Dua - At the time of lifting the table cloth

Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
At the time of lifting the table cloth
Recite:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ حَمْدَاً كَثِيرَاً طَيِّبَاً مُبَارَكَاً فِيهِ
غَيْرَ مَكْفِيٍّ وَلَا مُوَدَّعٍ وَلَا مُسْتَغْنَىً عَنْهُ رَبَّنَا
"All praise belongs to Allah who is Omnipresent, Pure and full of
Blessings. O Lord, we are eating thinking we cannot be without it nor
independent of it, nor can we do without it".
(Bukhari)

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Poem: Why Do You Save Me?

Why Do You Save Me?
Allah, why do You save me?
Why do You guide me gently,
and push me to the light?
Am I more in Your sight
than a walking shade?
Am I bright? Do You see
my coruscating heart?
Am I living my true life?
If not, then in which shining valley
does it lie?
In whose wide eyes,
in what hungry land?
Why did You draw me by the hand
from my prison bed?
What of the souls I have loved
who are lost, who have fled
to distant cities
or turned their heads
after speaking
of inexpressible sadness?
Those who have known me best
have betrayed me,
or I have betrayed them.
Is that the grief of Bani Adam?
Why do You pull me
from the pit,
casting light on me,
accepting my regret,
giving me dreams like comets,
or signposts
to a hidden shrine?
Dreams like hands in mine.
Why, Allah? Am I more
than I seem to myself?
Where did my soul reside
in the world before birth?
If souls are troops
collected together
then where is my unit,
where was my creche?
Who am I to them now?
Who am I to the Prophets,
to the angels sweeping the sky,
to my daughter
and those who will proceed?
Who am I to You, Al-Azeez,
who hold night and day;
and when will I find my way?

A book is a garden

"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket." – Arab proverb
A book in your pocket is like a secret treasure. It isa magical means
of transportation, a source of knowledge, a historical record, and a
treasure chest containingthe knowledge of humanminds and hearts, or in
the case of the Quran, themessage of Allah to humanity.
You can take the book out of your pocket and lose yourself in it,
forgetting about all the worries of the world, justas you can do in a
beautiful garden.
Fozia, a Muslim sister from the UK, points out that a book helps one
develop through acquiring knowledge, as a garden blossoms through the
growth of itsflowers and creatures…
Making the Impossible Possible
Indeed, to carry a gardenin one's pocket is impossible, but that's the
thing about books, they make the impossible possible. A family that
hasbeen stuck in poverty for generations can break that cycle by
sending onechild to higher education. Someone whocomes from the most
desperate circumstances can achieve the seemingly impossible andbecome
a doctor, engineer, or even President, all through thepower of
education. The power of books.
That reminds me of a quote by Cesar Chavez, the famous campaigner for
farm workers' rights, who is now deceased. He said,
"Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot
uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the
person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not
afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours."
This process of social change that he describes starts with a book. It
starts with education. The ultimate Book is the Quran, and it is a
world-changing book. It brings light where there was darkness, and
changes human beings from the inside out.
The First Revelation of the Quran
Does anyone need proof that the processes of personal growth and
social change both start with books? Consider the first revealed
verses of the Quran itself, in Surah 96, Al-'Alaq:
1. Read in the name of your Lord Who created.
2. He created humankind from a clot.
3. Read and your Lord is Most Honorable,
4. Who taught (to write) with the pen
5. Taught the human being what he knew not.
The moment of the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) was amoment of immense significance for all humanity,
possibly the most significant moment in human history. It follows that
the message is one of great significance as well.
What is this message of great significance, these first few profound
and powerful words?
Read, and write, and do it in the name of Allah.
Allah exalted and honored human beings by giving us knowledge, the
capacity to acquire more knowledge, and the tools to record and share
our knowledge, whether verbally or in print. He commanded us to make
use of these tools, and to do it in Allah's name so that our motives
and methods remain pure, and so that the results will be beneficial to
humanity and not destructive or oppressive.
We are supposed to use our knowledge to create vaccines for diseases,
not to create deadly viruses for biological warfare. We should use
nuclear power to generate clean energy, not to design bombs that can
destroy nations. We must use robotic technologies to create artificial
limbs for victims of war or accidents, or to explore the depths of the
sea, or to clear old minefields without loss of life, or to rescue
miners trapped deep underground… not to build hunter-killer drones
that destroy innocent human lives while the operator moves a joystick
a thousand miles away.
Knowledge must be employed "in the name of your Lord Who created," not
in the nameof greed or vengeance.
This is especially important today, when fantastically powerful
technologies are being developed every day. Supercomputers,
nanotechnology, genetic engineering, cloning, quantum physics… If
these technologies are not tempered with faith and wisdom, humanity
could unleash horrors on the world that will make previous wars and
genocides look like a badcase of the measles (no disrespect intended
to victims of past conflicts).
A New Course for the World
The Quran was also a message that the time had come to change
humanity's meandering course. Human beings all over the world had been
creating societies, customs and laws based on superstition. Some
societies were based on artificial castes. Others were based on
worship of human beings, or worship of the dead, or cult-like
religions, or collections of taboos and myths.
The revelation of the Quran signified the beginning of a new course
for the world, a lighted path based on scholarship, science and the
systematization of knowledge. The engines of this new period wouldbe
literacy, scholarship, Tawheed (Oneness of God), and righteousness.
Human history, with its long and bleak stretches of ignorance and
suffering, like a vast desert with only a few small oases, was given a
permanent garden in theform of a book: the Quran.
A book is a garden in your pocket. It's natural, inspiring, and
life-changing. It's your own personal haven. But only if you read it
and let it into your heart.

How does Islam continue to grow in the West?

Someone posted this question recently on an Islamic forum that I belong to:
There all kinds of people coming to Islam. There are some that even
convert in huge masses (20+ people). It's the fastest growing religion
in the UK and USA. Just visit Youtube. How is thata religion that is
put down in the media constantly is the most popular choice today?
Let me put it in marketing terms to start. I don't want to cheapen our
deen which is the most beautiful way of life, ordained for humanity by
Allah. But most people in this consumer culture of the West understand
marketing concepts.
In the marketing industrythey say that there is no such thing as bad
publicity. That may or may not be true, but I do believe it is true
when you have a quality product. Islam is a qualityproduct.
I have heard of many people who initially wanted to learn more about
this "terrible religion" that gets so much bad press. So they picked
up a book on Islam or a copy of the Quran, began reading, and
SubhanAllah, were guided to the truth.
That's the way of it.
Throwing a rubber ballat the ground
This deen is a clarion call,it is the sunlight through the clouds. It
is manifest truth. As much as the enemies of Allah try to badmouth
Islam, they only serve its cause. As Allah says (paraphrasing) in the
Quran, they desired to extinguish the light of Allah with their
mouths, but Allah will complete His light, though the disbelievers may
detest it.
Someone once said to methat those who try to damage Islam are like
someone throwing a rubber ball down on the ground. The harder they
throw it, trying to smash it, the higher it bounces back in the air.
When I say there's no such thing as bad publicity, that doesn't mean
that I am happy about things like terroristattacks, "honor killings",
female genital mutilationand other bad actions that bring bad
publicity to Islam. I despise those acts and I utterly condemn them,
not only because they damage theimage of Islam and make life harder
for Muslims, but because they are evil in themselves, and they bring
suffering to innocent people.
No, when I say there's no such thing as bad publicity, I am thinking
more of the lies that are told about Islam. Hateful preachers who
insult the Prophet (peace be upon him); or the often-made false claim
that Islam wasspread by the sword; or the bigoted epithets
(like"Islamofascists") that are used to try to discredit Islam in the
eyes of the public. In the end, all these lies will fail, because
truth is clear from falsehood.
Quran 61:8
(8) They want to extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but
Allah will perfect His light, although the disbelievers dislike it.
(9) It is He who sent His Messenger with guidanceand the religion of
truth to manifest it over all religion, although those who associate
others with Allah dislike it.
(Umm Muhammad translation)
The enemies of Islam think that Allah's light is like a candle that
can be blown out with the breath from their mouths, by propagating
false rumors and lies about this deen. They might as well try to blow
out the light of the sun. Allah's light is far more powerful even than
that.
Quran is a light
" O humankind, there has come to you a conclusive proof from your
Lord, and We have sent down to you a clear light." (Quran 4:174)
Allah has manifested His light in the revelation of the Quran. It is
an eternalbook, protected by Allah, unchanged, shedding light like a
lamp that never runs dry. It illuminates the souls of those who read
it and practice it, and so light spreads in the world, purifying it.
That's why the Messengerof Allah (pbuh) said, "The best amongst you
are those who learn the Quran and teach it." [Al-Bukhaari] Because
theQuran is the source of guidance and a light, andby spreading it we
ensure the victory of Islam over oppression, we perpetuate Truth in
the world, and we offer guidance to the lost.
The Quran is also a sourceof internal peace. Recitation and
contemplation of the Quran soothes the heart and carries away the
stresses of life, and it brings one closer to Allah.That's why the
Prophet (pbuh) said, "No people assemble in one of the houses of
Allah, and recite and study the Bookof Allah, except that tranquility
prevails over them, mercy encompasses them, the angels surround them,
and Allah makes a mention of them in the presence of those near Him."
[Muslim]
Wow. SubhanAllah.
So it's not surprising when you hear stories from people who were
non-Muslims; became curious about Islam due to the constant
fear-mongering in the media; decided to pick up a Quran and check it
out for themselves; and found themselves moved,and their hearts
touched,so that they accepted Islam. It's a very common story.
Trust in Allah
I started out by answering the question, "How does Islam continue to
grow in the West in spite of all the negative press and lies?" Now I
want to add a finalmessage for my Muslim readers: Don't despair when
you see the forces of falsehood arrayed in all their power against
Islam. When you read about Muslims being oppressed in Palestine,
Chechnya, East Turkestan (a Muslim province of China) and so many
otherplaces, you should feel pain and sympathy for your brothers and
sisters,but don't let your heart be filled with rage or hatred.
Don't despair! Hatred anddespair are the oppositesof faith; they lead
to corruption and are the fuel that drives evils like terrorism, where
people cast aside the principles of their religion, and allow
themselves to be seduced into blind violence, justifying it to
themselves because they are so angry.
Trust that Allah will perfect His light. Do your part to serve the
cause ofIslam (that is key!), and then trust that Allah will manifest
the Truth over all, no matter who standsagainst it. Trust also that
Allah will guide you, and bring you into the light, and reward you in
this life and the next.
In these next two verses there is a double message, one for the People
of the Book (the Christians and the Jews), calling them to the light
that Allah has revealed; and one to the believers, calling on them to
"pursue His pleasure to the ways of peace…", in other words to seek
Allah's pleasure through compassionate and righteous action on the
paths of peace.
"O People of the Scripture, there has cometo you Our Messenger making
clear to you much of what you used to conceal of the Scripture and
overlooking much. There has come to you from Allah a light and a clear
Book; By which Allah guides those who pursueHis pleasure to the ways
of peace and brings themout from darknesses into the light, by His
permission, and guides them to a straight path." (Quran 5:15-16)

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤