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Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #20 Spreading the Greetings of Salaam

Of the mannerisms of the believer (Episode 20) is that the believer consistently greets others, both friends and strangers, with the greetings of salām. This greeting is a du'ā for your brother, and a declaration that you desire nothing but peace & good for him. It is a mention of the name of Allah and a bringing of barakah into our lives. The Prophet (SAW) was asked, "Whose Islam is the best?" He replied, "The one who feeds the hungry and gives salām to those whom he knows, and those whom h...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #19 - Being a Visionary & Aiming High

The believer is not satisfied with mediocrity; he doesn't want to just do the bare minimum, either for his faith or in his work. The believer aims highs, makes a firm resolve, strives hard, and excels in all efforts. The believer is not lazy, nor does he give up. We are told to try to be leaders in our fields, and to leave a lasting legacy and impact - both on a spiritual level, and at a civic level. The Prophet (SAW) said: "Allah has prescribed excellence in all that you do"

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #18 - Defending The Honor of Your Brother

The believer defends the honor of others, and doesn't allow them to be slandered or their dignity besmirched. In our latest Episode (Number 18), we discuss the concept of speaking up when others are slandered, and of not allowing false accusations or blatant lies to be left unchallenged. Even backbiting that occurs in a gathering, or evil insinuations based on assumptions, should not tacitly be allowed to slip by. When Ka'b b. Mālik remained behind in the Battle of Tabuk, and the Prophet (SAW) a...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #17 - Controlling The Tongue

Of the primary hallmarks of a believer (Episode 17 in our series) is the purity of his speech: the believer avoids lying, slander, backbiting, gossip, vulgarity, and argumentation. Multiple times in the Quran, Allah describes the believers as those who '...turn away from idle talk,' or those who '...when the foolish address them, respond by saying: Peace!'. The Prophet (SAW) said, 'Whoever guarantees me [the control] of what is between his cheeks, and what is between his thighs, I shall in retur...

The Manners of The Believers #16 - Being Thankful

With Special Guest Shaykh Omar Suleiman

How Ramadan Helps Us Attain Taqwa

(Plus Two Current Events)

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #15 - Being Merciful and Compassionate To Others

Of the characteristics of the believer is that he is kind and merciful to all those around him, even animals and plants! The sīrah of the Prophet ﷺ shows this reality throughout - the default is to be full of compassion for all the creation. The Prophet ﷺ once shortened the prayer by reciting the two smallest Surahs, and then explained, "I heard a baby crying, and I felt that his mother would be grieved [if I prolonged], hence I recited those two Sūrahs]. Can you imagine the level of consciousne...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #14 The Defining Characteristic Modesty (Haya)

In Part 14 of our series, I discuss the defining characteristic of our faith, as per the words of the Prophet (ﷺ) : modesty (ḥayā`).Shyness and modesty is not about being quiet or acting like an introvert! The 'ḥayāi' that is praised is an innate feeling that dissuades a person from undertaking any action that will be blameworthy. It is an internal 'check-and-balances' that acts like a conscience and makes one feel guilty even before doing a sin, hence it stops a person before doing the sin.It i...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #13 - Pride in One's Islamic Identity

Of the characteristics of the believer is that the believer takes pride in the faith of Islam and his identity stemming from that faith. Note that this 'pride' is not at all the type of pride that is forbidden, because that pride is based on the false assumption that somehow you are better than other person because of something you have done. This type of pride is not arrogance, but rather an overwhelming sense of gratitude that Allah has blessed one with imān, and the dignity and love that come...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #12 - Thinking the Best of Others (usn al-Dhann)

Of the characteristics of the believer (Part 12 of our series) is that the default is to think the best of people, and to interpret ambiguous phrases and unclear incidents in the most positive manner.A pure heart leads to pure thoughts of others, while a heart full of suspicion leads to suspicious thoughts of others. The Prophet (SAW) said, "I warn you against being suspicious of others, because suspicion is the most lying of matters..." [al-Bukhari]. Having ḥusn al-dhann and always interpreting...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #11 - Being Optimistic & Exuding Optimism

Of the characteristics of the believer is that not only is he an optimist, he exudes a confidence and hope in all those around him so that they too become optimistic. This optimism stems from his strong faith in Allah and the ḥusn al-dhann he has in Him.The believer things the best thoughts of Allah and knows that the plan of Allah will always be for his best. And because of this, the Prophet (SAW) actually wanted us to read in positive omens and extract Divine cues from all types of occurrences...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #10 - Cheerful Countenance and Smiling

Of the characteristics of the believer is that he is always of cheerful countenance. Abdullah b. al-Ḥārith said, "I never saw anyone smile more than the Prophet (SAW)," and Jarīr b. Abdullah remarked, "I never saw the Prophet (SAW) except that he smiled when he saw me."And our Prophet (SAW) encouraged us to be charitable with our smiles, and said that every smile is counted as an act of worship that we shall be rewarded for. As well, the Prophet (SAW) would regularly laugh (although his laughter...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #9 - Covering The Mistakes of Your Brother

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #08 - Cooperating Together In Good

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #07 - Being Trustworthy (Amanah)

Of the characteristics of the believer is trustworthiness (amānah).In Episode 7 of my Ramaḍān series, I discuss the importance of fulfilling our trusts, and the types and categories of trust, and how the Quran and Sunnah praises this noble characteristic. It is interesting to note that the word for being trustworthy (amānah) is from the same root as faith (imān), and in fact in a Prophetic hadīth, he (SAW) said, "There is no imān in the one who has no amānah." The reason why the two are related ...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #06 - Controlling Anger

One of the seminal mannerisms that defines a person of faith is the control that he has over anger. The believer, even if he becomes angry, manages to keep that anger in check, and not act or speak upon that anger. Allah describes the people of taqwa as those who '...control their anger' [كاظمين الغيظ]. And our Prophet (SAW) remarked that the strong person is not one who is able to overpower others, but rather the one who can control his temper. In one hadith, he said that the one who controls h...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #05 - Wisdom

Of the characteristics of the believer is wisdom (ḥikmah). The believer acts with wisdom, and is eager to gain more of it. The Prophet Ibrahīm prays to be blessed with more wisdom; our Prophet Muḥammad (SAW) asked Allah to grant wisdom to Ibn `Abbas (r), and he told us that wisdom is the lost-item of the believer, wherever one finds it, one should benefit from it. As with all qualities, one part of wisdom is innate and Divinely gifted at birth, but another part is acquired and can be learned. So...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #04 Being Thoughtful in One's Actions

Of the characteristics of the believer is to be thoughtful before acting: the believer does not act rashly or impetuously. In the hadith: "Acting with forethought is from Allah; and acting in haste is from Shayṭān..." [Tirmidhi]We learn this lesson from many stories of the prophets: the Prophet Yunus (as) was chastised because he acted on impulse, whereas the Prophet Yusuf (as) was honored by the King because he thought through and planned before acting. The believer plans, and looks at the poss...

Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #03 - Being Truthful

In Episode 3 on 'The Manners of the Believer', I discuss the importance of always speaking the truth (ṣidq). The Prophet (SAW) said, "I command you to speak the truth, for speaking the truth leads to piety, and piety leads to Paradise..."Notice how the key to piety is to be honest and factual in all that we say. Some matters are more sacred than others, hence we need to be even more careful (such as speaking about the religion; or swearing by Allah...). And there are some some exceptions to this...

What if I'm not Motivated for Ramadan

The Quranic Description of Jahiliyyah