Narrations from The Muwatta of Imam Malik radiyallahu anhu

Excerpt from Translation of Malik's Muwatta, Book 47: 

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Book 47, Number 47.1.6:

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said, "I have heard that by his good character a man can reach the degree of the one who stands in prayer at night and the one who is thirsty from fasting in the heat of the day."

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Book 47, Number 47.1.7:

Yahya related to me from Malik that Yahya ibn Said said that he heard Said ibn al-Musayyab say, "Shall I tell you what is better than much prayer and sadaqa?" They said, "Yes." He said, "Mending discord. And beware of hatred - it strips you (of your deen)."

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Book 47, Number 47.1.8:

Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "I was sent to perfect good character."

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Book 47, Number 47.2.9:

Yahya related to me from Malik from Salama ibn Safwan ibn Salama az-Zuraqi that Zayd ibn Talha ibn Rukana, who attributed it to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Every deen has an innate character. The character of Islam is modesty.' "

Meeting the soul of a Wali:

Meeting a the soul of a Wali:
An incident from the life of Shah Waliyullah al-Dehlawi Radiyallahu anhu [d. 1176 A.H]

Shah Waliyullah writes that his father, Shah Abdur Raheem, informed him once that when he went to the shrine of Hadrat Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtyar Kaaki Rahimahullah, "The soul of Bakhtyar Kaaki became apparent and told me that I shall have a son and that I should name him Qutbuddin Ahmad. At this time, my wife had become elderly and was beyond child bearing age. On hearing this, I thought to myself that maybe I shall have a grandson. The soul of Bakhtyar Kaaki got to know of my thinking and removed my doubt and said that it did not give me tidings of a grandson, rather, this child will be my very own. Some time later, I married again and from this marriage (Shah) Waliyullah was born ." At the time of his birth, his father Shah Abdur Raheem had forgotten about this event and named him Waliyullah. When his father later came to recalled the meeting he gave his son Waliyullah a second name, Qutbuddin Ahmad.

Anfaas al-`Arifeen, p.110

On Sincerity

On Sincerity and having an intention for all actions, words and states, outward and inward

Allah Almighty says, "They were only ordered to worship Allah, making their deen sincerely His as people of pure natural belief, and to establish the prayer and pay zakat that is the correct deen," (98:5) and the Almighty says, "Their flesh and blood does not reach Allah but your fear of Him does reach Him." (W22:35; H322:37) and the Almighty says, "Say, 'Whether you conceal what is in your breasts or make it known, Allah knows it.'" (3:29)

1. The Amir al-Mu'minin, Abu Hafs 'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'Actions only go by intentions. Everyone gets what they intend. Anyone, therefore, who emigrates to Allah and His Messenger, his emigration is indeed to Allah and His Messenger. But anyone who emigrates to gain something of this world or to marry a woman, his emigration is to that to which he emigrated.'" [Agreed to be sound]

10. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The group prayer of a man is some twenty degrees higher than his prayer in his business or his house. That is because when one of you does wudu' thoroughly and then goes to the mosque with no other object than that of doing the prayer, without being impelled by anything other than the prayer, Allah will raise him up a degree with every step he takes, and a wrong action will also fall away from him, until he enters the mosque. When he enters the mosque, he is in prayer the whole time he is waiting for it and the angels pray for him all the time he is sitting there, saying, 'O Allah! Show mercy to him! O Allah! Forgive him! O Allah! Turn towards him!' as long as he has not caused anyone injury and has not broken wudu'." [Agreed upon. This is the version in Muslim]

11. Abu'l-'Abbas 'Abdullah ibn 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas ibn 'Abdu'l-Muttalib said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said in what he reported from his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, "Allah wrote good actions and bad actions and then made that clear. Whoever intends to do a good action and then does not do it, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, will write a full good action for him. If he intends to do it and then does it, Allah will write ten to seven hundred good actions multiplied many times over. If he intends an evil action and then does not do it, Allah will write a full good action for him. If he intends it and then does it, Allah will write one bad action for him." [Agreed upon]

On the excellence of the day of Jumu'a

On the excellence of the day of Jumu'a, its obligatory nature and washing for it, putting on scent and going early to it. Supplication on Friday and the prayer on the Prophet. Clarification of the time when supplication is answered. The recommendation of remembering Allah often after Jumu'a

Allah Almighty says, "Then when the prayer is finished spread through the earth and seek Allah's bounty and remember Allah much so that perhaps you may be successful." (62:10)

1147. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best day on which the sun has risen is Friday. On it Adam was created and on it he was admitted to the Garden and on it he was expelled from it." [Sahih Muslim]

1148. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Whoever does wudu' thoroughly, then goes to Jumu'a, listens and is silent, will be forgiven until the next Jumu'a and three days more. Whoever plays with pebbles has wasted it." [Sahih Muslim]

1149. Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The five prayers and from one Jumu'a to another and one Ramadan to another expiate what is between them if major sins are avoided." [Sahih Muslim]

1150. Abu Hurayra and from Ibn 'Umar said that they heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, standing on the steps of the minbar, "People should be wary of avoiding the Jumu'as or else Allah will put a seal on their hearts and then they will be among the heedless." [Sahih Muslim]

1151. Ibn 'Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When one of you comes to the Jumu'a, he should have a ghusl first." [Agreed upon]

1152. Abu Sa'id al-Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Doing ghusl on the day of Jumu'a is obligatory for every male who has reached puberty." [Agreed upon]

1153. Samura reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "If someone does wudu' on the Day of Jumu'a, it is by a dispensation and there is a blessing in it but if someone does ghusl, ghusl is better." [at-Tirmidhi]

1154. Salman reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When a man does ghusl on the day of Jumu'a, making himself as clean as possible, uses his hair oil or puts on any perfume he has in his house, then goes out and does not split up two people, and then prays what is prescribed for him and is silent while the Imam speaks, he is forgiven everything between then and the previous Jumu'a." [Sahih al-Bukhari]

1155. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Anyone who does ghusl on the day of Jumu'a, the same as for janaba, and then goes in the first part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed a camel. If he goes in the second part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed a cow. If he goes in the third part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed a horned ram. If he goes in the fourth part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed a hen. If he goes in the fifth part of the time, it is as if he has sacrificed an egg. When the Imam comes out, the angels settle down to listen to the reminder." [Agreed upon]

1156. Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mentioned the day of Jumu'a and said, "There is a time during it when Allah Almighty gives to a Muslim standing in prayer whatever he asks for." He indicated how small it was with his hand. [Agreed upon]

1157. Abu Burda ibn Abi Musa al-Ash'ari reported that 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar asked, "Did you hear your father relate anything from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concerning the special time on the day of Jumu'a?" He said, 'I replied, "Yes. I heard him say that he heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'It is from the time the Imam sits down until the prayer is finished.'" [Sahih Muslim]

1158. Aws ibn Aws reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "The best of your days is the day of Jumu'a, so do a lot of prayer on me during it. Your prayer is presented to me.'" [Abu Dawud]

A beautiful Salawaat for every day

Seeking forgiveness...

It is a each persons duty to repent of every wrong action. If it is disobedience which occurs between a person and Allah and does not involve the right of another human being, repentance has three preconditions. The first is that one divest himself of disobedience. The second is that he regret doing it. The third is that he resolve not to ever return to it. If one of the three is lacking, then his repentance is not sound. If it involves  another human being, repentance has four preconditions: the above three and that he discharges his duty to the other person. If it is money or the like, he pays it to him. If it is a hadd-punishment because of slander and the like it, he give some power over him or seeks his pardon. If it is slander, he undoes it, He must repent of all wrong actions. If he repents of some of them, the people of truth say that his repentance of them is sound, but he still has to repent for the rest. There is much evidence in the Quran, the Sunna and the consensus of the Community about the obligation to repent. Allah Almighty says, "Turn towards Allah, O believers, every one of you, so that perhaps you will have success," (24:31) and the Almighty says, "Ask your Lord for forgiveness and then turn in repentance to Him," (11:3) and the Almighty says, "O you who believe! Turn in sincere repentance to Allah." (66:8) 

[For more information see Riyadh as-Saliheen compiled by Imam Yahya b. Sharaf an-Nawawi, May Allah be pleased with him and grant him the highest stages]

A good method of making Istighfār or seeking repentance

Recite between the Sunnah and Farè salaah of Fajr:

أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ السَّمِيعِ الْعَلِيم مِنَ الشَّيطَانِ الرَّجِيم

A>ūdhu bilLahis Samī>il >Alīm minash shay‹ānir Rajīm(1x)

I seek protection with Allah, The all Hearing, The All Knowing, from the accursed devil.

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم

BismilLahir Rahmānir Raúīm(19x)

In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

وَمَا تُقَدِّمُواْ لأَنفُسِكُم مِّنْ خَيْرٍ تَجِدُوهُ عِندَ اللّهِ إِنَّ اللّهَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ 

Wa mā tuqaddimū li anfusikum min khayrin tajidūhu >indAllahi innAllaha bi mā ta>malūna ba§īr(1x)

And whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah- for certainly Allah sees well all that you do.

أَسْتَغْفِرُ الله

 As-tagh-firulLāh

(99x)

I seek forgiveness from Allah

أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ العَظِيْمَ الَّذِيْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الحَيُّ القَيُّوْمُ وَ أَتُوْبُ إِلَيْهِ

AstagfirullAllah hal Azºīm alladhī lā ilāha illa huwal Hºayyul Qayyum wa atūbu ilayh (1x)

I seek the forgiveness of Allah the Most Magnificent, besides Whom there is no god other than He, the Ever-living, the Everlasting, and I repent to Him.

  

Du>ā Sayyidul Istighfār:

اَللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ رَبِّي لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ خَلَقْتَنِي وَأَنَا عَبْدُكَ وَأَنَا عَلَى عَهْدِكَ وَوَعْدِكَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا صَنَعْتُ أَبُوءُ لَكَ بِنِعْمَتِكَ عَلَيَّ وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي فَاغْفِر لِي فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ إِلاَّ أَنْتَ

Allahumma anta Rabbī lā ilāha illā anta
khalaqtanī wa anā >abduka wa anā >alā >ahdika wa wa>dika masta‹a>tu  a>ūdhu bika min sharri ma §ana>tu abū<u laka bi ni>matika >alayya wa abū<u  bi dhambī faghfirlī fa innahū la yaghfirudh dhunūba illā anta –(1x)

Oh Allah! You are my Lord! There is no god other than You. You created me and I am Your servant, and I abide by my solemn covenant and promise [which I made to you] as much as I can. I seek refuge with You against the evil consequences of all my wrongs. I fully acknowledge before You all the blessings You have bestowed upon me, and confess all my sins, so I entreat You to forgive me, for none can forgive sins except You.

An intelectual perspective

When asked about her Hijab by Journalists and how it is not proportionate with her level of intellect and education, she replied:

“Man in the early times was almost naked, and as his intellect evolved he started wearing clothes. What I am today and what I’m wearing represents the highest level of thought and civilization that man has achieved, and is not regressive. It’s the removal of clothes again that is regressive back to ancient times” – Noble Laurette from Yemen, Tawakul Karman