Faithful Reflections

At the beginning of every lecture, I usually have a persistent feeling, and I want to talk to you about it. I feel a great love towards the people of Al Bahrain. I feel as if I were in my home country, Egypt! Praise be to Allah for this warm reception and all this care from the “Organization of Youth and Sports affairs”. Thank you very much for inviting and receiving me. May Allah reward you. There is something else I want to talk about. You can’t imagine how dear to Allah are these assemblies that are undertaken only for his sake. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was at home while, at the same time, there was a group of companions sitting together in the mosque doing Dhikr (remembrance & supplication for Allah). Suddenly, the Prophet (SAWS) entered the mosque, looked at them and then asked them, “What made you sit here?” The question seemed a bit sceptical. They answered: “ We sat here doing Dhikr”. Then the Prophet (SAWS) said: “Are you sure this is the only reas...

Some Virtues of Hajj and Umrah The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Umrah is an expiation for the time between it and the previous ‘Umrah’ and an accepted Hajj has no less a reward than Paradise”. (Narrated by al-Bukhari 1683, Muslim 1349). The Prophet (pbuh) said: “He who performs Hajj and does not speak obscenely or commit evil then he returns just as the day his mother gave birth to him” (Narrated by Bukhaari, Ahmed, Nasai and Ibn Majah from Abu Hurairah). The Prophet (pbuh) said: “There is no day on which Allah frees more of His slaves from Fire than the Day of Arafah.” (Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin).  The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was asked which deed is the best? He said, “Belief in Allah and His messengers. He was asked, then what? He said, Jihad for the sake of Allah. He was asked, then what? He said, Hajj Mabrour (an acce...

Each generation of Nepalis has seen a mahabhukampa, or a Great Earthquake. The last one was in 1934, which claimed a documented 3,400 lives. Lest you mistake, Sunday evening's was perhaps not one such. If and when, the next big one comes Kathmandu is going to take a bad knock, with a vast number of residents likely to face dire straits given the valley's poor infrastructure. According to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, 80 per cent of all deaths caused by quakes are a result of poor structures. In that sense, there is perhaps no other capital city so vulnerable as Kathmandu. It has shown massive levels of unplanned constructions in the last decade or so. The growth of high-rises sitting on top of what used to be a lake-bed in an earth quake-prone Himalayan region makes for a deadly combination. What can then be done about this? Is it too late? Hopefully not. Yet, we need to take heed of the message delivered by the quake yesterday, the worst since 1934. The relativ...

Being oblivious is something that requires sincere repentance. For instance, when you ask an oblivious person about his love to Allah (Exalted and Glorious) and if it is number one in his heart, you will unfortunately get a negative answer. Also when you ask an oblivious young woman to compare her religious status when she decided to put on hijab (head veil) to her status today, you would find that she is unaware that it is in constant decline. Do you know why? Because the sinful as well as the corrupt go through a phase when they feel that they are tired of these very sins that they become reluctant to fall in them again, let alone the extreme self-hate they experience. On the other hand, the oblivious person is always content with his conduct that he never realizes any of his defects. For instance, when you ask an oblivious young woman about her ethics, she tells you “My ethics are perfect” adding “I’m wearing hijab, am I not?” and she fails to realize the fact that she is oblivi...