Shaykh Hamza Yusuf – The Heart of the Qur’an: Reflections from Surah Ya-Sin, Al Madinah Institute Nov. 2009

All praise is due to Allah, and may endless peace, mercy, and blessings shower upon His Beloved Messenger Muhammad, his Kin, and his Companions

{And remind them of the days of Allah} (14:5)

These are excerpts taken from the book Kanz Al-Najah Wal-Surur, a book that focuses on the special qualities of each month and what devotional acts are recommended during those particular months and days. Please note that these recommended acts for the month of Safar have been suggested by many of the Righteous scholars and people of insight and have proved beneficial to many over the centuries.

Safar:

Many of the Saliheen state that Allah sends down the trials and tribulations that will occur throughout the year on the last Wednesday of the month of Safar (which is Wednesday, 29th of Safar – February 25th, 2009). Those trials and tribulations are spread out accordingly and apportioned to specific people. It has been recommended to make certain duas and perform certain devotional acts seeking Allah’s Mercy and Gentlessness during this time to avoid being apportioned any trial or tribulation.

What to do on the last Wednesday of Safar:

• Pray 4 rak’ahs (other than an obligatory/fard prayer)
• In each rak’ah recite the Fatiha, then Surat Al-Kawthar (Chapter 108) 17 times, then Surat Al-Ikhlas (Qul Huwa Allahu Ahad – Chapter 112) 5 times, then Surat Al-Falaq (Chapter 113) once, and finally Surat Al-Naas (Chapter 114) once.
• Repeat this in each rak’ah.

After saying the salaam after the 4th rak’ah, this dua should be recited:
Bismillahi Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem, wa Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘ala Sayyidna Muhammadin wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa sallim. {Allahuma} ya Shadeed al-Quwa, wa ya Shadeed al-Mihaal, ya ‘Azeezu dhallat li ‘izzatika jamee’ khalqik; ikfini min jamee’ khalqik, ya Muhsin, ya Mujammil, ya Mutafaddil, ya Mun’im, ya Mukrim – ya men la illaha illa Anta, bi Rahmatika ya Arham Ar-Rahimeen. {Allahuma} bi sirri Al-Hasan wa Akheeh, wa Jaddihi wa Abeeh, ikfini sharra hadha al-youm wa ma yunzilu feeh, ya Kaafi. {Fasa yakfeekahumu Allahu wa Huwa As-Samee’u Al-’Aleem}. Wa Hasbunal Allahu wa na’am al wakeel, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billahi Al-’Alee, Al-’Adheem. Wa Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘ala Sayyidna Muhammad wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa sallim.

The Translation:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. May the peace and mercy of Allah the Exalted be upon our Master Muhammad, and upon his Family and Companions. {O Allah} the One of Intense Power, the One of Intense Perspicacity. O Glorious One, Your entire creation is humbled before your Might – protect me from your entire creation, O Charitable One, O Beautifier, O Gracious One, O Giver of Blessing, O Generous One – there is no god except You, we ask your Mercy, of Most Merciful. {O Allah} by the secret [blessing you have given] Al-Hasan, his brother [Husayn], his grandfather [may the peace and mercy of Allah be upon him!], his father [Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him] – protect us from the evil of this day and from what descends on this day, O Sufficient Protector! {Allah will suffice you against them, He is the All-Seeing, All-Knowing}. Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs, and there is no might or power except Allah’s, the Exalted, the Mighty. And may the peace and mercy of Allah be upon our Master Muhammad, his Family, and Companions.

Also, it is highly recommended to read Surat Ya-Seen (Chapter 36) on that day, and when reaching the verse:

{Sallamun qawlan min Rabbin Raheem} (Verse 58) to repeat that verse 313 times.

After finishing the Surah, then read this dua:
{Allahuma} Salli ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammadin salaatan tunjeena biha min jamee’ al-ahwaali wa al-afaat, wa taqdi lana biha jamee’ al-hajaat, wa tutahirruna biha min jamee’ al-sayyi’aat, wa tarfa’una biha ‘ala ad-darajaat, wa tubalighuna biha aqsa al-ghayaat, min jamee’ al-khayraat, fi al-hayaati wa ba’ad al mamaat. {Allahuma} isrif ‘anna sharra ma yanzilu min al-samaa, wa ma yakhruju min al-ard, innaka ‘ala kul shayy’in qadeer. Wa Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘ala Sayyidina Muhammad wa ‘ala Aalihi wa Sahbihi wa Sallim.

Translation:
O Allah, send mercy upon our Master Muhammad, a [prayer of] mercy with which You save us from all threats and calamaties, and by it [the prayer for mercy] You fulfill all our needs, and You purify us from the entirety of our sins, and You raise us by it to the highest levels, and You allow us to reach our greatest aspirations, in this life and after death. O Allah, avert from us the evil that descends from the heavens, and from [the evil] the comes from the earth – indeed, You are in power over all things. And may Allah send His Mercy upon our Master Muhammad, his Family, and Companions.

Finally, it is recommended to make dua for one’s spiritual needs as well as one’s worldly needs, then ask Allah for protection and good health.

May Allah give us all the success to benefit from each month, each day, and each moment. May Allah continue to bless you all, your families, and the entire Ummah.

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This article was provided by our beloved brother, Sidi Amjad Tarsin. Originally posted in Facebook, graciously allowed to be shared here.

For Bloggers Unite for Human Rights Day, we decided to give a little spin on the event. Here is our perspective on what we can do to be aware about Human Rights.

There is no doubt that we need to be concerned about others who are suffering and who are less fortunate than us. We should definitely educate ourselves and make ourselves aware of the human rights situation in Darfur, Guantanamo, China and elsewhere. We need to start with ourselves. Therefore, we would like to offer these suggestions:

1. Return to your original state (known as fitrah in Islam). Return to your state before there was greed, jealousy, hatred, anger, prejudice and malice. You did not come into this world with blackness in your heart. Somehow, somewhere, the little spots of blackness were introduced into your heart. By removing the blackness, we can learn to have concern for others, we can learn to care and love others regardless of status, race, religion, wealth, etc.

2. Follow your role model. If you are Muslim, follow the exemplary qualities of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). Do not disregard the sunnah of the Prophet. Learn about his characteristics at home, at work, in the community and throughout society. Learn how he dealt with others from different faith communities. Be a reflection of the Best of Creation.

If you are a Christian, embody the qualities and characteristics of Jesus (peace and blessings be upon him). Coming from a Catholic background before I converted, I learned the qualities of Jesus. He was kind, gentle, patient and caring. He had concern for everyone in his environment. He worked hard for his parents, there was no Hallmark or purple roses to ‘show’ his feelings. He didn’t hate. His parents did not avoid or exclude any of the 3 wise men who visited their baby (the 3 wise men were from different regions, thus of different races). 

If you are Jewish, look to Moses for inspiration. Look at how he withstood trials and tribulations. May you all live to 120.

And so forth. Whatever your belief system or lifestyle is, follow the true, beneficial teachings within that system. 

God taught us in the Quran:

O humankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other, not that you may despise (each other). Verily, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). 

Chapter 49, verse 13

We should compete to do righteous acts. We should all strive to help the people suffering. We should all do our part to raise awareness of human rights for everyone.

Check out our BlogCatalog profile here: http://www.blogcatalog.com/user/islamcrunch

Peace.

By Ebadur Rahman

On March 24th 2008, SHURUQ, a New York University (NYU) club dedicated to “celebrating the many cultures represented in the Muslim world,” put together an event that served particular importance in our times of extreme tension and animosity between people of different views and beliefs. The second in a series of diverse events, this program was entitled “Crossroads of Islamic Divisions: A dialogue for Sunnis and Shi’as to discuss how to bridge divides within our communities and to examine the differences between these two branches and discover commonalities.”

This program brought together two very accomplished and respected speakers, one Shi’a and one Sunni. Sayed Ammar Nakshawani is a dynamic and popular speaker educated in psychology, law, and politics. In Islamic studies, he has completed his masters degree and will obtain his PhD from Exeter University this year. He came together with Dr. Muneer Fareed, the current secretary general for Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), a professor of Islamic studies, and the co-founder of American Learning Institute for Muslims (ALIM).

The program started off with a recitation from the Qur’an and introductions by SHURUQ co-chairs, Shermeen Rahman and Sahal Kango, who expressed their hope that Muslims would find a window into different perspectives through this event. The program was moderated by Irfana Hashmi, a third year PhD candidate at NYU, who began by bringing the Amman Message to the attention of the audience as a historical landmark and beacon of hope for the future of Sunni-Shi’a relations. The Amman Message, signed by many of the world’s leading Muslim scholars, involved ”Three Points,” which included a push for recognition of the diverse schools of thought in Islam, a precise definition of who is a Muslim and a call to cease unwarranted declarations of apostasy and disbelief based on this definition, and an appreciation for the scholarly preconditions required for legal rulings.
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