There are many issues to the problems this ummah is facing and why our situation looks like it does.

One of those is cowardice in men and expecting the problems of the ummah to solve itself by du'aa only.

The other major issue is women who wants their husband's to stay with them, by their sides, instead of going out and doing what Allah obligated upon the man.

Because you know, princess wants a romantic marriage life with house, travels, honeymoon and the man in her lap forever because she doesn't want to be left alone. Let someone else take care of it.

Then you hear them say; "We follow Islam with the understanding of the Sahaba"

What a joke. The Sahaba are free from you and your type of life.

“Wage war against yourself from falling into arrogance. An evil characteristic, leading one to disbelief, belittlement of people and rejecting the truth. This is why the wise one (Luqmaan) advised his son not to turn his face away from men, full of pride. This, so that he doesn’t become arrogant towards people.” - Shaykh Rabee ibn Haadee al-Madkhalee [15 Characteristics Of The Slaves Of The Most Merciful" Pp. 48-49].

Ibn Abī Dunyā said:

"It's amazing; when good is said about a person, although it is not present in him - he becomes happy!

And it's amazing; when evil is said about a person, although it is inside him - he becomes angry!

And more amazing is that he loves himself with certainty!

While he hates people based suspicion!"

● [رقم الحديث: ٢٥٤١]

[Would You Be Pleased to Be From This Category?!]

Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAbd ar-Raḥmān ibn Nāṣir as-Saʿdī (d. 1376 AH) said:

Would a believer be pleased to be among the most skilled of the skilled in his worldly affairs, yet in matters of his religion be among the ignorant rabble who know nothing about religious matters?!

Indeed, he has chosen the lowly, despicable option over the highest, most precious fortune!

He has been content to share with animals and has turned away from the noble traits of the people of virtue!

By Allāh, a single issue that one of you hears, understands, and acts upon is better for him than the world and all that it contains. And your attendance at gatherings of dhikr (knowledge and remembrance) is better and more valuable for you than gatherings that have no benefit.

Indeed, knowledge is better than wealth. Knowledge protects you, whereas you protect wealth. Knowledge comforts you in your life, in your grave, and on the Day you are resurrected. Meanwhile, wealth fills your heart with worry and grief and becomes a burden on your back.

Knowledge brings you closer to the Lord of the worlds, raises you to the highest of high ranks, serves as a light for you with which you walk in the darkness, and as a shield protecting you from calamities and destructions.

Through it, you distinguish between kufr and īmān; through it, you differentiate between the awliyāʾ (friends and protective allies) of ar-Raḥmān and the awliyāʾ of Shayṭān. Through it, you free yourself from the characteristics of the lowly ignorant ones. Through it, you know the truth, and what is ḥarām and ḥalāl.

Through it, you learn how to pray, fast, and worship; how to buy and sell; how to interact with others, marry, eat and drink; and how to stand and sit.

Source: Majmūʿ Khuṭab ash-Shaykh as-Saʿdī (p. 88), Dār al-Bashāʾir edition

https://x.com/KhalilFilastini/status/1945163003982152103?t=G9Pz-qXIcUusTX-aUtKxUg&s=19

✨Make your sorrows so dignified
that instead of screaming, they quietly turn into prayers.

And share your happiness so generously
that your smile becomes a light on someone else’s face too.

Remember...
The one whom Allah keeps happy, never becomes the reason for someone else’s sadness.

Allah Loves The Sorrowful Heart That Remains Patient While Facing Trials.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "Allah says, 'I have nothing to give but Paradise as a reward to my believer slave, who, if I cause his dear one (or relative like parents/children etc) to die, remains patient (and hopes for Allah's Reward). [Sahih al-Bukhari 6424]

Ibn al Qayyim said:

فَالْحُزْنُ مُصِيبَةٌ مِنَ الْمَصَائِبِ، الَّتِي يَبْتَلِي اللَّهُ
بِهَا عَبْدَهُ، فَإِذَا ابْتَلَى بِهِ الْعَبْدَ فَصَبَرَ عَلَيْهِ، أَحَبَّ صَبْرَهُ عَلَى بَلَائِهِ

Grief is a calamity among the trials with which Allah tests His servant. So when He tests a servant with it and they endure patiently, HE LOVES THEIR PATIENCE IN FACING THAT TRIAL.
(Madārij al-Sālikīn (1/378).)

YOUR AFFLICTION MAKES IT HARD FOR YOU TO SLEEP AT NIGHT

Khalid bin Walid (radiAllahu anhu) reported that once he suffered from insomnia. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said to him, "Shall I teach you words that will make you go to sleep when you say them? Say (the below)":
[abu Dawud 4:12, at-Tabrani in his Al-Kahir and Al-Awsat]

اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّ السَّموَاتِ السَّبْعِ وَمَا أَظَلَّتْ وَ رَبَّ الْأَرضِين وَ مَا أقَلَّتْ وَ رَبِّ الشَّياطِينِ وَمَا أَضَلَّتْ كُنْ لِى جَارًا مِنْ شَرِّ خَلْقِكَ أَجْمَيِنَ أَنْ يَفْرُطَ عَلَىَّ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ أَوْ أَنْ يَطْغَى ، عَزَّ جَارُكَ ، وَ تَبَارَكَ اسْمُكَ

Allahumma Rabbas Samawaatis-Sab'i, wa ma adhal-lat, wa Rabbal-aradina, wa ma aqal-lat, wa Rabbash-Shaiateena, wa ma adhal-lat kun li jaran min sharri khalqika ajma'een ay-yafruta 'alaya ahad-um-minhum, aw ay-yatgha. Azza jaruk, wa tabarakasmuk

"O Allah! Lord of the seven Firmaments and whatever they cover, Lord of the seven earths and whatever they contain, Creator of the devils and whoever they mislead, Be my Protector from the evil of all Your Creatures lest some of them may hasten with insolence against me or transgress the bounds. Honoured is he who is in Your Protection and Blessed is Your Name."

Ibn al-Qayyim (رحمه الله) said:

"The actions of the heart are greater and more important than the actions of the limbs. For while the limbs’ actions without the heart’s actions are of no benefit, the heart’s actions are the foundation and essence of faith."

(Madarij al-Sālikīn, 1/120)

Allāh Raises Those Who Rectify Their Hidden Affairs

Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allāh have mercy on him, said:

By Allāh, I have seen one who is abundant in praying, fasting much, often staying silent, [one who] shows humility in himself and in his dress. Yet, the hearts [of people] turn away from him, and his status amongst them is not all that!
And I have seen one who attires himself in luxurious clothes, does not have a lot of voluntary acts [of worship], nor does he make a show of humility, yet the hearts go one after the other in feeling love for him.
So I reflected on the cause [of this], and then I realised it was what people keep hidden from others [that Allāh knows].

Ibn Al-Jawzī, Sayd Al-Khāṭir. Dār Ibn Al-Khuzaimah.
Riyadh: 1437H. p. 355.

Do not look at someone’s sin and mock their good deeds; rather, have hope that because of that good deed, Allah the Almighty will reform them and correct their sin.

It was mentioned before the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) that there was a man who would regularly pray at night but would steal during the day. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "His night prayers will soon stop him from that sin."* (Sahih Ibn Hibban, 2560)

Via Hafiz Abdul Rahman Al-Mu’allimi

Ibn Hibban رحمه الله said,

"The wisest people are those who do not become angry. The people whose answers are most mindful are those who do not become angry. A quick temper is more damaging to a wise person than fire is to a dry thorny bush, because when a person becomes angry, he loses his intellect and common sense, so he says: 'I allowed myself to be affected by the anger and I did something to dishonor myself and bring about my own ruin.'"

Al-Kurayzi recited the following verses to me,

"I don't see any good except with good character,

And I don't see intellect to be correct except with good manners,

And I don't see any enemy, when I test them,

To be more of an enemy to a man's intellect than anger.

A quick temper is from the characteristics of the ignorant, whereas avoiding anger is from the garments of the wise, and anger sows the seed of regret. So a person is better at fixing what angered him before he becomes angry than he is after that."

[Selections from the Garden of the Wise and the Meadow of the Virtuous, pg. 74-75]

If it wasn't for the blessing of Tahajjud, my hardships and heart breaks would have crushed me. There is something so magical about talking and begging to Allah during this blessed time. Mountains of weight and worry is lifted off your shoulders.

As much as I believe in making specific and detailed duas, some of the best things that Allah blessed me with were never verbalised.

All I did was shed tears.
All I did was tell Allah "Ya Rabbi you know!"

You see...
▪️Yunus (as) never asked to be saved from the belly of the whale.
▪️Ibrahim (as) never asked for the fire to cool down.
▪️Musa (as) didn't ask for marriage and job security.
▪️Umm Salama (ra) didn't ask to be married to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
▪️Ayyub (as) didn't ask to be cured of his disease.

They all did one thing. They were vulnerable, humble and broken infront of Allah. They relied upon Allah. They trusted Allah and Allah was sufficient for them.

📖 And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He ˹alone˺ is sufficient for them. Certainly Allah achieves His Will.
{Surah Talaq}

Allah knows what you want yet, He still loves to hear you say it.

The best hopes are the ones placed with Allah. Keep begging, keep praying and keep asking. What's meant for you will reach you, exactly when it's meant to.

🤲 Ya Allah grant us afiya, forgive us and accept our duas to you - ameen!

THE FOUR THINGS

Abū Abdir-Rahmān Hātim Al-Asamm( May Allāh grant him Rahmah) said:

"Four things eradicate envy among brothers: rendering support with the body, gentleness in speech, charity with wealth, and Du'ā (Prayer) in absence."

📚 [As-Sadāqah Wa As-Sadīq 364] | Translated by Abū Dharr Ahmad Al-Otuwwiyy

“The year is like a tree: its months are its branches, its days are its twigs, its hours are its leaves, and its breaths are its fruits. So whoever’s breaths are spent in obedience (to Allah), the fruit of his tree is sweet. And whoever’s breaths are spent in disobedience, the fruit of his tree is bitter — like colocynth (bitter desert fruit). The harvest will take place on the Day of Resurrection, and only then will the sweetness or bitterness of the fruit be truly revealed.”

— Ibn al-Qayyim [Al-Fawa’id (p. 240)]

When Ibn Al-Jawzi advised his son on how he(Ibn Al-Jawzi) became so successful he said "My son I will sum up my success in a few words :
وَاتَّقُواْ اللَّهَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ اللَّهُ
”Fear Allaah, and Allaah will teach you.” [Surah al-Baqarah:282]

Ibn Mas’ud reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

لَيْسَ الْمُؤْمِنُ بِالطَّعَّانِ وَلَا اللَّعَّانِ وَلَا الْفَاحِشِ وَلَا الْبَذِيءِ

The believer does not insult others, does not curse others, is not vulgar, and is not shameless.

Source: Jaami Tirmidhi 1977 :)

ALLĀH's Messenger ﷺ said:

"A man will be brought on the Day of Resurrection and will be cast into Hell: his intestines will pour forth and he will go round them as a donkey goes round a millstone."

The inmates of Hell will gather round him and say: "What has happened to you, O so-and-so? Were you not enjoining us to do good and forbidding us to evil?"

He will reply: "I was enjoying you to do good, but was not doing it myself; and I was forbidding you to do evil, but was doing it my self."

📚 Muslim #2989