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

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1) Sources of Barakah

"Barakah is the attachment of Divine goodness to a thing, so if it occurs in something little, it increases it. And if it occurs in something much it benefits. And the greatest fruits of Barakah in all things are to use that barakah in the obedience of Allah Ta'aala"

1. Good Intentions: If you want something to have barakah attached to it, have good intentions for it. More specifically, make sure that deed is intended for the sake of Allah Ta'aala. Looking at the definition of Barakah again, you may guess that without us intending what we have or do to be for the sake of Allah, the "Divine goodness" won't be attached to it.

2. Piety and Belief in Allah: Allah says in the Quran: "If the people of the towns had but believed and feared Allah, We should indeed have opened out to them (All kinds of) blessings from heaven and earth?"(Surat Al-A'raf, verse 96). And He says in the Quran: "And for those who fear Allah, He (ever) prepares a way out. And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine" (Surat Al-Talaq, verses 2-3).

3. Putting your trust in Allah: Allah says in the Quran: "And if any one puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah)) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion" (Surat Al-Talaq, verses 3)
Nabi (S.A.W) said: "If only you relied on Allah a true reliance, He would provide sustenance for you just as He does the birds: They fly out in the morning empty and return in the afternoon with full stomachs."

4. Reading Quran: This is the fountain of the Barakah! But SubhanaAllah, we rarely drink from it! Allah says in the Quran: "And this is a Book which We have sent down, bringing blessings, and confirming (the revelations) which came before it?" (Surat Al-An'am, verse 92). So read the Quran, and note the blessings and barakah of Allah coming to your life. The further we are from this book, the less barakah we'll have in our lives, trust me.

5. Saying Bismillah: When you say Bismillah before anything you do, you're invoking the name of Allah on that activity, not only will that activity be blessed but shaytaan cannot take part in it! So always say Bismillah before anything you do! SubhanaAllah, it's easy for us to forget to say Bismillah or be conscious of saying it. Sometimes we're so used to saying it that we can't remember if we said it or not!
Try to be conscious of saying Bismillah and understand what you're saying.

6. Eating with People: Anyone who had the experience of inviting guests to his/her house will know this one. No matter how little you think the food you're presenting to your guest is, it's always enough! (note: this is not an excuse to be miserly when you invite guests over, in fact we should follow the sunnah of our Prophet Ibhraim (A.S) who when the angels visited his house and he didn't know they were angels he went and prepared a large meal for them). What I'm referring here is the blessing that occurs with eating together, this is confirmed in the hadeeth of Nabi (S.A.W) who said:"Eat together, for blessing is in Jamma'a (congregation or being together)?" and in another hadeeth "Whoever has food enough for two persons, should take a third one, and whoever has food enough for four persons, should take a fifth or a sixth (or said something similar)."

7. Honesty in Trade: This is for all of the business people out there (include ebayers!), don't think that lying and deceiving people would make your trade profitable, on the contrary, it'll remove the blessing from your trade. Nabi (S.A.W) said: "The buyer and the seller have the option of cancelling or confirming the deal unless they separate, and if they spoke the truth and made clear the defects of the goods, then they would be blessed in their deal, and if they told lies and hid some facts, their bargain would be deprived of Allah's blessings." Yes, it's difficult to be honest when you're trying to sell something, but trust me it's worth it.

8. Dua: Ask Allah for Barakah! If you listen to some of the Duas from the Nabi (S.A.W) you'll notice how the Prophet used to make dua for barakah. We always say "May Allah bless you!" well, guess what? That's a source of barakah! Also, when you're invited to someone's house, Nabi (S.A.W) advised us to make the following dua for the host:
"O Allaah, bless for them, that which You have provided them, forgive them and have mercy upon them."

9. Halal income/money: Nabi (S.A.W) said: "O people, Allah is good and He therefore, accepts only that which is good" Scholars refer this to Halaal income and the importance of Halaal income. A scholar also said that the one who eats Haram his limbs will disobey Allah whether he likes it or not, and the one who eats Halaal and seeks Halaal income his limbs will also do good and would be given the permission to seek goodness.
This concept of your limbs being "blessed" and enabled to do good, is truly a blessing and a barakah we should all seek. Reminds me of a story of the old man, who jumped a large distance that young people couldn't do. So when the young men asked the old man how he did it, he replied: "These are limbs, we've protected it from doing sins when we were young, so Allah preserved them from us when we got old"

10. Following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) in all things:
The most Productive Man in the history of humanity is Nabi (S.A.W) , therefore, by just following his lifestyle and the Sunnahs we so often hear about, is a great source of Barakah!
Some of these Sunnahs include: Eating Suhoor, eating with the right hand from the side of the plate, going out for Eid Salat, licking your fingers after finishing eating, sleeping on your right hand side, using the siwaak, and many more. Look out for these sunnahs and follow them, for imitating the life of the most blessed man on earth, is surely a source of blessing!

11. Praying Istikhara: Praying istikhara in all matters and handing over the matters to Allah and accepting his decree is a great source of barakah. And Nabi (S.A.W) has taught us a beautiful dua which helps us make decisions and not regret the choices we make with the permission of Allah. One who seeks guidance from his Creator and consults his fellow believers and then remains firm in his resolve does not regret for Allah(S.W.T) has said: `?and consult them in the affair. Then when you have taken a decision, put your trust in Allaah?"

12. Giving thanks to Allah in abundance: Allah says in the Quran: "If you are grateful, I will add more (favours) unto you" A scholar once told me if you look into this verse, the Arabic word that is used to confirm that Allah will favours unto the person who thanks Allah is actually in the form of an Oath "La azidannakum" so Allah is promising the person who thanks Him that He'll increase him, and Allah never breaks his promises.

13. Charity: In the Hadeeth Qudsi, Allah says: "O son of Adam, spend (in charity), and I'll spend on you!" Whenever you are broke, or you feel barakah is zapped out of our life and urgently need it back, the quickest of way of getting barakah in your life is giving charity. Not only because of the above hadeeth, but let's say barakah has been removed from your life because of a sin you've committed, charity cleanses your sins and adds good deeds and is truly a source of barakah.

14. Tying your ties of kinship: Narrated by Abu Huraira (R.A) Nabi (S.A.W) has said, "Allah created His creation, and when He had finished it, the womb, got up and caught hold of Allah whereupon Allah said, "What is the matter?' On that, it said, `I seek refuge with you from those who sever the ties of Kith and kin.' On that Allah said, `Will you be satisfied if I bestow My favours on him who keeps your ties, and withhold My favours from him who severs your ties?' On that it said, `Yes, O my Lord!' Then Allah said, `That is for you.' " Abu Huraira (R.A) added: If you wish, you can recite: "Would you then if you were given the authority. do mischief in the land and sever your ties of kinship."

15. Waking up early: Nabi (S.A.W) said: "Allah made the early hours blessed for my Ummah."
Try to wake up for Tahajjud, pray, and then work during the hours before Fajr Salaat and Tahajjud. If you can't, then at least wake up for Fajr and stay up till sunrise before you go back to sleep. Those hours are so blessed. If you're able to go to work in those hours, do so, you'll get much more work done than the whole day put together!

16. Marriage: Allah says in the Quran: "Marry those among you who are single, or the virtuous ones among yourselves, male or female: if they are in poverty, Allah will give them means out of His grace: for Allah encompasses all, and he knoweth all things."

17. Salaat: Allah says in the Quran: "Enjoin prayer on your people, and be constant therein. We ask thee not to provide sustenance: We provide it for thee. But the (fruit of) the Hereafter is for righteousness"
To illustrate the point of Salaat further, just imagine your life without salaat, where would Barakah come from? For those of you who are still wavering in their Salaat, please get back on track, this is your lifeline in this life and hereafter, and the daily food for your soul.
18. Asking Allah for forgiveness: Nabi (S.A.W) has said: "If anyone continually asks forgiveness from Allah, Allah will appoint for him a way out of every distress, and a relief from every anxiety, and will provide for him from where he did not reckon."

May Allah (S.W.T) fill our lives with Barakah , Aameen!

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2) Demeanour of the Last Prophet (Sallalay wa aliye wa sallam)

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was always cheerful, of mild temperament and easy-going, yet at the same time reflective and would spend much of his time looking down at the ground in contemplation. When he spoke, those sitting around him were so still that it seemed that birds were perched on their heads. When he fell silent, they talked but never argued in his presence. May Allah bless and bestow peace upon him.

He was neither rude nor coarse and did not shout or utter obscenities. He did not find fault with others nor lavishly praised them. He did not interrupt another’s speech. He would interact with those who sat with him in the best of ways: he would never frown at them, treat them harshly or turn away from them, and he would make excuses for them as much as possible. Whoever mixed with him would think that he was the most beloved person to him due to the attention he received, his kindness and the sincere advice he was given. May Allah bless and bestow peace upon him.

He would honor the leader of every people and put them in charge of their affairs. He would show respect to the people of nobility and excellence and he would divide his time amongst them in accordance to their religiosity, yet there wasn’t a soul who felt they were not able to approach him due to his humility and welcoming nature. He gave everyone who sat with him his due share such that none thought that another was more honored than he. If any person sat with him or near him to ask of him, he was tolerant and remained so until that person himself turned away. When someone asked him for something he needed, he either parted with it or with some consoling words. He had the kindest and best behavior of all people, being like a father to them. May Allah bless and bestow peace upon him.

He was easy-going, soft, close to people, he answered the calls of those who called him, judged between those who required judgment, fulfilled the need of those who asked of him – never preventing them from asking him and never letting them go disappointed or empty-handed.

When his Companions desired a thing from him, he would agree with them and follow them; if he determined to do something, he would consult them. He would accept their good from them and overlook their mistakes. May Allah bless and bestow peace upon him.

He was the most truthful of people, the most honorable. The people fought him, employing all means at their disposal, yet none of them ever accused him of lying. His friends and foes alike would not describe him except as the most gentle, generous and empowering individual to walk on the Earth. May Allah bless and bestow peace upon him.

His generosity did not come about through effort, neither was it hard upon him, rather it naturally arose due to the purity of his soul and gentleness of spirit. He had the most giving of hearts by virtue of the righteousness of his spirit and the overflowing good contained therein. Kindness would pour out of his heart for it was enveloped in every beautiful attribute and in every excellence that he had.

It is sufficient to end with the fact that the very greatest and noblest of people would all say about the Prophet Muhammad, “I have never seen anyone, before him or after him, who was comparable to him.” May Allah bless and bestow peace upon him.

The Rights of the Prophet

Allah sent him as a Prophet and a Messenger to the entirety of the community of Jinn and Man. He was sent as nothing but a Mercy to these worlds, one blessed with wisdom and guidance, with a criterion to establish right from wrong, truth from falsehood, and to bring the people from darkness into light.

He was sent as a blessing to mankind, and was sent to be followed. He was sent to be emulated and loved, to become more beloved to us than our parents and our children, even more than our own souls.

It is his Sunnah that we study, revise, memorize and implement. We then internalize it, promote it, then teach it, defend it, protect it and die for it. At this moment then, let us revive his Sunnah by not indulging in actions contrary to it, but by reflecting on the magnificence of the one who came with it and his attempts to keep the people straight upon its path. Let us reflect upon the actions of those supreme Companions whom Allah Himself is pleased with, and the way they acted upon the Sunnah and the way they remembered their guide and master and celebrated his coming.

    Based on authentic narrations. Please see the “Commentary to the Shama’il Al-Muhammadiyyah”

“O Allah! Guide me to have beautiful manners and characteristics; no one can guide me to beautify them except You. And turn me away from all evil actions and characteristics, no one can turn them away from me except You.”

Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif, www.thekhalids.org

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