An Epic Journey part 9

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahiwabarakatuh..

Last part we stopped at verse number 9. We shall continue with verse no 10.

“ A speaker among them said, ‘Do not kill Yusuf but throw him down the bottom of the well; some travellers will pick him up – if you would do [something].’

Which one of the brothers of Yusuf is being referred to in?

It was not mentioned which of Yusuf’s brother that made the statement.

28 : The lesson from this portion of ayat is, we should not reveal our fellow Muslim’s brother’s or sister’s mistakes, it may cause them to be humiliated , just state in general “somebody..” without mentioning the name if the intend to give lesson to others.

29. This ayat illustrates an Islamic legislative principle : “the lesser of the two evil should be chosen if choosing becomes necessary.”

This ayat…	Is used as evidence by the scholars who hold the view that the brothers of Yusuf were not prophets.
	Indicates that Yusuf was a small boy when this incident took place.
Points of benefits derived from this ayat:	30. The presence of wise advisors can assist in reducing or removing evil. A large proportion of regrettable actions are performed as a result of anger. The Muslims should be above getting angry for his own sake or for the sake of anyone other than Allah because it leads to regrettable consequences either in this world or in the Hereafter, or in both. Ibn Muflih al-Hanbali in his book, al-Adab al-Shar’iyyah (1/183) said : “ Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) said : ‘It may be known whether a person is really patient at the time of anger. The beginning of anger is madness and the end of it is regret, and anger cannot be justified by offering a humble apology. Calamities may come because of anger.’” The importance of sealing the sins of our Muslim brothers and sisters. The Prophet said: “Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter.” [Sahih Muslim] Matters should be judged according to the content of a situation or action, not according to the person from whom a statement or action originates. Sins can be classified according to the nature of the evil inherent in the sin

It was said to al-Shu’bi  “Why is a person who quick to get angry also quick to calm down, and the one who is slow to to get angry , slow to calm down? ”. He replied: “Because anger is like fire; that which is easier to start is easier to extinguish.”

Wallahu'alam...

Of Being Better

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh..

Yet again, another year has passed. At the dusk of the last day of every Hijri year, did we ever ponder on what have we done for the past one year, as a Muslim. Have we done enough to make sure that we live to the 'Muslim' status. Do we really applied all the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (praise be upon him). Honestly, I never really did. When I was younger, I do make a conscious resolution at some start of Hijri year, to make sure that I completed my 5 daily prayers (yes, back then to complete the compulsory one was really a battle). Alhamdulillah, now its not as bad, though I still catch myself doing it at the very last minute.
But hold on, offering salah is not the only things that makes me Muslim.

What about my other obligations on this earth as khalifah? When will I start doing more for people rather than focus on many other self eccentric stuffs? This platform for a start, how many of the things that I shared that has benefited the ummah? Its there, but not as much as I hoped. Today during usrah, our naqibah shared a list of personal target, very appropriately timed with the new year :) Here is what the list look like :

1. Tilawah al-Quran : 1 juz per day (we strive to meet this target during Ramadhan, why not on the normal days?)
2. Al-Mathurat : once a day
3. Solat sunat rawatib : before/after each prayer
4. Qiamullail : 3 times per week
5. Interaction with neighbour : once a week
6. Puasa sunat : 3 times a month
7. Riadhah : 3 times a week
8. Istighfar : everyday
9. Read book : 30 mins a day
10. Memorize the ayat from al-Quran (with its meaning) - 1 ayat per day

We were encouraged to push the limit, to meet the target, and share how much we achieved with our naqibah on weekly basis. Honestly, it is a stretch list for me, but I have to try. We have to start somewhere. I think my biggest challenge would be the interaction with neighbour. I pretty much keep things to myself. My neighbour, on the right side is an Indian family and on the left is a Chinese family. I had more communication with the Indian family. They have a few kids, and the small ones like to say hi each time I get back from work, but after that I don't know what to do next, how do I take it much further. Maybe I should start by offering some kuih instead? (I think I did,when I first moved in..hehehe...)

Hijrah signifies the journey for the better life, just as the Muslim back then when they traveled from Mekah to Madinah, in hope to spread Islam and get out of the oppressed life in Mekah. Reading the story of hijrah makes me realize, I have not tried my best for any change that I wanted to make before. I lack that determination, and I think one way to motivate me is by keep on reminding myself of what the Prophet and the sahabah went through just to spread the word of Allah, I need that inspiration :D

Just to start, here's the story of Hijrah. May Allah give me strength in achieving the listed target...aamiiinnnn...
Salam Maal Hijrah 1434H!!

An Unexpected Briefing #airnzhobbit

Just a short one today, I thought this is funny and creative. The link was actually passed on via related work email. :)