a man might utter a word that pleases Allah the Exalted, unaware of how highly it will be regarded, and on its account Allah the Exalted and Most Honored decrees His pleasure of him until the Day he meets Him. A man might indeed utter a word that angers Allah the Exalted, unaware of how dreadful it will be and on its account Allah the Exalted decrees for him His anger until the Day he meets Him.''

Alqamah used to say,

"How many words did I not utter because of the Hadith that Bilal bin Al-Harith narrated.''

At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah collected this Hadith. At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih.'' There is a Hadith similar to this in the Sahih.

Reminding Mankind of the Stupor of Death, the Blast of the Trumpet and the Day of Gathering

Allah the Exalted and Most High said,

And the stupor of death will come in truth: "This is what you have been avoiding!''

Allah the Exalted and Most Honored says, `O mankind! This is the stupor of death that has come in truth; now, I have brought forth to you the certainty that you were disputing,'

This is what you have been avoiding!, means, `this is the end that you were trying to escape; it has come to you! Therefore, you will have neither a shelter nor a refuge nor a sanctuary nor an asylum from it.'

In the Sahih, the Prophet said, while wiping sweat from his face when the stupor of death overcame him, Glory be to Allah! Verily, death has its stupor.

The Ayah, (This is what you have been avoiding!) has two possible meanings. One of them is this:

- `what you have been trying to avert, escape and flee from has come to you and resided in your home!'

- The second meaning is, `you had no way of escaping or averting this end.

At-Tabarani collected a Hadith in Al-Mu`jam Al-Kabir from Samurah who said that the Messenger of Allah said, The parable of whoever tries to avoid death is that of a fox that had a debt to pay to the earth.

The fox went away and when he became tired and the time to sleep overtook him, he entered his den. The earth said to him, `O fox! Pay my debt!'

The fox went out howling and continued until his neck was cutoff, (i.e.,) he died.

This parable indicates that just as the fox had no way of escaping or avoiding the earth, likewise, man has no way of avoiding death.

Allah the Exalted the Blessed said,

And the Trumpet will be blown -- that will be the Day of the threat.

Earlier we discussed the information about the blowing of the Trumpet, the fear that follows it, the death of everything and then resurrection, all this will occur on the Day of Resurrection. We also mentioned that the Messenger of Allah said in a Hadith, How can I feel comfort while the angel responsible for the Trumpet has placed the Trumpet to his mouth and lowered his forehead awaiting when he will be commanded (by Allah to blow in it).

They said, "O Allah's Messenger, what should we say?''

He said,

Say, "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs.''

The Companions repeated this invocation, saying,

"Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs (for us).''

Allah said,

And every person will come forth along with a Sa'iq and a Shahid.

meaning, an angel to drive him to the gathering place and an angel to bear witness against him with regards to his deeds.

This is the apparent meaning of this honorable Ayah and it is the meaning that Ibn Jarir preferred.

It was narrated from Yahya bin Rafi`, the freed servant of Thaqif, that he heard Uthman bin Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, giving a speech in which he recited this Ayah, (And every person will come forth along with a Sa'iq and a Shahid), and then said,

"A Sa'iq to drive every person to Allah the Exalted, and a Shahid to witness against him what he has done.''

The statement of Allah the Exalted,

Indeed you were heedless of this. Now We have removed from you, your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day! is directed at humanity.

Allah said, (Indeed you were heedless of this), i.e. of this Day, (Now We have removed from you, your covering, and sharp is your sight this Day!) `your sight is now clear and strong.'

Everyone, including the disbelievers, will have clear sight on the Day of Resurrection. However, having sight will not be helpful to the disbelievers on that Day, for Allah the Exalted said,

How clearly will they (disbelievers) see and hear, the Day when they will appear before Us! (19:38), and,

And if you only could see when the criminals hang their heads before their Lord (saying):

"Our Lord! We have now seen and heard, so send us back (to the world), that we will do righteous good deeds. Verily, we now believe with certainty. (32:12)

[etrrhome]

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful!

All praises are for Allah SWT, the most Compassionate, the most Forgiving.

Salutations and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad SAW, his family and companions.

Oh Allah, I submit myself to You.

I realise that parenting a child is a very difficult task and I turn to You in humility for Your help.

I implore You for Your wisdom and guidance.

Oh Allah, I know that our children are an amaanat from You, to care for and to raise in a manner that is pleasing to You.

Help me do that in the best way.

Teach me how to love in a way that You would have me love.

Help me where I need to be healed, improved, nurtured, and made whole.

Help me walk in righteousness and integrity so that You may always be pleased with me.

Allow me to be a God-fearing role model with all the communication, teaching, and nurturing skills that I may need.

Oh Allah, You know what our children need. Help and guide us in praying for our children.

Oh Allah, put a hedge of safety around our children.

Protect their bodies, minds, and emotions from any kind of evil and harm.

Oh Allah, I pray that You protect them from accidents, diseases, injuries, and any other physical, mental, or emotional afflictions and abuse.

Oh Allah, I pray that You keep our children free from any addictions and vices.

Draw them close to You for protection from every ill and evil influence of our society, whether it’s apparent to us or not.

Oh Allah, grant them the best of company as their friends — people who will inspire them to love and worship and obey You.

Oh Allah, grant our children hidaaya and a heart that loves to obey You.

Shine Your light on any secret or unseen rebellion in their hearts and destroy it before it takes root.

Oh Allah, guide them away from any pride, selfishness, jealousy, hypocrisy, malice, and greed and make them uncomfortable with sins.

Penetrate their hearts with Your love and reverence today and always.

Oh Allah, make apparent to them the truth in any situation and let them not be misled by falsehood.

Oh Allah, grant our children the ability to make clear decisions and let them always be attracted to good things that are pure, noble, true, and just.

Oh Allah, guide them in making choices that please You.

Oh Allah, help them to taste the sweetness of walking with a humble spirit in obedience and submission to You.

Oh Allah, grant them the wisdom to choose their words carefully and bless them with a generous and caring spirit.

Oh Allah, I pray that they never stray from the path of deen and that You give them a future filled with Your best promises.

Oh Allah, always keep our children cleansed and pure from evil and shaytaan.

Oh Allah, keep them steadfast in establishing Salaah and help them revere the Glorious Quran as Your Word and Law and to read it with understanding daily. Let it be their source of light and guidance.

Oh Allah, let our daughters love wearing hijab and our sons the dress of a humble Muslim.

Let their dress be a representation of their Imaan and of their love and respect for Your commands.

Oh Allah Lead them to a position where they rely truly on Your power alone and fear You in the open and in secret.

Oh Allah, make them so strong in their deen that they never encounter doubt.

Oh Allah, do not allow any negative attitudes in the place of our children’s lives.

Oh Allah, guide our children in honouring and obeying You, Your Rasool (peace be upon him), and us as parents (when we are commanding that which is pleasing to You).

Oh Allah Make them the coolness of our eyes.

Oh Allah, fill our children with compassion and caring that will overflow to each member of our family.

Oh Allah, grant them piety.

Oh Allah, help them love, value, appreciate, and respect one another with good communication between them always.

Oh Allah, drive out any division between our children and bring them healing.

I pray there be no strain, breach, misunderstanding, arguing, fighting, or severing of ties.

Oh Allah, make them to one day marry righteous, God-fearing, kind, hard-working, intelligent, beautiful, healthy spouses who get along with and respect and love (and genuinely enjoy) every member of our family and who lead our children (i.e. their spouses) even closer to You and Jannat ul Firdaus.

Oh Allah, please grant me the company of pious friends, relatives, extended community members, and teachers who will be inspirational role models for my children and will help me raise them to be the best of believers.

Oh Allah, please don’t let me become self-satisfied and arrogant in my parenting, but please don’t humble me or shame me through my children’s misdeeds either.

Please let me always give credit for their good character to You and please don’t ever let me stop praying for them.

Oh Allah, please don’t let my children be “late” in meeting any of life’s milestones that are expected of them.

Oh Allah, protect my children from debt. Make them givers and not takers.

Oh Allah, grant my children noble professions with halal incomes that give them respect and dignity in Your Eyes and in the eyes of their fellow human beings.

Oh Allah, grant them worldly comfort so that my children can come to You through the Door of Gratitude and so that they are not forced to come to You through the Door of Patience.

Please let them always be grateful…and patient.

Oh Allah, I pray for a close, loving, happy and fulfilling relationship with them for all the days of our lives and to be reunited with them in Jannat ul Firdaus. ‎

آمِيْن يا ربَّ العالمين

[islamicrays]

If you ever think you have it bad, take it from me, someone who regularly hears from people who are suffering some very deep and often unfathomable issues, some of which they've been struggling with for decades. *sigh*

By Allah, there is SO much to be grateful for if you...

1. Wake up every day and can move freely without debilitating pain.

2. Wake up every day and know your child or children (who've been taken from you unjustly) are safe and taken care of.

3. Wake up every day and have good nutritious food to eat, ample drinking water, and a warm home to come to.

4. Wake up every day and DON'T have traumatic memories of physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual abuse that interrupt your stream of consciousness every few minutes.

5. Wake up every day and DON'T live in fear or panic wondering if the person next to you is going to explode on you or your children.

6. Wake up every day and DON'T live in fear that your spouse is in love with another person and may soon leave you.

7. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if you're going to receive a letter or a phone call from your boss saying you're no longer needed at the company.

8. Wake up every day and you're NOT desperate for an interview or a call with an offer that will finally help you crawl out from the enormous mountain of debt you're buried under.

9. Wake up every day and you're NOT worried that your partner, your best friend in this world who’s been diagnosed with a terminal illness is going to live until the evening.

10. Wake up every day and you're NOT wondering if your loved one is going to hurt themselves when you step away to go to the grocery store or run another quick errand.

11. Wake up every day NOT wondering if the test results from the lab are going to come back positive.

12. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if your ex is going to do something diabolical again and make your life a living hell.

13. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if you're going to have a run in with your abuser at the local market or post office.

14. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if your parent, who has been diagnosed with NPD or schizophrenia is going to show up at your door unannounced or call you when you're at work and berate you for being a horrible child.

15. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if your child with a severe food allergy is going to be safe at school.

16. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if you'll be able to make the rent payment.

17. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if your loved one, who won't return your calls and refuses to come out of their house, is going to sink further into depression and never be able to come out.

18. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if your sibling's marriage is going to survive or if they're going to suffer through a horrible divorce.

19. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if your partner will ever love you as much as you love them, and stop scrutinizing you constantly.

20. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if your child's struggle with their identity, sexuality, self-image, body image, and faith is going to cause them to spiral into something you can't help them with.

21. Wake up every day and DON'T wonder if your loved one will get over their addiction to drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, etc.

I could seriously go on, but I hope the point I'm making is loud and clear.

Suffering is indiscriminate. It comes to us all at some point or another.

The best response is GRATITUDE coupled with BEAUTIFUL PATIENCE.

Grow in gratitude by reflecting on the suffering of others. You don't need to look halfway across the world and compare yourself to those who are destitute, impoverished, starving, or from war torn countries.

Everything I described above is likely happening within a 10-20 mile radius from exactly where you are right now.

Be grateful for where you are because you could be somewhere far worse. Stop letting shaitan fill your head with thoughts of despair and misery, and beg Allah ﷻ to change your circumstance. Complaining to others, being angry and resentful to those you scapegoat or blame for your problems, and stewing in misery is USELESS and INEFFECTIVE.

Only God can change your condition, so show Him that you love Him despite how miserable you feel and that nothing you endure in this life will ever make you turn away from Him.

If you stop praying to Him but chase His creation for help and expect them to have the answers, can you see how misguided that is?

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY, and never stop. Fulfill your obligations to Him, cry to Him, complain to Him, and wait for the relief to come in sha Allah. And may the relief come swiftly to all who are suffering, and may the light and warmth of God's love enter every broken heart. Amin. <3

Ustadha Hosai Mojaddidi

[lovebackspell]

Strong Debt Recovery Dua

Strong Debt Recovery Dua

Strong Debt Recovery Dua Strong Debt Recovery Dua, The burden of debt is indeed a heavy one. It consumes you happiness, peace and security and eats away your health and prosperity. It also hampers your growth and relationships. Islam ordains to avoid being trapped in the shackles of debt as much as possible. Strong Debt Recovery Dua For this, you should increase you faith in Allah, the Almighty…

[sometimesstorieshappen]

There are no angels

Shani frowned. She didn’t often receive messages, few even knew where she was. The letter in her hand was unsigned, adorned with nothing besides one word. Help. Shani was no stranger to traps - one didn't survive in this world without a healthy dose of cynicism - and so with a snort she made to toss it aside. However a wizened hand plucked the paper from hers before it could make it to the bin.

“Ix want to see this one. Curious.”

“About what?” Shani turned to face the diminutive demon. He was an impish creature, small and dark furred with twinkling eyes. The two had formed a friendship over their shared interest in killing as many demons as possible: Ix apparently didn’t mind which side he was on so long as there was violence involved. And in Shani’s world there was plenty of violence to go around.

“Here be pressure. Smart demons elsewhere. Too much... energy.” He waved his hands around ineffectively, trying to articulate something natural to demonkind but forever alien to Shani. She had tried to teach him English, but unlike many of the high level demons he struggled to put words together. Added to the fact that many demon terms had no correct translations and it made communication between them difficult at the best of times. Still, he was solid company, and he watched her back.

“You know this is still probably a trap right?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Curious.”

“Fine.” Shani turned the letter over, reading the location printed on the reverse side. It was an abandoned department store not too far from her hideout, and with a shrug she folded the paper and put it in her pocket. “At the very least we can kill them and take their stuff if it is a trap, In shaa allah. Win-win.”

“Ix agrees.”

“Thought you might. Come on then.” Shani began picking up her gear, which was strewn around the room. First was the harness, strapped around her chest. Her two pistols, one under each armpit. A belt, spare ammunition dangling from the leather. After a moment's pause she clipped a small book to her side, letting it hang from her belt.

"Sure?" Ix looked at the Quran with an expression that was somewhere between suprise and apprehension. The books were hard to obtain, and despite collecting any she found for Shani they remained a precious commodity.

"Good luck charm. Besides, I can take care of it." She swung a leather jacket on as Ix shrugged, baggy sleeves matching her combat trousers. A long sword, humming with dark energy as it cut through the air, went on her back. She dropped a few knives in her pockets for good measure, along with some wire. A pair of goggles were strapped to her head, slightly cracked but she had no better ones currently. Finally her face mask, covering her mouth and nose, decorated with some demon teeth. Real ones. She gave her bandana a quick tug to keep it in place: it was no headscarf but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to wear something over her head, and this was the closest she could find. With Ix perched on her shoulder like some sort of demonic parrot, she set out to answer her mysterious summons.

*

Long ago, the world prospered. The age of humanity spread across every corner of the globe, into every crevice of the world. But nobody ever looked down, or at least not in the right way. For underneath them the whole time was another world, one of fire and blood, and it was inevitable that eventually someone would stumble across the gate. Which they did.

When the first demons arrived, the human race fought. When the rest arrived, the human race died fighting. Oh they didn’t go down easily, and the world will bear the scars of their resistance for a thousand generations to come. But go down they did, and in their place came the demons and denizens of the underworld, free to claim what was once theirs long ago. Or what was left of the devastated world, for the war had been long and brutal: no longer was this a world of green and blue, of fresh air, of sunlight. Perpetual dust storms wracked the surface, radioactive winds that carried sickness to every corner of the globe. The sun had not reached the surface in decades, the world darkened and lit only by hellish fires on every street. The little pockets of human resistance left still fought, but the war was long since lost. Now they fought because they had nothing else to live for.

Or perhaps because they didn’t know what they would do instead, Shani thought as she battled through the dust storm. She was far tougher than most humans, the result of the cursed sword at her back. Dark energies coursed through her body, keeping the radiation at bay and allowing her out when it was bad, like now. Others had to hide during the storms. Not the demons though, they were completely immune. Ix kept an eye out for her, his eyesight more adapted to the storm weather than hers.

“Behind.”

Shani didn’t question, instantly pulling her sword and slashing behind her. The demon that fell away was small, its body coming apart as the same dark energy keeping Shani alive slowly ate through its flesh.

“Any more?”

“No.”

She sheathed the sword but picked up her pace nonetheless. Soon she came to the remains of a large building, though any markings that could indicate what it once was had long since been blasted off by the dust whistling past. She entered slowly, alert to any movement, staring down the long dark hallway.

“Nothing. Can feel.” Ix jumped off her shoulder and began strolling down the hallway, and as he did Shani relaxed and followed. It opened into a main room, abandoned stores leading off in every direction. Here and there lights flickered, cracked solar panels still dribbling energy into what was left of the light bulbs.

"That one." Ix pointed at a doorway on the left.

"How do you know?" She asked. In response he pointed to the floor, where Shani could see dark red splotches. Blood splatters, leading the way. Not small ones either, Shani noted, observing the size and shape of them. Significant blood loss it seemed, not the type a human could survive.

"A-ozu billahi mena shaitaan Arrajeem." she muttered under her breath, checking her pistol was loaded before walking forward. As they entered the old store Shani could see a figure slumped in the corner, drenched in shadow. It looked up as she approached, then coughed a few times and spat to the side. Shani saw liquid splatter the wall, dark red in colour: the source of the blood it seemed. But something about the shape in front of her was tugging at her memory.

“You came. Now you just have to not kill me.” The figure said with a weak chuckle. Upon hearing the deep voice it suddenly clicked, and as the figure slowly leant into the light she muttered a curse under her breath. There in the corner of some rundown building, right in the middle of Shani’s territory, was a Hellwolf General. But not just any one – Shani recognised the white suit, tie and fur immediately.

“Belris.”

“Surprise.” He said with another chuckle. This one ended with a painful cough, blood dribbling from his mouth. Belris was normally an imposing figure, even amongst demons: ten feet of demonic wolf stuffed into an expensive white suit made for a terrifying image. Shani had met him before, tried killing him before. Hellwolves weren't immortal but they did come pretty close to it, especially ones like Belris who were experienced in demonic magic.

Shani turned to Ix. “I thought you said it was all clear.” He shrugged in response, looking confused.

“Masking.” Belris said, wheezing. “That runt wouldn’t be able to tell.” Ix growled, and Belris growled back, though it wasn’t as intimidating as his usual rumbles, cut off with another cough.

Shani unsheathed her sword, aiming it at Belris’ throat. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

“I need your help.” Belris looked her straight in the eye, yellow and black meeting Shani’s muted brown. “Besides, I’m not at my best right now if you hadn’t noticed. I’d at least think you’d want a fight out of it.”

“I’m not like you. I see an opportunity, I take it.” Despite her tone Shani was curious. “How did you end up like this anyway?”

"I was... it's not important."

"If you want my help then you'd better make it important."

Belris growled. "I was paying back an old debt, one I owed to a hunter. Blood for blood. He didn't go down without a fight."

"You went looking for a hunter? And you thought you would live?"

Belris looked down at the floor. "No. I didn't. But I made my choice, and I'm seeing it through to the end." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Once this is over you may do what you wish. If that involves killing me then so be it."

Shani tilted her head. For a brief moment she felt a flash of pity for the Hellwolf, before it faded and left her staring once again at something she had killed for as long as she could remember. In that moment she made her decision.

"What do you need me to do?"

Belris looked up, hope in his eyes. "I need to get somewhere, not far from here. In my state I'll be picked off before I make it 2 feet. Just keep me alive and I'll do the rest."

"Alright fine, I'll get you there. But just so we’re clear.” Shani sheathed her sword but kept a hand on the handle. “After we're done this sword is going through your back. No hard feelings.”

“None taken. Wouldn’t want to spoil your reputation after all.” Belris gave a tired smile as he got to his feet painfully. Upon stretching to his full height Shani began to see the extent of the damage he had sustained. Large sections of his torso were badly burnt, to the bone in places. There was a hole in the side of his stomach, seemingly taped closed to prevent his intestines falling out, and one of his ears had been torn off. Various cuts and gouges left little space for unmarked fur, with his suit in absolute tatters.

Even Shani was a little shocked. "What the hell did they use against you? And how do I get one?"

Belris sighed. “Please don't make me discuss it now. It's not something I enjoy remembering.”

“I hope you’re not going to slow me down.”

“I may be weakened, but I'm not entirely helpless.” Belris looked around for a moment and then held up a hand as though holding something invisible, dark energy swirling around his claws. An unfortunate rat floated up from the ground, caught in Belris’ magic. As the Hellwolf gradually opened his hand the rat splayed itself in midair, vibrated for a second and then slowly began to come apart. Skin, guts, blood, all were held in a grotesque display as inch by excruciating inch he pulled the rat apart. Shani simply watched as he let his hand fall, allowing the pile of rat pieces to hit the floor with a resounding squelch, Ix jumping back to avoid being hit with a piece of brain. However as soon as the spell ended Belris gasped, coughing and sputtering as blood dribbled from his mouth.

“Let me assure you -ack- that this same spell will work on larger things just as easily. Now then.” Belris limped out the door, the coughs of his tortured body floating behind him. Shani adjusted her bandana to make sure it covered her whole head before following.

*

The storm had picked up, dust whistling through the air like tiny insects, an unfeeling swarm. Though Ix was unaffected by it, Belris seemed to be taking it badly, coughing every few seconds. They weren't short coughs either, rather long wheezes that shook his body and wobbled his legs. Shani noticed the dust bending around him slightly, and a quick glance at his hand showed he had a sigil active, the energy forming intricate patterns around his claws.

"Are you sure you can keep that barrier up?" Shani shouted through the wind. "The last spell took a lot out of you."

"I'm not surviving this storm without it, the last thing I need is dust in my wounds. Just... don't leave me." Shani had never heard a Hellwolf sound scared, but if she didn't know better she could have sworn his voice wavered for a second. She glanced at her watch, muttering a curse under her breath as she saw the time. Ix noticed and peered into the storm.

"There." He pointed a claw into the storm. "Small, roof."

"It'll do. Jazaka Allahu Khairan." She said quietly to him, or as quietly as she could with the wind blasting past. She shouted to Belris, who was lagging behind a bit. "We need to stop for a few minutes. See the petrol station just ahead? We'll shelter in there."

"Why are we stopping? We can't, we need to keep going, we need to -"

"There is no we. Either you do what I say or you carry on without me. Your choice." Shani made for the nearby building and Belris reluctantly followed. The door was closed, the mechanism that once moved it long since consumed by rust, but with a quick slice through the lock and a shove they forced their way in.

Belris stopped his sigil and immediately grunted in pain, blood spurting from his nostrils. Shani stepped back to avoid getting it on her shoes.

"There's no way this was just some hunter. I've seen you walk away from decapacitation, you heal mortal wounds like they're grazes normally." She looked around as she talked, searching the shelves for anything she could salvage. "What really happened to you?"

Belris clenched his teeth as blood dripped from his chin, the fur around his mouth and nose stained red. "I told you, I fought a hunter."

"If you won't tell me then I'll leave you here. Simple as that." Shani pulled out a roll of fabric, opening it up. It had a hole in it however, so she threw it aside and carried on searching.

Belris sighed. "I come from a long line of generals. My father hated me, he thought me weak and not worthy of the lineage. He enlisted me because he didn't think I'd make it past the blood trials, but I did. Every moment that I was alive reminded him of his failure, my mere existence was a walking testament to his inadequacy. He loathed me as a result."

"He sounds wonderful." Shani remarked drily, pulling a rug out from the back of a shelf. But as fascinating as your backstory is you're avoiding my question."

Another cough, another splatter of life against the wall. "He taught me a valuable lesson. Pain is a weapon, pain makes you strong. It lets you do what needs to be done. Blood for blood."

Ix suddenly shuddered. "Blood oath." He whispered under his breath, an expression of disgust crossing his features. "Why?"

"Because I had to finish something. I still have to. And truthfully because I don't give a damn what it costs."

"What's a blood oath?" Shani laid her newly acquired rug on the floor, straightening it out.

"It's a promise, bound in magic, linking your soul to theirs. Your bodies both share in blood and pain." Belris held up a hand, and Shani could see a symbol burnt into the fur on his palm. "My father taught it to me long ago, an old forbidden magic from his generation. I often wonder if he hoped I would kill myself using it." He chuckled mirthlessly. "A heavy price to be sure, but I would do it a thousand times over, if only to hear the screams again and again."

"You mean you did those to yourself?" She gestured at his wounds.

He shrugged. "A price worth paying. That's what it took to kill him."

Shani shook her head. "No, it's not. A punctured heart, a severed spinal cord, those are the wounds you make to kill someone. But your ones..." she pulled a bottle of water from a shelf, splashing it on her hands and washing her face. "How long did you torture him for Belris?"

He growled. "Not. Long. Enough." The sheer animosity behind the words made Ix take a step back. Shani ignored them both, washing her feet before throwing the water aside, muttering under her breath.

"Blood oath makes outcast. Rule." Ix pointed a finger at Belris.

"How do you even know that? A runt like you can barely even comprehend the magic itself, let alone the laws governing it."

Ix clicked his fingers, sending a small shower of sparks flying out. "Was magic once too. Long time ago. Now hate demons, hate humans. Kill both. Am outcast everywhere."

Belris tilted his head. "I was already cast out, from the very moment my father deemed it so. My fate was decided long before I had a say in the matter." He stopped for a second, as though overwhelmed by memories. "I was born a failure, destined to screw things up. Why I thought otherwise I don't know, but for some warped reason I did. I held a misguided, twisted faith that eventually I could make things work. But as always, they didn't." He sighed, standing up with a cough, the pain sending tremors rolling through him. "Enough of my history, we need to keep going. Are you done?" This was addressed at Shani, who was prostrate on the rug, still muttering under her breath. He went to interrupt her but Ix stopped him with a hand, shaking his head. After a few more seconds she stopped and sat up.

"A word of warning. Interrupt my prayer and it'll be the last thing you do."

"Who were you praying to?"

"Allah. Or whoever else is listening." She stood, rolling up the rug and shoving it into a nearby shelf. "Storm's nearly cleared. We'll wait it out."

Belris made to argue, but after coughing a few times simply gave up and accepted it. "You still pray to the old gods? You think anything of that world remains?" He stretched, then winced and clutched his side. "Your gods died with the rest of your race."

Shani shrugged. " In my religion we have something called tasleem, it's... let's call it a saying. As-salaamu ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allah."

"I don't speak whatever that was."

"Arabic. It means Allah is always watching your actions, both good and bad. Everything you do is judged by angels."

"You're talking to me about judging actions when your body count is even larger than mine."

She shrugged. "Maybe you're right to criticise, Allahu a'lam. But I understand things change, and seek forgiveness for doing what I have to do. Besides, I have my reasons." Shani could feel the sword at her back beginning to nibble at her flesh, like a large insect slowly walking across her spine. Unless she fed it some blood soon she would be its next sacrifice.

"Sure you do. You're just like the rest of your filthy race, kill first ask questions later. Oh look at me, I seek forgiveness so I'm good now. You make me sick."

Shani pulled out her pistol as she advanced. "You're the ones who came here first. You're the ones who soaked this planet in OUR BLOOD!" She was about to put the gun to his head when Ix jumped between them.

"Storm's clear. We go." Shani slowly lowered her pistol.

Belris limped to the door, stopping with a claw around the handle. "Once we're done you can kill me. I would if I were you. But just know that we weren't the ones that started this. All of this?" He waved his claw around. "That's on you." He walked out. Shani holstered her pistol and sighed deeply before following.

*

The storm was dying down but there was still enough dust whirling around to make visibility limited. Ix wiped Shani's goggles with the fur on his arm, prompting a muffled thanks from the hunter, but it did little to increase her view. Belris had his sigil active, looking more gaunt by the minute as the magic ate into the last reserves of his energy.

"Ahead. 2 O'clock from Belris." Ix said suddenly. Shani was too far away from Belris to use her sword, so instead she pulled her pistol and fired, the shot whistling past the Hellwolf. He yelped and jumped back as a demon materialised out of the dust, a bullet hole occupying the space where its eye had once been.

Ix looked around, peering into the murk. "More nearby, following gunshot. Move."

Shani swore under her breath. While these ones were not normally a problem for her alone, she doubted she could keep more than a few off of Belris at a time.

"Belris, how close are we?" She shouted, running up to him.

"It's in there, near the top." He pointed to a nearby park. There was something odd about the area he pointed to, as though the dust was swirling around something, creating an odd ball shape. Shani walked up to him, pausing only to unsheath her sword and plunge it into the dead demon. The blade glowed briefly crimson as she pulled it out, drawing in the blood.

"We don't have long, more will come. Let's go." Belris nodded, wiping the side of his face, blood slowly beading on a cut left by Shani's bullet grazing him. He approached the dust ball, not hesitating to walk into it. Shani looked at it for a few seconds before taking a breath and walking in. It felt like cold jelly, thick and gloopy but with pinpricks of hot energy sparking off her skin. She didn't know what to expect on the other side, but as she cleared the dust wall it certainly wasn't the sight that greeted her eyes.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Belris said quietly, continuing ahead as Shani stared. It was as though the war had never happened: she was standing on emerald grass, a blue sky far above, the sun gently warming her skin. The quiet sounds of birds chirping to each other brought memories flooding back. She pulled her face mask off and breathed in deeply, feeling clean air rush into her lungs: after decades breathing dust and smoke it was a euphoric experience.

"What is this place?" she asked in wonder. A butterfly wandered past, flapping almost languidly before coming to rest on the top of Ix's head. She watched it open and close its wings a few times, as though showing off the patterns of vibrant reds and deep blacks, before it flew off.

"A dream. A memory. A temporal lock. Take your pick." Belris gestured with a claw. "It's an illusion, forced over the real world. Not real, but not far off from it."

"Will keep watch." Ix muttered, jumping down and walking out of the sphere. Shani gave him an appreciative nod before returning her attention to Belris.

"You're doing this? How much magic does this need to sustain?"

"Too much. I emptied my magic reserves a while ago, the lock has cost me maybe 25 years of my life now. Where magic fails, life energy keeps you going." He deactivated his sigil and promptly vomited blood, collapsing to the floor. As Shani made to help him up he held a hand out to stop her.

"This is why you can't heal yourself, isn't it?" Belris nodded in response, his features twisted in pain. "Belris, this thing is killing you. What is it for?"

He coughed, spitting a globule of blood to the side with a grimace. "Its for her." Slowly, shakily, he got to his feet and staggered forward. Shani had been so preoccupied with the scenery she hadn't noticed the gravestone. It was nondescript, a small rounded block with the word 'Luna' carved into it. Belris took a few more steps before falling to one knee in front of it.

"She adored your world, the colours, the smells. And birds, she loved the birds. They would always land on her head. Afraid of humans, yet they land on a demon willingly. Dumb creatures." He smiled gently at the memory.

Shani approached slowly, an unexpected feeling of pity forming in her chest. "What happened to her?"

"After the war broke out, she wanted to come with me to the surface. I said I'd keep her safe, that while I was with her it would be okay. And for a while it was." He closed his eyes. "I should have remembered that nothing I do works out in the end. The hunter ambushed us by the gate, hit us hard and fast. I got out. She didn't."

Shani waited for the sorrow to hit her, waited to feel something at all. But her soul had long since hardened, fired in 3 decades of blood and loss. She had already lost everyone close to her, and they had taken the keys to her heart with them. Standing over the grieving demon, feeling nothing but grim acceptance for the loss, it felt as though their positions should have been reversed.

Belris wiped two fingers down the stone, leaving a trail of blood. "I dug her grave, I made her tombstone, but I couldn't leave it at that. So with barely any magic left I went and sought out the hunter that killed her. I didn't know whether I'd succeed or not. Truthfully I didn't care. But when I found him I had one last option."

"Blood oath."

He nodded. "I never knew what my father meant by pain making you strong. I thought he meant physical pain, the torture of the flesh. But that wasn't it. It's when our mind is on the brink that we are at our strongest. Pain gave me the strength to find him and make him scream. Scream like she did." He sighed.

"And that's when you sent the letter. Just after the fight." Shani knelt down beside him.

"I did it Luna. I got him." He addressed the stone. "And do you know what I felt as I ripped into our flesh, as I carved the life from our bodies? Nothing. I hope at least it puts your soul at rest, but I think it's too late for me now."

"Enna lillah wa enna elaihe Rajioun."

Belris turned angrily, wincing at the movement. "You think now is the time to lecture me on my actions?"

"That's not what it means. It means she's in a better place now. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He snorted, getting to his feet painfully. "No you're not. You don't know anything about what it's like. I envy you in a way, you know. Must be nice to not feel anything." Shani looked down at this as he continued. "Well, I asked for your help, and now you've given it. If you want to kill me, do it now." He closed his eyes.

Despite everything, Shani wanted to do it. Some part of her mind was telling her to pull out the blade, to insert it slowly into the Hellwolf, to cleave him in two. But she couldn't bring herself to follow that side of her nature, not this time. She crossed her arms.

"Go."

He didn't need anything else, just the command was enough. The unspoken messages behind it were clear to both. He opened his eyes and held out both hands, a complex magical circle forming between them. As he slowly twisted his hands and dismantled it the temporal lock came apart, the grassy field dissipating like mist, blown away into the dust storm. He exhaled as he did so, as though putting down a great weight. Ix looked surprised at their sudden appearance out of seemingly thin air.

"Done?" he asked curtly. Shani looked at Belris, who had stopped only to briefly touch the gravestone before limping off. The sand had long since blasted the name off, leaving it an unremarkable lump of stone in a world full of them. She doubted she'd be able to find it again even if she wanted to.

"Yeah, we're done. Let's go." She turned and walked away, but a thought plucked at her mind. She took her Quran off her belt, muttering prayers under her breath as she walked, but the thought wouldn't go away. As a killer and a monster walked away from each other, Shani struggled to tell which was which.

[reemtalha]

DU'A FOR CHILDREN! In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful! All praises are for Allah SWT, the most Compassionate, the most Forgiving. Salutations and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad SAW, his family and companions. Oh Allah, I submit myself to You. I realise that parenting a child is a very difficult task and I turn to You in humility for Your help. I implore You for Your wisdom and guidance. Oh Allah, I know that our children are an amaanat from You, to care for and to raise in a manner that is pleasing to You. Help me do that in the best way. Teach me how to love in a way that You would have me love. Help me where I need to be healed, improved, nurtured, and made whole. Help me walk in righteousness and integrity so that You may always be pleased with me. Allow me to be a God-fearing role model with all the communication, teaching, and nurturing skills that I may need. Oh Allah, You know what our children need. Help and guide us in praying for our children. Oh Allah, put a hedge of safety around our children. Protect their bodies, minds, and emotions from any kind of evil and harm. Oh Allah, I pray that You protect them from accidents, diseases, injuries, and any other physical, mental, or emotional afflictions and abuse. Oh Allah, I pray that You keep our children free from any addictions and vices. Draw them close to You for protection from every ill and evil influence of our society, whether it’s apparent to us or not. Oh Allah, grant them the best of company as their friends — people who will inspire them to love and worship and obey You. Oh Allah, grant our children hidaaya and a heart that loves to obey You. Shine Your light on any secret or unseen rebellion in their hearts and destroy it before it takes root. Oh Allah, guide them away from any pride, selfishness, jealousy, hypocrisy, malice, and greed and make them uncomfortable with sins. Penetrate their hearts with Your love and reverence today and always. Oh Allah, make apparent to them the truth in any situation and let them not be misled by falsehood. Oh Allah, grant our children the ability to make clear decisions and let them always be attracted to good things that are pure, noble, true, and just. Oh Allah, guide them in making choices that please You. Oh Allah, help them to taste the sweetness of walking with a humble spirit in obedience and submission to You. Oh Allah, grant them the wisdom to choose their words carefully and bless them with a generous and caring spirit. Oh Allah, I pray that they never stray from the path of deen and that You give them a future filled with Your best promises. Oh Allah, always keep our children cleansed and pure from evil and shaytaan. Oh Allah, keep them steadfast in establishing Salaah and help them revere the Glorious Quran as Your Word and Law and to read it with understanding daily. Let it be their source of light and guidance. Oh Allah, let our daughters love wearing hijab and our sons the dress of a humble Muslim. Let their dress be a representation of their Imaan and of their love and respect for Your commands. Oh Allah Lead them to a position where they rely truly on Your power alone and fear You in the open and in secret. Oh Allah, make them so strong in their deen that they never encounter doubt. Oh Allah, do not allow any negative attitudes in the place of our children’s lives. Oh Allah, guide our children in honouring and obeying You, Your Rasool (peace be upon him), and us as parents (when we are commanding that which is pleasing to You). Oh Allah Make them the coolness of our eyes. Oh Allah, fill our children with compassion and caring that will overflow to each member of our family. Oh Allah, grant them piety. Oh Allah, help them love, value, appreciate, and respect one another with good communication between them always. Oh Allah, drive out any division between our children and bring them healing. I pray there be no strain, breach, misunderstanding, arguing, fighting, or severing of ties. Oh Allah, make them to one day marry righteous, God-fearing, kind, hard-working, intelligent, beautiful, healthy spouses who get along with and respect and love (and genuinely enjoy) every member of our family and who lead our children (i.e. their spouses) even closer to You and Jannat ul Firdaus. Oh Allah, please grant me the company of pious friends, relatives, extended community members, and teachers who will be inspirational role models for my children and will help me raise them to be the best of believers. Oh Allah, please don’t let me become self-satisfied and arrogant in my parenting, but please don’t humble me or shame me through my children’s misdeeds either. Please let me always give credit for their good character to You and please don’t ever let me stop praying for them. Oh Allah, please don’t let my children be “late” in meeting any of life’s milestones that are expected of them. Oh Allah, protect my children from debt. Make them givers and not takers. Oh Allah, grant my children noble professions with halal incomes that give them respect and dignity in Your Eyes and in the eyes of their fellow human beings. Oh Allah, grant them worldly comfort so that my children can come to You through the Door of Gratitude and so that they are not forced to come to You through the Door of Patience. Please let them always be grateful…and patient. Oh Allah, I pray for a close, loving, happy and fulfilling relationship with them for all the days of our lives and to be reunited with them in Jannat ul Firdaus. ‎آمِيْن يا ربَّ العالمين.

[basicsofislam]

ISLAM 101: Your New Life.Part2

Showing Gratefulness to Allah for His Guidance

A Muslim owes Allah the Almighty a great debt of gratitude for helping him repent of the sins he has committed and for guiding him to the truth. The following are the best things a Muslim can possibly do to express gratitude to Allah for such blessings:

1) Holding Fast to Islam and Patiently Enduring Hardships that Come One’s Way

It goes without saying that if a person has a priceless treasure, he will undoubtedly do his best to protect it. Islam is undeniably the best gift to mankind, for it is not a mere set of abstract ideology, nor is it a hobby which a person may practise whenever he feels like it; rather, it is a religion and a way of life which governs a Muslim’s life in all its aspects without exception. Commanding His Messenger May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him to stubbornly hold fast to Islam and the teachings of the Qur’an, being on the right path, Allah May He be glorified and exalted says in the Qur’an, “So hold fast to what has been revealed to you. You are on a straight path.” (Soorat Az-Zukhrf, 43:43)

A Muslim must not feel sad if he experiences any form of hardship, for it is part of Allah’s wise plan to test His servants. Allah May He be glorified and exalted even tested His prophets and messengers, who are far better than us, and the Qur’an tells us how they encountered untold suffering at the hands of relatives and enemies alike, without losing heart, weakening in their faith or wavering under adversity. The great hardship a Muslim faces due to his dedication to the truth is one of the ways Allah May He be glorified and exalted tests His servants’ faith. Therefore, live up to your lofty principles, try your best to pass the test, adhere to the truth under all circumstances and constantly pray to Allah to keep you on the right path, just as the Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him himself did. Repeat the supplication: “Yaa muqallibal-quloob, Thabbit qalbee‛alaa deenik” (O Allah, Controller of hearts, make my heart adhere firmly to Your religion). (Sunan At-Tirmidhee: 2140)

Allah May He be glorified and exalted says in this context, “Do people think that once they say, ‘We believe,’ they will be left alone and not be put to the test? We certainly tried those who have gone before them, so Allah will certainly distinguish between those who are truthful and those who are lying.” (Soorat Al-‛Ankaboot,29:2-3)

2) Doing One’s Best to Call to Islam with Wisdom and fair Admonition

Engaging in da‛wah work (calling others to Islam) is undoubtedly one of the best ways of expressing gratitude to Allah as well as one of the most effective means to remain constant in faith. If a person recovers from a life-threatening disease which has caused him a great deal of suffering and misery after discovering the right cure for his disease, he will certainly spread such a remedy amongst people, particularly amongst his relatives and closest friends. This point is elucidated as follows:

Calling Others to Islam (da‛wah)

Virtues of Calling Others to Islam

Engaging in da‛wah work is indisputably one of the best deeds in the sight of Allah and is highly commended in the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Sunnah. Evidence to this effect includes the following:

1) Da‛wah is the means to success in this life and in the hereafter, as the Qur’an states, “Let there be a group among you who call others to good, and enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong: those who do this shall be successful.” (Soorat Aal ‛Imraan,3:104)

2) No one has a better speech than that of those who engage in da‛wah activities. Commending such people, the Qur’an says, “Who speaks better than one who calls to Allah, does good works and says, ‘I am surely one of the Muslims.’?” (Soorat Fussilat, 41:33) It is clear, therefore, that there is no one whose speech is better than that of a person who calls people to the truth, for he is their guide to their Creator and Lord and the one who takes them out of the darkness of misguidance into the light of faith.

3) Engaging in da‛wah work testifies to one’s compliance with Allah’s command: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and argue with them in the best manner possible.” (Soorat An-Nahl, 16:125) A person who dedicates himself to such a noble task must invite others to Islam with wisdom, making sure that he knows the personality of the people he wants to call to Islam so as to choose the best possible method to carry out the task, all the while arguing with them in the kindest, most gracious manner which appeals to them.

4) Engaging in da‛wah work was the very task carried out by all of Allah’s messengers without exception, foremost of whom was Prophet Muhammad (saw), whom Allah sent to all mankind as a witness over people, giving news to the believers of immense reward in the hereafter, warning the unbelievers against severe punishment and spreading his light to all mankind. The Qur’an says, “Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, as a bearer of good news and a warner, and a caller to Allah by His permission and a light-giving lamp. Convey to the believers the good news that they will receive immense favour from Allah.” (Soorat Al-Ahzaab,33:45-47)

5) Inviting people to Islam is the source of unlimited goodness; for each person you invite to Islam, you will get the same rewards for his prayer, worship and teaching others. What a great blessing Allah bestows on those who engage in da‛wah work! The Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him said, “Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to that of those who follow it, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all.” (Saheeh Muslim: 2674)

6) The reward Allah has in store for those who invite others to Islam is far better than all the enjoyments of the present world, for such a reward is from Allah Himself, the Most Generous, who will recompense them abundantly for such a noble endeavour: “If you turn away from me, remember I ask no reward from you. Only Allah will reward me, and I have been commanded to submit completely to Him.” (Soorat Yoonus, 10:72)

The Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him also said in this respect, “If Allah guides one man through you, this will be better for you than possessing red camels.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree: 2847; Saheeh Muslim: 2406) Camels were considered the most valuable property in ancient Arabia and the red variety was the most prized of all.

Requirements of the Correct Manner of Inviting Others to Islam

Allah May He be glorified and exalted describes the correct manner of engaging in da‛wah work as one which is characterised by certain qualities which distinguish it from others. These qualities are as follows:

1) Insight and Knowledge

A caller to Islam (daa‛iyah) must be knowledgeable about the truth to which he invites others, clearly presenting divine instructions to them, based on clear evidence: “Say: This is my Way: I invite to Allah, on the basis of a clear proof, and so do those who follow me .” (Soorat Yusuf, 12:108) He does not have to know many things before he starts calling people to Islam. Whenever he learns something new, he has to teach it to others. For instance, If he learns about the necessity of not associating anyone in the worship of Allah, he ought to convey this information to others. Likewise, if he learns about some aspects of the beauty of Islam, he must convey this to them. To put it in a nutshell, he must convey anything he learns about Islam, even if what he has learned is one single verse of the Qur’an, as the Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him once ordered, “Convey what you learn from me [to others], even if [what you have learnt] is one verse of the Qur’an.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree: 3274) This was the very practice of the Prophet’s companions; they would learn the principles of Islam in a few days and then they would go back to their people to call them to Islam and arouse their interest in it, especially through their high moral character.

2) Wisdom

The Qur’an says, “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and argue with them in the best manner possible.” (Soorat An-Nahl, 16:125) Wisdom is the ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice at the appropriate time and place because of the experience and knowledge one has. Given the differences between people regarding their character and level of understanding, a caller to Islam must choose the appropriate method to engage in da‛wah work and wait for the appropriate opportunity to win them over. He must approach them with gentleness and compassion, and engage in a calm and balanced dialogue which does not instigate ill feelings and inflame hatred. It is for this reason that Allah May He be glorified and exalted reminds His Messenger May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him of the favours He bestowed upon him by making him gentle with people: “It is by Allah’s grace that you deal gently with them; had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would surely have deserted you.” (Soorat Aal-‛Imraan, 3:159)

Inviting Family Members and Relatives to Islam

A person who has been guided to Islam must do his best to call his family members and relatives to this religion, because they are the closest and dearest people to him. He ought to endure any harm he may encounter patiently whilst doing so. He should also use all possible means in order to show them the truth. As the Qur’an states, “Instruct your family to offer their prayers, and be steadfast in observing them yourself.” (Soorat Taa Haa, 20:132)

Some callers to Islam may find that people to whom they are not related favourably respond to the invitation, whilst their closest relatives refuse to do so, which causes them a great deal of distress and disappointment. A successful caller to Islam, however, never gives up hope; he tries his best to guide them to the truth, using various methods and techniques and praying to Allah to guide their hearts, even under the bleakest of circumstances. The Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him did just that with his Uncle Abu Taalib. He left no stone unturned in calling him to Islam and continued doing so until the last moments of his life. When Abu Taalib was on his deathbed, the Prophet May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him begged him, “Dear uncle, say, laa ilaaha illallaah, (There is no god worthy of worship except Allah) so that I may be able to intercede for you on the Day of Judgement.”(Saheeh Al-Bukhaaree: 3671;Saheeh Muslim: 24)AbuTaalib, however, declined to do so, and so he died a polytheist. It was on this occasion that Allah May He be glorified and exalted revealed the following verse: ‘‘You cannot guide whoever you please: it is Allah who guides whom He will. He knows best those who receive guidance.” (Soorat Al-Qasas, 28:56) A new Muslim, as soon as he embraces Islam, must build a strong and healthy relationship with his relatives and acquaintances, Muslims and non-Muslims alike. He must also observe high moral standards when dealing with them, for Islam is not a call to isolation and withdrawal from social life. Indeed, showing kindness to people and observing high moral standards when dealing with them is the best way to introduce them to this great religion with which Prophet Muhammad May He be glorified and exalted was sent to perfect noble character. Observance of high moral standards and good treatment must start at home, amongst family members.

[sisterssafespace]

Salaam sister, I have been in and out of many mental health practices - doctors, hospitals, psychologists. So, I recently was diagnosed with a disorder and my husband doesn’t know about this. I haven’t really mentioned how bad my mental health has suffered over the years.

Anyway, I decided to try to mention it to him but, considering I’m quite sensitive. His reaction was one of I want to know because of my curiosity rather than caring? I could also be looking into things too much which is a symptom of this disorder. I never really brought it up again or explained it all.

The biggest issue I have is that this disorder makes it difficult to be a mother. Many children who have grown up with mothers with this disorder have ended up with other disorders. There is also a genetic aspect to it so, I’m just struggling on what to do. My father played a big role in the deterioration of my mental health and I’m worried that I’ll carry this on.

Wa Alaikum assalamu wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuhu :)

Bismillahi arrahmani arrahim, it pains me to sense the confusion, the disorientation, the concern, the worry, and the saddness in your words my beautiful sister. When it comes to mental health, one suffering sister is as if all of us are suffering, sübhanallah. So first of All, I pray that Allah swt would have mercy on you, soothe your heart and calm your worries, amen.

The Prophet (ﷺ) used to say, "O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men." (See Hadith No. 374)

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الْهَمِّ وَالْحَزَنِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْكَسَلِ، وَالْجُبْنِ وَالْبُخْلِ، وَضَلَعِ الدَّيْنِ، وَغَلَبَةِ الرِّجَالِ.

Now, I want you to follow my trail of thoughts, one step at a time:

First and foremost, the fact that you have already sought professional help is a brave thing! At least now I don't have to convince you to see a therapist, I just have to convince to change your therapist and try a new one 😅🙈

But seriously, I don't think anyone (human) but a specialist can give you much help on this matter, my dear. Actually, the real help comes from Allah swt and the Ultimate refuge and shelter is Allah swt, Al-Hadi the guider, Al-Jabbar the mender, Al- Rahman, Al-Raheem.. and Allah's help in your situation os thought through making extensive duaa, sticking to prayer, making sure you pray on time, reading your comfort surahs that are full with positive lessons and stories with happy endings, and that narrate how Allah swt comes to the rescue and the help of his righteous believers like surat Yusuf (12), surat Al Kahf (18), surat Maryam (19), surat Ta Ha (20) , etc. Also, like I said before praying Tahajjud works miracles, and if you can, self ruqyah will in shaa Allah put your heart at ease.

Now though, I want to talk about your husband's reaction that actually triggered or frustrated you. I have experienced a very similar situation that had me running to my therapist complaining that this very important person in my life keeps " disregarding " my feelings and showing very little concern to my mental health. You know what she said? She said " maybe the reason why they don't want to dig deep into it is because they can't handle it. Maybe they hurt just by seeing you hurt and they know that they can't do much about it at this point so it pains them. Maybe their own mental health state can't allow them to take in yours as well. " So how about that, huh? Before pointing fingers at your husband (like I tend to do to people around me), don't you want to give them the benefit of the doubt and consider other explanations..? Think about it.

I live with anxiety and OCD, and I know that on the scale of mental disorders, mine are not being recognized high in the scale of seriousness or harm, after all, I am living with them, they never had me hospitalized (so far, Alhamdulillah) - and I do have PTSD but I don't talk about it. Don't get me wrong I am not showing off AstaghfiruAllah, this is not competition, I am just opening up to you and showing you that it is okay to name it, what you have, it is okay to admit it, to own it, to make peace with it, God knows acceptance makes your life much easier. Anyways, what I am trying to say is, my OCD comes from my father and my paternal aunt, so I hear you when you worry about your kids, genetically speaking. However, generalizing and assuming that your disorder will lead to damaging your children's mental health and have them raised 'unstable' is not valid my dear. We can't assume that because a) we are not therapists and neuroscientists, and b) anything can affect the child's personality, so don't put the guilt on your shoulders. Guilt is like a fire burning inside of us, and it only ruins us. Nothing good ever comes out of it. I say, instead of exhausting yourself with these feelings of guilt and fear, maybe open up about them to a professional and try to come up with a plan that helps you care for your children (with your partner) as healthily as possible. You see, your partner's support is a must. But maybe you should give him time to digest the information? Maybe he needs to be spoken to one more time? When he is in a good mood, free, no distractions, and you have all his attention.. maybe you should just ask him to come with you to a therapist meeting? I really really think you shouldn't give up, you shouldn't let it scare you or hold you back, if you really love this guy and he really loves you too, then he will care (I am sure he really does my dear, I am sure he does, but men and women don't use the same love/ communication language). You need to be as clear and open as possible with him. Some men don't get us, they need us to actually put it out for them like : I feel that when you reacted this way and said this and that, it felt like you didn't really care and that actually upset me. Chances are? He never meant it like that nor did he realize that you understood it that way. Wallahi. You need to be flexible and ready to listen to him as well, with no previous judgment or assumptions whatsoever. Umm, I think I lost my trail of thoughts but kheir in shaa Allah. Try again with him, you've got nothing to lose and so much to win. In shaa Allah he will cooperate. But anyways, family support is very very important for people with mental disorders. And it would be really amazing if you could find some comfort in groups with people with the same disorder. A support system is a must. I really hope you can find the kind of people to help you and your family process this.

May Allah swt grant you shifae, ease your affairs and reward you for your patience. Ameen.

Stay safe, and let go of the guilt my dear.

- A.Z. 🍃

[tasbih-wa-istighfar]

A POWERFUL DU'A FOR CHILDREN!

Let us all pray for our children with this long dua.  via Karimah Bint Dawoud In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful! All praises are for Allah SWT, the most Compassionate, the most Forgiving. Salutations and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad SAW, his family and companions. Oh Allah, I submit myself to You. I realise that parenting a child is a very difficult task and I turn to You in humility for Your help. I implore You for Your wisdom and guidance. Oh Allah, I know that our children are an amaanat from You, to care for and to raise in a manner that is pleasing to You. Help me do that in the best way. Teach me how to love in a way that You would have me love. Help me where I need to be healed, improved, nurtured, and made whole. Help me walk in righteousness and integrity so that You may always be pleased with me. Allow me to be a God-fearing role model with all the communication, teaching, and nurturing skills that I may need. Oh Allah, You know what our children need. Help and guide us in praying for our children. Oh Allah, put a hedge of safety around our children. Protect their bodies, minds, and emotions from any kind of evil and harm. Oh Allah, I pray that You protect them from accidents, diseases, injuries, and any other physical, mental, or emotional afflictions and abuse. Oh Allah, I pray that You keep our children free from any addictions and vices. Draw them close to You for protection from every ill and evil influence of our society, whether it’s apparent to us or not. Oh Allah, grant them the best of company as their friends — people who will inspire them to love and worship and obey You. Oh Allah, grant our children hidaaya and a heart that loves to obey You. Shine Your light on any secret or unseen rebellion in their hearts and destroy it before it takes root. Oh Allah, guide them away from any pride, selfishness, jealousy, hypocrisy, malice, and greed and make them uncomfortable with sins. Penetrate their hearts with Your love and reverence today and always. Oh Allah, make apparent to them the truth in any situation and let them not be misled by falsehood. Oh Allah, grant our children the ability to make clear decisions and let them always be attracted to good things that are pure, noble, true, and just. Oh Allah, guide them in making choices that please You. Oh Allah, help them to taste the sweetness of walking with a humble spirit in obedience and submission to You. Oh Allah, grant them the wisdom to choose their words carefully and bless them with a generous and caring spirit. Oh Allah, I pray that they never stray from the path of deen and that You give them a future filled with Your best promises. Oh Allah, always keep our children cleansed and pure from evil and shaytaan. Oh Allah, keep them steadfast in establishing Salaah and help them revere the Glorious Quran as Your Word and Law and to read it with understanding daily. Let it be their source of light and guidance. Oh Allah, let our daughters love wearing hijab and our sons the dress of a humble Muslim. Let their dress be a representation of their Imaan and of their love and respect for Your commands. Oh Allah Lead them to a position where they rely truly on Your power alone and fear You in the open and in secret. Oh Allah, make them so strong in their deen that they never encounter doubt. Oh Allah, do not allow any negative attitudes in the place of our children’s lives. Oh Allah, guide our children in honouring and obeying You, Your Rasool (peace be upon him), and us as parents (when we are commanding that which is pleasing to You). Oh Allah Make them the coolness of our eyes. Oh Allah, fill our children with compassion and caring that will overflow to each member of our family. Oh Allah, grant them piety. Oh Allah, help them love, value, appreciate, and respect one another with good communication between them always. Oh Allah, drive out any division between our children and bring them healing. I pray there be no strain, breach, misunderstanding, arguing, fighting, or severing of ties. Oh Allah, make them to one day marry righteous, God-fearing, kind, hard-working, intelligent, beautiful, healthy spouses who get along with and respect and love (and genuinely enjoy) every member of our family and who lead our children (i.e. their spouses) even closer to You and Jannat ul Firdaus. Oh Allah, please grant me the company of pious friends, relatives, extended community members, and teachers who will be inspirational role models for my children and will help me raise them to be the best of believers. Oh Allah, please don’t let me become self-satisfied and arrogant in my parenting, but please don’t humble me or shame me through my children’s misdeeds either. Please let me always give credit for their good character to You and please don’t ever let me stop praying for them. Oh Allah, please don’t let my children be “late” in meeting any of life’s milestones that are expected of them. Oh Allah, protect my children from debt. Make them givers and not takers. Oh Allah, grant my children noble professions with halal incomes that give them respect and dignity in Your Eyes and in the eyes of their fellow human beings. Oh Allah, grant them worldly comfort so that my children can come to You through the Door of Gratitude and so that they are not forced to come to You through the Door of Patience. Please let them always be grateful and patient. Oh Allah, I pray for a close, loving, happy and fulfilling relationship with them for all the days of our lives and to be reunited with them in Jannat ul Firdaus.

[fisabilillah-inthewayofallah]

Dua of a Parent

In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful

All praises are for Allah SWT, the most Compassionate, the most Forgiving.

Salutations and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad SAW, his family and companions.

Oh Allah, I submit myself to You.

I realize that parenting a child is a very difficult task and I turn to You in humility for Your help. I implore You for Your wisdom and guidance.

Oh Allah, I know that our children are an amaanat from You, to care for and to raise in a manner that is pleasing to You.

Help me do that in the best way. Teach me how to love in a way that You would have me love.

Help me where I need to be healed, improved, nurtured, and made whole.

Help me walk in righteousness and integrity so that You may always be pleased with me.

Allow me to be a God-fearing role model with all the communication, teaching, and nurturing skills that I may need.

Oh Allah, You know what our children need. Help and guide us in praying for our children.

Oh Allah, put a hedge of safety around our children. Protect their bodies, minds, and emotions from any kind of evil and harm.

Oh Allah, I pray that You protect them from accidents, diseases, injuries, and any other physical, mental, or emotional afflictions and abuse.

Oh Allah, I pray that You keep our children free from any addictions and vices.

Draw them close to You for protection from every ill and evil influence of our society, whether it’s apparent to us or not.

Oh Allah, grant them the best of company as their friends — people who will inspire them to love and worship and obey You.

Oh Allah, grant our children hidaaya and a heart that loves to obey You.

Shine Your light on any secret or unseen rebellion in their hearts and destroy it before it takes root.

Oh Allah, guide them away from any pride, selfishness, jealousy, hypocrisy, malice, and greed and make them uncomfortable with sins.

Penetrate their hearts with Your love and reverence today and always.

Oh Allah, make apparent to them the truth in any situation and let them not be misled by falsehood.

Oh Allah, grant our children the ability to make clear decisions and let them always be attracted to good things that are pure, noble, true, and just.

Oh Allah, guide them in making choices that please You.

Oh Allah, help them to taste the sweetness of walking with a humble spirit in obedience and submission to You.

Oh Allah, grant them the wisdom to choose their words carefully and bless them with a generous and caring spirit.

Oh Allah, I pray that they never stray from the path of deen and that You give them a future filled with Your best promises.

Oh Allah, always keep our children cleansed and pure from evil and shaytaan.

Oh Allah, keep them steadfast in establishing Salaah and help them revere the Glorious Quran as Your Word and Law and to read it with understanding daily. Let it be their source of light and guidance.

Oh Allah, let our daughters love wearing hijab and our sons the dress of a humble Muslim.

Let their dress be a representation of their Imaan and of their love and respect for Your commands.

Lead them to a position where they rely truly on Your power alone and fear You in the open and in secret.

Oh Allah, make them so strong in their deen that they never encounter doubt.

Oh Allah, do not allow any negative attitudes in the place of our children’s lives.

Oh Allah, guide our children in honoring and obeying You, Your Rasool (peace be upon him), and us as parents (when we are commanding that which is pleasing to You).

Make them the coolness of our eyes.

Oh Allah, fill our children with compassion and caring that will overflow to each member of our family.

Oh Allah, grant them piety.

Oh Allah, help them love, value, appreciate, and respect one another with good communication between them always.

Oh Allah, drive out any division between our children and bring them healing.

I pray there be no strain, breach, misunderstanding, arguing, fighting, or severing of ties.

Oh Allah, allow them to one day marry righteous, God-fearing, kind, hard-working, intelligent, beautiful, healthy spouses who get along with and respect and love (and genuinely enjoy) every member of our family and who lead our children (i.e. their spouses) even closer to You and Jannat ul Firdaus.

Oh Allah, please grant me the company of pious friends, relatives, extended community members, and teachers who will be inspirational role models for my children and will help me raise them to be the best of believers.

Oh Allah, please don’t let me become self-satisfied and arrogant in my parenting, but please don’t humble me or shame me through my children’s misdeeds either. Please let me always give credit for their good character to You and please don’t ever let me stop praying for them.

Oh Allah, please don’t let my children be “late” in meeting any of life’s milestones that are expected of them.

Oh Allah, protect my children from debt. Make them givers and not takers.

Oh Allah, grant my children noble professions with halal incomes that give them respect and dignity in Your Eyes and in the eyes of their fellow human beings.

Oh Allah, grant them worldly comfort so that my children can come to You through the Door of Gratitude and so that they are not forced to come to You through the Door of Patience. Please let them always be grateful…and patient.

Oh Allah, I pray for a close, loving, happy and fulfilling relationship with them for all the days of our lives and to be reunited with them in Jannat ul Firdaus. آمِيْن يَارَبَّ الْعَالَمِينْ

Source: https://seekersguidance.org/articles/prophetic-guidance/the-powerful-dua-of-a-parent-2/

[miquerisxh-blog]

OVERCOME SOFT ADDICTIONS: HABITS THAT KEEP US FROM OUR GOALS By Saadia Jabbar We are witnessing a growing trend of addictions to what I would like to call demoralising desires and temporary pleasures. We know of our purpose, we know of our destination — so why do we continue to live for the dunya (this world, as opposed to the Hereafter) as if it were our only goal and the real essence of our existence? This life is but a preparation for the next. We must focus on our destination and choose our paths wisely. "And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me." [Qur’an: Chapter 51, Verse 56] Yet we find ourselves sitting in front of televisions, computer screens and game consoles, investing our precious time in unprofitable matters, and in many cases, haram exposure. We waste away our wealth in masking our insecurities and fulfilling a moment’s thrill for a lifetime of debt. We are even shamelessly falling deep into the culture of drugs and alcohol despite their clear forbiddance in the Qur’an! These addictions are paralysing the progress of our Ummah (Islamic community), causing us to neglect our deen (religion) and preventing us from fulfilling our true goal as servants of Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He), Al-Hakam (The Judge). Let us stop being an Ummah of ill habits. Let us change our course to a path that leads us to Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He), In sha Allah. ADDICTIONS: AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE The term addiction is most commonly understood with respect to a chemical association — the compulsive use and dependence on drugs, alcohol and nicotine. While this does unfortunately exist in the Ummah and is something we most definitely should aim to cease, I want to speak more about those forgotten but most definitely dangerous addictions that we shall refer to as soft addictions. Soft addictions are those seemingly harmless habits such as over-shopping, overeating, watching too much TV, endlessly surfing the Internet, procrastinating etc. that keep us from having the life we want. ❝They cost us money, rob us of time, numb us from our feelings, mute our consciousness, and drain our energy. And we all have them.❞ —Judith Wright, author of The Soft Addiction Solution As Judith Wright described, soft addictions are those habits that keep us from the life we want. Surely, as Muslims we want Jannah (paradise) and seek the pleasure of Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) alone. These addictions, however, distract us from fulfilling our true purpose and goals in life. They have the dangerous potential to take us away from the pure path of Islam, and slowly guide us to a path that leads us to hell fire. May Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) safeguard us. From excessive use of the Internet, mobile phones and television to the addictions of pornography, food and shopping, behaviours such as these provide us with the opportunity for immediate satisfaction. But as we know, everything in this world is temporary. While we might engage in these activities to pass time or escape reality, the satisfaction does not last and we want it again. The immediate satisfaction we gain from these acts can very quickly become a compulsive pursuit, and before we know it, we are falling sinfully into the hands of shaytan (Satan), attaching ourselves to the dunya and neglecting our Creator! A REMINDER OF OUR PURPOSE Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) reminds us many times in the Qur’an that this life is a test for us, that we were made to worship Him alone and that we will be questioned on the Day of Judgement. We should remind ourselves daily of the reality of death and judgement. Ibn Mas’ud raḥimahullāh (may Allāh have mercy upon him) narrated that the Prophet ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “The feet of the son of Adam shall not move from before his Lord on the Day of Judgement, until he is asked about five things: about his life and what he did with it, about his youth and what he wore it out in, about his wealth and how he earned it and spent it upon, and what he did with what he knew.“ [Jami at-Tirmidhi] We must protect ourselves from becoming servants to our desires, deceived by the world. We must learn to recognise the difference between the absolute and the contingent, the real and the fleeting. The Real is gaining the pleasure of Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He), a pleasure that will transcend into the afterlife. The Fleeting is the attainment of self-pleasure, a pleasure that will remain contained in the illusions of this temporary world. "And indeed the Hereafter is better for you than the present (life of this world). And verily, your Lord will give you (all that is good) so that you shall be well-pleased." [Qur’an: Chapter 93, Verses 4-5] CHANGING FOR THE BETTER This life is but a preparation for the next. We must focus on our destination and choose our paths wisely. So let us recognise the growing problem of addictions within ourselves and our Ummah, and aim to change ourselves for the better, In sha Allah. Here I have broken down a simple 4 step plan to help you battle those addictions. "On the Day when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done, and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil. …" [Qur’an: Chapter 3, Verse 30] Step 1: KEEP A DIARY The first step is very simple, I want you to keep a detailed journal for 1 week. Look deeply into your daily routine and note down what you do and how much time you spend doing it. What did you do? When did you do it? Where were you? Who were you with? The idea is to be very mindful of your day. The more detailed the entries, the better. At this stage, do not attempt to make any changes. You simply want to record your day to better understand your daily routine. Step 2: TIME TO REFLECT Now that you have your journal, it is time to reflect and refocus. Take some time to read through your diary and highlight any bad habits or things that you would like to change in your day. It is all about identifying the need, or even the space for improvement, and most importantly recognising your soft addictions. We cannot stop an addiction or bad habit until we recognise it to be a problem to begin with. Maybe you notice that you spend a lot of time playing video games or watching television. One may find one is engaging in haram activities such as watching pornography or smoking. However small or large they may be, make a list of all the bad habits you are engaging in. You may want to then categorise them to help you better organise your priorities. TIP: Your priority should be first and foremost to eliminate anything that you do that is haram. Second are those activities you engage in the most often or most time-consuming that are not necessarily beneficial (your addictions). Finally, those habits that you would benefit from removing or replacing. Step 3. MAKE A PLAN Once the bad habits and addictions are identified and categorised, we can begin to make a plan to tackle them productively. It can be a little overwhelming when you have a list of habits you want to change but no idea how to do it! So, here is a simple tool you could use to break it down into an effective plan. Researchers have found that behind every habit, there is a neurological loop consisting of 3 parts: A routine, a cue and a reward. If we can identify these, we can better target and prevent bad habits. *The Routine is what you have already done in steps 1 and 2 above — identifying addictions or bad habits. *The Cue is what leads you to engage in the habit. By identifying this, you can be prepared for the habit or even avoid it. *The Reward is what you essentially gain from engaging in that habit. By identifying this, you can search for alternatives — healthier activities to replace the bad routine, one that will essentially give you the same reward. So from the habits you listed in Step 2, think about the cue and reward behind each habit. You can use the handy table below to identify these 3 parts of your habit loop and then come up with a plan on how you can change, prevent or replace your habit. I have included some examples for you: (See second photo.) TIP: By replacing a bad habit with a healthier alternative that gives you the same reward, you are more likely to remain steadfast as you will not feel a sense of loss because what you seek is achieved through the healthier habit. Work through your table one by one, do not overwhelm yourself with trying to change too much at once. Start with the first habit and only move to the next when you feel you are gaining more control over the first. Step 4: REMIND YOURSELF To successfully tackle your addictions, you must regularly, in fact, constantly remind yourself of your purpose and the reality of death and judgement. It is important to have daily reminders to help keep you focused and disciplined. PERSONAL TIP: I find the most effective reminders for me are attending regular Islamic classes or spending time in the company of pious and inspiring people. I also find leaving little motivational quotes on sticky labels around the house useful! Whatever works for you — just do not forget to remind yourself! I hope this article has been useful to you. Why not use the diary and habit change plan templates and try out these tips for yourself? Let us know if these tips have worked for you by sharing your experiences and your personal tips in comments below. Source: https://productivemuslim.com/overcome-soft-addictions/ #WriteUpOfTheDay #GetMotivated #ProductiveRamadhan