‎7 Habits of Highly Effective Muslims

1. They Remember Their sins


Some people fall into the habit of judging others by their sins while forgetting their own. They may not even think the sins they’ve committed are all that bad. This is a sign of weak Muslim.

A believer sees his sins as if he were sitting under a mountain which he is afraid may fall on him, whereas the wicked person considers his sins as flies passing over his nose and he just drives them away like this.

Related in Bukhari

2. They Mind Their Business


How do people fall into gossiping and backbiting? By not minding their own business. These people hear a rumour or a tale, and before the next prayer comes in, they’ve spread it to a dozen other people. And then those people turn around and do the same thing.

If only we would remember what Allah says in His book:

And do not obey every worthless habitual swearer.

(And) scorner going about with malicious gossip.

A preventer of good, transgressing and sinful.

Chapter 68 verses 10-12



3. They Say What is Good


This goes hand in hand with the previous habit. Whereas Habit #2 was just to mind your own business and not say evil, Habit #3 is encouragement to say good.

Anyone who believes in Allah and the last day, should speak good or keep quiet.

Related in Bukhari


4. They Keep Good Company


If you want to fulfill the previous three habits, you should be around people who want the same. You’ll find yourself very ineffective if you’re always surrounded by people who think they’re better than others, are always minding other people’s business, and cannot say good.

Consider the following Hadith:

A good friend and a bad friend are like a perfume-seller and a blacksmith: The perfume-seller might give you some perfume as a gift, or you might buy some from him, or at least you might smell its fragrance. As for the blacksmith, he might singe your clothes, and at the very least you will breathe in the fumes of the furnace.

Related in Bukhari


5. They Do Not Procrastinate


How many people owe days of fasting from the last Ramadan but put them off for months? Some people have to rush to get these days in just weeks or even days before the next Ramadan begins.

How many people have money and the health to make Hajj but wait years and years to make it? Some people wait until they reach old age and have to to visit the Kaaba with multiple illnesses and difficulties.

How many people routinely procrastinate in making their daily prayers? The best of these procrastinators rush to get their prayer in before time is out. The worst completely miss the prayers due solely to procrastination.

Procrastinating in your daily duties is bad enough. Please don’t procrastinate with the orders of Allah.


6. They Put Their Trust in Allah


There are many verses in the Quran instructing us to put our trust in Allah. But I’m going to only quote one of them:

And (Allah) will provide for him from where he does not expect. And puts their trust in Allah – then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a (decreed) measure.

Chapter 65 verse 3

We often fall into the trap of putting our trust in the creation. We ask help from people who cannot help us. We complain to people who have no authority. Instead, we should seek help and complain to Allah Almighty.


7. They Remain Mindful of Allah


This is the most important habit of them all.

If you do not remember Allah, you will not think of your own sins and seek repentance for them.

If you do not remember Allah, you will not try to avoid His punishment by minding your own business without falling into backbiting and slander.

If you do not remember Allah, you will not try to seek His favor by saying what is good.

If you do not remember Allah, you will not seek out good company who are also focused on remembering Allah.

If you do not remember Allah, you will never be able to put your trust in Him and will always look for help from those who can do you no good.

These are not the only things we can do to become effective Muslims. I’m sure you can think of many more habits that will bring you closer to Allah and improve your daily life. But these seven habits of highly effective Muslims is a great place to start.


May Allah make it easy for you and me to implement these habits every day of our lives.

Ameen.

PROPHET’S(SAW) PRAYER

Every act of worship in Islam is accepted if it is based on two criteria:

**Quran- The obligation of Allah regarding it.
... **Sunnah- The way Prophet SAW performed it.

Muslims today have modified the prayer of Prophet Muhammad SAW into so many types based on their creeds and sects.

(1) DOES PERFORMING SALAH VARY WITH THE DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT?

Answer: Definitely NO!!! We had one Prophet Muhammad SAW and thus one way to follow….

He SAW commanded us very clearly;

“Pray as you have seen me praying”
(Sahih Bukhari,Book #91, Hadith #352)

The four Madhabs vary in their level of understanding and ability to derive rulings from the evidence and None of them called people to follow his madhhab, or was partisan in following it, or obliged anyone else to act in accordance with it or with a specific madhhab. Rather they used to call people to follow the Qur’aan and Sunnah. And that is supposed to be our ultimate goal. Follow Quran and sunnah strongly.

(2) DOES THE PRAYER OF MEN AND WOMEN DIFFER?

ANSWER: The general principle is that women are equal to men in all religious rulings, because of the hadeeth

"Women are the twin halves of men" (Reported by Imaam Ahmad )

EXCEPT when there is evidence (daleel) of a specific ruling which applies only to women.

With regard to the way women should pray:

All that has been mentioned of the description of the Prophet's prayer (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) applies equally to men and women, for there is NOTHING in the Sunnah to necessitate the exception of women from any of these descriptions; in fact, the generality of his statement (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), ‘Pray as you have seen me praying’, includes women” If there was a need for a women to pray differently then Prophet Muhammad SAW would have told so.
The acts regarding prayer which are different for Women are:

--- They do not have to give Adhaan or Iqaamah.
--- There is no obligation for congregational prayer on women.
--- All her body is AWRAH and has to be covered except her face. (Hands and feet have different scholarly opinions).
--- Friday prayer is not obligatory for her.

And rest we do not find any authentic shari’i evidence to differentiate the way a man and woman prays.

The Three Questions In Your Grave!

The Three Questions In Your Grave!

If the son of Adam died, his soul departs his body and he placed in his grave. Then two angels (Munkar & Nakir) came to him and ask him what he used to believe in when he was alive in this world (dunya). They ask him: 1) who was his Lord, 2) what was his religion, 3) who was his Prophet. If he gives a good answer, that is good, but if he does not answer them they inflict a severe and painful beating on him.

It was narrated that al-Bara’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: We went out with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) for the funeral of a man from among the Ansaar. We came to the grave and when (the deceased) was placed in the lahd, the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) sat down and we sat around him, as if there were birds on our heads (i.e., quiet and still). In his hand he had a stick with which he was scratching the ground.

Then he raised his head and said, “Seek refuge with Allaah from the torment of the grave”, two or three times. Then he said, “When the believing slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with white faces like the sun, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. They bring with them shrouds from Paradise and perfumes from Paradise. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O good soul, come forth to forgiveness from Allaah and His pleasure.’ Then it comes out easily like a drop of water from the the mouth of a waterskin. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that shroud with that perfume, and there comes from it a fragrance like the finest musk on the face of the earth.

Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this good soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the best names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven. They ask for it to be opened to them and it is opened, and (the soul) is welcomed and accompanied to the next heaven by those who are closest to Allaah, until they reach the seventh heaven. Then Allaah says: ‘Record the book of My slave in ‘Illiyoon in the seventh heaven, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is returned to his body and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Allaah.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘My religion is Islam.’ They say, ‘Who is this man who was sent among you?’ He says, ‘He is the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).’ They say, ‘What did you do?’ He says, ‘I read the Book of Allaah and I believed in it.

'Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘My slave has spoken the truth, so prepare for him a bed from Paradise and clothe him from Paradise, and open for him a gate to Paradise.’ Then there comes to him some of its fragrance, and his grave is made wide, as far as he can see. Then there comes to him a man with a handsome face and handsome clothes, and a good fragrance, who says, ‘Receive the glad tidings that will bring you joy this day.’ He says, ‘Who are you? Your face is a face which brings glad tidings.’ He says, ‘I am your righteous deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, hasten the Hour so that I may return to my family and my wealth.

’ But when the disbelieving slave is about to depart this world and enter the Hereafter, there come down to him from heaven angels with black faces, bringing sackcloth, and they sit around him as far as the eye can see. Then the Angel of Death comes and sits by his head, and he says, ‘O evil soul, come forth to the wrath of Allaah and His anger.’ Then his soul disperses inside his body, then comes out cutting the veins and nerves, like a skewer passing through wet wool. When he seizes it, they do not leave it in his hand for an instant before they take it and put it in that sackcloth, and there comes from it a stench like the foulest stench of a dead body on the face of the earth. Then they ascend and they do not pass by any group of angels but they say, ‘Who is this evil soul?’ and they say, ‘It is So and so the son of So and so, calling him by the worst names by which he was known in this world, until they reach the lowest heaven.

They ask for it to be opened to them and it is not opened.” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited (interpretation of the meaning):

“for them the gates of heaven will not be opened, and they will not enter Paradise until the camel goes through the eye of the needle” [al-A’raaf 7:40]

He said: “Then Allaah says, ‘Record the book of My slave in Sijjeen in the lowest earth, and return him to the earth, for from it I created them, to it I will return them and from it I will bring them forth once again.’ So his soul is cast down.” Then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) recited the verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“and whoever assigns partners to Allaah, it is as if he had fallen from the sky, and the birds had snatched him, or the wind had thrown him to a far off place” [al-Hajj 22:31]

He said: “Then his soul is returned to his body, and there come to him two angels who make him sit up and they say to him, ‘Who is your Lord?’ He says, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’ They say, ‘What is your religion?’ He says, ‘Oh, oh, I don’t know.’ Then a voice calls out from heaven, ‘Prepare for him a bed from Hell and clothe him from Hell, and open for him a gate to Hell.’ Then there comes to him some of its heat and hot winds, and his grave is constricted and compresses him until his ribs interlock. Then there comes to him a man with an ugly face and ugly clothes, and a foul stench, who says, ‘Receive the bad news, this is the day that you were promised.’ He says, ‘Who are you? Your face is a face which forebodes evil.’ He says, ‘I am your evil deeds.’ He says, ‘O Lord, do not let the Hour come, do not let the Hour come.’”

Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4753; Ahmad, 18063.

Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1676.

May Allah guide us to be among those who will answer those three questions in the grave.