Do you have the energy?
Do you think you have the will power to wake up at the last 1/3 of the night when your whole neighborhood is sleeping? Strong enough? Imagine the blessings you would recieve in the month of Ramadan when you are worshipping Allah late at night! It is one of the best times to make a big dua to Allah! So consider it, because Allah comes down on the last 1/3 of the night, therefore he is near to His servants. Make your sujood long, and this where the servant is closest to Allah, so make your duas there!
Remember, this life is short and taking out a half hour of the night just to attain the Happiness of Allah is priceless. For the month of Ramadan, try to get up an hour before Suhoor so you would be able to offer 2 rakah by 2 rakah salah. Then insha’allah you can eat that nice stuffing breakfast which will last you throughout the whole day insha’allah.
I am sure you guys can do it. Have a friend motivate you insha’allah. Do not make this intention to wake up early to pray just for Ramadan, rather this is to change your life forever. More importantly, keep in mind you have to pray Fajr. So this should not be a replacement for you to miss Fajr, therefore right after suhoor, do not forget your Dawn (Fajr) salah!
May Allah bless you in this world and the akhirah!
Was-salaamu ‘Alaykum
September 3, 2008
Aboo Noor
Recommended Sites
These are the sites I would recommend (there are lectures, advice, question and answers) for Ramadan:
fatwa-online.com / efatwa.com — Has many wonderful fatwa from the previous Saudi ulema, and they have concise articles on how to fasting and what breaks fasting
calltoislam.com — Has wonderful lectures from scholars such as Navaid Aziz and Mutassim al Hameedee
islamtoday.com — A good Q and A site
islamqa.com — Another good Q and A site, this has more questions that are answerd
Was-salaamu ‘Alaykum
September 2, 2008
Aboo Noor
Fasting the whole day
Its “better’ to eat before the time of Fajr approaches and your intention should be to fast from Fajr to Maghrib.
You do not need to say a du’aa before Fajr in order to fast, rather an intention is sufficient.
When Fajr starts, that is when your fast start.
Do not forget to do your prayers!
Fast til Maghrib
Say the du’aa (prayer) to break fast
Prayer to break your fast
Note: If you eat or drink by mistake, your fast is still valid.
Was-salaamu ‘Alaykum
September 2, 2008
Aboo Noor
To pray witr or not to pray witr with the imam
I’m a muslim woman who prays tarawehe. Mostly if I do not go for prayers, my younger brother does not go either.In the mosque where we pray from the imaam prays witr as well. I have been waking up to pray tahajud and read the Quran at night. After witr I can not pray Tahajud. What is a better option for me. To go for taraweh so my brother can go too or to stay home and pray at night? Which is more rewarding?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Your going to the mosque and attending Taraweeh with the congregation and meeting your Muslim sisters are all good things, praise be to Allaah. The fact that you are helping your brother to do this as well is another good deed to be added to the others.
There is no conflict between this and your praying tahajjud at the end of the night. You can combine all these good deeds, by doing one of the two following things:
1 – Pray Witr with the imam, then when you can do tahajjud after that, prayer whatever Allaah wills for you, two by two rak’ahs, without repeating Witr, because one cannot pray two Witrs in one night.
2 – Delay Witr until the end of the night. When the imam says the salaam at the end of Witr, do not say the salaam with him, rather stand up and do an extra rak’ah, so that your Witr will then be at the end of the night.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: When some people pray Witr with the imam and the imam says the salaam, they stand up and do another rak’ah so that their Witr will be at the end of the night. What is the ruling on doing this? Is it regarded as finishing the prayer with the imam?
He replied:
We do not know of there being anything wrong with this. The scholars stated that there is nothing wrong with doing that so that one will pray Witr at the end of the night. It is still true that he has stood with the imam until he finishes, because he stayed with him until the imam finished, then he prayed an extra rak’ah for a legitimate shar’i purpose, so that his Witr will be at the end of the night. There is nothing wrong with that, and that does not mean that he did not stay with the imam, rather he stayed with the imam until he finished, but then he did not finish with him, rather he delayed a little. End quote.
Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 11/312
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen (may Allaah preserve him) was asked a similar question and he replied:
It is better for the person who is praying behind the imam to follow the imam until he finishes Taraweeh and Witr, so that he will have stayed with the imam until he finishes, and the reward for spending the whole night in prayer will be recorded for him. This is what Imam Ahmad and other scholars did.
Based on this, if a person prays Witr with him (the imam) and finishes with him, there is no need to do another Witr at the end of the night. If he wakes up at the end of the night he may offer whatever prayers Allaah has decreed for him, two rak’ahs at a time. And he should not repeat Witr, because there should not be two Witrs in one night.
Some scholars regarded it as preferable to pray Witr with the imam and do an additional rak’ah, by standing up after the imam says the salaam and then doing another rak’ah and saying the salaam, and then praying Witr at the end of tahajjud, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If any one of you fears that dawn is about to come, let him pray one rak’ah as Witr …” And he said: “Make the last of your prayer at night Witr.” End quote.
From Fataawa Ramadaan, p. 826
The Standing Committee also issued a fatwa saying that the second matter is good.
Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 7/207
We ask Allaah to grant you guidance and steadfastness.
Source: http://islamqa.com/en/ref/65702/witr%20tahajjud
And Allaah knows best.
Ramadan Goals
What are your Ramadan goals? Set them now! Time is approaching al-hamdulillah. Here I will set up some nice goals that you can make for this beautiful month.
1. Finish the whole Quran during the month of Ramadan, and this is the sunnah of the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa salam.
2. Review the parts of the Quran that you memorized. This is one goal that is especially important for those who have memorized the Quran.
3. Wake up before Suhoor an hour early to do extra worship and to attain the barakah of eating before fajr.
4. Hang out at the masjid more. Thats not a bad suggestion! Why not! Attend some teraweeh prayers!
5. Organize a day to invite your friends and family to break their fast with you. Imagine the amazing blessing!
6. If you want to take a vacation, why not take it during the last 10 days of Ramadan!!! ITIKAF!!! Stay in the masjid for 10 days, its an amazing experience, one that you will cherish and wish to do every year. You would be amongst brothers who stay up late at night, reading Quran and standing up for night prayer. Also you would be seeking the greatest day of the whole year, which is Laylatul-Qadr!!! A day that is better than a 1000 months!
7. Commit less sins! No explanation here on why you should do this.
8. Make yourself more humble! The Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa salam was generally a humble man, but in the month of Ramadan he would be extra!
9. Make all the duas in the world! Make them especially in the last 1/3 of the night, and in your sujood! When you’re in your sujood, you’re the closest to Allah!
10. FAST FOR THE SAKE OF ALLAH! Do not fast because your parents told you to, or because it is the “in thing”. Fasting is worship! So make all your worships for Allah, to please Him!!!
GET READY!
Was-salaamu ‘Alaykum
August 27. 2008
Aboo Noor
Want to learn Dua Qunoot?
Visit this beautiful site which I found online http://www.makedua.com! Has so many authentic duas compiled by Shaykh al-Qattani. The dua I posted in Arabic, is dua qunut which you can recite during the witr prayer. Its a beautiful dua!
English translation:
‘O Allaah, guide me along with those whom You have guided, pardon me along with those whom You have pardoned, be an ally to me along with those whom You are an ally to and bless for me that which You have bestowed. Protect me from the evil You have decreed for verily You decree and none can decree over You. For surety, he whom You show allegiance to is never abased and he whom You take as an enemy is never honoured and mighty. O our Lord, Blessed and Exalted are You.’
I highly advise every Muslim to get this beautiful book! It is truly a blessing to have this shaykh to make such a beneficial book for the Muslims! May Allah reward him immensely.
Was-salaamu ‘Alaykum
August 27, 2008
Aboo Noor
Various Dua Qunoots
I love hearing dua qunoots, especially from my favourite recitors from around the world! It is so beautiful to see how the people get emotional when they hear such beautiful duas being recited! Love it…except when people get too emotional, thats when it gets annoying.
Nevertheless, I would like to share some qunoots I love hearing!
Shatri from Saudi Arabia
Salah al-Budair from Saudi Arabia
Mishary al-Afasy from Kuwait
Listen to these! Absolutely beautiful!
Was-salaamu ‘Alaykum
August 27, 2008
Aboo Noor
Get back your salah
It is a phenomenon that Muslims start praying in the month of Ramadan and forget to pray right after it. Well, right now Ramadan has not even started…so that means, about 90% Muslim are not praying their five daily salah! Yes yes, I am sure Ramadan is the best time to gain back your faith. But come on, is it not scary for us to not know when our souls will be taken. Allah says in Surah al-Imran: “Every soul shall taste death”. For sure, Allah is the most merciful. The mercy of a mother towards her child is not equivalent! However, there is one important thing to know, that Allah is also the most severe in punishment. If Allah chooses, he can turn a city in ashes without any single warning signs. Tsunami 2004 anyone?
Why is our salah taken so lightly? Allah knows best, but my guess would be a) we are too lazy b) we do not like to worship Allah c) what is the point? I suppose these are excellent reasons for a person not to pray salah. May Allah protect us from the habits of those who disbelieve in Allah. Did you know that if you do not pray your five daily prayers that you have attained kufr (disbelief). Scary eh? Imagine dying in that state! Imagine, giving up all your prayers for the sake of desire. Ridiculous I would say.
Now imagine the benefits of salah: a) it is a facilitation towards Jannah b) you come closer to Allah by worshipping him c) you attain the love of Allah d) you’re doing something a real man or a real woman does, and that is keeping their faith. A weak man just lives his life for the riches of this world, while the strong man lives his life for this world and the hereafter.
I remember myself when I was young where I was weak in prayer. I would forbid praying salah just to watch some game that was coming on TV. It is really sad when person gives preference to their television over the worship of Allah, the One who created you and gave you sustenance. One day I could not take this, so I said to myself before going to bed that night, from that day I would do my best to pray all my daily salah. From that one intention, today I have become a stronger individualal. When you worship Allah, various doors open for you. Allah would never choose to despair his worshipper in the hereafter. He will put them through trials in this world, but is it not better to face trials in this world rather than swimming in blood or burning in Hell?
If you are not able to pray your five daily salah, treat it as a test from Allah. Struggle to be the best you can be. A person can change within a second. It does not need to take a days or months to change. Look at the sahabah, when the legislation came against drinking alcohol, their would be companions of the Prophet sallallahu ‘alayhi wa salam who would try to cough out what they drank immediately.
Lets live the sunnah of the Prophet sallalahu ‘alayhi wa salam, and try to attain the best of both worlds.
Make your intention today, that you will keep up with your prayers.
Know, that death can reach a soul at any moment.
Be aware of the punishment of Allah.
Do not despair over your past sins, rather seek repentance.
Love Allah and live a life according to the Quran and Sunnah, so Allah will love you.
Was-salaamu ‘Alaykum
August 27, 2008
Aboo Noor
Ramadan is coming near you!
Welcome to Ramadan Prep!!! Ramadan is just around the corner! Better believe it! Al-hamdulillah! It is honestly the best month of the year. Its a time where Muslims get together and stay up late at night without their parents getting angry at them. Ramadan is the time where all your good deeds are multiplied and its a time where you can call up your family and friends to your house to break fast. Imagine the barakah in that, where you feed a hungry soul after hours of worshipping Allah by fasting for His sake. Its time to prepare for this beautiful month and get excited. We must try to stay in the highest level of faith. Get pumped! ITS RAMADAN ALMOST!!!
Ramadan Prep 