General Articles, - Believers' hearts are with Allah at all times and in allplaces

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What does it mean for the heart to be with Allah at all times and in all places?
What must one do to be with Allah at all times and in all places?
Some people never consider the great blessings they enjoy throughout their lives. Yet starting the day in good health every morning, being able to breathe and see, being able to enjoy scents and food and all beautiful things and being able to appreciate love, respect and friendship are all great blessings. In addition, possessing the judgment with which to distinguish between good and evil, right and wrong or beauty and ugliness is another great blessing bestowed by Allah because that judgment enables one to avoid wickedness and the evil whisperings of one’s earthly desires and to choose goodness and beauty instead. What one needs to do in return is properly appreciate our Lord, to give proper thanks to Him and for one’s heart to be full of love and fear of Him at all times.
One’s heart being with Allah at all times does not mean withdrawing from all the preoccupations of the life of this world. "The heart being with Allah at all times means";
Being aware of the greatness, might and power of our Lord at all times,
Knowing that He sees, hears and watches oneself and all the other entities one sees, and that He encompasses the entire universe,
Being aware that Allah is the sole judge and sole Lord of all things, and that He is mighty enough to do what He wants when He wants,
And knowing that everything that happens in the life of this world, whether it appears to be good or bad, is actually the functioning of the destiny ordained by Allah.
A Person Whose Heart Is Always Full of Remembrance of Allah Has a Clear Mind and Awareness
It is easy to recognize the clarity of mind of someone whose heart is always full of remembrance of Allah from his face and behavior because there is a great difference between the face of someone who believes and knows that Allah sees him at all times and someone who is heedless. No matter how attractive the face of someone who has forgotten Allah, it will never reflect any spiritual beauty or an expression full of love and meaning, humanity, humility and intelligence. In contrast, the luminosity, beauty, intelligence and nobility bestowed by faith and clarity of mind are striking in someone whose heart is with Allah. In the Qur’an, Allah notes these features of those who sincerely believe and exhibit an unsullied devotion to Him and reveals it is easy to recognize them by "...the traces of prostration" in their faces:
“ Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him are fierce to the unbelievers, merciful to one another. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Allah’s good favor and His pleasure. Their mark is on their faces, the traces of prostration. That is their likeness in the Torah. And their likeness in the Gospel is that of a seed which puts up a shoot and makes it strong so that it thickens and grows up straight upon its stalk,” (Surat al-Fath, 29)
In addition, when we look at the lives of those whose hearts are heedless of Allah, we see that it is these people who suffer the worst consequences of their heedlessness. These people, who do not believe in our Lord, Who created them from nothing and has bestowed so many blessings upon them, avoid everything that might remind them of their responsibilities to Him. They try to ignore the way that they and the universe were brought into being from nothing, they ignore the fact of death and the Day of Reckoning afterward, the countless blessings of paradise or the infinite torments of hell because they realize that only by heeding their consciences, they will have to reflect on Allah and come to faith. They know that if they think about the existence of Allah, they will remember His commandments and prohibitions and therefore be unable to follow their own earthly desires and passions.
Hearts Only Find Peace and Ease through Remembrance of Allah
True peace, joy and happiness can only come when people believe in Allah and their hearts are with Him. One can never attain true joy and happiness so long as remains heedless of Allah. Contrary to popular opinion, all pleasures flee away if one does not have faith because people cannot live by moral virtues in places where the fact that Allah is closer to one than one’s own jugular vein is ignored, and where there is no fear of His wrath. Lack of fear of Allah brings with it ignorance of all bounds and lawlessness, and thus a degenerate structure. Everyone behaves as they please. For example, taking care over one’s honor and chastity, not wasting the blessings bestowed by Allah, thinking the best of people around one (not looking for secret flaws), not showing off, not talking behind people’s backs, treating the people around one with love and respect rather than with the aim of seeing what one can get out of them, displaying the moral values of which Allah approves and being gentle, kind and polite are all important examples of moral virtues. However, someone who denies the fact that Allah enfolds and surrounds him (surely Allah is beyond that) will keep as far away from these moral virtues as possible and find himself living a degenerate life.
It is for these reasons that one of the worst mistakes people make is to imagine they can avoid their responsibilities to Allah and build tranquil lives by not thinking and by erecting walls around their consciences. But the fact is that no matter how much one may be reluctant, or outright refuse to think, the existence of Allah is still an absolute reality. Allah is there as we have fun, watch the television, read the newspapers, eat, talk, walk down the street, sleep, go to school and everywhere. He is closer to us than our own jugular vein. Wherever one looks, one encounters manifestations of Allah. He creates and maintains all events. Someone who thinks along those lines can appreciate the true nature of the life of this world and the absolute existence and might of Allah, grasp the concepts of paradise and hell and be punctilious over their religious obligations. Unlike the majority of other people, he knows he must be a servant of whom Allah approves, and therefore begins to think and live by religious moral values revealed by Allah in the Qur’an and embodied by the prophets and true believers. In consequence, he will take much more pleasure from beauties and blessings than other people do, and Allah will bestow a fine life on him in this world and the hereafter. This is revealed as follows in the Qur’an:
“ Those who believe and do right actions and establish prayer and pay alms, will have their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear and will know no sorrow.” (Surat al-Baqara, 277)
The finest way of turning to our Lord is to begin every task by reciting Bismillah (in the name of Allah). Embarking on every task by invoking the name of Allah establishes a healthier power in terms of evoking an effect on the heart and also increases a person’s proximity to Allah, because someone who embarks on a task with the name of Allah will know that everything happens under His control and that he will be successful if Allah so chooses. There is no doubt that this leads to a very deep closeness between Allah and His servant. Such a person has comprehended his own weakness and the fact he has no power to do anything without Allah’s leave, and has thus fully submitted himself to Almighty Allah. This position of believers is described as follows in the Qur’an:
“Say: ‘Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us. He is Our Master. It is in Allah that the believers should put their trust’.” ( Surat at-Tawba, 51)
A sincere, deep and uninterrupted bond established with Almighty Allah at every moment further increases a believer’s faith, fervor, submission to Allah and love and respect for Him. It causes a person to avoid behavior that will be displeasing to Allah, restrains the excesses of earthly desires and evils that know no bounds, and constantly encourages one to behave in a way that may be hoped to be pleasing to Allah. This closeness bestows a great spiritual delight on the believer by drawing him closer to Allah's approval, mercy and paradise. It makes the believer scrupulous when it comes to maintaining the bounds set by Allah, and bestows a great awareness and care in seeking His approval.
The Worthy Islamic Scholar Imam Al-Ghazali Expresses His Closeness to Allah:
"He [Allah] cannot be fettered by quantities; continents cannot contain Him, He is not bounded by directions and neither the earth nor sky can hold Him. He is settled on the earth in the sense commanded by Him. He neither touches the earth, nor makes His abode there, nor settles there, nor is included in it, nor proceeds towards it, He is beyond all these. The earth cannot carry Him, but He bears the earth and the angels that bear the earth with His might, and these are mastered as a manifestation of His title of the Punisher. In the same way that His being on the earth and sky does not require Him to be distant from the ground and soil, so it does not require proximity to the earth and sky. On the contrary, in the same way as He is far from under the ground, so He is far from the earth and sky. In addition, He is closer to the servant than his own jugular vein. Indeed, in the Qur’an Allah says “He is witness of everything” (Surat al-Saba’, 47) ." (IHYA-U ULUMUDDİN, Vol. 1 p. 201, Hacetü’l İslam, Imam Gazali)
What One Needs to Do to Be with Allah at Every Moment
To Take Allah, the All-Mighty, As One’s Friend and Guide
Our Lord tests His servants by creating events they perceive as difficulties, in which they face troubles, or experience joy and happiness. Devout Muslims seek help from Allah alone under such circumstances and trust in Him alone. They place no hope in natural causes, intermediaries or other people. They do not regard Allah's creation as having any power, will or effect independently of Him. Seeking shelter in Almighty Allah, Who creates one and is aware even of the secrets one conceals from others is a major consequence and sign of proximity to Allah.
To Pray
Prayer is a very important means by which someone who is utterly powerless in the face of our Almighty Lord can turn to Him, confess his sins to Him, seek help from Him alone, feel His existence and power and maintain that awareness at every moment of his daily life.
To Turn to Allah in All Tasks
One of the greatest signs of faith is to be aware that all blessings belong to Allah alone, and to express this with a pure heart and tongue. It is also one of the most sincere ways of establishing a deep bond with Allah and "serving Him alone.”
To Always Give Thanks
By examining the proofs of creation, believers reflect on how it is Almighty Allah, Who bestows such blessings as the Earth’s atmosphere which protects them against dangers from space, how the Earth’s crust protects them from the boiling magma beneath, how drinking water is created, the fruits of the earth, the creation of night and day, life, health, consciousness, the five senses, the air we breathe and countless other examples at every moment. And by giving thanks for these they once again turn to Allah alone.

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General Articles, - Mayan people believe that the year 2012 is the beginning of a new age when some blessed people will appear

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Mayan people belive that the date December 21st, 2012, which is the end of the Mayan calendar system made up of periods of thousands of years, refers to the end of a long age.
According to the Mayan calendar the world enters a new age every 1 million 872 thousand days. The history of the world consists of periods of nearly 5125 years and the end of each one of these periods mark radical changes and great renovations.
According to the Mayan people, the period in which we live is the fifth and the last period and it will come to an end on the date 13.0.0.0.0. According to the Gregorian calendar, this date is 21 December 2012.
According to the Calendar of the Maya, the date of December 22nd 2012 would be represented by what are named: 13 Baktun, 0 Katun, 0 Tun, 0 Uinal, and 0 Kin. On their calendar a total of 1,872,000 days will have elapsed since the beginning of the Maya Era, and this date will mark the new beginning of the New Era.
For this reason, Mayan people think that December 21st, 2012 is not only the end of a particular period. They believe that this date is the beginning of a new period during which some wise, blessed people will appear and bring a Golden Age to the world.
The Stella (stone structure) depicting that the date December 21st, 2012 is the time when an age will end and a new one will begin.
A stella was found nearby Nohoch Mul, the second highest pyramid among the Coba Pyramids of the Ancient Mayan civilization. This stella depicts the age that starts on August 11, 3114 BC and ends in December 21st 2012.
It is estimated that this stella is at least 2000 years old, because settlements in the area where the pyramids of Coba exist have been dated somewhere between 600 and 900 CE.
Mayan glifs signifying December 21st, 2012
According to the Mayan people the end of the long Mayan Cycle will bring the end of the age of oppression and violence, and this will be the beginning of the “Golden Age”. However this beginning will not be a peaceful transformation; there will be upheavals in every corner of the world, many disasters will come upon that will wear-out the structures of the state. These will not happen in a short while; they will occur in a long period of time. Again according to the Mayan people, following all these happenings, “great blessed people”, whom they believe will be the spiritual leaders of all humanity, will come. Before their coming, there will be spiritual workers who will prepare their way. Mayan people believe that the date December 21st, 2012 signifies the time when these spiritual workers will gradually increase their influence.
Source: Entering the Chain of Union, Timothy Hogan, 2012.

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Islamic Marriage Articles, - Choosing a Spouse - Istikhara: The Guidance Prayer

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Question:Several people I know are confused on the topic of salat ul- Istikhara. Is it meant to be prayed several days in a row until a decision is made, or only once? Is it meant to be prayed after one has pretty much made up their mind, or when someone hasn't really figured out what to do? Are their various valid opinions?
Answer:Assalamu alaikum,
When one is not clear about the result of the istikhara, the fuqaha mention that it is recommend to repeat it, up to seven times if necessary (usually done on separate occasions). [cf: Radd al-Muhtar]
Getting a Dream?
It is not necessary that you get a dreamor even a "feeling." Rather, the istikhara is a prayer that Allah guide you towards that which is best (khayr) for you. If you do the prayer of guidance (istikhara) with the proper manners, the most important of which is to truly consign the matter to Allah and suspend your own inclinations, then Allah will make events unfold in the direction that is the best for your worldly and next-worldly affairs.
In general, when it is not possible to perform the istikhara prayer itself (such as when one is out on the road, or in one's menstrual period), it is recommended to simply read the dua itself. [Radd al-Muhtar]
The istikhara prayer may be made for a specific matter or be made for a general seeking of all that is best. Some scholars, including Imam Abd al-Wahhab al-Sha`rani and Ibn `Arafah before him saw this kind of (specific) istikhara prayer as being superior.
Others, including Shaykh Ibn al-Arabi, recommended performing a general istikhara prayer for all that is good every day, ideally at the time of the Duha prayer (after sunrise).
Before Istikhara Prayer
Imam al-Nawawi mentioned that before the istikhara prayer, one should seek advice (istishara) from those whose knowledge, wisdom, and concern one is confident.
Ibn Hajar al-Haytami and others mentioned that one of the benefits of this is to further distance oneself from the desires of one's own egotistic inclinations.
Opening the Prayer
It is recommended to open the dua of istikhara [below], with praise of Allah and sending blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace), and to close it in this manner, too.
Like other duas, it is recommended that one face the qibla. It is disliked to 'hasten' in seeking the answer to one's istikhara, just like other duas, because the Prophet (Allah bless him & give him peace) said,"Your prayers are answered, unless you hasten, saying, 'I prayed, but no answer came.'"
One should be pleased with what Allah chooses for one, and not seek to follow one's whims after the answer to one's supplication becomes clear.
Question Two:
There is a pious lady in our community who has offered to pray istikhara for me to help me make a decision for marriage.... [ .... ] my question to you is if you know if this idea of relying on someone else's istikhara is a good idea and compatible with the teachings of Islam on how to make dua and decisions. Should I follow her advice (according to her dreams and feelings) to me on this issue or not?
Answer:
This is one means you can take: to seek the istikhara of a pious person. The permissibility of this was mentioned explicitly by the Malikis and Shafi`is. The Hanafis do not appear to have discussed this issue [al-Mawsu`a al-Fiqhhiyya, Kuwait], but there is nothing in it that would indicate its impermissibility. Rather, it is merely the taking of a means, which is permitted as long as one knows that the one who gives and takes, benefits and harms is Allah alone.
In such cases, though, one should not leave doing the istikhara oneself...
Salat al-Istikhara
CONCERNING THE RITUAL PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE IN CHOOSING THE BEST OPTION [SALAT AL-ISTIKHARA], AND THE PRAYER OF SUPPLICATION [DU'A'] APPROPRIATE TO IT.
According to a traditional report transmitted on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, it was Jabir ibn 'Abdi'llah (may Allah be well pleased with him and with his father) who said:
"Allah's Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to teach us how to seek guidance in choosing the best option available in a practical enterprise [al-istikhara fi 'l-amr], just as he would sometimes teach us a Chapter [Sura] from the Qur'an.:
"'If one of you is concerned about some practical undertaking, or about making plans for a journey, he should perform two cycles of ritual prayer [rak'atain], not as an obligatory observance [farida], but voluntarily. Then he should say:
'"O Allah, I ask You to show me what is best, through Your knowledge, and I ask You to empower me, through Your power, and I beg You to grant me Your tremendous favor, for You have power, while I am without power, and You have knowledge, while I am without knowledge, and You are the One who knows all things invisible.
(Allahumma inni astakhiru-ka bi-'ilmi-ka wa astaqdiru-ka bi-qudrati-ka wa as'alu-ka min fadli-ka 'l-'azim fa-inna-ka taqdiru wa la aqdiru wa ta'lamu wa la a'lamu wa Anta 'Allamu 'l-ghuyub):
O Allah, if You know that this undertaking is in the best interests of my religion, my life in this world, and my life in the Hereafter, and can yield successful results in both the short term and the long term, then make it possible for me and make it easy for me, and then bless me in it.
(Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadha 'l-amra khairun li fi dini wa dunyaya wa akhirati wa 'aqibati amri wa 'ajili-hi wa ajili-h :fa-'qdir-hu li wa yassir-hu li thumma barik li fi-h):
If not, then turn it away from me, and make it easy for me to do well, wherever I may happen to be, and make me content with Your verdict, O Most Merciful of the merciful.'"
(wa illa fa-'srif-hu 'an-ni wa yassir liya 'l-khaira haithu kana ma kuntu wa raddi-ni bi-qada'i-ka ya Arhama 'r-rahimin)."
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The South African Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal collected this:
The Etiquette of Du'â
These etiquettes are narrated in the Hadith. For reasons of brevity, only the following summary and reference of each Hadith is mentioned instead of the entire Hadith.
*.To abstain from haraam food, clothing and earnings. (Muslim : Tirmidhi)
*.To make Duaa with sincerity. In other words, one should firmly believe that nobody but Allah Ta'aala will fulfill his objectives. (Haakim)
*.One should perform a good deed prior to making the Duaa & he should mention this during the course of the Duaa. For e.g. He should say, O Allah! I had performed so & so deed solely for Your pleasure. O Allah! accept my Duaa due to the barkat of that deed. (Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud).
*.To make Duaa whilst one is paak & clean. (Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Nasai, Ibn Hibbaan, Mustadrak).
*.To make wudhu before the Duaa (All six major hadith collections)
*.To face the Qiblah (All six major hadith collections)
*.To sit as in the Tashahhud position (Abu Awanah)
*.To praise Allah Ta'aala at the beginning as well as at the end of Duaa (All six major hadith collections)
*.To convey Durood upon Rasulullah (pbuh) at the beginning as well as the end. (Abu Dawud, Musnade-Ahmad)
*.To spread out both the hands. (Tirmidhi, Mustadrak)
*.To raise both the hands up to the shoulders (Abu Dawud, Musnade-Ahmad)
*.To sit with humility and respect. (Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud)
*.To mention ones helplessness and dependence. (Tirmidhi)
*.To abstain from raising the eyes towards the sky whilst making Duaa (Muslim)
*.To mention the Asmaal-Husnaa (the names of Allah Ta'aala ) and the sublime qualities of Allah Ta'aala. (Ibn Hibbaan and Mustadrak)
*.To abstain from ceremonies rhyming of the Duaa phrases (Bukhari)
*.To abstain from saying the Duaa in a "sing-song" tone if the Duaa is in a poetic form (Hisn)
*.To make the Duaa in a soft voice (All six major hadith collections on the authority if Abu Musa)
*.To utter the Duaa phrases transcribed from Rasulullah Sallalahu Alayhi Wasallam because Rasulullah Didn't leave out a single need of the Deen nor of the dunya whilst teaching us how to make Duaa (Abu Dawud/Nasai)
*.To make a Duaa that encompasses most of the needs of Deen and the dunya. (Abu Dawud)
*.To make Duaa in favour of oneself first, thereafter ones parents and to include the other Muslims in the Duaa as well (Muslims)
*.If the Imam is making Duaa, he should not make Duaa for himself only but he should Include all the congregants in the Duaa (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
*.Abu Dawud (R.A.) Narrates that Rasulullah Said that the Imam who makes Duaa for himself only, has betrayed the people." In other words, the Imam should not Make a Duaa that is restricted to him alone. For e.g. He should not say, "O Allah! cure my son." or "O Allah! Return my lost item." etc. but he should make a Duaa that includes all the congregation for e.g. He may say "O Allah! Forgive us and have mercy upon us."
*.To make Duaa with firm conviction (for e.g. he should not say: "O Allah! If you wish fulfil so and so task of mine." (All six major hadith collections)
*.To make Duaa with enthusiasm & yearning. (Ibn Hibbn & Abu Awana).
*.As far as possible endeavour to bring about a "presence of heart and mind" and cherish a high hope of the Duaa being accepted. (Haakim)
*.To make Duaa repeatedly. (Bukhari, Muslim)
*.This repetition should be at least thrice (Abu Dawud)
*.Note One may repeat the Duaa thrice in one sitting or he may repeat it on three different occasions. The "repetition of the Duaa" can be interpreted in both ways."
*.To make Duaa earnestly and insistently. (Nasai, Hakim, Abu awanah)
*.To abstain from making Duaa of severing family ties or other sins. (Muslim, Tirmidhi)
*.Avoid making Duaas of pre-determined and fixed things (for e.g. woman should not make a duaa of being transformed into a man or a tall person shouldn't make Duaa thus: "O Allah! Make me short." etc) (Nasai).Don't Make Duaa for impossible things. (Bukhari)
*.Don't make a Duaa in which you ask Allah Ta'aala to confine His mercy to yourself only (Bukhari, Abu Dawud, Nasai, Ibn Majah)
*.Ask only Allah Ta'aala alone for all your needs. Do not depend upon His creation. (Tirmidhi/Ibn Hibbaan)
*.The one making the Duaa as well as the person listening to it, both should say 'Aameen' at the end. (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasai)
*.Rub both hands over the face at the termination of the Duaa (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Ibn Hibbaan, Majah, Hakim)
*.Don't be impatient over the acceptance of Duaas. In other words, don't say: "I've made Duaa repeatedly but to no avail." (Bukhari, Muslim, Abu Dawud, Nasai, Ibn Majah)

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