Taking care of your ♡
Al-Baqarah 2:204
وَمِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَن يُعْجِبُكَ قَوْلُهُۥ فِى ٱلْحَيَوٰةِ ٱلدُّنْيَا وَيُشْهِدُ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا فِى قَلْبِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَلَدُّ ٱلْخِصَامِ
And of the people is he whose speech pleases you in worldly life, and he calls Allah to witness as to what is in his heart, yet he is the fiercest of opponents.
“…And no one will be reminded except those of understanding, [who say], ‘Our Lord, let not our hearts deviate after You have guided us and grant us from Yourself Mercy. Indeed, You are the Bestower.” (Surat al-Imran 3:7-8)
Hearts are the home of our souls. We must take special care of our hearts to ensure that they are nourished.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught, “The pure ones are those who clean themselves from sin, doubt, cheating, lying and jealousy.”
A pure heart loves to please Allah (SWT) and to follow Islamic values such as patience, kindness, honesty, etc. Here are some ways in which one can become closer to Allah (SWT) and purify their hearts, in Shaa Allah.
• Prioritize the 5 daily prayers.
By doing your prayers you are serving your Lord. “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (51:56)
The importance of prayer is conveyed in the Qur’an many times and has been emphasized by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ); “Know that among your duties, prayer is foremost”. Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to pray well before the revelation was sent down to him. He would regularly seclude himself in the cave Hira to meditate and pray. From the cave, the Ka’aba was visible to him and his attention was drawn to Allah, yet Allah's attributes had not yet been revealed to him, he was still inclined to worship even before Allah commanded him to.
It is one of the 5 pillars of Islam, if you are Muslim you are then obligated to pray your 5 prayers or as many as you can each day, (making up any that you may have missed). Prayer is a way to reap many rewards from Allah SWT (in this world and the Hereafter), such as spiritual and physical benefits:
-Reminding us of the essence of life in this world and the Hereafter.-Reduces cholesterol levels.-Direct communication with your Lord.-Boosts the supply of blood to the brain, when in sajdah.-Practicing patience, modesty and genuineness.-Express gratitude to Allah SWT.-Reduces the chance of developing arthritis.
• Read the Qur’an with understanding.
“This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those conscious of Allah – “ (2:2) The Qur’an is the medicine for the soul. It should be read daily and with understanding. There are translations for many languages in order for us to have a better understanding of what He is saying. And it is written in such a way that the messages within are for every generation that has come and that is yet to come. Without understanding how would we put certain things into practice, in order to become the best we can be, in Shaa Allah.
• Remembrance of Allah (Dhikr, Duas, etc)
.“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” (13:28)
Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) related how the Holy Prophet (ﷺ) would remember Allah SWT, within every moment of his life. He would remember Allah SWT before, during and after eating, going to sleep, waking up, entering a house, wearing new clothes, entering and leaving a mosque, looking into a mirror and so on. The times are endless. And with the help of those who put together the authentic hadiths (Sunnah: the way of the Holy Prophet ﷺ), Sahih Al Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, with the many narrations of those close to the Prophet ﷺ. They have and can help us to follow the ways of the Prophet in order to do things the right way, the way that is most pleasing to our Creator.
“Remember Allah so that He will remember you and pray to Him and He will accept your prayers and remembrance of Allah is the greatest virtue.”
• Call upon Allah by His beautiful names.
“Say, 'Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call – to Him belong the best names.’” (17:110)
Whether it be a happy time, a sad time or a cry for help, know that you can call upon Allah SWT at any time during the day and night. Allah tells us in the Quran:“And when My servants ask you (O Muhammad), concerning Me- Indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So, let them respond to Me (by obedience) and believe in Me that they may be (rightly) guided.” [Surat Al-Baqarah 2:186]
• Seek Allah's forgiveness.
“And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and a garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for the righteous.” (3:133) It is amazing that such a flawless man (Prophet Muhammad, may Allah send peace and blessings upon him) would ask Allah more than 100 times a day for forgiveness and be constantly praying and worshipping Allah SWT. Allahu Akbar!• Make Dua (supplication) to Allah for all your needs.“And He answers [the supplication of] those who have believed and done righteous deeds and increases [for] them from His bounty.” (42:26)
“There is no Muslim who offers a Dua – in which there is no sin or severing of family ties – but that Allah will give him one of the three things in return: either He will answer his dua shortly, or He will store it up for him in the Hereafter, or He will divert an equivalent evil away from him because of it. The companions said: ‘We will say a lot of dua’. He said: ‘Allah is more generous’.” [Ahmad]This is the supplication that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ shared with his followers which were to comprehend all of his supplications that which they could not remember:
‘Allah, I beg of Thee of good all that Thy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) begged of Thee and seek Thy Protection against all the evil against which Thy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) sought Thy protection. Thou art the One who is asked for help and it is for Thee to convey the guidance. There is no strength to resist evil, nor power to do good, except through Allah’.
Look at just how passionate the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Muslims of his time were, about the importance of making Dua. Dua nowadays has become an auto-pilot task to tick off our lists (not all Muslims) when in fact it should be something that we should be putting our heart into it, with some only making Dua at times of hardship and then forgetting to make Duas and be thankful in times when things are easy. We should make it our task as practising Muslims to make heartfelt, sincere and humble Duas to our Creator every day, what does it take to make a Dua? At the very least 2 minutes, you still have 23 hours and 58 minutes remaining!
• Think positively about Allah
How Perfect You are O Allah, praise be to You. Blessed is Your name and lofty is Your position and none has the right to be worshipped except You.“Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us.” (9:40) Without a positive attitude to your Creator, you are doomed. In order to become good Muslims and head down the straight wondrous path towards your Creator. You first have to have some positive thoughts towards Him.Reading the Quran is one way to gain some positive thoughts towards Allah and about His attributes. Also what is beneficial and mandatory is for us to study Allah’s names (Al Asma ul Husna). Studying His Beautiful names allows us to get to know our Creator, ar-Rahman (the most Merciful), al-Fattah (the Opener), al-Kafīd (the Humiliator), al-Basīr (the all Seeing), al-Muqīt (the Nourisher).
• Send peace and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
“Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace.” (33:56)
Sending blessing (Salawat) and peace (salaam) upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is a way to show our gratitude towards him. He ﷺ put his life on the line to deliver this message to mankind.Benefits of Sending Blessings Upon The Prophet ﷺ:1. All your concerns will be lifted and your sins will be forgiven.2. Allah will send blessings upon you.3. It will draw you closer to the Prophet ﷺ, in the Hereafter.4. The Prophet ﷺ will receive and return our greetings.5. Your sins will be erased and your status raised.6. It helps your Dua be accepted.• Express gratitude to Allah for His blessings upon you.
“O you who have believed, eat from the good things which We have provided for you and be grateful to Allah if it is [indeed] Him that you worship.” (2:172)
“So, remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do not deny Me.” (2:152)
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