Assabiqoon #43 by Masjid Bani Hashim

A monthly newsletter from Masjid Bani Hashim Jumeirah Islands, Dubai Issue#43 May 2017

A Monthly Newsletter by Masjid Bani Hashim, Jumeirah Islands, Dubai Issue #43 May 2017  ‫بسم اهلل الرحمن الرحيم‬  ‫السالم عليكم و رحمة اهلل و بركاته‬ ‫َّاسأَنْت ُ ُم ا ْلفُ َقرَا ُء إِلَى اهللَِّ ۖ وَاهللَُّ ُه َو ا ْل َغ ِنيُّ الْحَ مِي ُ د‬ ُ ‫يَا أَيُّهَا الن‬ O mankind! it is you who stand in need of Allâh, But Allâh is Rich (Free of all needs), Worthy of all praise. (Surah Fatir (35), ayah 15) We thank Allah SWT for all the blessings and above all for the blessing of security and all other provisions that He has blessed us with. Alhamdulillahi Rabb al alameen. As we in shaa Allah T’Ala are approaching the blessed month of Ramadan, it is important in shaa Allah T’Ala to start getting ready for this blessed month so that we can obtain in this month, both the forgiveness of Allah SWT and closeness to Him. We ask Allah SWT to make us reach Ramadan with a sound eman, health, halal earnings and wealth and we ask Allah to give us the taufeeq to take this opportunity to share His blessings on us with those in need. Ameen ya Rabb al alameen. Our affairs If we notice the way we go around our lives is that we are racing for the dunya while walking slowly for the akhirah; i.e. we are focusing on the short term at the expense of the longer term and hence sometimes we lose the balance and we do not see things in its perspective. Just under two months of Ramadan, let’s with the help of Allah bring a bit of balance in our lives. Let’s start spending more time with the Qur’an to understand better both Who is Allah SWT and His SWT’s actions and to understand also where we stand considering the Qur’an’s guidance. Simultaneously, I think let’s also pick up a good biography of the Prophet SAWS and understand better his personality, his character, his reactions and responses to the different situations he faced. The Prophet SAW’s biography will also make us realize the historical context of his times, the different battles, how he faced the hypocrites, the disbelievers and how he strengthened the Muslim brotherhood. We will find in his biography a lot of consolation for the current time challenges faced by the Muslims. Finally, let’s make lots of supplications for us, our families and friends and for the ummah, believe me the supplication is what reveals our humbleness in front of Allah SWT and Allah SWT loves to be asked, He is Al Mujeeb and loves to give as He is also Al Wahab. Do not forget Allah SWT is Al Ghani and we are FAQIR (beggars, in shaa Allah beggars only in front of Allah SWT). Alhamdulil Allah Rabb Al alameen. Wa Salato wa Salamo ala Rasulil Allah.

A Monthly Newsletter by Masjid Bani Hashim, Jumeirah Islands, Dubai Issue #43 May 2017

This Issue Introduction: Page 1 Names of Allah (‫)سبْحَ انَ ُه َو تَعَالَى‬: ُ Pages 3 - 5 The Real Superstars: Pages 6 - 7 Arabic Pronouns: Page 8 No fear upon then nor do they grieve: Pages 9 - 11 Cheer up: Pages 12 - 13 Surah Yusuf #80-84: Pages 14 - 17 Thamarat Al Ilm 1: Pages 18 - 19 Tribute to Friendship: Pages 20 - 22

NEW!

Afdhal Al Dhikr 9: Pages 23 - 24 Surah Maryam #6: Pages 25 - 29 Laylatul Qadr: Pages 30 - 38 The Joy of Eid: Pages 39 - 40 Masjid Bani Hashim: Pages 42 - 44

ALLAH AL KAREEM (‫)اهلل الكريم‬

‫بسم اهلل الرحمن الرحيم‬  ‫السالم عليكم ورحمة اهلل وبركاته‬

Introduction § When you remember Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬alone, He will remember you by Himself, and when you remember Him in a group then He will remember you in a better group. To remember in a group doesn’t mean you sit together and repeat dhikr together at the same time; this is bida’a. To remember Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is to speak about Him. § How do we worship Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬by His names? By applying it in our life, it’s not by repeating His names. And to Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬belongs the Most Beautiful names, so we should call on Him and invoke Him by these names. § When people don’t pray, they say ‘Allah Kareem’, as if ‘it’s ok, He’s Kareem’. This is deception and misbehaving with Allah (‫)ﷻ‬. A person needs to follow what Al Kareem wants and not use it as an excuse for our sins. § If someone gives you a gift, it’s not about the gift itself, but someone thought about you and gave you a gift. This is the difference 3

between the ones who doesn’t know. The disbeliever is only enjoying the blessings without knowing Who the Bestower of the blessings is.

Meaning of Allah Al Kareem § Gives with great benefit: Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is dealing with us by benefitting us. Al Kareem doesn’t mean to give everyone the same amount of provision at the same time, but to give in order to benefit, subhan Allah. Though we don’t see this? We say, ‘why does my friend have this and not me?’. Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is also generous for not giving us. When Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬gives or doesn’t give then it’s all generous because it’s benefitting you. What benefits one person is different from one what benefits another; Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬knows because He is Al Lateef, Al Khabeer, The Most Subtle, The All-Aware. § Vast in His generosity: never feel Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is not giving because He can’t give, astaghfar Allah. Allah’s Hands are full of treasures and when He gives, it doesn’t decrease anything from His dominion. § He gives much in the blink of an eye: He gives you with ease and without struggle. You’re taking in oxygen with ease, you’re eating with ease, you’re sitting with ease, alhamdullilah. § He gives whatever you want without difficulty: there are those who have things to give, but they make it difficult for others to have it. Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬makes it easy for us to have, Alhamdulillah. § Allah Al Kareem is giving all that is full of goodness, honor and virtues; there’s nothing missing when He gives us. There are those who are generous, but they’re not using their money wisely. Or there are those who have, but don’t give. Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is the Most Generous even if He doesn’t give you. If you have, then it’s because Allah is Al Kareem, and if you don’t have, it’s a test that Allah is Al Kareem. If it’s good for you then you will get it with ease. § Al Kareem is beautiful and praiseworthy: for example, sometimes a mother is generous with her children, but they’re using the money for haram matters, this is not praised. § Al Kareem is the One overlooks and forgives: you make a mistake and out of Allah’s generosity He overlooks it because perhaps you will change. May Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬deal with us with His generosity. Ameen. Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is Al Aziz, He’s All-Mighty and easily He can take us, but He overlooks our mistakes. In the blink of an eye, Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬is able to exchange us, but out of His generosity He keeps us, subhan Allah. Surah Al Infitar 6: (ِ ‫م‬R‫ك ٱ ۡلڪَ ِري‬Rَ Rِّ‫ َرب‬R‫ر ََّك ِب‬R‫ا َغ‬RR‫سـٰ ُن َم‬R َ R‫ٱإلن‬ ِ ۡ ‫ہَا‬Rُّ‫أَي‬Rٰٓ‫( )يَـ‬O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous?)

§ Out of His generosity, He conceals our faults in the eyes of the people: you know you’re doing something wrong and Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬knows it, but you find people are praising you. People say ‘you’re so good’, though you know you’re not, how do you translate it? Allah Al Kareem, it’s out of His generosity to conceal your sins, but don’t be deceived; solve your problems. People never forget your sins. May Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬conceal our sins. Ameen. Also when people say ‘you’re so good’, don’t be so honest and say ‘I’m so bad’ and expose yourself, subhan Allah. When people praise you, don’t believe them either. Just work on yourself because Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬has given you a chance to change without people knowing. When people know it becomes a struggle to change their view. § Also out of Allah’s generosity, He will hide your faults to others and bring up your good qualities: subhan Allah. When you see others with a good view, it’s only because Allah is Al Kareem. May Allah (‫ )ﷻ‬conceal our sins from each other. Ameen.

Reported by Abu Huraira (RA): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘When it is a Friday, the angels stand at the gate of the mosque and keep on writing the names of the persons coming to the mosque in succession according to their arrivals. The example of the one who enters the mosque in the earliest hour is that of one offering a camel (in sacrifice). The one coming next is like one offering a cow and then a ram and then a chicken and then an egg respectively. When the Imam comes out (for Jumua prayer) they (i.e. angels) fold their papers and listen to the Khutba.’    (Bukhari Volume 2, Book 13, Number 51)

Allah SWT says in the Quran that He SWT created Man and woman as companion to each other, to live in peace and kindness along with respect and honor. We have the examples of this in the stories of the Sahaba and especially in the stories of Ummahatul Mu’mineen. There is no doubt that they are a role model for the entire world to this day. In this issue we will look into the life of one of the Ummahatul Mu’mineen whose marriage to the Prophet ( ‫ )ﷺ‬was done by Allah SWT Himself. She, later, would often tell the other wives; "You were given in marriage by your families, while I was married (to the Prophet ‫ )ﷺ‬by Allah from over seven Heavens." (Bukhari 9:93:516.)

In recent times, a lot of confusion regarding the role of a wife and husband in a marriage has arisen and has turned into great matter of concern. The social changes that the world has gone through has led to many misconceptions and misperceptions about gender roles and as a result has led to sadness, despair and loss of hope in the institution of marriage. Marriage holds great importance in Islam. It is a means of perfecting one’s religion and protecting oneself from fitnah and helps in lowering of gaze which closes the door to being deceived by the traps of shaytan. Al-Bayhaqi narrated in Shu’ab alEeman from al-Raqashi: “When a person gets married he has completed half of his religion, so let him fear Allah with regard to the other half.” Al-Albani said of these two hadeeths in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb (1916): “(They are) hasan li ghayrihi.”

She (RA) was also known as Umm al-Hakam and was known for her generosity, piety and dedication to Islam. Her real name was Barra but the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬changed her name after she accepted Islam to Zaynab—Zaynab bint Jahsh(RA). Zaynab (RA)’s father was Jahsh ibn Riyab, an immigrant from the Asad tribe who had settled in Mecca. Her mother was Umama bint Abdulmuttalib, a member of the Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe and a sister of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS)'s father. Abdullah bin Jahash (RA) and Abu Ahmed bin Jahash (RA) were her brothers and Humna bint Jahash (RA) was her sister. She was one the first few who had embraced Islam. She endured the harm and torture of the Mushrikeen of Makkah and eventually migrated to Madina. The Prophet chose Zaynab (AS) as a wife for his freed slave Zayd ibn Haarithah. Zayd Ibn Haarithah was the adopted son of the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬and was very dear to him, so the Prophet 6

(‫ )ﷺ‬wanted to choose the best for Zayd, as Zay-

is to disclose. And you feared the people, while Allah

nab (RA) was known to be beautiful and had a noble lineage. She was from the highest position from the clan of Banu Asad. It was diﬃcult for Zaynab (AS) to accept this marriage proposal as she thought Zayd (RA) was beneath her in status but she eventually agreed to the marriage when the ayah was revealed –

has more right that you fear Him. So when Zayd had no longer any need for her, We married her to you in order that there not be upon the believers any discomfort concerning the wives of their adopted sons when they no longer have need of them. And ever is the command of Allah accomplished. (Ahzab 33:37)

‫َسو ُل ُه أ َ ْمرًا أ َ ْن يَكُو َن َل ُه ُم‬ ُ ‫َضى اهللَُّ َور‬ َ ‫َومَا كَا َن ملِ ُ ْؤمِنٍ و ََال ُم ْؤ ِمن َ ٍة إِذَا ق‬

It is narrated in Muslim that the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬sent

‫ض َال ًال ُمبِينًا‬ َ َّ‫ضل‬ َ ‫َسو َل ُه فَ َق ْد‬ ُ ‫ْصاهللََّ َور‬ ِ ‫لْخِ يَ َرةُ ِم ْن أ َ ْم ِر ِه ْم ۗ َو َم ْن يَع‬

the proposal of marriage to Zaynab (RA) after her Iddah period was over. Zaynab (RA), however did not reply immediately but she sought counsel with Allah SWT by praying Isthikhara. She hadn’t completed her prayer that Allah SWT sent wahy to the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬that the marriage was ar-

“It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allah and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error.” (Surah Ahzab33:36) But the marriage to Zayd (RA) was not a longlasting one as the diﬀerences in their status was too much for them to do justice to the marriage. When Zayd (RA) went to the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬seeking to get divorced to Zaynab (RA), the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬ was not happy with this decision and discouraged Zayd (RA) from taking this step. The following ayah from suratul Ahzab was revealed‫َو إِذْ تَقُولُ لِ َّلذِي أَنْ َع َم اهللَُّ َع َليْ ِه َوأَنْعَمْ تَ َع َليْ ِه أَمْسِ ْك َع َلي َْك زَوْجَ َك وَاتَّ ِق‬ ‫َّاسوَاهللَُّ أ َحَ قُّ أ َ ْن‬ َ ‫ْشى الن‬ َ ‫خفِي فِي نَفْسِ َك مَا اهللَُّ ُمبْدِي ِه َوتَخ‬ ْ ُ‫اهللََّ َوت‬ ‫َضىٰ زَيْ ٌد ِمنْهَا َوطَرًا زَوَّجْ ن َا َكهَا لِ َكيْ َال يَكُو َن َعلَى‬ َ ‫ْشاهُ ۖ فَلَمَّ ا ق‬ َ ‫تَخ‬ ‫َضوْا ِمن ْ ُه َّن َوطَرًا ۚ َوكَا َن أ َ ْم ُر‬ َ ‫ني حَ َر ٌج فِي أَزْوَاج ِ أ َ ْد ِعيَا ِئ ِه ْم إِذَا ق‬ َ ‫املْ ُ ْؤ ِم ِن‬ ‫ُوال‬  ً ‫هللَِّ َمفْع‬ And [remember, O Muhammad], when you said to the one on whom Allah bestowed favor and you

ranged by Allah in the Skies. This marriage has certain unique features--her 'Nikah' was performed by Allah SWT, there were no formal guardian and the witnesses but the verses of Holy Quran served this purpose. There was no dowry for this marriage , and thus, this is the only marriage to be legitimized by Allah SWT. Through both the marriages of Zaynab (AS), two of the practices were abolished. - One is of removing racism by getting a freed slave and a person of high standing married, and thus establishing equality. - The second was abolishing the belief that the adopted son is like one’s own son and so cannot marry their divorced wives. Thus the practice of not marrying the wives of the adopted sons was abolished. To be continued....

bestowed favor, “Keep your wife and fear Allah ,” while you concealed within yourself that which Allah 7

ARABIC PRONOUNS

on your

the in

Reported by Anas (RA): Allah’s Apostle

Reported by ‘Aisha (RA): The Prophet

(peace be upon him) said, 'From among

(peace be upon him) used to love to start

the portents of the Hour are (the

doing things from the right side when-

following):

ever possible, in performing ablution, put-

1. Religious knowledge will be taken

ting on his shoes, and combing his hair.

away (by the death of Religious learned

(Al-Ash’ath said: The Prophet used to do

men).

so in all his affairs.)

2. (Religious) ignorance will prevail.

3. Drinking of Alcoholic drinks (will be

(Bukhari Volume 7, Book 65, Number 292)

very common).  4. There will be prevalence of open illegal sexual intercourse.'  (Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 3, Number 80)

Reported by Abu Hurairah (RA): The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is

Reported by Rafi bin Khadij (RA): I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying, ‘Fever is from the heat of the (Hell) Fire; so cool it with water.’  (Bukhari Volume 4, Book 54, Number 484)

not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer.” It was asked, “Who is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He said, “One whose neighbour does not feel safe from his evil”.  (Bukhari & Muslim - Riyad us Saliheen, Chapter 39, 305)

Heartfelt advice to a friend by Imam Ibn Qayyim al- Jawziyya (d.751H)  ِ ‫ن الرَّحِ يم‬ ِ ‫ِسم ِ اهللَِّ الرَّحْ مَ ـ‬ ْ ‫ب‬ In the name of Allah, The Lord of Mercy, The Giver of Mercy We thank Allah SWT for this opening. In shaa Allah T’Ala we will be sharing with you the translation in English of Ibn Qayyim’s “Risalatu Ibn al-Qayyim ila Ahadi ikhwanihi” “I have never regretted anything as much as my regret over a day on which the sun sets and my life span decreases while my good deeds have not increased” Ibn Mas’ud (radiy Allahu’anhu)” Introduction Imam Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr Ibn Qayyim, al-Jawziyyah, may Allah bestow His Mercy upon him, said: I ask Allah, in Whom I have hope to answer our prayers, to embrace the brother ‘Ala Al-Din with His kindness on this life and the Afterlife; to make him a source of benefit [to others]; and to make blessed wherever may he be – for indeed, the barakah of a man lies in his teaching of the good wherever he may land and his advice to every person he meets. In the Qur’an the ayah wherein Allah, Most High, informs us what Prophet ‘Isa (AS) said about himself, reads as follows:   ُ‫وَجَ َع َلنِي ُمبَا َركًا أَيْ َن مَا ُكن ْت‬ “And he has made me blessed wherever I am” (Surah Maryam (19): 31] This is to mean, He SWT made me [i.e. Isa] a teacher of goodness, a caller to Allah, and an advocate who reminds people of Allah and spurs them to obey Him 12

SWT. Truly, all those qualities are from the barakah of a man! If a person lacks the said qualities, not only is he devoid of barakah, but also there will be no such barakah when meeting him or being with him. [i. The Value of Time] Further, the absence of barakah will extent to throw its shades on whoever meets him or be in his company because such a person wastes his time talking about [trivial] current affairs and past events that cause the heart [of his company] to be ruined and clouded for it is the waste of time and the corruption of the heart (fasad al-qalb) that are the prime causes of all types of harm befalling people. Not only does that make a person lose his share of reward, but it will also lower his rank (darjah) and status (manzila) in the sight of Allah SWT. It is for this reason, some scholars advised, “Beware of mixing with those whose company will waste your time and corrupt your heart, lest otherwise all your affairs will be ruined and you become among those whom Allah said about in the Qur’an,  ‫طعْ َم ْن أ َ ْغفَ ْلن َا َق ْلبَ ُه َع ْن ِذ ْك ِرنَا وَاتَّبَعَ َهوَاهُ َوكَا َن أ َ ْم ُرهُ فُ ُرطًا‬ ِ ُ‫و ََال ت‬ “And do not obey one whose heart We have made heedless of our remembrance and who follows his desire and whose aﬀair is ever [in] neglect.” [al-Kahf (18):28] If you contemplate the state and conditions of this type of people, you will find the heart of all of them, except maybe a few, is in a state of heedlessness (ghafla) and being led by their whims and desires (al-hawa), until their affair becomes ever negligent (‫ ;)فُ ُرطًا‬hence they observe not what benefits their hearts and increases their righteousness; and they engage in matters that not only bring them no benefit, but may also cause them harm sooner or later. Allah, Exalted be He, ordered His Messenger SAW not to obey this group of people because they call for the following of desires and for neglecting the remembrance of Allah SWT.

of the third. If there are four, it is allowed, but one person should not be excluded alone, because it would hurt this person's feelings.

‫سورة يوسف‬ Surah Yusuf # 80-84 ‫خرَجَ هَا مِن ِوعَا ِء أ َخِ ي ِه ۚ َكذَٰل َ ِك‬ ْ َ ‫است‬ ْ ‫فَبَ َدأ َ ِبأ َ ْو ِعيَ ِت ِه ْم َقبْلَ ِوعَا ِء أ َخِ ي ِه ثُ َّم‬ َ‫َصوا نَجِيًّا ۖ قَالَ َكبِي ُر ُه ْم أ َ َل ْم تَ ْعلَمُ وا أ َ َّن أَبَا ُك ْم َق ْد أَذ‬ ُ ‫خل‬ َ ‫استَيْأ َُسوا ِمن ْ ُه‬ ْ ‫فَلَمَّ ا‬ ‫ْض‬ َ ‫األَر‬ ْ ‫ُوسفَ ۖ فَ َل ْن أَبْ َر َح‬ ُ ‫َع َليْكُم َّم ْو ِثقًا ِّم َن اهللَِّ َومِن َقبْلُ مَا فَرَّطت ُ ْم فِي ي‬ ‫ني‬  َ ‫خيْ ُر الْحَ ا ِك ِم‬ َ ‫َ تَّىٰ يَأْذَ َن لِي أَبِي أ َ ْو يَحْ ُك َم اهللَُّ لِي ۖ َو ُه َو‬ So when they had despaired of him, they secluded themselves in private consultation. The eldest of them said, “Do you not know that your father has taken upon you an oath by Allah and [that] before you failed in [your duty to] Yusuf? So I will never leave [this] land until my father permits me or Allah decides for me, and He is the best of judges. 12:80 Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬didn't agree, however much they tried to convince him, to keep one of them instead of Binyameen. When the brothers failed to convince Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬to detain one of them instead of Binyameen, they secluded themselves in private, and consulted each other in low voices. When two people converse in hushed voices, their conversa?on is obviously private, even if they don't say so. The e?queBes in that case are to stay away, nor interrupt, or ask them what they are talking about. The Prophet Mohammed ‫ صلى اهلل عليه و سلم‬said that if there are only three people in a room, then two of them should not have a whispered conversa?on to the exclusion

The eldest brother was their leader and spokesman. This was understood because he was the eldest. He was the one who decided upon their way of ac?on. The eldest brother reminded the others of the promise they made to their father to bring Binyameen back. Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬ made his sons take an oath by Allah, that they would care for and protect Binyameen, and bring him back, unless prevented by unforeseen circumstances.The brothers had betrayed the trust of their father in the past, when he had entrusted Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬to them, and they had deliberately hurt him. The guilt remained with them, and they felt they could not face their father again if they returned without Binyameen. The brothers didn't say they had abandoned Yusuf ‫ عليه‬ ‫ السالم‬in the well or sold him into slavery; that was too painful for them to uBer. So they used lighter words to explain their behavior. It is a very diploma?c way to lay down the reasons before announcing the decision, which is what the eldest brother was doing. There is always a u-turn towards Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬, leading to the perfect solu?on. Some?mes you are stuck in a situa?on which is against you. Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬is the best Judge, and He will choose the best for you. You must trust him and have good thoughts about Him. Nothing happens without the will of Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬, and His decision is what maBers. ‫ني‬  َ ‫ْساهللَُّ ِبأ َحْ َكم ِ الْحَ ا ِك ِم‬ َ ‫أ َ َلي‬ Is not Allah the most just of judges?95:8 The ﬁnal result is with Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬. ‫ش ِه ْدنَا إ َِّال بِمَ ا َعلِمْ ن َا‬ َ ‫سرَقَ َومَا‬ َ ‫جعُوا إِ َلىٰ أَبِي ُك ْم فَقُولُوا يَا أَبَانَا إِ َّن ابْن ََك‬ ِ ‫ا ْر‬ ‫ني‬  َ ‫ظ‬ ِ ‫َمَا ُكن َّا لِ ْل َغيْبِ حَ ا ِف‬ Return to your father and say, “O our father, indeed your son has stolen, and we did not testify except to what we knew. And we were not witnesses of the unseen. 12:81 The brothers are trapped. When they leN Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬ in the well, they did it deliberately. This ?me, they were losing Binyameen, and they were being forced to. The scholars say that in life, if you do bad to someone, you will not 14

die un?l you feel that same biBerness in your own life. The eldest brother is feeling the guilt, and cannot ﬁnd it it in himself to face his father. He is feeling regret, which is an essen?al element for repentance. He tells his brothers how to deal with their father when they go back. He doesn't want them to lie to their father again, thereby making another mistake. So he advices them. The elder brother wanted the others to go back, while he stayed in Egypt. Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬was afraid one son wouldn't come back, and now three of his sons remained in Egypt. He uses the word ْ‫أَبِي ُكم‬, your father, to convince them to go. It was important that they go and explain to their father the situa?on. The brothers used the word ‫ يَا أَبَانَا‬, oh our father, when they threw Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬in the well. That was a fabricated story which they were trying to convince their father to believe. This ?me, whatever they want to convince their father about is the truth as they perceived it to be. This was not true, because Binyameen did not actually steal anything, but this was what they saw, so they are actually not lying. The eldest brother did not want them to give any details, he just wanted them to inform the father of the facts as they saw them. Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬was a messenger, and he obviously didn't condone of stealing. So he would accept the punishment for the crime. He told them to say ‫ابنك‬, as if they were not connected to Binyameen. This shows their arrogance. They were told to say this so that the father would be convinced they were not fabrica?ng the story. They are saying that they witnessed the cup being found in the baggage of Binyameen. The brothers used the word ‫سرَق‬, steal for the َ ﬁrst ?me in this whole incident. They didn't want to soNen the blow for their father, because they wanted him to realize the gravity of the situa?on. They would not have convinced their father to let Binyameen go with them if they had known what the future held. ‫َصا ِدقُو َ ن‬ َ ‫َاسأ َلِ ا ْل َق ْريَ َة ا َّلتِي ُكن َّا فِيهَا وَالْعِ ي َر ا َّلتِي أ َ ْقبَ ْلن َا فِيهَا ۖ َو إِنَّا ل‬ ْ ‫و‬ And ask the city in which we were and the caravan in which we came - and indeed, we are truthful. 12:82 The brother gave more ideas to convince their father. At the ?me when they leN Yusuf ‫عليه السالم‬, they told their father that he would not believe them. They prepared the shirt with blood on it as a false witness, and professed

their innocence, because they were lying. The shirt showed up their lies. This ?me they had actual witnesses. The shirt plays an important part in this story, as a symbol for the truth. The first ?me, the bloody shirt showed the lies of the sons. The second ?me, the shirt torn from the back showed the truth of Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬, when he was running from the wife of the Aziz. The first witness men?oned by the brothers was the people of the town, Egypt, which was impossible to verify, because, in the first place, Egypt was far away. Secondly, Egypt was not a village, it was a vast country. A village is a small place, where everyone knows each other. Their second witness was the caravan which they travelled back with. This was easier to approach and verify, and should have been men?oned first. They go back to professing their innocence again. This is important for them. When they were explaining themselves aNer disposing of Yusuf ‫عليه السالم‬, they told their father he would not believe them even if they were truthful, by saying :  . ‫صا ِدقِني‬ َ ‫َو َل ْو ُكن ّا‬ They were lying that time; but this time, they are actually relating what they saw.  ِ َ ‫َسى اهللَُّ أ َن يَأْت‬ ‫ِني‬ َ ‫َصبْ ٌر جَ مِيلٌ ۖ ع‬ َ ‫ُس ُك ْم أ َ ْمرًا ۖ ف‬ ُ ‫س َّولَتْ َل ُك ْم أ َنف‬ َ ْ‫قَالَ بَل‬ ‫ِب ِه ْم جَ مِيعًا ۚ إِنَّ ُه ُه َو ا ْل َعلِي ُم الْحَ كِي ُ م‬ (Ya’qub said), “Rather, your souls have enticed you to something, so patience is most fitting. Perhaps Allah will bring them to me all together. Indeed it is He who is the Knowing, the Wise”. 12:83 Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬took Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬from one situa?on to the next. Do not look at the story as sad; instead, look at the nurturing of Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬. Life has to go through nurturing. Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬can do this in the blink of an eye, but He uses means created by Him. The remaining 9 brothers went back to Pales?ne, and said to the father exactly what the eldest brother advised them. The response of Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬is full of wisdom. The word ‫ بل‬negates all that comes before, and affirms that 15

aBached to Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬. ABachment comes when you have needs, and rely on Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬for their fulﬁllment. Shirk comes when you have needs and rely on people for their fulﬁllment, such as a doctor for a cure. Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬knows you beBer than anyone. He knows your condi?on, your despera?on, and will choose the best for you. Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬knew that Ya'qub ‫ عليه‬ ‫ السالم‬was desperate to have his sons back. He was a messenger, but human too, he loved all his sons. He was desperate for the favor of Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬.

which comes aNer. Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬has lost trust in his sons. However pious he was, he was s?ll human. His sons had broken his heart by disposing of Yusuf ‫عليه السالم‬. Although he had forgiven them, he could not bring himself to trust them again. There is pardoning and forgiveness, but there are some emo?ons which cannot be extracted from the heart. The middle path is to control your reac?on, and not expose your feelings to others. Ya'qub didn't rebuke his sons with strong words, nor call them liars. He blamed their souls for their evil deeds. The soul can be changed from evil to good by striving to reform it. The nafs is your enemy, and you must look at it as a separate en?ty. You must strive to control it, or it will carry you to the hellfire. For instance, you don't wake up for fajr habitually. The nafs starts giving you excuses, saying you were too ?red, the alarm didn't ring, so it's not your fault, and that Allah is All Forgiving. The nafs made the brothers describe Binyameen as a thief to the father. Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬speaks of his own ac?ons straight away. He detaches himself from relying on himself, and flees to Allah. He gets his confidence from his reliance upon Allah. A beau?ful pa?ence is self control without any complaints about the situa?on or with the crea?on. There should be no anger towards people, no backbi?ng etc. some?mes you show your pa?ence by controlling your reac?on, but then slam the door, or throw and break things, go into the desert and shout; this is not a beau?ful pa?ence, you harm the universe, objects, animals. This behavior does not suit a dweller of Jannah; keep this picture in mind. Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬had full hope that Allah would bring all his sons back to him again; he never gave up hope. We go through needs in our lives which are decreed to make us

Whatever happens is actually pre-decreed, according to the Divine wisdom of Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬. Ya'qub ‫ عليه‬ ‫ السالم‬was not regreYul or blaming anyone. Everything that happens is the best thing to happen, and everything is put in its perfect place by Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬. Nothing happens without the decree of Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬, and whatever happens had to happen in that par?cular way. ‫َضتْ َعيْن َاهُ ِم َن الْحُ زْنِ فَ ُه َو‬ َّ ‫ُوسفَ وَابْي‬ ُ ‫َوتَ َو َّلىٰ َعن ْ ُه ْم َوقَالَ يَا أ ََسفَىٰ َع َلىٰ ي‬ ‫َ ظِي ٌ م‬ And he turned away from them and said, “Oh, my sorrow over Yusuf” and his eyes became white from grief, for he was [of that] a suppressor. 12:84 Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬gave us the best example of thinking good about Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬. He has lost one son long ago. Now he lost another son in his old age. The brothers tried to convince their father that they had not done anything inten?onally. They gave reference of the town people and the caravan, asking him to ask them the truth if he didn't believe them. The brothers were liars before, when they threw Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬in the well. But this ?me, they were telling the truth and they knew it. Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬wasn't sure whether they were saying the truth this ?me, but he didn't call them liars. He didn't blame them directly, but said their nafs was to blame. He didn't call them wicked or evil, because he didn't want to break their spirit; he wanted to reform them. This shows that when someone makes a mistake, don't aBack them directly; rather, be kind and gentle, without embarrassing him. When someone made a mistake in the ?me of the Prophet ‫صلى اهلل عليه و سلم‬, he men?oned it in 16

the khutbah, so that the guilty person got the message in a gentle manner. Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬was the father, he could reprimand them harshly, but it is not right to embarrass and put down your children. So he gave them a solu?on, ‫جهاد النفس‬, striving against themselves. When Yusuf ‫ عليه السالم‬was lost, Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬said: ‫َصفُو َ ن‬ ِ ‫َصبْ ٌر جَ مِيلٌ ۖ وَاهللَُّ املْ ُْستَعَا ُن َع َلىٰ مَا ت‬ َ ‫ف‬ so a beautiful patience is most ﬁtting. And Allah is the one sought for help against that which you describe. 12:18 This ?me, he said:   ‫َسى اهللَُّ أ َن يَأ ْ ِتيَنِي ِب ِه ْم جَ مِيعًا‬ َ ‫َصبْ ٌر جَ مِيلٌ ۖ ع‬ َ ‫ف‬ so a beautiful patience is most ﬁtting. Perhaps Allah

‫إذا ماتَ و َل ُد العب ِد قالَ اهللَُّ ملالئِك ِت ِه قبضتم ول َد عبدي فيقولو َن نعم‬ ‫فيقولُ قبضت ُم ثمرةَ فؤا ِد ِه فيقولو َن نعم فيقولُ ماذا قالَ عبدي فيقولو َن‬ َ‫ح ِمد ََك واسترجعَ فيقولُ اهللَُّ ابنوا لعبدي بيت ًا في الجن َّ ِة وسمُّ وهُ بيت‬  .‫لحمْ ِد‬   ‫ األلباني‬:‫ أبو موسى األشعري عبداهلل بن قيس املحدث‬:‫لراوي‬  1021 :‫ الصفحة أو الرقم‬- ‫ صحيح الترمذي‬:‫املصدر‬  ‫ حسن‬:‫خالصة حكم املحدث‬ When a child of the slave (of Allah) dies, Allah says to the angels: Have you taken the fruits of his work? They reply: Yes. So He says: What did My slave say? They reply: He praised you and mentioned that to You is the return. So Allah says: Build a house in Paradise

will bring them to me all together. 12:83

for My slave, and name it the house of praise.

The second loss gave him more hope, of all of them : Yusuf, Binyameen, and the eldest son, all coming back. He was aBached to Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬more strongly, even though he went through another tragic experience. To ﬁnd a son who was lost more than twenty years ago, in the age of no technology, seems hopeless. Nowadays we have so many means, such as the Internet, and we s?ll fail some?mes. But Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬had hope in Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬, because he was aware of one important thing, which is ‫سنة اهلل في الكون‬, the way of Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬in the universe : when the trail becomes unbearable and intense, becoming a boBleneck, the relief is always close. The belief in Allah ‫ سبحانه وتعالى‬ brings the relief.

Love is a provision from Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬, which He puts in hearts. If you compete for the love of people, it will make you restless and unsa?sﬁed. Compete for the love of Allah ‫سبحانه وتعالى‬. We must love Allah ‫ سبحانه‬ ‫ وتعالى‬and His messenger ‫ صلى اهلل عليه و سلم‬more than anyone or anything else, even more than yourself. Then you will long to meet them.

He went far from them and turned away. Ya'qub ‫ عليه‬ ‫ السالم‬wanted his sons to see his faith, not his anguish. He was strong, and wanted them to be strong too. So he leN them before the tears ﬂowed.

In his heart, Ya'qub ‫ عليه السالم‬had never let go of the love of Yusuf ‫عليه السالم‬, and the anguish of losing him was as painful as before. He weeped so much that his deep anguish eﬀected his eyes. His eyes turned 'white'; he lost his eyesight. The eyesight is in the pupil, which is colored, so this is a way of saying he lost his sight. Even though he was intensely sad, he was suppressing his sorrow. He was old and physically weak, and he had lost three of his sons, but he didn't want to show his sorrow to others. This surah shows us that messengers are also human beings, with feelings and emo?ons.

The expression {ٰ‫ }يَا أ ََسفَى‬shows his grief and pain. The old wound was s?ll fresh; he had never forgoBen Yusuf ‫عليه السالم‬, the love remained in his heart. There can never be a replacement for a child; another child can never take his place. Every child is special and irreplaceable for his parents. The Messenger of Allah ‫ صلى اهلل عليه و سلم‬said: 17

Tribute to Friendship Friendship defined as the emotions or conduct of friends; also the state of being friends or mutual trust and support between entities.Well dear readers ; in Islam friendship is a virtue highly praised among the believers as a sign of their belief while even in the west "proverbs the likes of "Friend in need friend indeed 'come in alignment with this definition. Friend means different thing to different people but commonly it is the one who gives you a emotional power, a feel good and "je ne sais quoi " factor, an unavoidable joie de vivre or just breezy moments to live on.Basically ,the one who would do that extra mile for you and that is worth loving and caring for. In saheeh Muslim, Abu Hurayrah ( ‫)رضي اهلل عنه‬reported that the Prophet ( ‫صلى اهلل عليه‬ ‫ )وسلم‬said, “A man set out to visit a brother (in Islam) in another town and Allah sent an angel on his way. When the man met the angel, the latter asked him, “Where do you intend to go?” He said, “I intend to visit my brother in this town.” The angel said, “Have you done any favour to him?” He said, “No, I have no desire except to visit him because I love him for the sake of Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious.” Thereupon the angel said, “I am a messenger to you from Allah (to inform you) that Allah loves you as you love him (for His sake)" Thus we learn that real friendship in Islam take the definition of brotherhood into the direction of loving someone for Allah’s sake, with the precedence over the bonds of blood relationship and worldly interests. 'The believers are naught else than brothers. Therefore make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to Allah that haply ye may obtain mercy' (49:10) . Indeed endless verses in the quran and the sunnah illustrate this facts .

Friendship by just hearing the name ,evaporates the wonder 's aura of a delightful storytelling , and yes one such beautiful example of the Mohamed -Abubakar duo ( ( ‫صلى‬ ‫))اهلل عليه وسلم‬epitomise the human beauty at his paroxysm to be worth remembering !! No doubt their 'friendship 's story is an inspiring contemporary art ,with love imbued into every part of its 'life ' which would put to shame all other love tales simply for the fact that it is a true story ! May Allah grant us good companions ameen.! The emotional journey of a good friendship that stands the test of time and emerges stronger after its lot of misunderstanding ,and roller coaster ride is not only what makes it ever true ,loving, warm but also teaches us where rainbows lies in unity as it engraves the vivacious signature of consistency demanded from a true friendship .It stayed imprinted in our hearts moments like the incident of isra wal miraj when asked ,Abubakar ( ‫ )رضي اهلل عنه‬immediately stood by his friend at the cost of all embarrassment and defamation and blindly commented "if he said it then it is `true!' Proving the saying : 'friend in need friend indeed' No wonder why this ' Sadiq " ( ‫)رضي اهلل عنه‬will be the first to step into jannah behind Rassulullah( ( ‫)صلى اهلل عليه وسلم‬ It is said that every era produce the friends it deserve ,and even more beautiful when they are from the teachers ,dai' or muslim in the true sense of the term there are a mean of reformation and the kind to tell things what it is , so they are a great asset for one to have since generally they are selfless and their goals is seeking the 'face 'of Allah .Thus a support, care or advice from them means the world and is enlightened by The Messenger of Allah ( ( ‫ ))صلى اهلل عليه وسلم‬who said : A muslim is a brother to a Muslim: Neither he wrongs him, nor hands him over (to another). And whosoever comes in need of his brother , Allah comes in his need ;and whosoever removes a calamity of a Muslim, Allah will remove a calamity from the calamities of the Resurrection Day, and whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his sins on the Resurrection Day' (Bukhari and Muslim)

May Allah bless all those who chaperone us from His creation. Among all benefits , we find in a good friend ,that the promise of Allah the Glorified is ever true .He said (meaning of translation ) And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends of one another, they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong' (9:71). The picturesque parabole drawn by prophet Mohamed ( ‫ )صلى اهلل عليه وسلم‬stands alive in his take on friendship. He said :A good and a bad companion are like the bearer of musk and the one who pumps out filth respectively. As for the bearer of musk, he will either give you a share, you will smell perfumed air, or you will purchase something from him as for one who pumps out filth, he will either burn your clothes or you will smell something filthy from him (Bukhari and Muslim.) May Allah be pleased with us and our friends and be pleased with all. Reported by `Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA): Some prisoners were brought to Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and gave it a suck. Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Do you think this woman would ever throw her child in fire?” We said, “By Allah, she would never throw the child in fire.” Thereupon Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Allah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her child”.  (Bukhari & Muslim - Riyad us Saliheen, Chapter 51, 418)

Reported by Anas (RA): Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Three follow a dead body: members of his family, his possessions and his deeds. Two of them return and one remains with him. His family and his possessions return; his deeds remain with him”.    (Bukhari & Muslim - Riyad us Saliheen, Chapter 11, 104)

Reported by Abu Huraira (RA): The

Reported by `Aishah (RA): Some bedouins

Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘The

came to Messenger of Allah (peace be

Imam is (appointed) to be followed. So

upon him) and asked: “Do you kiss your

do not differ from him, bow when he

children?” He said, “Yes”. They then said:

bows, and say, ‘Rabbana-lakal hamd’ if

“By Allah, we do not kiss them.” The

he says ‘Sami’a-l-lahu Liman hamida’;

Prophet (peace be upon him) replied, “I

and if he prostrates, prostrate (after

cannot help you if Allah has snatched

him), and if he prays sitting, pray sitting

kindness from your hearts”.

all together, and straighten the rows for

the prayer, as the straightening of the

(Bukhari & Muslim - Riyad us Saliheen,

rows is amongst those things which make

Chapter 27, 226)

your prayer a correct and perfect one.    (Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 11, Number 689)

Reported by Wabisah bin Ma`bad (RA): I went to Messenger of Allah (peace be

Reported by Jabir bin `Abdullah (RA): Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “Beware of oppression, for oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection; and beware of stinginess because it destroyed those who were before you. It incited them to shed their blood and deem unlawful as lawful.”     (Muslim - Riyad us Saliheen, Chapter 61, 563)

upon him) and he asked me, “Have you come to inquire about piety?” I replied in the affirmative. Then he said, “Ask your heart regarding it. Piety is that which contents the soul and comforts the heart, and sin is that which causes doubts and perturbs the heart, even if people pronounce it lawful and give you verdicts on such matters again and again.”    (Ahmad & Ad-Darmi - Riyad us Saliheen, Chapter 68, 591)

judge

worship

Reported by Abu Hurairah (RA): I heard Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying: “The case of a miserly man and a generous man who gives in charity is similar to that of two persons who are clad in armor from their breasts up to their collar bones. When the generous man gives in charity, his armor expands so much as to cover his fingertips and toes. When the miser intends to spend something the armor contracts and every ring of it sticks to the place where it is (sinks into his flesh). He tries to loosen it but it does not expand.”    (Bukhari & Muslim - Riyad us Saliheen, Chapter 60, 560)

Masjid Bani Hashim At Jumeirah Islands, Dubai

Masjid Bani Hashim by the Grace of Allah (‫)سبْحَ انَ ُه َو تَعَالَى‬ ُ ‫عز‬ ‫وجل‬, opened its doors on 2nd Ramadan 1434; July 10th, 2013 and is a Non-Profit Organization. It envisions to offer intensive courses, lectures, workshops, Tafseer el Quran with Taddabur, Tajweed, Seerah of the Prophet ‫ & صلى اهلل عليه وسلم‬other important subjects in Islamic Studies. Our Mission Masjid Bani Hashim’s mission is to provide authentic understanding of Islam based on Qur'an & Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Mohammed (‫)صلى اهلل عليه وسلم‬. Masjid Bani Hashim welcomes all and provides a golden opportunity to access Islamic Courses to all seekers of Ilm. Without rushing back home, you can make a stop at Masjid Bani Hashim to nurture your soul, pray and recite The Quran.