لَا إِكْرَاهَ فِي الدِّينِ
Ibn Kathir:

Do not force anyone to become muslim, for islam is plain and clear.
So there is no need to force anyone.

(Tafseer 2/256)

✒ Allāh Does Not Return Raised Hands Empty

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : إن الله رحيم حيي كريم يستحي من عبده أن يرفع إليه يديه ثم لا يضع فيهما خيرا

The Messenger of Allāh Ṣallallāhu-'Alaihi Wa Sallam said:

“Indeed, Allāh is Most Merciful, Shy, Generous, He is Shy of His slave that he raises his hands to Him then He does not place anything of Khayr (goodness) in them.”

● [مختصر صحيح الجامع الصغير ١٧٦٨ ، صححه الألباني

Mukhtaṣar Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmi' aṣ-Ṣagheer no. 1768, declared 'Authentic' by al-Albānī]

Translated By: Sameeullaah Sameeullaah (Aboo Maryamm)

Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab once said to Al-Ahnaf Ibn Qais:

“O Ahnaf, the more one laughs, the less dignity will he posses. Whoever jokes (excessively or indecently) is a person who will be taken lightly. Whoever does something frequently will become known by that thing. Whoever speaks often, errs often; the more often one errs, the less modesty will he possess; whoever has a low level of modesty will also have a low level of piety; and when one has a low level of piety, then his heart dies.”

[Sifatus-Safwah, 1/1449]

Ibn Rajab رحمه الله said:

“Some of the Salaf would ask Allāh in their prayers for everything, even when they needed salt for the dough and fodder for the sheep.”

Jāmi Uloom wal-Hikam 2/39 | ibn Rajab رحمه الله

Shaykh Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:

"I see many people pass by his brother and it's as if he passed by a pillar, he doesn't give him salaam, and this is a big mistake.”

[Kitab Al-Ilm, 85]

The Dangers of Smart Phones and Social Networking -
Al-'Allaamah Saalih ibn Fawzaan Al-Fawzaan (Hafidhahullaah):


The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The Deen (religion) is Naseehah (advice).
We (i.e. the Sahaabah) said: For who, O Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ)?
He (the Messenger ﷺ) said: For Allaah, and His Book and His Messenger (ﷺ),
and for the Imaams (leaders) of the Muslims and their general masses. [Muslim]

For those who sincerely respect the scholars of Sunnah, and especially those of us who always quote the Shaykh (Hafidhahullaah) when he says something that we like,
I ask that we take just a few minutes of our precious time and LISTEN carefully to this important advice from al-'Allaamah Saalih al-Fawzaan (Hafidhahullaah).

Listen - with an open mind - reflect upon & consider carefully what is being said, then ACT upon this important, priceless, precious advice!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1sE4MjRkDw&feature=youtu.be

May Allaah, al-Raheem, shower His Mercy upon us, and open our hearts and minds to that which is coming to us from those whom He has commanded us to listen to, i.e. the Scholars [16:43]...Aameen!

🔘 *How to take yourself into account?*

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
The way a person takes himself into account is by reflecting upon;
💭what he has done?
💭What he has left?
💭What he has said?
💭What he has remained silent upon?

...until he takes himself into account.

For example he says to himself:
❕You did NOT say the truth in this affair,
❕you did NOT do what’s good and right in this affair,
❕you did WRONG in this affair,
❕you spoke falsely and untruthfully in this affair.

This is how a person takes themself into account for what they did and didn’t do, so that he looks at the crookedness _and remove the evil from it_.

This is the meaning of taking oneself into account.

🔅Fataawaa Noor Alaa Ad-Darb (12/16)

http://www.islamseychelles.com/how-to-take-yourself-into-account

Seek protection for yourself when you see someone affected by a calamity…especially regarding what has come out about one of these “celebrity” speakers

It was narrated from Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said:
❝Whoever unexpectedly comes across a person suffering a calamity, and says…

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي مِمَّا ابْتَلاَكَ بِهِ وَفَضَّلَنِي عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ تَفْضِيلاً

[Al-hamdu Lillaahil-ladhee aafaanee mim-mabtalaaka bihi, wa fadhalani `ala katheerim-mimman khalaqa tafdheelaa]

All praise is due to Allaah who saved me from that which He has afflicted you with, and blessed me greatly over many of those whom He has created.

…will be kept safe from that calamity, no matter what it is.❞

[Sunan Ibn Maajah (3892) and Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3431, 3431) and graded as “Hasan” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]

✒ The Parable Of Dunyā As Compared To The Ākhirah

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ما أخذت الدنيا من الآخرة إلا كما أخذ المخيط غمس في البحر من مائه

The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ said: “What is taken from the world as compared to the Hereafter except like what is taken from the water by a needle when dipped in the ocean??”

● [أخرجه الطبرانى وصححه الألباني ، أنظر حديث رقم ٥٥٢٢ في صحيح الجامع]

What is hypocrisy and how dangerous is it for the Muslims?
#2

◽ The hypocrites are always confused, always planning deceit and plots. Although outwardly they appear to be with the believers, inwardly they are with the kaafireen. So sometimes they are inclined towards the believers and sometimes they are inclined towards the kaafireen.
“(They are) swaying between this and that, belonging neither to these nor to those; and he whom Allaah sends astray, you will not find for him a way (to the truth — Islam)”[al-Nisaa’ 4:143 – interpretation of the meaning]

▫ Because of the corruption of their hearts, the hypocrites are the most averse of mankind to the religion of Allaah, as Allaah tells us about them (interpretation of the meaning):
“And when it is said to them: ‘Come to what Allaah has sent down and to the Messenger (Muhammad),’ you (Muhammad) see the hypocrites turn away from you (Muhammad) with aversion”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:61]

[From Usool al-Deen al-Islami by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri]

Ibn ‘Abdil-Hadi:

"When Ibn Taymiyyah was at the age of ten, he mastered Arabic grammar, Tafsir, Usul-ul-Fiqh and other than that"

(al-’Uqud ad-Durriyyah min Manaqib Ibn Taymiyyah, p. 3)

Shaykh al-Fawzān:

❝Trusting in Allaah is from the actions of the hearts.❞

[At-Tawakkul, (Page: 1) | Translated By Abū Ruqayyah 'Abd us-Samad]

Ibn al-Qayyim (rahinahullaah) said:

‘Every Muslim should be warned of the oppression of:

‘I – My/Mine – I Possess’
...
Indeed these three words are what Iblees (Shaytan), Fir’awn and Qaroon were tried with.

Iblees said: ‘I am better than him’

Fir’awn said: ‘Is not mine the Kingdom of Egypt,’

Qaroon said: ‘This has been given to me only because of knowledge I possess.’

So regarding the saying of the Slave of Allaah ‘I’ – then the best that he can be described with is:

“I am a slave who sins, makes mistakes, seeks forgiveness and recognizes this.“

So regarding the saying of ‘My/Mine’ – and those statements similar to that is:

“My sins, my crimes, my humbleness, my depravation and submissiveness.”

So regarding the saying of ‘I Possess’:

“Forgive me for my mistakes and what I do intentionally, in jest, or in seriousness and I possess all these shortcomings.”

[Taken from ‘Za’ad al-Ma’aad’ 2/475| By: Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawziyyah|Tanslated by: Abbas Abu Yahya]

Learn Truthfulness Before Learning Knowledge

“Truthfulness in speech is a sign of awe, nobility of one’s personality, purity of one’s consciousness, high aspiration, the predominance of the mind, and a sign of acceptance from the people, the happiness of the community and the protection of faith. For this reason, it is an obligation upon everybody; and what a disappointment for the one who neglects it – and whoever neglects it, then he has brought harm to himself and his knowledge.

Al-Awzaa’ee said:

“Learn truthfulness before learning knowledge.”

And Wakee’ said:

“This profession (i.e., hadeeth) only raises the truthful one.”

So learn truthfulness before learning knowledge – may Allahﷻ shower you with His Mercy.

Truthfulness is speaking in accordance with reality and belief; so truth can only be attained through this way. As for its opposite, [which is] lying, then it is of many types, varieties, and realms, but it can be categorized into three:

The lies of the groveler, who is the one that opposes both reality and belief; such as the one who grovels to a person whom he knows is sinful, or an innovator;The lies of the hypocrite. He is the one who speaks in accordance with Ahlus-Sunnah and Guidance;The lies of the foolish person are those which oppose reality and agree with belief, such as describing a heretical Soofee as being a ‘Friend of Allahﷻ’.

So strictly adhere to the path of truthfulness, and do not move your tongue or form your lips and open your mouth and speak, except to say a few words that express your true internal feelings – such as love and hate, or your external feelings, such as those which are perceived by the five senses: hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch.

So the truthful person would not say, “I love you [for the sake of Allahﷻ]” when he hates you, or “I heard” when he did not hear, and so on.

Beware that you do not become surrounded by suspicion and being recorded in the list of liars, which will then divert your determination to be truthful. The way to ensure against this – if you are contested by your desires to say something untruthful about – is to subdue any such desire by reminding it of the status of truthfulness and its nobility, and the evil of lying and its lowliness, and that the liar is exposed very quickly, and seek refuge in Allahﷻ.

Do not give yourself the excuse to speak in a manner which – to the listener has an apparent meaning, but you, the speaker, intend something else – in a manner other than the one prescribed by the Sharee’ah.

O seeker [of knowledge] be careful not to transit through truthfulness into this type of speech: that will land you into lying. Indeed the most evil result of this transition is lying in knowledge for the sake of the sickness of competing with your peers, or spreading your reputation. Whoever seeks out a reputation higher than his status, then let him know that there are men on the lookout who possess a penetrative insight, and critical pens, and they will weigh the reputation with the narrations (i.e. the ahadeeth, and sayings of the Salaf), and you will be stripped of three things:

Trust from the people’s hearts;Knowledge; and [there will be] a decline in [the] acceptance [in the hearts of the people for you];Being believed, even when you are truthful.

In general, whoever goes [to extremes] in speaking eloquently is the brother of the magician, and the magician will never be successful no matter what amount of skill he may attain. [ibid]

And Allahﷻ knows best.”

From: The Etiquette of Seeking Knowledge, by Shaykh Bakr Aboo Zayd

Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

Jibril (Gabriel) came to the Prophet (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) and said: “O Muhammad (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam)! Do you feel sick?” He (Sallallaahu alaihi wa Sallam) said, “Yes.” Jibril supplicated thus (i.e., he performed Ruqyah):

بسم الله أرقيك ,من كلّ شيء يؤذيك ,من شر كلّ نفس أو عين حاسد ,الله يشفيك, بسم الله أرقيك

Bismillahi arqeek, min kulli shay’in yu’dheek, min sharri kulli nafsin aw ‘aynin haasid, Allaahu yashfeek, Bismillaahi arqeek.

With the Name of Allah, I recite over you (to cleanse you) from all that troubles you, and from every harmful mischief and from the evil of the eyes of an envier. Allah will cure you; and with the Name of Allah, I recite over you.

[Sahih Muslim]

Translation Source: Riyadu-saliheen English Book, Dar-us-salam Publications

https://authentic-dua.com/2015/10/31/in-the-name-of-allaah-i-perform-ruqyah-for-you-dua-from-sahih-muslim/

What is hypocrisy and how dangerous is it for the Muslims?
#3

“And when it is said to them: ‘Come to what Allaah has sent down and to the Messenger (Muhammad),’ you (Muhammad) see the hypocrites turn away from you (Muhammad) with aversion”
[al-Nisaa’ 4:61]

The dealings of the hypocrites revolve around their own interests. When they meet the believers, they make a show of belief and loyalty, in order to deceive the believers and as an action of dissimulation, hoping for whatever good and war-booty they have. But when they meet their masters and chiefs, they say, we are with you in your shirk and kufr. Allaah says concerning them (interpretation of the meaning):
“And when they meet those who believe, they say: “We believe,” but when they are alone with their Shayaateen (devils — polytheists, hypocrites), they say: “Truly, we are with you; verily, we were but mocking
Allaah mocks at them and gives them increase in their wrong-doing to wander blindly”[al-Baqarah 2:14-15]

The hypocrites have many characteristics, the worst and most serious of which is disbelief in Allaah. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And when it is said to them (hypocrites): ‘Believe as the people (followers of Muhammad, Al-Ansaar and Al-Muhaajiroon) have believed,’ they say: ‘Shall we believe as the fools have believed?’ Verily, they are the fools, but they know not”[al-Baqarah 2:13]

From Usool al-Deen al-Islami by Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem al-Tuwayjri

Counting On Your Fingers

Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, “I saw the Prophet (May the peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) counting his praises of his Lord on his right hand.”
[Reported by Tirmidhi]

...The Messenger of Allâh (peace and blessings of Allâh be upon him) said:“Count on your fingers, for they will be asked, and will be made to speak.”
[Haashiyat al-Tahtaawi]