Monday, April 23, 2012

Mathematical Problem.

JackJack counted the number of letters in the first verse of Suratul Mulk. The reward of reading one letter in the quran is equal to 10 rewards. With his new mathematical knowledge of multiplication, he told me how much reward one can get just by reading the first verse alone.

And and and if you find it difficult to read, because you are a new learner or whatever the reason is, you will be rewarded double that.

Question : How many rewards will one get if they read the first verse of Suratul Mulk?
                 What will the reward be if they find it difficult to read?





 Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "Whoever recites a letter from the Book of Allah, he will be credited with a good deed, and a good deed gets a ten-fold reward. I do not say that Alif-Lam-Mim is one letter, but Alif is a letter, Lam is a letter and Mim is a letter.''


`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu ’alayhi wa sallam) said, "The one who is proficient in the recitation of the Qur'an will be with the honourable and obedient scribes (angels) and he who recites the Qur'an and finds it difficult to recite, doing his best to recite it in the best way possible, will have a double reward.''


Friday, April 20, 2012

Toss Me

I'd like to narrate you the story of a sahabah whose name is Al Baraa' ibn Malik. You can read the full version below. But what I like to highlight about him is oneof his acts of courage.

It was on a fierce battle at the place where they later called "The Garden of Death". It was called such because of the large number of deaths during the battle. It was a fierce battle. This occured at the time after Prophet Muhammad's salllahu alaihi salam death. At the time when apostasy emerged. The time when false prophets are beginning to gain followers.

There was Musaylimah the Kazab - Musaylimah the Liar, the false prophet. he had gathered himself enough followers to establish an army.

This is the time of the first Khalifah - Abu Bakr As Sidq. he sent an army to fight The False Prophet and it was a fierce fight whre the Muslims had to restrategise numerous times.

When sometime at the end of the fight, the enemies began to retreat and locked themselves out at the Garden. They locked themsleves inside the garden and the Muslim army counldnt get to them. The enemies started raining arrows on to the Muslim army from the other side of the wall...

Meanwhile there was Al Baraa'. Al Baraa' the brave hero. He said to the Muslims, "Toss me."

AlBaraa (radhi allahtala anhu) said, "Toss me over the wall, I will fight through the entire army and open the door, or die shaheed." They mounted him onto his shield and catapulted him with their spears over the wall into an army of thousands. AlBaraa (radhi allahtala anhu) fought through them and opened the door and the Muslim army defeated Musaylima and his army.

AlBaraa (radhi allahtala anhu) was injured so bad (more than 80 sword and arrow wounds) that they he had to be nursed back to health in Medina for many months.
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I heard this story perhaps two years ago. But it reminded me of the scene in LOTR when Gimli asked to be tossed.



So now you know who did it first.

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Read the full story of one of the greatest sahabahs ever lived. May Allah make this ummah courageous and have the yaqeen of meeting Allah.


His skin's color was pale and his hair was knotted. But it was his skinny frame that made those who did not know him turn away from him in disapproval. Yet it was he who had defeated one hundred of the knights in duels, to say nothing of those whom he had slain in battle.

He was the courageous, ferocious champion at arms of whom the second Caliph 'Umar Ibnul-Khattaab had written to his deputies in the provinces: "Do not put Al-Baraa' in charge of any army. He is so courageous and fierce in the battle field, he may jeopardize the safety of his men without knowing." Such was Al-Baraa' Ibn Maalik Al-Ansaari brother of Anas Ibn Maalik the servant of Prophet Muhammad . If we were to tell every story of his heroic deeds, it would take much time. One event, which we shall describe, will give an idea of similar actions of his.

This story begins in the hours after the death of the Prophet . The Arab tribes of the desert, when they heard the news, abandoned their faith in droves, until none remained within the fold of Islam, save the people of Makkah, Madeenah, Taa'if, and scattered bands of those whose hearts Allaah had made steadfast.

Abu Bakr the first caliph, stood firm in the face of this destructive upheaval. With the Muhajiroon (emigrants) and Ansaar (Supporters of the prophet ) he prepared eleven armed forces, and had each of them march behind a leader carrying the banner of Islam. They were sent to the distant corners of Arabia to turn the renegades back to the path of truth, and to use the threat of force with those who insisted upon corruption.

The fiercest of the apostates, and the greatest in number, were the tribe of Banu Haneefah. A false prophet named Musaylimah had arisen to lead them. He had gathered a force of forty thousand of his own tribe and their allies. Many of them were tough, seasoned warriors, most of them followed him not because they believed in him, but because of the old tradition of tribal affiliations followed by the pagan Arabs. Some of them said: "I bear witness that Musaylimah is a liar, and Muhammad is truthful. But a liar from Rabee’ah is more beloved to me than a truthful one form Mudhar (the Prophet's tribe)."

The first Muslim force which set out to deal with Musaylimah was led by Ikrimah . It was defeated and routed by the forces, of the renegades. Later, Abu Bakr sent another army, this time led by the hero, Khaalid Ibnul-Waleed . In the vanguard of this army were the most prominent companions of the Muhajiroon and the Ansaar, and among them were Al-Baraa' and other notable Muslim champions-at-arms.

The two armies clashed on the field of Al-Yamamah in Najd, and, it was not long before the forces of Musaylimah gained the upper hand, and the Muslim forces were shaken badly. They began to retreat from their positions, until the forces of Musaylimah entered the encampment of Khaalid Ibnul-Waleed . They would have killed Khaalid's wife, if one of them had not granted her his protection. At the point the Muslims realized the danger inherited in losing this crucial battle. They knew that if they were defeated by Musaylimah, Islam would lose its strength, and Allaah would no longer be worshiped in the Arabian Peninsula. People would turn back to idolatry and be lost. Khaalid rallied the Muslim forces and placed each group under a separate banner so that he could keep track of the gains or losses made in battle.

This battle was the bloodiest and most ferocious yet experienced by the Muslims. It dragged on and the forces of Musaylimah stood firm, unshaken by the amount of their losses. The heroic deeds of the Muslims in this battle were of the type about which epic poetry is written.

Thaabit Ibn Qays standard-bearer of the Ansaar, rubbed himself with embalming spices girded himself with a shroud, and dug a shallow trench. He stood there, defending the standard of his people until he fell as a martyr.

Zayd Ibnul-Khattaab, the brother of 'Umar charged forth, calling to the Muslims: "Grit your teeth, strike the enemy and move forward. I am taking a vow of silence and will not speak until Musaylimah is defeated or I meet my creator and tell Him that I died while doing my best." Then he charged forward, engaging in combat until he was slain.

These heroic acts were insignificant before the action of Al-Baraa'. As the battle reached the height of its furry, Khaalid Ibnul-Waleed turned to Al-Baraa' and said: "Lead the assault on them, knight of the Ansaar."

Al-Baraa' turned to his people and cried: "Onward, Ansaar! Let not any of you think that you may return to Al-Madeenah. You have no place to go home. There is only Allaah, and Paradise!”

In one body they charged the ranks of the renegades, with Al-Baraa' cutting through the enemy of Allaah that the tide of battle turned against Musaylimah and his forces. They took refuge in an orchard which became known to history as the Orchard of Death, because of the great number of fighters who were slain there on that day.

The orchard was vast, with high walls and Musaylimah and his thousands of forces locked the entrance. They were able to take shelter behind the walls as if they were in a fortress, and rained their arrows down upon the Muslims. Al-Baraa' came forth, and told his people: "Put me on a shield, raise it on your lances, and toss me over the wall near to the gate. I will open the gates to you, or die as a martyr."

Within moments he was sitting on a shield, with his slight body which weighed little, and dozens of lances lifted him, then tossed him into the Orchard of death. Like a thunderbolt from on high, he descended on the enemy, and killed ten of them before he was able to open the gate. The Muslims poured in through the gates and over the wall, felling with their sword the renegade forces by the thousands, until they reached Musaylimah and killed him.

As for Al-Baraa' he was carried off the field with more than eighty sword and arrow wounds. Khaalid Ibnul-Waleed stayed with him for a month, nursing him until Allaah restored his health, just as He had granted the Muslims victory because of him.

Al-Baraa' continued to long for death as a martyr, a fate, which had eluded him at the battle of Al-Yamamah. In his longing for his fate, and for reunion with his beloved Prophet he committed himself to one battle after another. At the battle of Tustar in Persia, the Muslims who had besieged the Persians became more desperate, they lowered over the wall chains with huge grappling hooks which had been heated until they were red hot. On them, they would impale the Muslims, and would raise the victims up. One of the hooks caught Anas, the brother or Al-Baraa' . When Al-Baraa' realized what was happening to his brother, he scaled the wall of the fortress until he was able to seize the chain and remove the hook form his brother's body. His hand started to burn and give off smoke, but he did not give up until he had saved his brother. Then he fell to the ground, with nothing left of his hand but bare bones.

During this battle, Al-Baraa' prayed to Allaah to grant him death as a martyr. Allaah granted him his request, and he finally fell, overjoyed that he was to meet his Lord.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Reading the Sahabah Stories

One of the intermittent things we did when we went for the umrah journey is that I read out aloud to them the story of the sahabahs. There were many idle times time to kill. There was waiting time at the immigration, at the restaraunt waiting for food, at the hotel in between solah time in haram or whenever.

I decided to bring a book about the sahabahs. The reason being was because I rarely could cover this topic in the halaqah. They have short chapters. They are not very academic because they are stories. So its the easiest and most effective especially that we were on the move.

The book I used - Portraits From the Lives of the Companions of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wasalam Volume 1 & 2 - Abdur Rahman Al Basha. I personally find this one the best book for sahabah.

Haziq particularly enjoyed it alot. I personally recommend you to read, discuss and go through the seeraah and the stories of the sahabah especially with your boys the budding teenagers. Boys usually need someone - a figure - that they can look up to and emulate. Boys like to hear and know about men - real men.

OK we have different biography that we can introduce them too. The highly successful people. We can talk to them about Steve Jobs, Bill gates, Nelson Mendela, Malcolm X, Company CEO or whoever. I have nothing against telling them about non muslim leader. There are things we can learn from all.

However, I personally would make more gravity on conveying the Muslim heroes more and the non muslims as supplement only. If we keep shoving them worldly personalities that are successful in the world only - then the only success they believe is the worldly one. The ultimate objective is the greatest success which is the afterlife.

Not that we cannot have both. Why not? We do ask for hasanat in this world and after. So have balance. And balance must beaccording to the ratio of life of the hereafter against life of the world. You are better in maths than me. Go figure.

Anyway, try different angles to what spark our boys' (and girls) interest. Leadership, battles, strategists, linguists, businessman, courage, steadfast, strength, knowledge and so forth.

I am not sure what spark Haziq really. he seem to like any battle stories. That is why he prefers the seeraah of Madeenah and the battles during Khalifah Abu Bakar and Umar. I personally prefer seerah in Makkah. But hey this is not about me.

You could identify the personality that suits your children most and slowly live it. The teenagers will relate to this I think. Sya and Jack just take take this as stories but Haziq is already at the age of thinking another layer deeper into their personalities.

I can't wait for the time that I put more gravity on Sya's teenage interest and I will share here Insya Allah.

learning about sahabah is crucial for they are the ones that Prophet salllahu alaihi salam said are the best of generations after him. They are real people who are also exposed to mistakes and sins. We can learn from their struggle and their strive and how they go through their life in the worship of Allah and Insya Allah we also can become like them.

They are described as "Monks by night and knights by day."

What drives their discipline? What are their understanding? What are their motivation? Do they breathe the same air? See the same sun? Shade under the same moon? Do they belong to the same world?

A loooonnnnngggg project to be done. Time? Where is my time? May Allah expand my time for Him.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Ihsan

Alhamdulillah by the grace of Allah and his tawfiq and hidayah, Allah has allowed us to go to umrah his year. We got back safely last Friday Alhamdulillah.

When we came back from one of the solat jamaah in Haram, Haziq exclaimed, you know standing in the jamaah today when we raised our hands for takbiratul ihram and stood straight in a line, I felt that we were ready for war. In unity all of us. i felt so charged up.

I don't know whether this is the after effect of Lord of The Ring battle, or that we have been reading about the sahabah throughout our journey or the overwhelming feeling of being in the haram itself.

Indeed Haziq, to go to the masjid for you is already a jihad, to stand there is another jihad and the solah on its own is a battle of khushoo'.

In hadith Jibrael narrated by Umar radialllahu anhu,

in the conversation between Jibrael and Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasalam, Jibrael asked the Prophet,

“Inform me about Ihsan.” He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, ” It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you.”

Have you, when you stand before your Lord in your prayers, feel that? That you are really standing before Him and that He is watching your every move. That He is in front of you inspecting you?

Unlike the commander of war who would inspect his lines of men, when Allah looks, He can see your heart and all the secrets you hide. He knows who you are standing for and who you fear. He knows whether your heart is saying what you make apparent. He knows your yearns and He knows your cries.

And whether you keep your talk secret or disclose it, verily, He is the All-Knower of what is in the breasts (of men). (Al Mulk 67: 13)

And that He doesn't stop watching you after that.

He knows when you smile but it is hate that you feel in the heart. He knows your strive that you are fighting to follow His command. He can really see in your heart whether you are submitting to Him whole heartedly.

Your heart is exposed to Him. There is nothing, just nothing you can conceal! We are so weak Ya Rabb. Open to us Your Mervy Ya Rabb.

Lâ ilâha illa Anta Subhanaka. Truly, I have been of the wrong-doers." (Al Anbiya 21: 87)

Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You forgive us not, and bestow not upon us Your Mercy, we shall certainly be of the losers.” (Al AaRaf 7: 23)

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Sya is Eleven

Sya and ayahMasya Allah! tabarakallah! Time flies really fast as the saying goes. Sya is already in her double digit age.

First of all Alhamdulillah, Sya is not into acting like big girls. Yeah she likes to do her hair and all that, and we sort of encourage her by praising her but not by overdoing it. We encourage her because girls like to hear praises. We encourage her to look nice at home and to not feel the need to do it outside the home. I would usually remind lover to praise her too. Not that lover does not like doing it, but men need reminders in this sort of thing I think.

And let me tell you this, girls like to hear their father praising them. This is crucial for their positive self esteem and self confidence. When they have praises from the man who matters most in their life, they do not need to quench this need from strange men outside,Insya Allah, May Allah protect our daughters.

OK about Sya. Sya is a reminder to me, that all children are different. Their different interest from the family's norm (when it is allowed by the deen), does not mean they are strange. Sya has not much interest in Maths and science like I do and like her abang. This is frustrating. Because the world in general, gauge cleverness based on the school's academic report especially maths and science. Not that she is downright terrible in the subjects, but she never score in them nor is she getting the concept really quick. When she does get after drilling, she would forget it by next week. Insya Allah khayr.

her memorisation has been going on steadily. Some of her friends have leapt tremendously but it's ok. We must balance encouragement and threat. encouragement by 90%. The competition is more against your nafs. I personally find memorisation has helped Sya in her studies even more. She is more able to focus and remember. Insya Allah khayr. These are bonus of memorising the quran, not the ultimate motif.

Sya is more into crafts and sewing little things. This is a problem in my household because I find crafts messy. yeah sure many people make nice crafts, but they are still a mess in my opinion. I like functional things. I do not fancy many things put on display. Displayed things to me should be in good size and especially nice. Strewn small things only collect dusts and difficult to maintain.

Having said that, I am exploring what she likes and encouraging the way I can, bebelling because of the messiness and gritting my teeth because I do not favour it.

Sya is a very caring person and likes to put people's needs first before others. She is willing to do things for her brothers and me of course. She is so willing, such that I had to tell Haziq off for making her do things for him. She always have her friend's needs in her mind and love to make stuff for them. She would either paint something for them when they are not well, make stuffed toy for them.

She swims well and take up rollerblading easily as well. So I will Insya Allah continue to send her to swimming classes. I have many berangan ideas for her through this.

Her room is still messy though. Yeah, even though I am not an organised person myself, but I cannot stand other people's messiness. :P

She has been steadfast on her choice of the way to dress so far. Alhamdulillah.

I ask Allah that this carry on through trial times of teenagehood and adult life and that Allah grant her strength of mind to be a Muslimah as Allah wants Muslimah to be.

She is slowly growing up into a big girl. May Allah protect her from the fitna of this world.

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