The last words of the Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
These last few words of the Messenger of God (صلى الله عليه وسلم) speaks volumes about his blessed character and nature. His (صلى الله عليه وسلم) last words are reminding us of the thing we will be first questioned about when we are resurrected.
His (صلى الله عليه وسلم) speech is described as “jawami’ al-kalam” - comprehensive speech, eloquent, concise words with a wealth of meaning behind them, comprehensive message and guidance in them.
“As-salah! As-salah!” He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is advising us to guard our prayer, to guard our prayer we must learn to pray properly, the prayer includes the Quran, the prayer includes the shahadah, it includes salawat upon him (صلى الله عليه وسلم), it includes du’a (the original pre-Islamic meaning of ’salah’ was supplication or du’a), salah is prayed in congregation (importance of keeping close to the jama’), it’s about the mosque, it’s about sacrificing time, it’s everyday….
The most amazing thing is that his (صلى الله عليه وسلم) last words, his last concern before leaving the world was for us. He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) was thinking about our well being, our guidance until he breathed his last (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The mercy to the world, may Allah bless and raise the rank of His Messenger, His beloved, the final Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
I counted approximately 48 things I frequently use, most daily, that require passwords -
Home and work PC
12 software programs for work
Work phone login
Work kitchen entrance code
4 private email accounts
3 forums
Blog
Online banking
ATM machine
Switch pin number
Mastercard pin number
Online card payment
Prayer facility code
2 online magazine subscriptions
Mobile phone customer service + online service
About 16 online shops (used at least once in the last 6 months)
I don’t have 48 different passwords, probably 15, but I change these every couple of months. Everyday repetitively typing the same meaningless randomly chosen words, an old password I once had was “butrosbutrosghali”?!! Anyone who has tried to learn a new language will know that repetition = memorisation.
So to utilise this banal action I thought it may be a good idea to change my passwords to words I want to memorise. Like difficult Arabic words I have trouble remembering, or even better, memorising words from a Quranic dictionary so as to better familiarise with the vocabulary of the Quran. Could use the names of famous sahaba, short du’a etc etc…
Just an idea, may seem insignificant but everything we do, every moment will be accounted for.
The Sahabi Abu Sa’id (ra) narrates that Rasul Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Allah All Mighty says; “If anybody finds no time for My remembrance and for begging favours of Me, because of his remaining busy with the Holy Qur’an, I shall give him more than what I give to all those who beg favours of Me.
The superiority of the Word of Allah over all other words is like the superiority of Allah over the entire creation.”
In other words, compared to those who are begging favours of Allah, He will surely confer some better reward on a person who remains so occupied with committing the Qur’an to memory or learning and understanding it that he hardly gets time for du’a.
Wird / ورد (pl. Awrad) is a time of day or night devoted to private worship, a daily activity, usually nawafil prayer, Quran recitation, du’a, dhikr etc. Wird also means a watering place: animals coming to water. The root verb “warada” means to arrive, to come, to appear, to show up, to be found, to be met with, to reach.
The scholars of the heart say it is important to have a daily wird, an optional supererogatory worship, that by consistent practice of it you draw closer to Allah. About this Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Saqqaf said whoever has no wird is a qird [monkey].
One of the most powerful wirds is by Imam Abu Hasan al-Shadhili (may Allah sanctify his secret) called Hizb al-Bahr (Litany of the Sea). A special du’a by the Imam and includes ayats from Qur’an. It is the most famous of Imam Shadhili’s Hizbs.
Following links explain more about the Imam and the Hizb -
Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, mentioned that with every believer is five guardian angels, one on his right recording good deeds, one on his left recording bad deeds, one in front of him instructing goodness, one behind him repelling bad from him, and one at his forelock recording blessings on the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, and conveying it to the Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings. It is said that there are sixty angels with him. It is also said that there are one hundred and sixty that repel devils from him. [source: Maraqi al-Falah, Imam Shurunbulali]
Let’s give this angel that records salawat upon the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) some work to do, especially since it’s Yawm ul Jummu’ah.
Allahumma Salli ‘alaa Sayyidina Muhammad-in
As-Saabiqi li’lkhalqi nuruhu
Wa Rahmatullil ‘aalameena dhuhuruhu
‘Adada man madhaa min khalqiqa wa man baqiya
Wa man sa’ida minhum wa man shaqiya
Salaatan tastagriqu’l ‘adda wa tuhitu bi’l haddi
Salaatan laa gaayata lahaa wa laa muntahaa wa lanqidha’a
Salaatan daaimatan bidawaamika
Wa ‘alaa aalihi wa sahbihi wa sallim tasleeman mithla dhaalik
O Allah! Bestow blessings on our master Muhammad
whose light was created first,
and whose appearance is a mercy for all the worlds,
as many times as the number of Your creations past and yet to come
among those that are blessed and those that are unfortunate;
such blessings that are unlimited and unbounded,
countless, endless, never finishing;
such blessings as everlasting as You,
and on his family and companions,
and in the same manner complete salutations as well. As-Salaatu’l Gauthiyyah by Shaykh ‘Abdul Qadir al-Jilani
Abu Rib’i Hanzala ibn ar-Rabi’ al-Usaydi the scribe, one of the scribes of the Messenger of Allah, said, “Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, met me and said, ‘How are you, Hanzala?’ I said, ‘Hanzala is a hypocrite!’ I said, Glory be to Allah! What are you saying!’ I said, ‘We were with the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, who reminded us of the Garden and the Fire and it was as if we could see them with our eyes. When we leave the presence of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, we attend to our wives, children and estates in a state of great heedlessness.’ Abu Bakr said, ‘By Allah, we have experienced the same as this!’ So Abu Bakr and I went to visit the Messenger of Allah and I said, ‘Hanzala is a hypocrite, Messenger of Allah!’ The Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Why is that?’ I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, when we are with you, you remind us of the Garden and Fire and it is as if we could see them with our eyes. When we leave your presence, we attend to our wives, children and estates in a state of great heedlessness.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘By the One in whose hand my soul is, if you were to remain in the state you are in when you are in my presence and in the dhikr, the angels would shake hands with you on your bed and in the street, but, Hanzala, different times are not the same.’ three times.” [Muslim]
An hadith of ibn Umar: ”Make tahlil, takbir and tahmid much on these days.” Imam al-Bukhari said that Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah would go into the market in the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah and make takbir and the people would follow them.
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are blessed days: Allah ta’ala Himself swore by them in the Qur’an:
“By the Dawn,
and the Ten Nights…”
[Qur'an, Surat al-Fajr, 89.1-2]
Tahlil - La ilaaha illallah (there is no God except Allah)
If anyone desires that Satan should not have power over him, let him strengthen his faith (iman), his trust (tawakkul), and his servantship (’ubudiyya) before God by expressions of neediness, of seeking refuge with God, and of soliciting his protection.
God has said:
He (Satan) has not power over those who believe and who put their trust in their Lord (16:99)
…without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. Q.13.28
Why do we find rest in the dhikr of Allah?
The Soul
Our souls (ruh, pl arwah) by their nature are drawn to it’s Creator, they remember when in the pre-wordly life Allah asked them “Alastu biRabbikum?” - “Am I not your Read the rest of this entry ?
