(Photo: Matthew Fang)

Note: This post is slightly longer. The 5 tips and a few Hadith are in the second half.

Let’s start with a clear order from Allah (swt):

قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what they do. (An-Nur 24:30)

This is something that we should be doing on a daily basis anyway. But, we are human and we forget. Sometimes, we don’t forget but our emaan is just too weak and we forget this aspect of our deen. So that is why I wanted to post this reminder. Keep reading for tips on how to do it and two Hadith to motive you

Lowering your gaze is something you can do virtually everywhere you go. So I wanted to provide a few quick tips.

5 Ways to Help You Lower Your Gaze

1. Change the wallpaper of your cell phone. Write a reminder to lower your gaze on a sheet of paper, take a picture of it, and set it as the wallpaper for your phone. Now every time you open your phone you will be reminded
2. Focus on your shoes. You can follow your feet with each step you take, count the steps, or even try to remember the different places those particular pair of shoes have taken you before.
3. Make du’a. This is one of the best times to make du’a. Why? Because you are intentionally, and consciously, lowering your gaze and struggling for the sake of Allah (swt). Allah (swt) is Aware both when you are looking up and when you are looking down.
4. Read Qur’an. One way to look down is by simply looking down into the palm of your hands where you can be holding a pocket Mushaf. You’d be surprised how much reading you can get done like this.
5. Plan your day. Our lives can get pretty messy and chaotic. A lot of us have to cut out time to make our plan and organize our time. So instead of looking around. you can lower your gaze and use this time to plan what you will do once you get to work, home, or school.

These are just some quick ideas that will, Insha’Allah, help you. But there are many different strategies that each of us use. I encourage you to leave comments and share the things you do to help you lower your gaze.

As usual, we want to make sure that we always, always, always turn back to the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (saw). Did the Prophet Muhammed (saw) talk about lowering our gaze? Of course! We know this deen is complete in every sense. So, let’s take a look at two Hadith of our belove Prophet (saw).

The First Hadith:

Jareer ibn ‘Abdullaah said: “I asked the Messenger of Allaah (saw) about an accidental glance at a woman. He commanded me to turn my gaze away.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, who said: This is a saheeh hasan hadeeth. See al-Sunan, 2700)

The Second Hadith:

The Messenger of Allaah (saw) said: “O Ali, do not follow a glance with another, for you will be forgiven for the first, but not for the second.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 2701; see Saheeh al-Jaami’, 7953)

In closing, I wanted to make a few recommendations.  I pulled these two Hadith out this answer to a question on Islam QA.  So I would recommend you take a look at the whole text.  The second recommendation is to pick one particular lecture given on the issue of modesty:  Sheikh Safi Khan’s Selected Khutba Series: Volume 8.

I know, you’re at a site called Deed of the Day.  So yes, this is something you should do today.  At the same time, however, this is also one of those deeds that Allah (swt) and His Prophet (saw) have told us we need to do everyday.

(Photo: monettenriquez)

I’m not a tea kinda guy, but parents are different. Perhaps its something that comes with age. Maybe the love of tea springs to life in the heart of parents after they have their first child. I don’t know what it is.

There is one thing that is a definite — Parents Love Tea.

And you know, it only takes a few moments to make a cup of tea. I won’t guide you through it because I’m sure you all know how to prepare a decent cup of tea. However, if you want to go all out and make a cup of tea that will blow your parents’ mind then I have just the thing for you.

The 3 links below will take you to sites that will transform you into a tea making master (you know that’s what you always wanted to be):

1. Random Guy Sharing His Method
2. Scientific Formula from BBC News + Quiz
3. A Quiz and Only a Quiz

There you have it. Now go make a cup of tea for your mother/father. Please your parents. Why? Not simply because they are you parents or because you love them. Those are well and dandy, but take a look at this Hadith:

Abu Hurairah (R.A.) relates that the Prophet (S.A.W.) said “May he be disgraced, may he be disgraced, may he be disgraced.” “Who?” The Sahaaba enquired. “The person whose parents, or any one of them, attain old-age during his life-time and he does not earn Paradise (by being kind-hearted and dutiful to them)!”

I think that Hadith of the Prophet (saw) says it all…

(Photo: buntalshoot)

اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ

Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), (Al-’Alaq 96:1)

The first command ever revealed was to “Read!”  1400+ years laters, here on this blog, and at this moment – you are being asked to continue the same command upon which the rest of this religion of Islam came.

And from the very first Ayah in this Surah Al-Alaq, we are reminded of our Lord and that it is He who created everything.

We previously had a post about praising and thanking Allah (swt).  All those blessings that you were, and are, grateful for all came from Allah (swt).  He created you, everything you know, and other things that are beyond the capacity of the human mind.

The Qur’an is the word of Allah (swt) and we ought to pay more attention to it.

Start today. Pick Up The Qur’an and Read

(Photo: e-magic)

There are several reasons that hadith are important. Several reasons?
I take that back. There are too many to name.

First is the question of what are hadith? All of us, I’m sure, are
familiar with the term and can each provide a definition. But in
short, they are the saying, teachings, actions, lifestyle, and Sunnah
of the Prophet Muhammed (saw).

Second is what it means to be a Muslim. The first thing we
consciously choose to accept Islam is take the Shahada. The first
part is about the Oneness of Allah (swt). While the second part
is….about Muhammed (saw). So from the beginning, and from the
Shahada, we can immediately tell that separating Allah (swt) from His
messenger (saw) or vice-versa is not a possibility. Not only is it
not possible, but, rather, as Muslims it is not an option.

Third is the numerous ayat in the Qur’an that command us to obey and
follow the Prophet (saw). So, in case we are wondering if beliving in
the Prophet (saw) is enough because of the Shahada, Allah (swt)
cleared it up and further continued to tell us that, in addition to
believing and accepting, we must follow and obey. Here are a few of
those ayat:

* (Surah Al-Nur, Ayat 51] The only saying of the faithful believers,
when they are called to Allah (His Words, the Quran) and His Messenger
(SAW), to judge between them, is that they say: “WE HEAR AND WE OBEY.”
And such are the prosperous ones (who will live forever in Paradise ).

* “It is not for a believing man or a believing woman, when Allah and
His Messenger have decided a matter, that they should [thereafter]
have any choice about their affair. And whoever disobeys Allah and His
Messenger has certainly strayed into clear error.” [Surah Ahzab, Ayat
36]

____

Now of course, we know that we will not be tested with more than we
can handle. While we may not always be able to follow everything, we
should do our best and ask for forgiveness in the meantime. If we
have mistakes that we are doing now then we should try to stop. If we
are unable, then we should make a plan to reach that level. One step
at a time and in moderation. That’s a different topic though. Back
to hadith.

I used the word moderate above. In the media, our masajid, and even
our families – everyone has their own definition of what it means to
be moderate. Well, we know that Allah (swt) said that the Prophet
(saw) is of the most perfect character. Therefore, Moderate is not
whether you do this or that — or whether you don’t do this or that.
Moderate = whatever Allah (swt) and His Messenger (saw) have told us
to do or not do. This cannot be learned without hadith.

Another point to be made is that we will raised be with the ones we
love in this life on the Day of Judgment. There are a select,
numbered group of people that we know will enter Paradise. Amongst
them are the Prophets (including Muhammed [saw]). In order to love
him, we must know him. The methods of knowing him comes in the form
of the hadith that we have.

Yet another point that can be made is that we know there are different
sects of Muslims. There are sunnis, shiites, sufis, and others. So
how do we know what is right and what is wrong? Well, lets go back to
the basics and go from there. We go back to the Shahada where we sign
a contract agreeing to follow the commands of Allah (swt) and the
Prophet (saw). For our own protection from innovations or other
actions/ideologies that may take us away from the true path, we must
study the hadith. And so, irrespective of any of the sects, the same
ruler is used to test every Muslim’s theology and action…and that is
this: did Allah (swt) or the Prophet (saw) sanction this or not? There
are many doors to Jannah but only one road that takes you to those
doors and that door is the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw).

One quick example which is frequently used but is a great reminder.
Allah (swt) commands us to pray but does not tell us how. So how do
we know how to pray? From the Sunnah of the Prophet (saw). And how
do we know the Sunnah? From the hadith.

That was one example, but on a side note — hadith come in different
levels of authenticity. We should be weary and cautious to ensure
that we are using authentic hadith (sahih). We should also be careful
not to think we can always interpret the different ayat and hadith on
our own. That’s what scholars are for, but even they are held up to
the same ruler as everyone else. Can they prove what they are saying
from the Qur’an and authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (saw)

But if I were to boil the whole argument above down to a simple
sentence, I would say this: Allah (swt) commanded us to follow the
Prophet (saw), and that can’t be done without Hadith.

You’ll forgive the lengthy reply to the post. I want to make sure to
point this out — I am a student at the University of Maryland who
will be graduating soon, Insha’Allah, with a BA in English. In other
words, I’m not a scholar. I know more about how to use commas and
semi-colons than I do about the deen. That, of course, is a
shortcoming to say the least. But anyway, take what I said with a
grain of salt and allow it to be nothing more than a thought that
pushes you to read what the real scholars of Islam have said.

Just let it go. What is it? Well, the definition is actually quite simple in this case. It = a time that someone has wronged you. Find it — and let it go. Whoever this person is, make du’a for them and forgive them. I mean sincerely forgive them.

You could start off by giving that person a nice As’salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatu accompanied with a smile. You could buy that person a small gift–maybe a piece of chocolate or some Mango-Peace Snapple.  And don’t forget that before any of that, make du’a to Allah (swt) to place in your heart a sincere love for this person instead of anger or dislike.

In case that’s not enough though–here is the most important reason .It is the Prophet (saw) who gave us the only reason we actually need:

“Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind.” (Bukhari)

Entering Jannah and staying away from the Hell-Fire cannot be done without Allah’s (swt) Mercy and His Forgiving and Pardoning of our sins. It simply cannot.

We walk around with more baggage on our shoulders than necessary. For just a moment, think back to the last time someone upset you. It doesn’t have to be something major.

Perhaps you were at Friday Prayer and someone walked over your shoulder to go in front of you. Maybe you had brought a lunch for yourself and someone else kept asking to take from it. Whatever it is, each of us has something different that upsets us.

Do this for the sake of Allah (swt) and you will see what Allah (swt) will do for you.

(Photo: -Gep-)

You know that one of the authentic Sunnahs of the Prophet (saw) was that he would pray Witr prayer every night. Before anything else, you can follow this link to learn more about Witr prayer. The opening paragraph on the link I just placed is:

“Witr prayer is one of the greatest acts of worship that draw one closer to Allaah. Some of the scholars – the Hanafis – even thought that it is one of the obligatory prayers, but the correct view is that it is one of the confirmed Sunnahs (Sunnah mu’akkadah) which the Muslim should observe regularly and not neglect.”

However, it is even more important to share with you one of the many Hadith related to praying Witr:

“Once a person asked Allah’s Apostle about the night prayer. Allah’s Apostle replied, “The night prayer is offered as two Rakat followed by two Rakat and so on and if anyone is afraid of the approaching dawn (Fajr prayer) he should pray one Raka and this will be a Witr for all the Rakat which he has prayed before.” Nafi’ told that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar used to say Taslim between (the first) two Rakat and (the third) odd one in the Witr prayer, when he wanted to attend to a certain matter (during that interval between the Rakat).”

So, all in all–it is best to pray Witr as often as possible. Of course, praying every night would be the best way to go. But if you find that difficult then try for just tonight to pray that one extra Rakah before you go to sleep tonight. Just one.

I wanted to thank a friend of mine, Ahmed *****, for giving me this idea. We were talking on the phone and he mentioned that this was one of the things the Prophet (saw) would never leave. So Jazakumullahu Khayran Katheeran and may Allah (swt) grant you the highest place in Jannah without being reckoned.

Let’s start with a Hadith of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (saw).

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “You shall not enter Paradise until you have faith, and you shall not attain faith until you love each other. Should I tell you something that if you do, you shall love each other? Spread salam among you” (Muslim).

Today is Friday. Take advantage of this advice from the Prophet (saw). At a time like this, or any time for that matter, we are in need of spreading love between one another.

Do your best to give the full Salam – As’salamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatu. You will receive the most reward for this and it is likely that the other person will return to you the full Salam – Wa’alaikum As’salam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakaatu.

So, Insha’Allah, by doing this you will get the reward of initiating it, following the words and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saw), and even be rewarded for the other person’s returning of your Salam.

Go forth people! and spread the greeting that came from Allah (swt) for the Muslims.

(Photo: mark(s)elliott)

Of course the best thing to do is to make du’a for the entire Ummah. Making du’a for your family and friends in also a very honorable thing to do. In addition to those though–let’s add one more thing today. Think of one person you know–anyone–who is in special need of du’a. It could be for someone who is facing financial difficulties, emotional difficulties, or any other sort of fitna.

If you are having some difficulty thinking of someone in particular, allow me to recommend the brothers and sisters all across the world who are facing injustice, oppression, and persecution. I will even provide a name for you.

There is a brother in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area named Ali Asad. Click his name to follow to a site dedicated to him and the fitna that he, his family, his community, and–in fact–the entire Ummah is facing. Make du’a for this brother in any way that you think will make his life in dunya and akhira easier.

Remember this hadith and let it enter your heart:

“Abu Darda’ (radiAllahu anhu) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah, salAllahu alayhi wasalam, saying, “Whenever a Muslim supplicates for his (Muslim) brother in his absence, the angels say: `May the same be for you too.”
[Muslim, 1494]

So be from among those who makes du’a for others and, consequently, have the angels make du’a for you. May Allah (swt) accept all of our du’as Insha’Allah. Ameen

Surah At-Taghabun: 17

“If you loan to Allah, a beautiful loan, He will double it for you, and He will grant you Forgiveness: for Allah is most Ready to appreciate, Most Forbearing”

Ibn Kathir commented on this Ayah from the Qur’an—here is a portion of what he said:

“…whatever you spend, then Allah will replace it, and on Him will be the reward of whatever you give away in charity. Allah considered giving charity as if it is a loan to Him, just as Allah said in a Qudsi Hadith, “Who will give a loan to He Who is neither unjust nor poor”. This is why Allah the Exalted said in Surat Al-Baqarah, “So that He may multiply it to him many times” (2:245) … He will erase your mistakes, He gives abundantly in return for what was little, He forgives, pardons, covers and absolves the sins, mistakes, errors and shortcomings”