Morning and Evening Dhikr –

Dhikr - What is it?
DHIKR is the remembranceof Allah. Every time we think of Allah, do
Salaah, recite Quran, make a Dua, do Tasbeeh, mention Allahin
conversation, we are doing Dhikr. There are alsospecific ways of doing
Dhikr, as the Prophet(sws) taught us.
Importance/Benefitsof Dhikr:
Here are some Ayahs and Hadith showing us the importance of and the
benefits of doing Dhikr?
Allah(swt) says: "O ye whobelieve! Let not your wealth or your
children divert you from the 'Dhikr' of Allah. If any act thus, the
(severe) loss is their own!" [Surah Munafiqoon, Ayah 9]
"Those who believe, their hearts find satisfaction in the 'Dhikr'of
Allah: for without doubt, (only) in the 'Dhikr' of Allah do hearts
find satisfaction!" [Surah Raad, Ayah 28]
"If anyone withdraws himself from 'Dhikr' of (Allah) Most Gracious, We
appoint for him a Shaytaan to be an intimate companion to him! [Surah
Zukhruf, Ayah 36]
And the Prophet(sws) said: "The difference betweenthe one who
remembershis Lord and the one who does not, is like the difference
between a living and dead body." [Sahih al-Bukhari 6407]
Why every Morning& Evening?
Because Allah(swt) says in Surah Ahzaab, Ayahs 41-42: "O ye who
believe! Celebrate the 'Dhikr' (Remembrance) of Allah and do this
(as)much (as possible); And glorify Him Morning and Evening ."
What time is Morning & Evening?
According to Ibn Qayyim(ra)'s interpretation of the following words of
Allah, he concludes that the:
- Morning Supplication is from Fajr till Sunrise and
- Evening Supplication is from Asr till Sunset
Ta-Ha, Ayah 130: "And glorify the praises of your Lord before the
rising of the sun, and before its setting."
Surah Al-Araf, Ayah 205: "And remember your Lord within yourself with
humbleness and fear and without being loud in speech – in the mornings
and the evenings," Why do we recite certain supplications a specific
number of times?
See Arabic wording: The word Asaal is a plural of Aseel which means in
Arabic the period betweenAsr and Maghrib. (If you forget to do the
Dhikr at these times, you can reciteit after Maghrib till the middle
of the night or after Sunrise till before zawaal.)
What Dhikr should we recite Morning & Evening?
The Prophet(sws) has taught us. More than 14 different Duas/Dhikr have
been included in this presentation for you to recite and ponder over.
Each one is authentic and is backed by proof with a Hadith of
Rasool(sws) SubhaanAllah!
Why recite it a certain number of times?
We do not know the reason why, but there is a hidden wisdom in
following the Sunnah, as Allah(swt) says: "Indeed in the Messenger of
Allahyou have a good example to follow for him who hopes for (the
meeting with) Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah much."
[Quran 33:21] "And if you obey him(sws), you will be [rightly]
guided." [Quran 24:54]
The Dhikr as taught by Rasul(sws) is enough for us and we should avoid
innovating in matters of worship, as some people like to say, 'Recite
such and such so many times', but they have no basis for it.
What do YOU want to gain from doing Dhikr?
My dear Brothers and Sisters, please sit back, relax and take some
time out to read, learn and to ponder over the beautiful Duas and
Dhikr in the rest of this presentation. May the following duas/dhikr
become a regular part of your daily routine, and may you find solace
by using them to communicate with and to Praise Allah. And most of all
may they strengthen your connection with Allah(swt) our Most Merciful
Creator, strengthen your Nafs and help you achieve the pleasure of
Allah and a place in Jannah al-Firdaus, Aameen - afterall that is your
ultimate goal, right?

HEALTH - ~ Can gardening cure depression?

(NaturalNews) Organic gardening may produce physiological changes to
boost your physical and mental health, a number ofstudies suggest.
One such change may take place as a result of the simple act of
putting your hands into the soil. A studyconducted by researchers from
the University of Bristol in London found that contact with a
naturally occurring species of soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae,
causes the body to release vital immune chemicals called cytokines.
These, in turn, spur the brain to produce the neurotransmitter
serotonin.
"We know that some of these cytokines can activate the nerves that
relay signals from the bodyto the brain," researcher Chris Lowry said.
This effect may explain, in part, why people who are not exposed to
dirt in childhood have higher rates of allergies, asthma and even
mental health issues as adults.
In spite of what the drug companies would have youbelieve, there is no
real evidence that serotonin affects mood directly. However, it is
certainly an essential neurotransmitter that appears related to immune
function, and the study's results are highly suggestive.
"These studies help us understand how the body communicates with the
brain and why a healthy immune system is important for maintaining
mental health," Lowry said."They also leave us wondering if we
shouldn't all be spending more time playing in the dirt."
Get Addicted to Gardening In unconnected research, scientists have
found that the simple act of picking fruit or vegetables, whether from
a garden or in the wild, causes the brain to release the"pleasure
chemical" dopamine, which activates the brain's reward centers.
Dopamine is also released from seeing, smelling or eating a
pleasurable food.
Indeed, dopamine plays a role in all pleasurable experiences and is
thoughtto be responsible for much of the physical component of
addictive behaviors, including compulsive shopping. Researchers
believe that our brains evolved to reward us for important behaviors
such as finding foods, and that our modern environment of abundance
has allowed these psychological mechanisms to be co-opted into
unhealthy patterns.
"I have often remarked on the great joy I feel when I forage in the
garden, especially when I discover and harvest the 'first of
theseason', the first luscious strawberry to ripen or emergence of the
first tender asparagus shoot," commented writer Robyn Francis on
permaculture.com. "I have also often wondered why Ihad a degree of
inherent immunity to the retail-therapy urges that afflict some of my
friends and acquaintances. Maybe as a long-term gardener I've been
getting a constant base-load dopamine high which has reduced the need
to seek other ways toappease this primal instinct."
"I suppose the trick is to rewire our brains to crave the dopamine hit
from the garden and other more sustainable pursuits and activities,"
she added
For those interested in garden therapy, it's worth noting a 2008 study
that suggested gardening with herbicides may not supply the same
benefits. As a matter of fact, it seems even eating non-organic food
may place your moodat risk. Researchers found that glyphosate, the
active ingredient in the popular herbicide Roundup, actually lowers
your body'slevels of both serotonin and dopamine.
Because Roundup and its ingredients build up in the environment and
may even be absorbed through the skin, it is also best to avoid
non-organic foods, particularly those likely to be engineered for
Roundupresistance, such as corn andsoy.

HADEES - ~

O Allah..., Please Bring Me Out Of The Darkness Of Illusions And
Honour Me With The Light Of Comprehension, O Allah... Open To Us The
Doors Of Your Mercy And Propagate Us The Treasure Of Your Knowledge By
Your Mercy O The Most Merciful Of The Merciful Ones."( Ameen)

Dua’ for one who is sick

What dua' can one say for a person who is sick? For example, a parent
for a sick child? Or for any family member or friend who is ill? Or
even a dua' for a sick person to say for himself?
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has taught us
things in such cases in which there is healing and a lessening of
sickness, as well as reward. That is part of Allah s mercy towards
this blessed ummah and the Prophet's care for it. He is the one whom
Allah described as (interpretation of the meaning):
Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad saws) from
amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any
injuryor difficulty. He is anxious over you; for thebelievers (he is)
full of pity, kind, and merciful. [al-Tawbah 9:128]
Among the things that he taught us are the following:
1 - Reciting al-Faatihah
It was narrated from Abu Sa eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with
him)that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah beupon him)
described Soorat al-Faatihah as a ruqyah, and he approved of the
Sahaabi who recitedit as a ruqyah for the one who had been stung by a
scorpion.
- Al-Bukhaari (2156) and Muslim (2201).
Ibn al-Qayyim said about reciting Soorat al-Faatihah:
"There was a time when I fell sick in Makkah, and I could not find a
doctor or any medicine, so I treated myself by reciting it. I would
take some Zamzamwater and recite it over it several times, then drink
it. I recovered fully by these means, then I beganto do that whenever
I felt alot of pain, and I benefited greatly from it."
- Zaad al-Ma aad (4/164).
2. "Lord of the Magnificent Throne"
The following dua' is givenin "Fortress of the Muslim",to be recited
for one who is ill:
Dua for sickness and ill health
Transliteration: 'As'alullaahal-'Adheema Rabbal-'Arshil-'Adheemi 'an
yashfiyaka.
Meaning: I ask Almighty Allah , Lord of the Magnificent Throne, to
make you well. (Recite seven times in Arabic)
Reference: At-Tirmithi, AbuDawud. See also Al-Albani, Sahih
At-Tirmithi 2/210 and Sahihul-Jami' As-Saghir 5/180.
3 - "You are the Healer"
It was narrated from Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that
when any of us fell sick, the Messenger of Allah (peaceand blessings
of Allah be upon him) would wipe him with his right hand then say: "
Adhhib il-ba's, Rabbi l-naas washfi anta al-Shaafi laa shifaa ailla
shifaa uka shifaa an laa yughaadir saqaman. (Remove the harm, O Lord
of humankind and heal him, for You are the Healer and there is no
healing except Your healing, with a healing which does not leave any
disease behind)."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5675) and Muslim (2191).
4 - Al Mu'awidhatayn (Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Naas)
It was narrated that Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
"If one of his family fell sick, the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) would blow over him and recite
al-Mu'awwidhaat. When he fell sick with his final illness, I started
to blow over him and wipe him with his own hand, because it was more
blessed than my hand."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5735) and Muslim (2192).
5 - Bismillah and dua'
It was narrated from Uthmaan ibn Abi l- Aas al-Thaqafi that he
complained to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) about some pain that he had felt in his body since he became
Muslim. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) said to him: "Put your hand on the part of your body that hurts
and say: 'Bismillaah' (in the nameof Allah) three times, then say
seven times: 'I seek refuge in Allah and His Power from the evil of
what I find and I fear.'"
- Narrated by Muslim (2202).
6 - "In the Name of Allah I perform ruqyah"
It was narrated from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with
him)that Jibreel came to the Prophet (pbuh) and said:"O Muhammad, are
you sick?" He said: "Yes." He said: "In the name of AllahI perform
ruqyah foryou, from everything that is harming you, from the evilof
every soul or envious eye may Allah heal you, in the name of Allah I
perform ruqyah for you."
- Narrated by Muslim (2186).
7. - "Allah Who is in heaven"
It was narrated that Abul-Darda (may Allaah bepleasedwith him) said: I
heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings ofAllaah be upon
him) say: "Whoever among you suffers some sickness, orhis brother
suffers some sickness, let him say: 'Our Lord Allah Who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name, Your will is done in heaven and on earth; as
Your mercy is inheaven, bestow it upon the earth. Forgive us our sins.
You are the Lord of the good. Send down Your mercy and healing upon
this pain' ; and he will be healed."
- Narrated by Abu Dawood(3892);