Dua to make when afflicted with a calamity

‎Umm Salamah narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said,

“If any Muslim who suffers some calamity says what Allaah has commanded him," We belong to Allaah and to Him we shall return; O Allaah, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange," Allah will give him something better than it in exchange.’” When Abu Salamah died she said: ‘Which Muslim is better than Abu Salamah whose family was the first to emigrate to the Messenger of Allaah?’ I then said those words, and Allaah gave me the Prophet in exchange.” (Muslim)

Make this supplication your treasure during afflictions, Allaah will provide you with what is better.

Taken from the article "Great Women of Islam" by by Imâm al-Madîna al-Munawarrah 'Abdul Muhsin Ibn Muhammad al-Qâsim on the website www.abdurrahman.org

Benefits of doing dhikr by Imam Qayyim al Jawziyyah

Imam Qayyim al Jawziyyah , may Allah have mercy on him, said that there are more than one hundred benefits in remembering Allah SWT. Some of these are given below:

1.Dhikr expels and suppresses shaytan.

2.It pleases Allah SWT.

3.It removes anxiety and distress from the heart.

4.It brings happiness and joy to the heart.

5.It strengthens the heart and body.

6.It illuminates the face and heart.

7.It brings wealth and livelihood.

8.Dhikr saves one from Allah's punishment.

9.It brings tranquility and harmony, and the angels surround those who  make dhikr.

10.It brings Allah's blessings and ward off his curse and punishment.

11.Dhikr helps one forget about back biting, slandering, telling lies and falsehood.

12.Dhikr is the easiest form of worship yet its reward is enormous.

Taken from the book,"Expelling Jinn from your home" by Majdi Muhammad Ash-Shahawi.

Tips to have an amazing stress free Ramadan

Its 19th June 2012 and 29th Rajab 1433 on the Islamic calendar.Another day for the Islamic month of shaban to begin and inshallah we'll have exactly one month to Ramadan.
I'm getting in mode for Ramadan and also planning for Ramadan inshallah.

I'll divide my Ramadan preparation list into 2 categories, Meal planning and Spiritual Development.

Meal Planning

1.Try to have a meal plan for iftar/dinner and suhoor for every single day of Ramadan and prepare accordingly.

2.Prepare the grocery list,go shopping now and stock your freezer/pantry so you don't have to waste precious time during Ramadan.

3.Prepare some foods that can be cooked earlier and freeze them such as  minced meat patties,kebabs.

People from the subcontinent cook a lot of daal/lentil curry which can be cooked ahead of time in huge quantities and froze.Also, dishes like dahi bade/dumplings soaked in yogurt can be cooked and frozen earlier.The dahi can be prepared and the bade can be added just before iftar.

4.Try to include a soup and fresh fruit for iftar.Keep iftar light so you can go to taraweeh fully energized after a day of fasting and not in a lethargic state.

5.Plan to have an early dinner i.e. before taraweeh so you can hit the bed straight after taraweeh.

6.Try to include some protein during the suhoor meal as protein provides you energy and keeps you full longer.

Spiritual Development

1.Read up informative material on Ramadan such as the fiqh of Ramadan, conditions when fasting is exempted, conditions which nullify the fast, conditions when missed fasts have to be made up such as for menstruating and post partum women and ways to make up the missed fasts.

2.Make a dua list.Write down all the duas that you'd like to be answered in the long run and also in the short term such as in the next few months.

3.Make goals for Ramadan such as the amount of Quran to recite during Ramadan.
I usually recite a juz or two daily so I can end up reciting the whole Quran once during Ramadan
.
4.Also, try to include an extra nafl ibadah during Ramadan such as giving away one dollar/dinar as sadaqah daily, or calling up on someone who is sick as this is also an act of sadaqah.Or, you could make extra food for iftar and send some to the masjid so you are rewarded for helping a fasting person break his fast.

5.Join an online class or Islamic gatherings/halaqa so you can get more ajr/reward inshallah.

I've recently joined the diploma program at the onlne islamic university and alhamdulillah greatly benefitting from it.The link to the online university is given below.The best part is that you can do the courses at your own pace.There are no set times for the classes.
Also, its all free.There are no charges for enrollment.So now we've no excuses from this one.inshAllah if we spend an hour daily, we can gain so much information
and also hasanat inshallah.
http://islamiconlineuniversity.com/

Lastly, do your eid shopping before Ramadan starts.Planning for eid, shopping for the dresses/materials/accessories can take up  precious time during Ramadan.So get eid shopping done now and out of the way so the precious last 10 nights of Ramadan are spent only on ibadah and in getting your duas answered inshallah.

I sincerely pray and hope we have an amazing Ramadan this year inshallah and may Allah SWT make it better than the previous ones.

Islamic Online University -

Assalamalikum,

I'm currently taking an online course titled, "Foundations of Islaamic Studies " at the Islamic Online University.The link to the web page is http://islamiconlineuniversity.com/.

I have been learning of the most basic of Islamic education which is aqeedah or belief.Aqeedah or belief is the foundation of a Muslim's belief and we must educate ourselves in the right aqeedah or belief so that we do not fall into shirk ( associating partners with Allah SWT) or kufr ( denying the existence of Allah SWT ).If the foundation is shaky, then rest assured everything else you build on it will also be shaky and false even.

I have learnt so much in my first class alhamdulillah.The first lesson is on Tawheed.Tawheed has 3 categories, Tawheed al Ruboobiya ( Unity of lordship), Tawheed al Asma as sifaat ( Unity of names and atributes) and Tawheed al Ibadah/Uluhiyyah ( Unity of worship).

1.Tawheed al Ruboobiyah

The word ruboobiyah is derived from the Arabic word "rabb" which means  Lord.We must believe without any doubt that Allah SWT is our Lord and the Lord of the entire universe.He has created the spirit and he himself has no spirit.

2.Tawheed al Asmaa as sifaat

The 99 names of Allah SWT with which Allah SWT refers to himself in the Quran and those taught to us by the Prophet Mohammed SAWS are the attributes only suitable to Allah SWT.They are absolute and incomparable.We cannot make any additions to it.Human minds cannot fathom the might and majesty of Allah SWT and His attributes.For example, when we get angry, its different from the anger of Allah SWT described in the Quran.Human attributes cannot be compared to Allah SWT's attributes.

Likewise, its important that saints or scholars or even the prophets cannot be called by or attributed by Allah's names or attributes.For example, people often refer to Abdul Qadir Jeelani RA as Ghause Azam.This is wrong.

3.Tawheed al Ibadah/Uluhiyyah

We must only worship Allah SWT and seek help from Him.There are no intercessors between us and Allah SWT.He is all hearing and all seeing.He is the only one who can answer our prayers.

If one believes in saints/murshad/peer/dargah, then they are committing shirk i.e. they are associating partners with Allah SWT.Likewise, its forbidden to wear amulets containing even the Quranic verses.The prophet Mohammed SAWS disliked people wearing amulets that had even Surah Naas and Surah Falaq written on it.