Ramadan Mubarak to all of you and your families!

Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa barkatu,

Ramadan Mubarak to all of you and your families!

Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, ‘There has come to you Ramadaan, a blessed month. Allaah has made it obligatory on you to fast (this month). During it the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of Hell are locked, and the devils are chained up. In it there is a night that is better than a thousand months, and whoever is deprived of its goodness is deprived indeed.’” (Reported by al-Nisaa'i, 4/129; Saheeh al-Targheeb, 1/490)

I ask Allah to give us all the ability to make the most out of this Ramadan, make this a means of increasing our Eman and get closer to Allah. Ameen. Let's treat this like our last and only Ramadan before death.

Lastly, please forgive me for any of my short comings, this is a month of forgiveness, so we should all forgive one another inshaAllah.

Let us all wake up late at night and ask from Allah (subhana wa tala). Please remember me and the entire ummah in your dua'.

"And your Lord said: "Invoke Me, [i.e. believe in My Oneness (Islâmic Monotheism)] (and ask Me for anything) I will respond to your (invocation)." (Surah Ghafir, 60)

JazakAllahukhayran
Fares Elahi

------------
F.E

Anas (Radhi Allahu Ta'ala Anhu), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alayhi wa Sallam) say:"Allah the Almighty said: O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it."[at-Tirmidhi, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal]

Iftaar!

Why should you spend your money on iftaar funds at the Masjid?

Why should you invite guests over for iftaar?

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said,

"Whoever provides food for breaking of the fast of a fasting person receives the reward of the fasting person, without the reward of the fasting person being reduced in any way."

[at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) also said,
“Save yourself from the (Hell) Fire even with half a date (to be given in charity). And if you do not find that, then with a good pleasant word.”

[Al-Bukhari]

Note: This does not remove the obligation of fasting if one is capable of doing so, it is a means of increasing the scale of good deeds of an individual through the mercy of Allah.

Benefits and Blessings of Seeking Knowledge

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullah all,

Here are some of the benefits and blessings of seeking knowledge. This should be enough motivation for us to go and seek knowledge, whether it be from Halaqas in our local Masjid, or through events, conferences or by reading books. Seek as much knowledge as possible till death and put it into practice.

At the same time, while you seek knowledge don't forget your family and friends, help them by teaching them or taking them to the lectures that you attend! This is one of the areas many brothers/sisters neglect, after getting into the Deen they end up going home and expects everyone to change without putting in the time and effort to help them. Also remember that knowledge without good character is pointless, so read up books on manners and ettiquetes and inshaAllah that will help.

inshaAllah the following will be enough motivation for you to seek Ilm or further your studies....

“It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allah.” [Fatir 35:28]

“Whenever Allah desires good for a person He grants him the understanding of the religion.” [Bukhari]

“Say: ‘Are those who know equal to those who do not know?’ It is only men of understanding who will remember.” [Az-Zumar 39:9]

“Whosoever pursues a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will thereby make easy for him a path to Paradise. Verily, the Angels lower their wings for the Seeker of Knowledge out of contentment for what he does. Verily, everything in the heavens and everything in the earth, even the fish in the water, asks forgiveness for the scholar. The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the moon over the rest of the stars. Verily, the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets, and verily, the Prophets did not inherit a Dinar nor a Dirham, rather they only inherited knowledge, so whoever takes a hold of it has taken a hold of a great fortune.” [Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Hibban, Bayhaqee]

"Seek knowledge, because seeking it for the sake of Allah is a worship. And knowing it makes you more God-fearing; and searching for it is jihad, teaching it to those who do not know is charity, reviewing and learning it more is like tasbeeh. Through knowledge Allah will be known and worshipped. With the knowledge Allah will elevate people and make them leaders and imams, who will in turn guide other people." Ibn Taymiyya vol.10, p.39

"Whoever treads on a path in search of Islamic knowledge, Allah will ease the way to Paradise for him. The angels will lower their wings, pleased with this seeker of knowledge, and everyone in the heavens and on earth will ask forgiveness for the knowledgeable person, even the fish in the deepest of waters will ask for his forgiveness” [Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Tirmidhi]

“He whom death overtakes while he is engaged in acquiring knowledge with a view to reviving Islam with the help of it, there will be one degree between him and the Prophets in Paradise .” [Al-Tirmidhi]

Prophet (saw) said,"Whoever goes down a path/road searching for knowledge, Allah will make it easy for him the road to Paradise ." [Muslim]

"Whoever goes to the mosque not desiring except to learn or teach what is good has the reward of a pilgrim who completed his Hajj." [at-Tabarani, classed as Saheeh by Al-Albani]

Imaam Adh-Dhahabee (d. 748H) said: "Whoever's heart becomes sick with doubts and false notions, then this condition will not come to an end unless he asks the people of knowledge, so that he learns from the truth that which will repel his sickness. And thus it will not affect him seriously.

Imam Shafi’ (rahimahullah) said: "Whoever seeks the fruits of this life should gain Islamic knowledge, and whoever seeks the hereafter should gain (Islamic) knowledge."