Afflictions Occur in Two Ways

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

Afflictions occur in two ways:

1 — At times, when a person is afflicted, he remembers the reward and seeks the reward from Allah for this affliction, so there are two benefits in it: expiation of sins and an increase in good deeds.

2 — And at times, he is heedless of this, so his chest becomes constricted, and he is afflicted with irritation or something similar, and he is heedless of intending to seek the reward and recompense from Allah. So in this case, there is expiation of his sins. Thus, he is a gainer in every situation regarding these afflictions that come to him.

So either he gains the expiation of sins and the removal of sins without obtaining reward—because he did not intend anything, nor did he remain patient, nor did he seek the reward—or he gains two things: the expiation of sins and attaining reward from Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, as has preceded.

For this reason, it is befitting for a person, when he is afflicted—even if it is with a thorn—that he remembers to seek the reward from Allah for this affliction, so that he may be rewarded for it, along with it being an expiation for sins.

📚Sharḥ Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn (1/240)

How to Assess the State of Your Heart – Ibn al-Qayyim

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

Look for your heart in three places:

1. When listening to the Qur’an
2. In gatherings of remembrance and knowledge
3. When you are alone in privacy

If you don’t find your heart there, ask Allah to grant you a heart..because, truly, you don’t have one.

– Al-Fawā’id, p. 479

Simple action plan:

· Read the Qur’an for at least 20 minutes every day
· Attend one Islamic class each week
· Remember Allah privately, on your own
· Make these supplications regularly:

“O Turner of hearts, make my heart firm on Your religion.”
“O Allah, rectify my heart and my actions.”
“O Allah, purify my heart from every evil.”

🕋 Authentic English Material on Hajj & Dhul Hijjah

Gathered by Keys To Knowledge T.me/K2KNYC

1. 183 Hadith on Hajj from Bukhari & Muslim.
✍️ Collected by Sh. Abdul-Mushin al-Qasim حفظه الله, Imam & Teacher in Masjid Nabawi.

📖 PDF: https://t.me/k2knyc/5374

2. Insight About the Rites of Hajj & Umrah, The Virtues of Madina.
✍️ By Sh. Abdul-Muhsin al-Abbad حفظه الله

📖 PDF: https://t.me/k2knyc/5375

3. The Rites of Hajj & Umrah
✍️ Sh. Abdul Lateef Ali Shaykh حفظه الله.

📖 PDF: https://t.me/k2knyc/5376
🌎 Other Languages: https://t.me/k2knyc/4459

4. Hajj & Humility Towards Allah
✍️ Sh. Abdur-Razzaq al-Badr حفظه الله

📖 PDF: https://t.me/k2knyc/5377
🎧 Audio: https://www.youtube.com/live/UnL7KV7WnLE?si=4jrx89zAUwdsJB5T

5. Explanation of Hajj of the Prophet ﷺ, the Hadith of Jabir رضي الله عنه
✍️ Sh. Muhammad Ali Adam Al-Ityūbi رحمه الله.

📖 PDF: https://t.me/k2knyc/5378

🎙 Explanation by Abu Awzaa’ee Abdus-Salaam وفقه الله:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa4VTguFg6tXhPBkM6SO3TYis3tGBQ84o&si=0Hanvon9-2inL5LT

6. Hajj Map in different languages
📕 PDF: https://t.me/k2knyc/5389

7. Explanation of Hadith on Dhul Hijjah
🎙 Sh. Abu Muhammad Abdur-Ra'uf Shakir حفظه الله
🎧 Audio: http://islamlecture.com/lesson.php?book_id=610

https://t.me/k2knyc/5381?single

8. Virtues of the First 10 Days of Dhul Hijjah
🎙 Sh. Abu Abdillah Imraan Hussein رحمه الله

🎧 Audio: https://youtu.be/ASbce0tCVVc?si=7TYIl_KfEX4KKKQw

9. Tafsir Surah al-Hajj
🎙 Abu Awzaa’ee Abdus-Salaam وفقه الله

🎧 Playlist
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa4VTguFg6tWOFCqbtQwg07Dwi1j1K6q1&si=c7Y3hp16pfNTkiXr

🕊️ Hearts Like Birds 🕊️

A REFLECTION ON TAWAKKUL AND SOFTNESS

"People whose hearts are like the hearts of birds will enter Paradise."
(Sahih Muslim 2840)

This hadith landed gently in my heart this morning - and yet it left me stirred. What does it mean to have a heart like a bird?

A heart that is light and soft-easily moved by remembrance, mercy, and connection to Allah.

And a heart that is reliant-one that trusts its preasion is alw-ays with its Lord, even when it's unseen.

Birds wake up with hunger, but they fly with certainty. They don't store. They don't hoard. They flap their wings into the unknown because they know they were created to fly and to be provided for.

How heavy is my heart? How weighed down am I by fear, control. expectations, or hurt that I haven't yet surrendered?

Because my heart wasn't made to grip tightly. It was made to trust li-ghtly: To weep when it remembers. To soften at His signs, To beat not just with survival, but with tawakkul.

* A Dua for the Bird-Hearted

Make my heart light - not from emptiness, but from trust.

Make it soft - not from weakness, but from merey.

Let me be among those who don't need to see tomorrow to know You've already written it with care.

Let my limbs work, but my heart rely.

Let my words teach, but my soul remain humble-Let me wake up each day like the bird-trusting, flying, and returning home to You. Aameen.

*….the Reward of Fifty*
men among you.'"

Narrated Abu Umayah Ash-Sha'bani:

"I went to Abu Tha'balah Al-Khushani and said to him: 'How do you deal with this Ayah?'
He said: 'Which Ayah?'
I said: 'Allah's saying:
Take care of yourselves! If you follow the guidance no harm shall come to you (5:105).'
He said: 'Well, by Allah! I asked one well-informed about it, I asked the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about it. [So] he said:

"Rather, *comply with (and order) the good, and stay away from (and prohibit) the evil, until you see avarice obeyed, desires followed, and the world preferred, and everyone is amazed with his view. Then you should be worried about yourself in particular, and worry of the common folk.*

*Ahead of you are the days in which patience is like holding onto an ember, for the doer (of righteous deeds) during them is the like of the reward of fifty of those who do the like of what you do."*

Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak said: "It was added for me, by other than 'Utbah, that it was said:
'O Messenger of Allah!
The reward of fifty men among us, or them?'

He said: 'No! Rather *the reward of fifty men among you.'"*

حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ الطَّالْقَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، أَخْبَرَنَا عُتْبَةُ بْنُ أَبِي حَكِيمٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ جَارِيَةَ اللَّخْمِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي أُمَيَّةَ الشَّعْبَانِيِّ، قَالَ أَتَيْتُ أَبَا ثَعْلَبَةَ الْخُشَنِيَّ فَقُلْتُ لَهُ كَيْفَ تَصْنَعُ فِي هَذِهِ الآيَةِ قَالَ أَيَّةُ آيَةٍ قُلْتُ قَوْلُهُ ‏:‏ ‏(‏ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْفُسَكُمْ لاَ يَضُرُّكُمْ مَنْ ضَلَّ إِذَا اهْتَدَيْتُمْ ‏)‏ قَالَ أَمَا وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ سَأَلْتَ عَنْهَا خَبِيرًا سَأَلْتُ عَنْهَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ ‏"‏ بَلِ ائْتَمِرُوا بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنَاهَوْا عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ حَتَّى إِذَا رَأَيْتَ شُحًّا مُطَاعًا وَهَوًى مُتَّبَعًا وَدُنْيَا مُؤْثَرَةً وَإِعْجَابَ كُلِّ ذِي رَأْىٍ بِرَأْيِهِ فَعَلَيْكَ بِخَاصَّةِ نَفْسِكَ وَدَعِ الْعَوَامَّ فَإِنَّ مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ أَيَّامًا الصَّبْرُ فِيهِنَّ مِثْلُ الْقَبْضِ عَلَى الْجَمْرِ لِلْعَامِلِ فِيهِنَّ مِثْلُ أَجْرِ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً يَعْمَلُونَ مِثْلَ عَمَلِكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ وَزَادَنِي غَيْرُ عُتْبَةَ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ رَجُلاً مِنَّا أَوْ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ ‏"‏ لاَ بَلْ أَجْرُ خَمْسِينَ مِنْكُمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ ‏.‏

Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)
Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3058
In-book reference : Book 47, Hadith 110
English translation : Vol. 5, Book 44, Hadith 3058

After all the hardships he faced, Prophet Yusuf’s words about Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala: وَقَدۡ أَحۡسَنَ بِيٓ “He was truly kind to me 😭

Ameerul Mumineen Umar bin al-Khattāb al-Farook (radhiAllahu ‘anhu) said:

“Stick with your true brothers. You can live in comfort with them, as they are a delight in times of ease, and you can lean on them in times of hardship.

Assume the best about your brother until he comes with something that should alarm you from him. Avoid your enemy, and beware of befriending anyone but the trustworthy, and there is no trust for the one who doesn’t fear Allāh.

Do not befriend the corrupt, as he will teach you his corruption, and do not reveal your secrets to him, and only consult those who fear Allāh, the Exalted.”

[Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin of Ibn Qudamah, pg. 132].

Where Are The Men?

O brothers in Islam, look at our state today. The balance Allah placed between man and woman is being turned upside down. Women now carry the roles of leaders, CEO's, directors, decision-makers, and we dare to call this “progress”, but it is just a sign of the men's weakness.

Universities are filled with women, while many sons drift without purpose. Fathers pour money into their daughters’ education, but neglect to raise their sons into men who can provide, protect and lead.

But before pointing fingers only at women, as some do, we must ask: Where are the men? Where are they?.

Hajj, Step-by-Step, just for you:

Last week, I asked: would you rather attend a practical hajj course or be led by an ‘aalim for your hajj or umrah? Many chose the course. Some said both, but the question was either or. In reality, both matter. You should not be going to hajj alone. As a woman, you need a mahram or at least a group led by a trustworthy male figure. Beyond that, hajj itself is demanding. It is crowded, people get lost, and the weather can be intense. Imagine getting lost and not knowing what to do next. Imagine missing ‘Arafah. No hajj fulfilled, subhānaLlāh.

Going without proper education, training, and guidance can turn this journey into a struggle, especially when you may not get another chance. We have heard stories of people who go for hajj yet cannot fulfil it. Salāh becomes heavy. Even Wudū’ feels like a burden. Legs feel too weak to walk to Masjid al-Haram. While others send salawāt upon the Prophet, their lips remain still. Moments that shake you and force complete surrender to Allah.

What makes someone physically and financially able to attempt hajj, yet spiritually unable to complete it?

Why is hajj the most beautiful experience for one person, and the most difficult for another?

Why do some make du‘ā during tawaf and see immediate response, while others return feeling empty?

How do you prepare mentally, spiritually, physically, financially, and even emotionally for the journey to the most honoured House of Allah?

To answer these, I’ve partnered with Al-‘Aabidaat Academy to organise a full practical hajj course. It takes you step by step, from preparation to returning home.

This course is for you whether you are going this year or still asking Allah to invite you. It is for group leaders, students of knowledge who want practical fiqh, and every Muslimah who wants to become the answer to her du‘ā before it is granted.

Learn. Prepare. Be ready for the most beautiful journey.

You never know when your du‘ā will be answered.

Register here: https://alaabidaat.com/guided-hajj/

It’s not stress.
It’s dopamine addiction.

It’s not depression and emptiness.
It’s dopamine addiction.

It’s not lethargy and tiredness.
It’s dopamine addiction.

It’s not burnout and brain fog.
It’s dopamine addiction.

It’s not failure of plans and demotivation.
It’s dopamine addiction.

It’s not black magic or punishment of sins.
It’s dopamine addiction.

Dopamine addiction (through excessive use of mobile and reels and social media) is the single and biggest reason of literally everything you are going through in your mood. The biggest skill to learn of this century is managing social media and smart phone. It’s the most valuable skill to learn. How to learn it? Search it yourself. Search dopamine addiction. Search how to get rid of it. Search dopamine fasting.

How to avoid becoming a spendthrift?

Before purchasing a thing always keep this in mind:

1. That you don't buy a thing which you already own or have something similar to it.
2. The thing that is being bought is out of requirement and not because you can buy it.
3. That it won't be used in disobedience to Allaah.

Allaah تعالى says: {But spend not wastefully (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift.}

Ibn Masood رضي الله عنه said: “This refers to spending extravagantly when it is not appropriate (i.e. spending unnecessarily).”

Ibn Abbaas رضي الله عنهما said likewise.

Mujaahid said: “If a man spends all his wealth on appropriate things, then he is not a spendthrift, but if he spends a little inappropriately, then he is a spendthrift.”

Qataadah said: “Extravagance means spending money on sin, in disobeying Allaah, and on wrongful and corrupt things.”

Hārithah bin Wahb al-Khazā’ee [may Allāh be pleased with him] reported: The Messenger of Allāh صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ said:

“Shall I not inform you about the Residents of Paradise? They are every humble person considered weak [whom the people look down upon], but if they gave an oath by Allah it would be fulfilled. Shall I not inform you about the Residents of Hellfire? They are every brute, haughty, and arrogant person.”

Saheeh al-Bukhāri, 4918 | Saheeh

TN:عُتُلٍّ, ‘Utul means one who is cruel, harsh, strong, greedy and stingy. Al-Waki’ [may Allāh have mercy on him] said: “Utul is every greedy, stingy, rude, harsh and arrogant person.”

*الـــذوق الألـــذ:*
*The Sweetest Taste ♡*

Ibn al-Mubarak رحمه الله said:

"The people of this world left the world before tasting the best of what is in it." He was asked, "What is the best of it?"

He replied, "𝗞𝗡𝗢𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗛."

[Sifat as-Safwah, Ibn al-Jawzi 2/326]

_To know Allah is to find peace._
_To find Allah is to find everything._

Fear of a bad ending

Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله said:

“Sufyān al-Thawrī, may Allāh have mercy on him, once cried a whole night until the morning, so in the morning he was asked if his cry was due to the fear of sins.

He picked hay from the ground and said:

‘Sins are lighter than this hay, I only cried out of fear of the bad ending.’

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

“And this is the peak of Fīqh (knowledge and understanding) that a man fears that his sins let him down at the time of death and that they come between him and the good ending.”

[al-Dāaʾ wa al-Dawāʾ | 390]

A Reminder for y'all beautiful sisters❤️

Allah does not like to C women Grieve...❤️‍🩹

"Salaatul-Hajah" and "Salat Hifzul-Qur’an" are not lawful

Question: I have heard about Salatul-Hajah (the prayer of need) and Salat Hifzul Qur’an (the prayer of Qur’an memorization) - are these prayers or not?

Answer by Shaykh Muhammad bin Saalih al-`Uthaymeen رحمه الله

They are both incorrect; neither Salatul-Hajah nor Salat Hifzul-Qur’an are correct, because it is not possible to confirm such acts of worship except by some legal evidence and there is no legal evidence by which to make them lawful.

Fataawa Islamiyyah, DARUSSALAM, vol.2 p.314

http://www.fatwaislam.com/fis/index.cfm?scn=fd&ID=780

HOW TO RECOGNIZE MERCY & MISERY.

Ibn Qayyim (rahimahullah d. 751AH)

If Allah places a person under certain tests and trials and the person recognizes that he or she must resort to Allah alone, seeking His help. Then this is a good sign for the person, trials turn to purification and mercy.

On the other hand, if the person rejects, complains, and turns away from Allah and seeks help from human beings like himself, then this is a bad sign for him. Trials turn to punishment and misery for the person.

[Tareequl Hijratayn 103, pg, 239]

A hundred years from now, when you lie alone in your grave, no one will care about how much wealth you had, what car you drove, or the house you lived in. All of it will fade away.

What will truly remain are your righteous deeds — أعمالك الصالحة.

So fear Allah — اتقِ الله — and prepare for the day when you will be left alone in your قبر, with nothing but what you sent forward for your آخِرة.

فمن يعمل مثقال ذرة خيرًا يره، ومن يعمل مثقال ذرة شرًا يره.

SEEING ALLAAH IN PARADISE:

Prophet Muhammad (Peace & blessings be upon him) said:

“When those deserving paradise enter it, Almighty Allaah, Most Blessed, will ask: ‘Do you wish Me to give you anything more?’ They will reply: ‘Did You not brighten our faces, place us in paradise and save us from the hellfire?’ He will then lift the veil, and of the things given to them, nothing will be dearer to them than gazing at their Lord, the Mighty and Glorious.” The Prophet (Peace & blessings upon him)] then recited the verse: “Those who do good will have the best reward and something more.” Soorah Yoonus (10):26.

(Sahih Muslim, vol. 1, p. 114, nos. 347-8).

The Duḥā Prayer: Its Virtue and Its Time

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy upon him, said:

The correct view is that maintaining it regularly is Sunnah—not because the Messenger ﷺ consistently maintained it, but because a person protects himself with it from something that is obligatory upon him. For every joint of our bodies has a charity due upon it. A person has three hundred and sixty joints, as has come in the hadith:

“Every human being from the children of Ādam has been created upon three hundred and sixty joints.”

So every day, there are three hundred and sixty acts of charity due upon him—and who is able to do that except whom Allah wills? However, two units of Duḥā suffice in place of all of these charities.

As for its time: it begins from when the sun rises to the height of a spear, until shortly before the zenith by about five to seven minutes. The end of its time is better than its beginning, due to the hadith:

“The prayer of the oft-returning ones (al-awwābīn) is when the young camels feel the heat of the sun.” (Reported by Muslim)

And it is not made up if it is missed.

📚Taʿlīq ʿalā Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (4/280)

Words of Wisdom Ibn al-Qayyim:
Ibn al-Qayyim:

Types of Patience

Patience is of two types: physical and psychological. Each type may also be optional or obligatory. Thus, we have four types of patience:

1) Optional physical patience such as doing hard labor willingly.

2) Obligatory physical patience, such as enduring the pain of beatings, illness, wounds or cold or hot weather.

3) Optional psychological patience, such as refraining from doing ill-conduct that contradicts sacred knowledge or reason.

4) Obligatory psychological patience, such as enduring the pain of separation from one's loved ones who are beyond his reach.

The obligatory types of patience can be applied to human beings and animals, whereas the optional types apply only to people. However, some people may only maintain patience for obligatory things, like animals, and forsake optional patience.

[The Way to Patience & Gratitude, p.13-14]