The Night Journey (Isra' Wal Mi'raj) Part 1

In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful

The most severely tested have always been the Prophets; vilified and attacked by proud disbelievers wallowing in sin. And the last one, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) suffered immensely but after every hardship comes ease, and so we begin. After 12 years of calling people to reject idols and worship only One God, Muhammad (pbuh) was sorely tested by the year of grief. Tragically his uncle Abu Talib died whose kinship provided protection from Makkans - now buoyed up as thugs in disbelief. In that year, Pagans imposed severe sanctions upon his tribe; Bani Hashim, aiming to starve Muslims and make them outcasts. In that same year before the migration to Madina, he was devastated by the loss of his loving wife, Khadijah (R.A). While disbelievers closed all doors upon him, Allah S.W.T didn't forsake him but He opened up the Doors of Heaven for him in honor. Allah glorified Himself on introducing Isra' wal Mi'raj - the Prophets miraculous Night Journey and Heavenly Ascent. Where he was physically taken from Makkah to Jerusalem and then up to the Highest Heaven. 

Allah S.W.T revealed a Surah (chapter) called Al Isra (The Night Journey). And in that Surah it says: With difficulty comes - ease. The messenger of Allah (pbuh) went through this most tragic time in his life, so it was followed with one of the best - Blessings - given to him by Allah S.W.T. Because of the size of the calamity, the bounty that followed it was great. Rasulullah (pbuh) narrates in Hadith is in Bukhari, similar narrations are in Muslim - in the most of the books. In the most of the books of Hadith, these narrations exist, The messenger of Allah (pbuh) says, "While i was in Al Hijr, (this is the semi-circle area close to Kaaba which is part of the original building of the Kaaba) i received a visitor - An Angel. Who came and opened my abdomen and pulled out my heart, and then my heart was placed in the basin - Golden Basin, filled with faith (Iman) and my heart was placed in it and washed and then stuffed and replaced. And then i was presented an animal, smaller than a horse - larger than a donkey". Anas Ibn Malik was narrating this Hadith and his student asked Anas Ibn Malik "Is this animal Al Buraq?". Anas Ibn Malik said "Yes". The messenger of Allah (pbuh) said "This animal would a stride as far as it can see". So the Prophet (pbuh) is trying to describe to us the speed of this animal and he describe it as - that this animal would place its hooves -  it would places its hooves at the extent of its sight - it would take a stride as far as it can see with one leap. It would wrap the distance equivalent to the distance you can see or look forward. So it was extremely fast beast. 

The Prophet (pbuh) said "Jibreel (Angel) told me to mount this animal and then he would guide me". The Prophet (pbuh) says in the another Hadith is in Muslim "I was taken to Jerusalem and i tied my mount at the gates of Al Masjid, and then i entered and prayed two Rakaah". It states that the messenger of Allah (pbuh) was an Imam and the people who were following him were - The Prophets. Then he (pbuh) said "I was led by Jibreel up in the Heavens. We made it all the way to the gates of the lowest Heaven - the nearset Heaven". Jibreel knocked on the gates and the gateskeeper said "Who is it?". Jibreel said "It is Jibreel". The gateskeeper asked again "Who with you?". Jibreel said "Muhammad". The gateskeeper asked "Was he given his mission?" Jibreel said "Yes". They responded by saying "He is welcome and his arrival is a pleasure" and they opened the gates.

They opened the gates - The messenger of Allah (pbuh) said "I went in, and i found there in my Father - Adam (A.S). Jibreel introduced me to Adam and said 'this is you father Adam, greet him'. So i said 'Assalamualaikum'. Adam salute me in return and said 'Waalaikumussalam'. And the Adam (A.S) said 'Welcome to my pure son, welcome to the pure Prophet'". When i think of this meeting, i try to imagine the pleasure and happiness that both the Prophets had. Imagine Adam (A.S) is meeting the Brightest and the Greatest of his children - Muhammad (pbuh). He is meeting him for the first time. After thousands of years! Now Adam (A.S) has a chance to meet his Greatest Son. And imagine the surprise of Muhammad (pbuh) to meet his father Adam. It must have been such a pleasurable moment and they might have wished to sit together and have conversation but remember that Muhammad (pbuh) in this journey, is on a tight schedule, he has a lot waiting in front of him. 

So Jibreel carried Muhammad (pbuh) and they went up to the gates of second Heaven. Muhammad (pbuh) said "I met Jesus (A.S) and John (A.S)". The two cousins. Isa and Yahya in the Arabic name. Rasulullah (pbuh) said "And i exchange greetings with them - and what are the greetings of Islam? and the Prophets? Assalamualaikum! Peace be upon you. The Prophet (pbuh) said "Then we move ahead to the third Heaven, and i met with Joseph - Yusuf (A.S). He has been given half of beauty". So if you had a big block of beauty - half of it was with Yusuf (A.S). Then they made it to the fourth Heaven, in there Muhammad (pbuh) met with Idris (A.S). And Allah S.W.T says "We have placed him to a very high status". Then Muhammad (pbuh) and Jibreel went to the fifth Heaven and there they met Aaron - Harun (A.S). And then they went to sixth Heaven, and Muhammad (pbuh) met Musa (A.S). And his meeting with Musa was an eventful meeting. Always Musa is surrounded with important events. One of the scholars said "Quran was almost going to be the story of Musa". He is mentioned so frequently there in and his personality is so outstanding. Whenever the name of Musa (A.S) is mentioned, there is something important that is going to happen.

The messenger of Allah (pbuh) passed by Musa, Musa started to weep. After they greeted each other, and Musa welcomed Muhammad (pbuh). When he was asked "How come you are weeping?". He said "A young man was given prophet-hood after me and he will have more of his followers entering Paradise than mine". Up until that moment, Musa had the largest following of any Prophet. The children of Israel were the largest believing nation up until that point. But now there was a new world record. By the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh). So Musa wept - he cried. And you can see that there is competition between the Prophets but you will notice that it is not the competition of jealousy. It is a compassionate competition. And you will see that in the upcoming conversation between Muhammad (pbuh) and Musa (A.S). 

The messenger of Allah (pbuh) said "Then i moved up to the seventh Heaven, and i went in and i met my father Ibrahim (A.S) and i exchanged Salam with him. Then i was presented with Baitul Ma'moor. And in one narration it states that Ibrahim actually had his back kneeling towards Baitul Ma'moor. What is Baitul Ma'moor? Allah S.W.T is making an oath in an established house - Baitul Ma'moor. To the creation of the Heavens is equivalent to Kaaba to us. Just as we make Tawaf around the Kaaba, and it is the first house on the earth established for the worship of Allah, the same thing is to be said about Baitul Ma'moor. So here as Muslims we would visit Kaaba, angels will visit Baitul Ma'moor. Rasulullah (pbuh) said "Baitul Ma'moor is visited by 70 000 angels everyday and they never come back to it again. Do you understand the implications of that? Everyday, a new group of 70 000 angels would visit the established house, how many angels are there? If on a daily basis you have 70 000 angels visiting it and they never come back again, how many angels are there? And for how long has this been going on? For how many thousands or millions or billions of years? So you multiply all of those days by 70 000. How many angels are there? 

It puts us human beings to shame. I mean we are saying that we have over population on Earth - 6 Billion of us. Who are we compared to the world of the angels? This massive creation. The Prophet (pbuh) said "The Heavens above you are mourning, and they are justified to mourn. Because in every space equivalent to the size of 4 fingers, there is an angel bowing down in Rukuk or prostrating in Sujood.- worshiping Allah S.W.T. All over the Heavens above us. Every position, every area or volume - equivalent to the size of 4 fingers, is occupied by an angel worshiping Allah. So this is a vast huge creation. That makes us the world of a human being seem insignificant. In the narration that states that Ibrahim (A.S) was kneeling towards Baitul Ma'moor. It is symbolic to have Ibrahim (A.S) in that position. After he dies, sitting next to Baitul Ma'moor. Because he was the one who built Kaaba on the Earth. So when Allah S.W.T took his soul away, Allah S.W.T had him rest next to Baitul Ma'moor - The House of The Angels. 

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Islam Kills Racism (Powerful Speech By Malcolm X)

In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious And The Most Merciful

I think a lot of people are confused by the new Arabic name, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz. I've always had the name on my passport, Malik El Shabazz. Only..i only used it in the Muslim world, well Hajj is the title that is given to any Muslim who makes the Pilgrimage to Makkah during the official Hajj season. One thing that i found in all of my travels was that all of the Africans..not only the Africans..but the Asians, the Muslims..look upon us as their long lost brothers, and America had actually tricked many of them into a hand of policy, by giving them the impression that 'she' was honestly trying to do something to solve the problem. My argument over there was designed to prove that it is impossible for the United States government to solve the race problem.

Never have i witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of the brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races. Here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad (peace be upon him) and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, i have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness i see displayed all around me by people of all colors. I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Mecca, i have made my seven circuits around the Kaaba led by a young mutawaf named Muhammad. I drank water from the well of the Zam-zam, i ran seven times back and forth between the hills of Mount Al-Safa and Al-Marwah, i have prayed in the ancient city of Mina, and i have prayed on Mount Arafat. There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors. From blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood. That my experiences in America had let me to believe never could exist between the white and non-white.

America needs to understand Islam because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem.Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, i have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white but the white attitude was removed from their minds by the religion of Islam.I have never before seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together, irrespective of their color. You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this Pilgrimage, what i have seen and experienced has forced me to re-arrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, i have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every of intelligent search for truth.

During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, i have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept in the same bed or in the same rug while praying to the same God with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white, and in the words and in the actions in the deeds of the white Muslims, i felt the same sincerity that i felt among the black African Muslim of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana. We were truly all the same brothers because their belief in One God had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behavior, and the white from their attitude. I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps too, they could accept in reality the oneness of man. And cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in terms of their differences in color.

With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer, the so-called Christian white American heart should be more receptive to a proven solution to such a destructive problem. Perhaps it could be in time to save America from imminent disaster the same destruction brought upon Germany by racism that eventually destroyed the Germans themselves. Each hour here in the Holy Land enables me to have greater spiritual insights into what is happening in America between black and white. The American negro never can be blamed for his racial animosities. He is only reacting to four hundred years of the conscious racism of the American whites. But as racism leads America up the suicide path, i do believe from the experiences that i have had with them, that the whites of the younger generation, in the colleges and universities will see the handwriting on the walls and many of them will turn to the spiritual path of truth. The only way left to America to ward off the disaster that racism inevitably must lead to.

Never i have been so highly honored. Never have i been made to feel more humble and unworthy. Who would believe the blessings that have been heaped upon an American Negro? A few nights ago, a man who would be called in America a white man, a United Nation diplomat, an ambassador, a companion of kings, gave me his hotel suite, his bed. Never would i have even thought of dreaming that i would ever be a recipient of such honors.Honors that in America would be bestowed upon a king, not a negro. All praise is due to Allah, The Lord of all the worlds.

Sincerely,
El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz
Malcolm X

Jannah [Paradise] Part Two

In The Name Of Allah The Most Compassionate And The Most Merciful

Brothers and sisters in Islam, The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) described a 'Mukmin' (Believer) in this life and he said "It is a prison of a Mukmin, and it is Paradise of a Kafir (non-believer)". Yes, it is a Paradise. Because they believe that this is the only life they're going to live. They say it's a short life so we might as well make the best of it, get us much as we can from it. A Mukmin doesn't think that way. He sees that everything in this world always calls him and her to do Haram (forbidden) things. It makes difficult for us to worship Allah correctly and sincerely, especially in our time today, where the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "There will come a time when, the one who's holding on to his religion is like one who's holding on to a coal of fire". It's intense. It's difficult brothers and sisters. But it is not difficult upon the one who anticipates a great reward in the Hereafter. 'Ad dunya sijnul mu'min', the world is like a prison for a Mukmin, one who desires Allah, one who desires Paradise. Are you one of them brothers and sisters?

We all want Jannah, but we don't want to do nothing. We heard the Hadith "Whomsoever his last words are: 'La ilaha ila Allah, Dakhalal Jannah'". So everybody saying Alhamdulillah, this is very easy. If i tell you now to say 'La ilaha ila Allah', no problem, but at the death bed, its not that easy at all. And i am afraid, that we're just saying 'La ilaha ila Allah' without living 'La ilaha ila Allah'. Who are the 'Sabiqoon' that Allah mentions in the Quran brothers and sisters? From the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), his Companions, and the ones after them, they are the 'Sabiqoon'. The have beaten us in two things, they are the 'Sabiqoon' means thay are before us, and it means they have beaten us to Paradise. And there is a small amount from this life, there's only a minority that are still striving and working and desiring Paradise, only a small amount Allah says. Allah is praising the one who race each other for the goodness but not race each other for worldly things. Know, a normal Muslim does not want just a first place in Paradise, a Mukmin wants to beat everyone and go to the Firdaus Al A'la.

The 'Sabiqoon' brothers and sisters, what were they like? They sacrificed their wealth. How can you buy this world with your money? And sell the Hereafter? For a few pennies or a few dollars which you can earn in this life? Why? How could you buy this worthless life when the Prophet (pbuh) said "The whole world is not worth a wing of mosquito to Allah S.W.T".  And there are a lot of Muslims who place the world on their head like a crown.

How can we get there? What should we do? Is it hard? The goods that Allah S.W.T is offering are very precious, they are very valuable. Jannah is not cheap! The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "All my ummah's going to Jannah, except the one who refuse." So the companions said "Ya Rasulullah, who would refuse, after hearing all these beautiful things?" The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "Whosoever obey me, he will enter Jannah, and whosoever disobey me, he has refused to enter Jannah". So, the key to enter Jannah is the obedience of Rasulullah (pbuh). What does it mean following Rasulullah (pbuh)? :

1. Following Rasulullah (pbuh) in Tawheed : Believing in the Oneness of Allah S.W.T. and staying away from all forms of 'Shirk' (to associate anyone with Allah).
2. Believing everything that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said without any doubt. Unfortunately, we hear something in the news we believe it immediately, we read something in the papers we believe it immediately, but when it comes to the 'Sunnah', we have doubts. Then how do we get to Jannah if we doubts the Sunnah of our Prophets?

So, in the Jannah, mansions above mansions and they're all lofty and high. Beneath them flowing rivers. Now the rivers are not going side by side, it's going under them. Such is the promise of Allah, never does Allah fail in his promise. Our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "There will be rooms in Jannah, from the outside you can see the inside, and from the inside you could see the outside. How does that work out? We don't know. When someone enter Jannah, as he walking up and he goes next to his palace and then suddenly he just can not move, and he sees his wife. Whether it is his wife from Jannah or his wife from 'Dunya', he will just see her face and freeze in his tracks, and he will just sit there contemplating at her beauty. We are incapable of describing in worldly terms. Their beauty is so much, that this man will stand there and stare at her for forty years, just contemplating at her beauty. Rasulullah (pbuh) said in Bukhari, in this Hadith narrated by Anas ibn Malik, "If one of the women of Jannah would just appear to the people of this world, the distance between the heavens and the earth would be filled with the light, and her scent will cover the whole distance, and the scarf that she has on her head is better than the world and everything in it.

In Jannah, we will have the height of Adam A.S, which is said was about ninety yards, we will have the beauty of Yusuf A.S, we will have the age of Isa A.S, thirty three years old, so we will have a different creation in Jannah. Rasulullah (pbuh) said "A man in Jannah will have the strength of a hundred men of this world". No matter how hard you try to imagine what is in Jannah, it will only be a fraction of the real thing. So now you've spent all of these years staring at your wife, and then you will enter in to your mansion. Everything is new to you, everything is an experience. You take a look at the furniture that you have in that mansion, and you just go around looking at the way it looks, the way it is arranged, the quality of it and you just go from room to room, saying 'Alhamdulillah'. And it's an insult to call it furniture because there's no comparison.

You don't have any appointment in Jannah, you are not in a hurry to do anything, there's no time that is rushing you, you have an unlimited amount of time to do whatever you want. So you will go out with your wife to take a look at what you have, but before that you want to have something to eat and something to drink. While sitting on the couches, you'll have all of these youths running around, in beautiful uniforms, wonderful exotic colors and the're all smiling, and they are serving you all of these stuff that you have never seen before. So you don't have to do anything. Your wife doesn't have to do anything. There's no cleaning that is involved, it is pure enjoyment for both of you. As soon as you walk out of your mansion, this wonderful smell will fill your nostrils, and you are wondering where is it coming from. So you'll go around trying to locate the source and then you'll find that it's coming from the soil of Jannah. You'll pick that soil up and it is pure white musk. And then you are gonna hear the sound of water, so you are gonna ask your guide, what is this? He'll tell you that this is a river and it is located right beneath your palace. Here is a parable, of the garden which the righteous are promised, in it are rivers of water incorruptible, rivers of milk of which the taste never changes, rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink, and rivers of honey, pure and clear.

So the guide tells you, do you want us to go and visit the springs? You'll say 'Yes' and the guide will tell you; But i have something better for you. How about we go and visit the river that belongs to Rasulullah (pbuh)? And that is the river of 'Al-Kawsar'. So you ask him; is it okay to me to go and visit it, he says; 'Yes'. Since you are part of the Ummah of Muhammad (pbuh), all of you will have access to his river. He will allow you to go and drink from it. And this is the best river in Paradise and it originates from under the throne of Allah S.W.T. Truly the righteous will be in bliss, on throne of dignity, will they command the sight of all things. You will recognize in their faces the beaming brightness of bliss, they will be given to drink pure wine; sealed. The sealed thereof will be of musk. So for this let the competitors compete. With it will be given a mixture of 'Tasneem', a spring from which those near to Allah will drink.

So now all of these tours are taking you years to complete and you start noticing something. You are noticing that there are no sun or moon, There's no darkness, there's no shadow, there's no summer, there's no winter, there's no fall, there's no spring, so you're start wondering how long is the day in Jannah and is there any night? And you figure out that it's in Jannah there's no sleeping and it's constant daylight, and the only way you recognize whether it is daytime or night is by a beam that comes from beneath the throne of Allah S.W.T. Otherwise it's all light in Jannah.

So you're still following your guide, and then you see this huge tree. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "There is a tree in Paradise which is so big and huge that a rider could travel in its shade for a hundred years". He said in at Tirmidhi "The trees of Paradise, the branches and the trunk of it are made of gold ". Ibrahim A.S is now giving advice to his son Muhammad (pbuh), he's the descendant of Ibrahim A.S. The reason why Ibrahim A.S is care about us is because we are the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh). So Ibrahim A.S told Muhammad (pbuh), they had this meeting in Jannah in 'Isra Wal Mi'raaj', he said "O Muhammad, give your ummah my 'salaam', and tell them that Paradise is beautiful, its water is pure, and its soil is clean, and tell them that it's vast huge, and the tree of Jannah are SUBHANALLAH, ALHAMDULILLAH, WALAILAHA ILA ALLAH, ALLAHUAKBAR". So if you want a tree to grow for you in Jannah, all what you have to do is say SUBHANALLAH, ALHAMDULILLAH, WALAILAHA ILA ALLAH, ALLAHUAKBAR. Use your time in 'Dunya' to grow acres of there trees. Just keep on building houses and planting trees, work on it from 'Dunya'. Prepare yourself for Jannah.

Jannah [Paradise] Part One

In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious And The Most Merciful

So you made it through the gates of Jannah (Paradise). You went through, that you will know your place in Jannah is more than you knew your house in the Dunya (world). And you are passing by all of these wonderful scenes in Jannah, but your heart is attach to your house. You wanna go and see what Allah has reserved for you. So make it through the winding roads until you get to your property and you see this huge mansion, a brick of gold and brick of silver. You are getting closer and closer to your palace and then you see something that makes you freezes in your track. And you become immobile and you can't move any further because of the stunning beauty of what you have seen. And that is your wife in Jannah. Dear sisters first of all, let's get it straight that in Jannah you'll have no bad feelings. So there's not gonna be any jealousy, no pain, no suffering, no despair, nothing of this in Jannah. Allah S.W.T knows His creation. He knows what men want, He knows what women want and Allah will give everyone what will make them happy.

Allah S.W.T tells us that in Jannah, there are rivers of pure water, there are rivers of white and luscious honey, there are rivers of pure milk, and there are rivers of wine; wine that does not cause intoxication, wine that taste like wine, but doesn't have effect like wine. There will be no sweat, no bad smells, nobody has to take a bath, nobody gets older, nobody gets tired, there's no bad words, nobody has to work, there's no labor, nobody has to pay for anything. The greatest blessing of Jannah is the blessing of looking at the face of Allah S.W.T Himself. On that day, faces will be bright and shiny, shining bright! Why? Because they will be looking at Allah S.W.T. MasyaAllah. Subhanallah. Paradise means; everything in life that you ever imagined, that you ever wanted, you will have it there, but on the highest level. Everybody will live forever and the words will be "PEACE". If one day, we all in the Paradise together, i'll come over to your palace, and we party over there! Because what else could Paradise be? But the best of whatever it is people want in this life, that they can never have, that's what Paradise is. This world is nothing in comparison to the Akhirah (Hereafter). Except for dip your finger in an ocean, so let you see what clings to your finger. One dip! And that ocean is Paradise.

Brothers and sisters in Islam, i have question for you. What do you wish for? What do you desire? What do you anticipate to reach? Ask yourself that question. Do you wish for a beautiful wife? Or A gorgeous husband? Who has got popularity? who everyone looks up to? So that you can show off with him or her? Do you desire a beautiful mansion and lots of money? Is that what you desire? Or do you anticipate to reach a firm; life long career? Do you anticipate that? Do you yearn for luxurious dwelling; a land? Or probably one day to buy an island of your own? Do you long for fame, popularity and fortune? If this is what you are desiring and anticipating for and yearning for, then my dear brothers and sisters, you have been deceived by this world. All of its fortune, all of its beauty. Because this beauty which you see in front of you as Allah describes it in the Quran, is like a flower that grows in the ground. It get watered from the rain and then it blossoms,  it has a nice fragrance and it looks beautiful, but then it only last for about a month or less, and it suddenly start to wither away and you have no more attention toward it. As if it never had existed before and it becomes soil and dirt.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Allah S.W.T says in the Quran "Know, Understand, Acknowledge". Know that this worldly life 'al hayat at dunya' (life of this world) is only playing, 'la'ib lahu' (entertaining yourselves), 'zina' decoration, challenging each other, who can have the big house, who can get the fastest car, who can look the most beautiful, who can have more money, and this is what the worldly life is about. Don't the non-believers do that? Trying to rise in the high levels in position in work, yes they do. And everyone tries to beat everyone else in becoming or reaching that high seat, yes it is a life of challenge. Challenging each other. And people love in this life to have lots of money, lots of children in order to have a strong back, it blossoms a little bit and then it fades away brothers and sisters. If this is what you are yearning for, longing for, missing for, being anxious about, i am sad to say that you are in a very great loss. Because when you die, and we all shall die, you just going to have to leave it all behind you. Subhanallah. Its not going to be buried with you. The only thing that you'll be taking is two things; your family and your action to the graveyard. But your family will go back, and your action will stay with you. SO WHAT DO YOU YEARN FOR AND DESIRE?

The path of Paradise, there are many obstacles person needs to overcome to eventually enter into Paradise. Paradise isn't something cheap.There has to be certain actions a person needs to overcome. What are the difficulties? Imam An Nawawi highlights inside the explanations Hadith inside Sahih Muslim, there are four elements a person needs to overcome the obstacles.

1. 'Al ijtihad fil ibaadah' - Person needs to become vigilant in Ibadah. The daily prayers, fasting, performance of Hajj. You need to overcome them. These are the hurdles that come continuously. Person need to focus upon them. 
2. To Be Able To Swallow Your Anger - Some of us maybe good Muslims, we pray punctually, we observe our five daily prayers, but some of the characteristics are missing from us. 
3. To Be Able To Forgive People : Some people can swallow their anger, but they are unable to forgive. Many of us have forgotten these characteristics as Muslims, that some of us would pray, even spend our wealth, but swallowing ones anger, pardoning people, over looking mistakes of people, these are some deep characteristics which will help the individual come closer and closer towards Paradise. 
4. To Be Able To Have Patience, To Stay Away From Temptation and Desires -  Every time a person breaks their desires, breaks their temptation, stays away from them, that person becomes closer and closer towards Paradise.  

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Jahannam [Hellfire] Part Two

In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious And The Most Merciful

So, in the Day of Judgement, the perimeter is secure. There are Angels all around us, no one is going anywhere. All the creation of Allah's in the middle. Then Allah S.W.T calls on Hellfire to come out. As i said before, Hellfire brothers and sisters is not a pit, it is a roaring raging beast that is held down by 70 000 chains, holding each chains is 70 000 angels. Allah S.W.T and the Angels are standing in rows. Then the Hellfire will come about. The Prophet (pbuh) once told Umar R.A "If you did the deeds of 70 Prophets, you would still be afraid at the moment". You will see every 'Ummah' on their knees. All they are saying is "O Allah, protect us". Hellfire comes in raging and roaring. A neck shoots out of Hellfire. And just like there are people that go to Jannah (Heaven) without any punishment or any judgement, there are people that will go to Hellfire without any judgement. And if Hellfire looks at you, then you are one of its inhabitants. 

So every person, the eyes are to the ground. They are afraid to look up. All they can hear is the raging and roaring. Brothers and sisters, i want you to listen to this dialogue, i want you to listen to the words of Allah coming down from the seven skies. 

"Did i not tell you O children of Adam, that you should not worship Satan, verily he is an obvious enemy to you, and that you should only worship Me. This is the straight path".

Allah S.W.T will tell us this. And indeed Satan has misguided you and let astray many of you. Could you not understand this? Could you not realize this? Could you not comprehend this? May Allah protect us brothers and sisters. This is not a joke.

Hell is a place that Allah S.W.T has already created. And when Allah created the Hellfire, He said "O Jibreel, go and look at my Hellfire". And the Angel Jibreel, he looked at the Hellfire. He went to Allah and he said "O Allah, anyone who hears about the Hellfire, they will never go in to it". Then Allah S.W.T surrounded the Hellfire with temptation, with ease and then Allah said to Jibreel, "Now go and look at my Hellfire". And Jibreel came back and said "O Allah, I'm afraid that nobody will escape it". The Hellfire is the place where Allah S.W.T; He will burn the skins of the people, and then He will recreate their skins and burn their skins again. So that the people in there will taste the punishment. It is a place of heat, it is a place of pain. People will drink from a river that is made from the pus, that flows out from the wound of the people of the Hellfire. The wounds of the people of the Hellfire will ooze pus, and this pus will gather together to form a river. And this is all they have to drink. And their food will be the tree of Zaqoom. A tree; the fruits of which are like the heads of the devils, and this fruit is so bitter that if the people when they try to eat it, they can't eat it but they will force themselves because there is nothing else to eat in the Hellfire. A place where the people will neither live nor will they die. A place where the people will fall into despair, arguing to each other, admonishing each other, criticizing each other.The fire will surround them on every place. The smallest punishment of the Hellfire is that a person will wear a pair of sandals of fire and their brain will boil, that's the smallest punishment. And they would think that they have the worst punishment. But it is the least punishment in the Hellfire. THIS IS THE HELLFIRE! Masya Allah.

One day, The Prophet (pbuh) was walking with the Companions, and they heard the rumbling. And the Companions ask "O Messenger Of Allah, what is this rumbling?". The Prophet (pbuh) said "This was a stone that was thrown into Hellfire 70 years ago, and now it reached the bottom". Hellfire is unimaginably huge, humongous. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) describes the size of the people that enter it, he says " The back tooth or one of the teeth of the people who enter the Hellfire will be the size of a Mountain of Uhud". So if the tooth is the size of a mountain, can you imagine the size of the body? And the thickness of the skin of the person in Hellfire, is as thick as riding on a fast horse for three days. Because the bigger the object, the longer it takes to burn, right?

The majority of the reasons why Muslims end up in Hellfire for a while, they are the sins that we take for granted. They're forbidden but they're not major and we don't take them as important, we says "It's just a sin, it's alright, it's just a little bit, it's just a kiss, it's just a look, it's just a lie, it's just a little cheat, it's just a litlle theft, it's just once, it's okay". You keep doing it, you keep repeating it, that's the danger. So Rasulullah (pbuh) says with great sorrow "Many of my ummah will enter Hellfire because they take minor sins for granted and therefore it becomes a ritual; a habit for them". When a verse came down one time, stating that; punishment of Allah is surely going to happen, some of the Companions, they cried like babies. Umar R.A was on his camel, he fell off and he went unconscious for hours. Allah S.W.T is surely wise and honorable and powerful.

My dear brothers and sisters in Islam, so these people in Hellfire Are Now Burning. They have been given clothing made of some type of fire. They have been given clouds that look like clouds of rain, but when they rain, they rain acid. When they've given food, when they eat it they choke, and Allah says in the Quran, their intestines disintegrate. They drink certain fluids, that when they bring their faces close to the dish, the skins of their faces begin to burn and it melts in to the bowl. They begin to scream. A disturbing, terrifying sound of scream. When they scream out like that, the Angels who are in Hellfire, reply to them "BE QUITE! SILENCE! If you are to be returned, you'll do exactly the exact same thing. We have given you chances and opportunities and given you the warning, you heard it, you understood it, BUT YOU MOCKED! You mocked those who warned you, you tease who warned you, you make fun of Allah's message and His Messengers!". The angels keep replying to them about this mockery. It's recorded in one Hadith that a man who lived very luxurious in this life, will be dipped in Hellfire once for a few seconds, and he will be asked "Do you remember any luxury?" He will say "I swear by God, i never had any luxury in my life". He forgets it because of the pain.

The people of Hellfire will turn to the angels that are torturing them, then to the guardian of the Hellfire and they will ask him "PLEASE ASK YOUR LORD TO PERISH US, DESTROY US, we don't want to live anymore". The reply comes to them after 1000 years. They waiting anxiously for that reply, can you imagine? An anxious hope that you will now finally be destroyed. The reply comes to them "YOU ARE TO STAY IN THERE FOREVER!". So then the people in the Hellfire they will reply "I wish i was turn into soil". Subhanallah. Allahuakbar. In the Hadith it says that some people in Hellfire, who were adulterers, what is their punishment? There is a well inside of Hellfire, where the adulterers are tortured in there from time to time. There are hung with hooks from their private parts and their chests, and fire from beneath them rises and burns them again and again and again. In another Hadith, The Prophet (pbuh) said that people who consume interest (riba), when they are not in need of it, and some of them are fornicators and adulterers and when you marry them, you commit intercourse in 'Haram' way, with other women and so on, he says there is a valley in the Hellfire that has scorpions and snakes and these scorpions are the size of the camels and cows, when they sting that person, they feel the poison for a 1000 years. There are many types of tortures in Hellfire.

The Prophet (pbuh) said in a Sahih Hadith which is in Bukhari and Muslim, he said "Any person who has an atoms weight of Tawheed (absolute monotheism in Allah, belief and practices), they will be save from Hellfire". One day they will be saved, sooner or later. This is a hope but don't take it for granted. May Allah S.W.T save us all from the Hellfire. Amin.

Jahannam [Hellfire] Part One

In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious And The Most Merciful

Hellfire brothers and sisters is not a pit, it is a roaring raging beast that is held down by 70 000 chains, holding each chains is 70 000 angels. There is no scene more terrifying on the Day of Judgement than that scene. Every creation of Allah, Martyrs, Prophets, Believers, Non-believers; they will fall to their knees, all they are saying is, O Allah protect us. And the Hellfire is a place of the most extreme suffering, the most extreme pain, of every level that you can't imagine. Physical, mental, spiritual, pain and suffering and torment. The people will cry in agony for water, they will cry for a drink, something to cool them and they will be given a water. But it is a boiling water, that will scold their faces and burn their insides. This is the Hellfire! 

The Guardian of the Hellfire, his name is Maalik. He has never smiled since the day the Hellfire was created. He has no remorse, he has no feelings of sensitivity, he is desensitize to all types of horror, he doesn't feel sorry for anyone. Hellfire, brothers and sisters, is something not to be taken lightly. And the people in the Hellfire will cry out "O Our Lord, please take us out. Let us try again. Give us another chance. If we do this again, then we are truly oppressors to ourselves". And Allah S.W.T doesn't even reply to them. Allah S.W.T cannot be fooled brothers and sisters. 

We live in this world as if we are always going to remain here. Many of us, we don't think about our moment of death. Many of us, we live as though this is where we are going to remain, as though Allah S.W.T has given us life forever. There is no single person in this world who knows what his moment of death is going to be like. The first thing that happened to this person, when he is on his death bed, his family are sitting all around him, his loved ones are making dua' for him and this maybe us, the Angel of Death descends upon this person. The Angel of Death and his deputies, they come and they have black faces, and this is creation which you have never seen before in your life. And at that moment; you are surrounded by your family but you feel so alone. Because only you can see these Angels, and you are trying to say to your family "Help me! Help me!" but they can't help you. So these Angels, they descend and they come with a foul smell, and they come with a rough cerecloth from Hellfire. You are sitting there and you want to scream, but your voice is not coming out. The Angel of Death comes and he sit at your head. Then he says "O Evil Soul! Come out to the anger of Allah and His punishment!". 

So your soul; it hides within your body because it doesn't want to come out. And then the Angel beat that person and they pull his soul and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "His soul is removed, like a many hooked iron skewers". So imagine some wet wool, and the way you pull a thorny branch, the way it rips and it tears that wool, and that's the way it tears your veins and your muscles and the person is in intense pain. Then they ascend to the first Heaven, and they knock on the doors of the Heaven, and it is asked "Who is it?". And the Angels who are carrying your soul they call you by the worst names that you were known by on this world. Then Allah S.W.T orders to that Angels to not open the doors of the first Heaven. And that person's soul is dropped from the first Heaven to his grave. 

The people have buried him in his grave. And he can hear their footsteps. You are in your grave and you can hear your family's footsteps as they leave you. These people who you turned to in the world when you had some distress, when you needed some advises, or some help, they bury you and they leave. And this person, this evil soul, he is screaming "Don't leave me! Where are you going? Why are you leaving me alone?". And then in a sudden, he sees in the distance, two Angels. Two very scary Angels approaching him. They are called Munkar and Nakir, and they are black and blue. Do you have anywhere to run? Do you have anywhere to hide? Do you have anything that you can protect yourself with? So they sit that person up in his grave, and they ask him three questions. But these Angels are very rough. They are not going to ask you in a polite way. So the first question "WHO IS YOUR LORD?". And this person, he didn't learn about Allah S.W.T. He didn't learn about Shirk, he just lived his life. He didn't care. He was too busy chasing the 'Dunya'. So, he's going to answer "Oh Oh i don't know". Then the Angels will ask the second question "WHAT WAS YOUR RELIGION?". And this person, he was too busy, he came on a Friday and he prayed his Jumaah but after that he didn't pray. He prayed his Eid salah but after that he didn't pray. He didn't know about his religion. He didn't care about his religion. So he's going to say "I don't know". Then comes the third question "WHO IS THIS MAN THAT WAS SENT TO YOU?". He's going to say "I don't know. I heard the people, the Mosque, where i went to, the people used to say such and such but i can't remember now". 

Then a voice calls out. The Angels are told to furnish his grave with the furnishings of Jahannam. And this person is shown, he's shown a place in Jannah (Heaven), and he's told "This is what was waiting for you, if you have obeyed Allah, and obeyed His Messenger (pbuh)". And the the fire of Jahannam; it enters into his grave, and his grave; it squeezes him, so tight until his ribs begin to close up on one another. Then he sees an ugly man with a foul stench and his coming to him. And he sits with him in his grave. So this person says "Who are you? May Allah curse you! Your face brings evil!" Then the ugly man will says "I AM YOU EVIL DEEDS! And i am going to stay with you until the Day of Judgement". So not only he is being punished in his grave, but he's with this ugly foul stench of a man. Then Allah appoints over him, one who is blind, deaf and dumb, in whose hand is an iron rod, which if he was to strike a mountain with it, it will turn the mountain to dust. MasyaAllah. Then he strikes him with the rod until he turn to dust. Then he is restored to his former state and he is struck again and again. This dead person he utters a scream, which everything can hear except for the Mankind and the Jinn. He keeps strikes him until the Day of Judgement. 

--- to be continue ---

Bilal Ibn Rabbah R.A, A Man of Jannah

In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious And The Most Merciful

A group of people from the Bani Buqair came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and they said "O Messenger of Allah, marry our daughter to somebody". And The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "What about Bilal?". Then they came again and they said "Marry our daughter to somebody". The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "What about Bilal?" And upon the third occasion they came again and they said "O Messenger of Allah, marry our daughter to somebody!". And The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "What about Bilal?". A MAN OF JANNAH (PARADISE)! 

In another narration the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "Jannah longs for Bilal R.A". We long for Jannah but Jannah longs for Bilal R.A. Upon occasion The Prophet (pbuh) finished the Fajar Salah and he turned around and he said "O Bilal, what is it, what action do you do, that last night i enter into Jannah and i heard your footsteps in front of me". And Bilal R.A said "The only action that comes to my mind is that whenever my Wudu' breaks, i do my Wudu' again and i pray two rakaats". MasyaAllah. This was a man who was persecuted for the most severe persecution. He did Jihad, He was the Mua'dhin of The Prophet (pbuh). But why were his footsteps in Jannah? Because every time his Wudu' broke, he did Wudu' again and he pray two rakaats. And this why sometimes we think actions as insignificant but they are very important. Because they are the foundations. Your salah is your connection with Allah S.W.T. There was never any Sahabi who did not pray their salah.  The truth is when they pray their salah, they were connected with Allah S.W.T. They reached that state of Ihsan. 

Bilal R.A in the Day Of Judgement will be with The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said to Bilal R.A "Live in poverty. Remain in the company of poor people and die in poverty". The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said regarding himself, he said "O Allah, as long as you keep me alive, then keep me alive in the state of poverty". And this is why when The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was passing away, the narration mentions that he only had seven dirhams in his possession. And he said to Aisya R.A "O Aisya, give those seven dirhams in the path of Allah S.W.T". And The Prophet (pbuh) became unconscious and Aisya R.A. was attending to The Messenger of Allah. And then The Prophet (pbuh) gained consciousness and he ask "O Aisya, have you give those seven dirhams in the path of Allah?". Then Aisya R.A said "O Messenger of Allah, i was busy attending to you". And The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said "O Aisya, what will i do on the Day of Judgement that i will stand in front of Allah and i will have wealth in my possession?". Only seven dirhams? 

The narration mentions that when The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) passed away, Aisya R.A mentions that they didn't even have oil to burn in the lantern of The Prophet (pbuh). Not even oil to burn! Our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) once said something amazing, he said "O Allah, when you take me into account on the Day of Judgement, then take me into account with the poor people". And he told Bilal R.A "O Bilal, die with the poor people". And the narration mention that Bilal R.A died in relative poverty. Why? Because he will be in the group of the Prophet (pbuh) in Jannah.