BEAUTIFUL DUAS/SUPPLICATIONS IN THE QURAN

PRAYERS OF MUSLIMS IN THE QUR'AN

Surat al-Baqara, 200-202:

... There are some people who say, ‘Our Lord, give us good in this world.’ They will have no share in the Hereafter.

And there are others who say, ‘OUR LORD, GIVE US GOOD IN THIS WORLD, AND GOOD IN THE HEREAFTER, AND SAFEGUARD US FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF THE FIRE.’ They will have a good share from what they have earned. Allah is swift at reckoning.

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Surat al-Baqara, 285:

The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and so do the the believers. Each one believes in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers. WE DO NOT DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN ANY OF HIS MESSENGERS. THEY SAY, ‘WE HEAR AND WE OBEY. FORGIVE US, OUR LORD! YOU ARE OUR JOURNEY’S END.’

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Surat al-Baqara, 286:

Allah does not impose on any self any more than it can stand. For it is what it has earned; against it, what it has merited. OUR LORD, DO NOT TAKE US TO TASK IF WE FORGET OR MAKE A MISTAKE! OUR LORD, DO NOT PLACE ON US A LOAD LIKE THE ONE YOU PLACED ON THOSE BEFORE US! OUR LORD, DO NOT PLACE ON US A LOAD WE HAVE NOT THE STRENGTH TO BEAR! AND PARDON US; AND FORGIVE US; AND HAVE MERCY ON US. YOU ARE OUR MASTER , SO HELP US AGAINST THE UNBELIEVERS.

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Surah Al ‘Imran, 8:

‘OUR LORD, DO NOT MAKE OUR HEARTS SWERVE ASIDE AFTER YOU HAVE GUIDED US. AND GIVE US MERCY FROM YOU. YOU ARE THE EVER-GIVING.

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Surah Al ‘Imran, 9:

OUR LORD, YOU ARE THE GATHERER OF MANKIND TO A DAY OF WHICH THERE IS NO DOUBT. ALLAH WILL NOT BREAK HIS PROMISE.’

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Surah Al ‘Imran, 16:

Those who say, ‘OUR LORD, WE BELIEVE, SO FORGIVE US OUR WRONG ACTIONS AND SAFEGUARD US FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF THE FIRE.’

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Surah Al ‘Imran, 147:

All they said was, ‘OUR LORD, FORGIVE US OUR WRONG ACTIONS AND ANY EXCESSES WE WENT TO IN WHAT WE DID AND MAKE OUR FEET FIRM AND HELP US AGAINST UNBELIEVERS.’

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Surah Al ‘Imran, 191:

Those who remember Allah, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the Earth: ‘OUR LORD, YOU HAVE NOT CREATED THIS FOR NOTHING. GLORY BE TO YOU! SO SAFEGUARD US FROM THE PUNISHMENT OF THE FIRE.’

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Surah Al ‘Imran, 192:

OUR LORD, THOSE YOU CAST INTO THE FIRE, YOU HAVE INDEED DISGRACED. THE WRONGDOERS WILL HAVE NO HELPERS.

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Surah Al ‘Imran, 193:

OUR LORD, WE HEARD A CALLER CALLING US TO FAITH: “BELIEVE IN YOUR LORD!” AND WE BELIEVED. OUR LORD, FORGIVE US OUR WRONG ACTIONS, ERASE OUR BAD ACTIONS FROM US AND TAKE US BACK TO YOU WITH THOSE WHO ARE TRULY GOOD.

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Surah Al ‘Imran, 194:

OUR LORD, GIVE US WHAT YOU PROMISED US THROUGH YOUR MESSENGERS, AND DO NOT DISGRACE US ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION. YOU DO NOT BREAK YOUR PROMISE.’

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Surat al-Ma’ida, 83:

When they listen to what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflowing with tears because of what they recognise of the truth. They say, ‘OUR LORD, WE BELIEVE! SO WRITE US DOWN AMONG THE WITNESSES.’

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Surat al-A‘raf, 47:

When they turn their eyes towards the Companions of the Fire, they will say, ‘OUR LORD, DO NOT PLACE US WITH THE PEOPLE OF THE WRONGDOERS!’

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Surah Yunus, 85:

They said, ‘WE HAVE PUT OUR TRUST IN ALLAH. OUR LORD, DO NOT MAKE US A TARGET FOR THIS WRONGDOING PEOPLE.

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Surah Yunus, 86:

‘AND RESCUE US, BY YOUR MERCY, FROM THE UNBELIEVERS!’

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Surat al-Isra’, 107:

Say: ‘Believe in it or do not believe in it.’ Certainly, when it is recited to them, those who were given knowledge before it fall on their faces in prostration,

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Surat al-Isra’, 108:

Saying, ‘GLORY BE TO OUR LORD! THE PROMISE OF OUR LORD IS TRULY FULFILLED!’

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Surat al-Kahf, 10:

When the young men took refuge in the cave and said, ‘OUR LORD, GIVE US MERCY DIRECTLY FROM YOU AND OPEN THE WAY FOR US TO RIGHT GUIDANCE IN OUR SITUATION.’

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Surat al-Kahf, 23-24:

Never say about anything, ‘I am doing that tomorrow,’ without adding ‘IF ALLAH WILLS.’ Remember your Lord when you forget, and say, ‘HOPEFULLY MY LORD WILL GUIDE ME TO SOMETHING CLOSER TO RIGHT GUIDANCE THAN THIS.’

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Surat al-Muminun, 109-110:

There was a group of My servants who said, “OUR LORD, WE BELIEVE, SO FORGIVE US AND HAVE MERCY ON US. YOU ARE THE BEST OF THE MERCIFUL.” But you made a mockery of them so that they made you forget to remember Me while you were laughing at them.

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Surat al-Muminun, 118:

Say: ‘MY LORD, FORGIVE AND BE MERCIFUL! YOU ARE THE BEST OF THE MERCIFUL.’

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Surat an-Nur, 47:

They say, ‘WE BELIEVE IN ALLAH AND IN THE MESSENGER AND WE OBEY.’ Then after that a group of them turn away. Such people are not believers.

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Surat al-Furqan, 74:

Those who say, ‘OUR LORD, GIVE US JOY IN OUR WIVES AND CHILDREN AND MAKE US A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR THOSE WHO RESPECT AND FEAR ALLAH’

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Surat al-Furqan, 65:

Those who say, ‘OUR LORD, AVERT FROM US THE PUNISHMENT OF HELL, ITS PUNISHMENT IS INESCAPABLE PAIN.’

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Surat az-Zukhruf, 12-14:

It is He Who created all the species and gave you ships and livestock for you to ride, so that you might sit firmly on their backs and remember your Lord’s blessing while you are seated on them, saying,‘GLORY BE TO HIM WHO HAS SUBJECTED THIS TO US.WE COULD NEVER HAVE DONE IT BY OURSELVES. INDEED WE ARE RETURNING TO OUR LORD!’

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Surat al-Hashr, 10:

Those who have come after them say, ‘OUR LORD, FORGIVE US AND OUR BROTHERS WHO PRECEDED US IN FAITH AND DO NOT PUT ANY ANCOUR IN OUR HEARTS TOWARDS THOSE WHO BELIEVE.OUR LORD, YOU ARE ALL-GENTLE, MOST MERCIFUL.’

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Surat at-Tahrim, 8:

You who believe! Repent to Allah. It may be that your Lord will erase your bad actions from you and admit you into Gardens with rivers flowing under them on the Day when Allah will not disgrace the Prophet and those who believed along with him.Their light will stream out ahead of them and on their right.They will say, ‘OUR LORD, PERFECT OUR LIGHT FOR US AND FORGIVE US! YOU HAVE POWER OVER ALL THINGS.’

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Surat al-Falaq, 1-5:

Say: “I SEEK REFUGE WITH THE LORD OF DAYBREAK,

FROM THE EVIL OF WHAT HE HAS CREATED

AND FROM THE EVIL OF THE DARKNESS WHEN IT GATHERS

AND FROM THE EVIL OF WOMEN WHO BLOW ON KNOTS

AND FROM THE EVIL OF AN ENVIER WHEN HE ENVIES.”

Beware of hesitating when pleasing Allah - A lesson from the battle of Mutah

We are all guilty of it.

* “I’ll start next week.”
* “Just after I (insert-useless-task-here)“
* “I don’t feel like it right now.”

And we all want to cure it.

But procrastination is NOT an orphan. It has a parent cause. It might just be laziness and boredom, usually due to Shaitaan’s whipsers. It may be a fear of the task. It may be a lack of motivation, and it maybe the willingness to settle for less than excellence.

Sometimes the difference between greatness and excellence, is nothing more than a fleeting second.

Here is the story of one critical moment in the life of a Sahabi (companion of Prophet Mohammad salla allahu allayhe wa salam).

Let us learn from that moment. The moment that made all the difference.

The facts:

* Sahaba Involved:

1. Zaid bin Haritha
2. Jaa’far bin abi Talib (The Prophet salla allahu allayhe wa salam said that Jaa’far was similar to him both in appearance and character)
3. Abdullah Ibn Rawaha (From the Ansar. A poet)

* Battle:

1. Mu’tah.
2. Number: 3000 Muslims vs. 200,000 Romans
3. The Prophet (allayhe alsalat wa salam) was not present. He was in Madinah.

The Story:

For the battle of Mu’tah, the three sahaba Zaid bin Haritha, Jaa’far bin abi Talib, and Abdullah Ibn Rawaha were chosen by the Prophet, salla allahu allayhe wa salam, as leaders, in that order. (As in: the Leader is Zaid, but if anything happens to him, then it is Jaa’far, and if anything happens to him, it is Abdullah Ibn Rawaha)

Look at the numbers. 3000 vs. 200,000. That’s scary! The Sahaba were worried if they could take on this mighty task. Abdullah Ibn Rawaha comforted them: “Oh people, the thing you fear is the thing you have left for: martydom, and we shall not fight our enemy with our numbers or strength or abdundance, but only with this Deen Allah has honored us with. So proceed for the result is one of two greatnesses: victory or martydom.”

With that, he raised their spirits, “Wallah Ibn Rawaha has told the truth.” And they went, motivated and renewed.

Now during this next particular part of the battle, the Prophet salla allahu wa salam reported it by a miracle-the events were reported live.

It began with Zaid bin Haritha. Arrows shooting at him left and right. One right in his shoulder. But he remained firm. The Prophet, salla allahu allayhe wa salam told the Ansar that were listening, “Zaid bin Haritha took the flag and fought with until he was killed a martyr…”

Zaid immediatley entered Jannah.


Then, “Jaa’far took the flag and fought with it until he was killed a martyr…”

The Prophet’s eyes welled with tears for Jaa’far…Allayhe alsalatu wa alsalam..

And Jaa’far was replaced with wings in Jannah, to fly with them as he pleased in Jannah

Before the Prophet, (SAW), continued, he was silent…He was silent to the extent that the expressions upon the faces of the Ansar listening changed-they were worried…What happened to Abdullah ibn Rawaha?

He did take the flag, and continued in the battlefield…But Ibn Rawaha hesitated a moment.

Imagine facing death. Realizing that if the other two had just been killed martyrs, his turn was soon.


But he strengthen himself with his own beautiful lines of poetry…

أقسمت يا نفس لتنزلنه لتنزلن أو لتكرهنه إن أجلب الناس وشدوا الرنه
مالي أراك تكرهين الجنه قد طال ما قد كنت مطمئنه
هل أنت إلا نطفة في شنه

يا نفس إلا تقتلي تموتي هذا حمام الموت قد صليت
وما تمنيت فقد أعطيت إن تفعلي فعلهما هديت

Quote:

I swear upon you Oh Nafs (self) that you shall enter or shall be forced to do so, The people have gathered and the cries have raised… What is the matter with you? I see that you do not wish for heaven! It has been too long for you to have been comforted… What are you (Oh Nafs) but a tiny speck? Oh Nafs if you are not killed then you shall still die.. These are the signs of the death upon you And it is your exact desire that you have been given If you do their (Zaid and Jaa’far’s) action then you have been guided…

And he entered the battlefield. Then he found a piece of meat and took a bite. Then he heard the sound of people fighting and asked himself:

“وأنت فى الدنيا؟” And You are in Dunya?

He dropped the meat and went on...Then the Prophet reports, “Abdullah bin Rawaha took the flag but hesitated a moment, then he entered and fought and died a martyr…”

Then the Prophet, (SAW), began speaking about all three: “I see them in jannah, like the vision of one who is dreaming, they are upon beds made of gold. But I see Abdullah bin Rawaha’s bed not leveled with the beds of his friends.”
The sahaba listening questioned, “Why is that?”
He replied, “They went. But Abdulalh hesitated a bit of hesitation, then he went."

The Lesson:

Abdullah Ibn Rawaha did the right thing-the very right thing- eventually. But he hesitated one moment. And we hesitate hour after hour, year after year. We may catch the deadline, but we’ve missed out- On the Ajar, the reward.

Also, talk and action are different. Abdullah Ibn Rawaha comforted the army at the beginning. He then had to use his tongue to comfort himself-when it came down to that moment of truth.

Let’s-Apply-Together:

-Every time we are about to procrastinate doing a good task let us ask ourselves, our ‘nafs’, “What is wrong? Do you not wish for Jannah? I swear upon you oh nafs to _________”… and think, “Ibn Rawaha hesitated A MOMENT.” Don’t let that be your moment.

Prophet Dhul-Kifl (ISAIAH)

PROPHET DHUL-KIFL (ISAIAH) (peace be upon him)  

 

Dhul-Kifl (peace be upon him) was the Prophet of Allah. The Holy Qur'an has made mention of him in the following two Verses: 

And Isma'il and Idris and Dhul-kifl; all were men of constancy and patience. We admitted them into out mercy because they were of the righteous ones. (21:85. 86) 

And remember Isma'il, Elisha and Dhul-kifl. Each of them was of the company of the good. (38:48) 

Al-Baizawi says that he was so called because he had to do double the work of the Prophets of his time. 

He is identified with Ezekiel of the Bible who was carried away to Babylon after the destruction of Jerusalem. He was chained and imprisoned. He bore all hardships with patience and continued reproving the evil sin of the Bani Israel. Ibn Jarir, an interpreter has narrated an event which throws some light on his life. When Al-Yasa (peace be upon him) grew old, he wished to appoint a suitable person as his successor to guide the Israelites. He declared: Only that person will be considered competent to become his successor who observes fast during the day remembers Allah throughout the night and refrains from flying into a rage. One among the crowd stood up and said: (I will adhere to all these conditions. The Prophet Al-Yasa (peace be upon him) repeated these conditions thrice and the same person promised solemnly to fulfil the conditions. Thereupon he was appointed as a vicegerent. 

After some time he was subjected to a trial. One day the Satan in the disguise of an old man knocked at his door. He was allowed to get in. The visitor lodged a complaint against the cruel treatment of the people towards him. The vicegerent directed him to come in the evening. He assured the visitor that all his grievances shall be redressed. He promised but did not turn up at the appointed time. Next day he came again and complained as usual. The vicegerent commanded him to come in the evening. He made a solemn promise to come but did not abide by it. On the third day he came again and knocked at the door but it was not opened. The Satan in the disguise of an old man managed to slip into the room and presented himself before the vicegerent. He was wonder-struck at the sudden appearance of the old man. The vicegerent interrogated the visitor. He admitted that he was Iblis who assumed the likeness of an old man and was trying to enrage him. He endeavoured to make him back out of his promise but failed in his mission. Thereupon the vicegerent became known as Dhul-kifl because he maintained his solemn promise with the Prophet Al-Yasa (peace be upon him). He refrained from losing temper though the Satan left no stone unturned to annoy him. Soon after Allah chose him as His Prophet. 

He commanded the Israelites to wage holy war against those who made mischief on the earth and opposed the religion of Allah. His followers, the Israelites refused to carry out his orders because they were afraid of death. As a retaliation for the utter disobedience of the Commandment of Allah and His Prophet, most of the people were overtaken by calamity. Plague broke out and numerous people died miserably. They deserted their houses in terror and ran away to save their lives. When they covered some distance, they heard a dreadful sound and the death prevailed over them. None remained alive to bury them. The corpses were putrefied in the scorching heat of the sun. The Prophet Dhul-kifl (peace be upon him) came out of the seclusion after seven days. He was overwhelmed with grief to see the predicament of his followers and supplicated: O' Allah! You have perished my followers. Take pity on them and give them a new life. Allah granted the prayer of His Prophet, the dead persons regained their lives. The Holy Qur'an Affirms: 

Have you not thought on those who quitted their dwellings--and they were thousands for fear of death. Allah said to them: Die! Then He restored them to life, for full of bounty towards man is Allah. But most men give not thanks. (2: 280) 

Afterwards the Prophet Dhul-kifl (peace be upon him) left his followers and migrated to Babylon. He died there.

NAMAZ

jisne fajr ki namaz ko tarak kar diya,     ( those who left  fajr salah)

usne chehre se noor khatam kar diya.   ( lost the noor from his face)

jisne zohar ki namaz ko tarak kar diya, ( those who left zohar salah)

usne rozi se barkat khatam kar diya.     (lost the blessing of earning )

jisne asar ki namaz ko tarak kar diya,    (those who left  asar salah)

usne badan se takat khatam kar diya.    (lost the energy from his body)

jisne magrib ki namaz tarak kar diya,     ( those who left magrib salah)

usne aulad se faida nahi paya.   (will not get any benefits from his children)

jisne eshan ki namaz tarak kar diya,        ( those who left eshan salah)

usne neend se rahat khatam kar diya.     (lost the peace from his sleep)

A wise young muslim boy

Many years ago, during the time of the Tâbi'în (the generation of Muslims after the Sahâbah), Baghdâd was a great city of Islam. In fact, it was the capital of the Islamic Empire
and, because of the great number of scholars who lived there, it was the center of Islamic knowledge.

One day, the ruler of Rome at the time sent an envoy to Baghdâd with
three challenges for the Muslims. When the messenger reached the city, he informed
the khalîfah that he had three questions which he challenged the Muslims
to answer.

The khalîfah gathered together all the scholars of the city and the
Roman messenger climbed upon a high platform and said, "I have come with
three questions. If you answer them, then I will leave with you a great amount
of wealth which I have brought from the king of Rome." As for the questions,
they were: "What was there before Allâh?" "In which direction
does Allâh face?" "What is Allâh engaged in at this
moment?"

The great assembly
of people were silent. (Can you think of answers to these questions?) In
the midst of these brilliant scholars and students of Islam was a man looking
on with his young son. "O my dear father! I will answer
him and silence him!" said the youth. So the boy sought the permission
of the khalîfah to give the answers and he was given the permission
to do so.

The Roman addressed the young Muslim and repeated his first question,

"What was there before Allâh?"

The boy asked, "Do
you know how to count?"

"Yes," said the
man.

"Then count down from ten!" So the Roman counted down, "ten,
nine, eight, ..." until he reached "one" and he stopped counting.

"But what comes before 'one'?" asked
the boy.

"There is nothing before one- that is it!" said
the man.

"Well then, if
there obviously is nothing before the arithmetic 'one', then how do you
expect that there should be anything before the 'One' who is Absolute Truth,
All-Eternal, Everlasting- the First, the Last, the Manifest, the Hidden?"

Now the man was
surprised by this direct answer which he could not dispute. So he asked, "Then tell me, in which direction is Allâh
facing?"

"Bring a candle and light it," said the boy, "and
tell me in which direction the flame is facing."

"But the flame
is just light- it spreads in each of the four directions,

North, South, East
and West. It does not face any one direction only," said
the man in wonderment.

The boy cried, "Then if this physical light spreads in all four directions
such that you cannot tell me which way it faces, then what do you expect of
the Nûr-us-Samâwâti-wal-'Ard: Allâh- the Light of the
Heavens and the Earth!? Light upon Light, Allâh faces all directions
at all times."

The Roman was stupified and astounded that here was a young child answering
his challenges in such a way that he could not argue against the proofs. So,
he desperately wanted to try his final question. But before doing so, the boy
said,

"Wait! You are
the one who is asking the questions and I am the one who is giving the
answer to these challenges. It is only fair that you should come down to
where I am standing and that I should go up where you are right now, in
order that the answers may be heard as clearly as the questions."

This seemed reasonable
to the Roman, so he came down from where he was standing and the boy ascended
the platform. Then the man repeated his final challenge, "Tell
me, what is Allâh doing at this moment?"

The boy proudly
answered, "At this moment, when Allâh found upon
this high platform a liar and mocker of Islam, He caused him to descend and
brought him low. And as for the one who believed in the Oneness of Allâh,
He raised him up and established the Truth. Every day He exercises (universal)
power (Surah 55 ar-Rahmân, Verse 29)."

The Roman had nothing
to say except to leave and return back to his country, defeated. Meanwhile,
this young boy grew up to become one of the most famous scholars of Islam.
Allâh, the Exalted, blessed him with special wisdom
and knowledge of the deen. His name was Abu Hanîfah (rahmatullâh
'alayhi- Allâh have mercy on him) and he is known today as Imâm-e-A'zam,
the Great Imâm and scholar of Islam. May Allâh shower some of His
Mercy in the same way upon our Muslim children who are growing up today. Âmeen.

[Adapted into English
from "Manâqib Abî Hanîfah" written
by Imâm

Muwaffaq Ibn Ahmad
al-Makki (d. 568 Hijri). Dar al-Kitâb al-'Arabiy,

Beirut, 1981/1401H.]