In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate

 

"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"

 

   Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

          As-Salaam Alaykum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakaatuh

 

1) Methods of Remembering ALLAH

 

 “'There is no obedience to anyone in disobedience to Allah, verily obedience is in that which is correct” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Nasai). Thus, regardless of what people may say, priority should always be given to the laws of Allah and His Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam)

 

How can you remember God throughout the normal course of your day without withdrawing from the routine of your daily worldly life?

How can you ensure that your personal life, family life, professional life and other activities all continue in full swing, and yet, at the same time, ensure that your life as a whole - every moment of it - is permeated with remembrance of God?

Such an all-pervading remembrance can be an onerous task, but one you can accomplish - with some ease. Let me remind you of four states of consciousness that you must strive to develop by remembering certain things, absorbing them and reminding yourself of them often.

1- Say to yourself: “I am in Allah's presence; He is watching me”.

If ever you are alone, He is the second and that if you are two, He is the third. He is with you wherever you are. He is nearer to you than your jugular vein.

He is watching everything that you do and hearing everything that you say. He is ever present and His knowledge is all encompassing. Remind yourself of this as often as you can, and throughout the day - every time you begin a new task, and every time you speak.

Indeed, your aim should be to impress this on your heart in such a way that it ultimately becomes your very breath. When the Prophet (pbuh) was asked by a Companion about the best method of purifying himself, he replied: 'You should always remember that Allah is with you wherever you are.' (At-Tirmidhi)

2- Say to yourself: “Everything I have has been given to me by Allah”.

All that there is - surrounding you, on you and in you - comes from Allah alone. There is none that creates or gives anything but Allah. Therefore, reflect upon all the blessings that He has created you with and be thankful to Him.

In all the sayings that the Prophet(pbuh) has taught us to remember Allah with, gratefulness to Allah is a constant theme. Many of these sayings are simple to learn, and indeed, it was the most simple of his sayings that he used most frequently.

When the Prophet(pbuh) rose in the morning, he would say “Alhamdulillah” (Thanks to Allah) whenever he ate or drank he would say Alhamdulillah; and even when he relieved himself he would give thanks to Allah.

Learn as many of the sayings as you can, and throughout the day, as you witness all that Allah has blessed you with, punctuate your day with these sayings.

If ever you appear to be short of things to be thankful for, recall the hadith (saying ) of the Prophet: 'There are 360 joints in the body and for each joint you must give a sadaqa (thanks or charity) each day.' ( Al-Bukhari)

You must give charity for each one of them because without anyone of them you will be incomplete and handicapped. You must do this on a daily basis for should anyone of them become damaged one day, you will similarly become incapacitated.

Additionally, you may remind yourself that, as we now know from our knowledge of human physiology; your heart beats 72 times a minute. Every time it beats, it does so with the permission of Allah.

The moment He withdraws that permission, the heart will stop beating and your life will certainly come to an end. If you feel that there is nothing else to thank Allah for, then thank Him for the life that He has given you - for, so long as there is life, there is hope.

3- Say to yourself: “Nothing in this world can happen without His permission”.

Everything lies in the hands of Allah. No harm can befall you and no benefit can reach you except as Allah ordains. Allah says in the Quran what means,

{If God should touch you with misfortune, none can remove it but He; and if He should touch you with good fortune, He has power over all things. He alone holds sway over His creatures; He is the All- Wise, the All-Aware.} (Al-An`am 6:17-18)

The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) would supplicate to Allah after each Prayer:

O God, whatever You want to give me, no one can stop it from coming to me and whatever You want to prevent from coming to me, nobody can give to me. (Al-Bukhari)

Prayer after Prayer, you should recite these beautiful words.

And beyond that, remind yourself as much as you can and throughout the day, especially as you expect something to happen, or not to happen, that everything happens only as He commands, and by His permission.

4- Say to yourself: “I am going to return to Allah one day and that day could be today”.

You do not know when you will leave this world. It may be that the coming morning is your last morning, or perhaps the coming evening is your last evening.

Indeed, it may be that this hour is your last hour, or even, that this moment is your last moment. Such an uncertainty does not, of course, justify a complete withdrawal from this life so as to prepare for the next in some monastic fashion.

It is important, however, that you are always conscious of this uncertainty, to the extent that it motivates you to spend every moment of your remaining life seriously, considering it as a gift from Allah and spending the resources He has blessed you with - time, ability and energy as He has advised. Then, and only then, will your life have achieved what is required of it, and your return will achieve what is required of it.

To help you attain this state of consciousness, recall and reflect upon the following Quranic verse as much as you can and throughout the day:

{…From Allah we came and to Him we shall return.} (Al-Baqarah 2:156)
These are the four states of consciousness that can help us achieve a life completely devoted to the remembrance of Allah.

To try to reach these four states simultaneously, and with sincerity, can only purify you. To try in a determined fashion to reach these four states will lead you inevitably to Paradise.

This article is excerpted from the author's book, In the Early Hours, first published by Islamic Foundation.

Ustadh Khurram Murad (1932-1996) studied civil engineering at the universities of Karachi, Pakistan and Minnesota, USA, and was actively involved in the Islamic movement and in the training of Islamic workers. Many of his books, both in English and in Urdu, are being published posthumously.

2) A thing of beauty……
 

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. 

The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. 

The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation. And every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window. 

The man in the other bed began to live for those one-hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside. 

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance. As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. 

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band-he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words. 

Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away. 

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone. 

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the world outside. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. 

The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you." 

Conclusion: There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all of the things you have that money can't buy. "Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."\

 

Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif, e-tabligue
 

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