Sunday, June 3, 2012

Yasir Qadhi's Lectures (MP3)


Yasir Qadhi

1. How To Engage In A Conversation With Allaah?

2. Blessings Of Imaan

3. Why Do We Worship Allaah?

4. Perfect Justice - Debunking The Male Bias Myth

5. ISLAM - Intellectual Faith

6. Where Is The Satisfaction In Life?

7. Repentance

8. Story Of Ifk (Slandering Of 'Aishah radhiallaahu 'anha) part 1

9. Story Of Ifk (Slandering Of 'Aishah radhiallaahu 'anha) part 2

10. Usool Al Hadith part 1

11. Usool Al Hadith part 2

12. Usool Al Hadith part 3

13. Sciences Of Hadith part 1

14. Sciences Of Hadith part 2

15. Fruits & Benefits Of Imaan

16. Going Back To The Qur'an & Sunnah

17. Oh Allaah Forgive Me...

18. Tauhid Ar Rububiyah part 1

19. Tauhid Ar Rububiyah part 2

20. The Treaty Of Hudaybiyah


21. Du'a: Weapon Of The Believer


22. Oh My Dear Son

23. Current State Of The Ummah

24. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 1

25. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 2

26. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 3

27. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 4


28. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 5

29. Explanation Of The Two Shahadah part 6


Explanation (Sharah) Of Sheikhul Islam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab's Kitab At Tawheed

30. Chapter 1

31. Chapter 2-4

32. Chapter 5-7

33. Chapter 8-11

34. Chapter 12-16

35. Chapter 17-19

36. Chapter 20-23

37. Chapter 24-27

38. Chapter 28-30 

39. Chapter 31-33

40. Chapter 34-37

41. Chapter 38-41

42. Chapter 42-47

43. Chapter 48-49

44. Chapter 50-57

45. Chapter 58-60

46. Chapter 61-67

47. The Fiqh Of Ramadhan

48. Khalid Ibn Al Walid

49. Story Of Khadijah Binti Khuwaylid

50. The Power Of Du'a

51. Tafsir Of Surah At Takathur

52. Names And Attributes Of Allaah

53. Importance Of Following The Companions (new!)

What Does Allah Want From Me?

By: Nawwaf Al Qadimi

The most important question that a Muslim can ask: What Does Allah want from me as a Muslim? What am I supposed to do in this worldly life I have been granted? We can rephrase this same question in more general terms, revealing that it is indeed the Big Question for all human beings: What is the purpose of my life?

As Muslims, we often hasten to answer this question by quoting the verse of the Qur’an where Allah tells us: “I only created human beings and jinn to worship me.
[Sûrah al-Dhâriyât: 56]

We are certainly right in doing so. It is right for us as Muslims to look for our answer in the words of Allah. Certainly, this verse is one of the most important and relevant verses in the Qur’an addressing the question of what Allah wants from us.

But have we really answered our question yet?

No, we have not. The term “worship” needs to be properly understood. In Islam, worship is defined as everything that we do that Allah loves and is pleased with. It can be in what we do or what we say. It includes both inward and outward actions.

Everyone agrees that prayer, fasting, remembering Allah, purifying the heart, and similar devotional activities are part of worship. It is, therefore obvious that these acts of worship are something that Allah wants from us. However, it is a mistake to forget that our worship – in other words, what we do, say, and think that pleases Allah – is limited to these personal devotions alone. Our worship also includes how we deal with others.

So we must ask our question again: What does Allah want from me as a Muslim in my dealings with others? To answer this question, we must return to the Qur’an and Sunnah. When we do, we find there can be no doubt that the texts point us to at least two types of concerns. First, it is obvious that we are supposed to propagate the faith and convey the message of Islam to others. There are many verses of the Qur’an and Prophetic hadith that call us to this duty. However, that is not all. There are also numerous texts that call upon us to serve humanity. How often are we told to respect, honor, and assist others? These texts help us to complete the picture of how we are expected to worship Allah in our daily lives.

Let us consider some of the main themes:

Helping Others:

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
 “Whoever is engaged in fulfilling his brother’s needs, then Allah will be fulfilling his needs.
[Sahīh al-Bukhārī]

Likewise, he said: “Allah loves best the one who benefits people the most. The most beloved deed to Allah is to make a Muslim happy, remove his distress, pay off his debt, or placate his hunger. For me to go forth in fulfilling my brother’s need is dearer to me than to observe a retreat in this mosque (in Madinah) for worship for a month... And whoever goes forth to fulfill his brother’s need until it is taken care of, then Allah will make his feet tread steadily on that Day when feet will slip.” [al-Silsilah al-Sahihah]

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is also reported to have said:
Whoever goes forth to fulfil his brother’s need and makes headway in fulfilling that need, it is better than observing a retreat in the mosque for ten years.
[al-Tabarānī, al-Bayhaqī and al-Hākim]

Being Kind and Well-Mannered:

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) declared:
I was sent only to perfect good conduct.
[al-Silsilah al-Sahīhah]

The Prophet (peace be upon him) stressed just how important it is to show kindness to people and exhibit good manners by describing an ill-mannered person as “bankrupt” even if that person was devoted to prayer and fasting:
Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) asked: “Do you know who is bankrupt?”

His Companions replied: “The bankrupt person is one who has neither money nor property.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said: “The bankrupt person is one who will come on the Day of Judgment having to his credit much prayer, fasting, and charity. But alas, he will have against him that he ridiculed this person, falsely accused that one, stole the property of another, shed the blood of another, and assaulted another. They will each be compensated from his good deeds, and if his good deeds run out, some of their sins will be transferred to him and he will be consigned to Hell.
”[Sahīh Muslim]

Upholding and Defending Justice:

Allah says: "O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be (against) rich or poor: for Allah can best protect both. Follow not the lusts (of your hearts), lest you swerve, and if you distort justice or decline to do justice, verily Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do."
[Sûrah al-Nisâ’: 135]

Allah also says: "O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah. For Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.
[Sûrah al-Mâ’idah: 8]

Indeed, Allah tells us in the Qur’an that establishing justice was part of the mission of all the Prophets: “Indeed, We had sent Our Messengers with clear proofs and sent down the scriptures and the balance with them so that people could establish justice.
[Sūrah al-Hadīd: 25]

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) described the greatest for of struggle for the faith as follows:
 “The greatest struggle is to speak a true word in front of an unjust ruler.
[Sunan al-Nasā’ī, Sunan al-Tirmidhī, and Sunan Abī Dāwūd]

By helping others, showing kindness, and being just we engage in the worship of Allah, just like we do when we pray and fast. Therefore, these are also part of what it means to fulfill the purpose for which we were created.

Seeing Hardships As A Path to Forgiveness

By: Sheikh Salman Bin Fahd Al-'Audah

The hardships that we suffer in life are means by which our sins are pardoned. These difficulties can take many forms, like sickness, financial misfortune, or the loss of loved ones. Through these trials, Allah grants us atonement for our sins and raises our spiritual status.

Allah tries those of His servants He deems best to test. Consider Job (peace be upon him) about whom Allah says: “(Remember) Job, when He cried to his Lord, ‘Truly distress has seized me, but You are the Most Merciful of those who are merciful’.” [Sūrah al-Anbiyā’: 83]

In this way, Job became for later generations the ideal representation of patience and gracious resignation.

Allah has made His prophets and messengers exemplars and role-models for the believers to follow, and all of them were severely tested. Some of them suffered from extreme poverty. Some of them had to endure serious illness or tragic sorrow. Some were imprisoned or endured one form of persecution or another. Allah, in his wisdom decreed this to be the case.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The prophets were the most severely tested of people.” [Sunan al-Tirmidhī (2397) and Sunan Ibn Mājah (4023, 4024)]

Therefore, when believers are beset with hardships, they should turn their Lord. They should know that enduring these difficulties might be a way for them to atone for their sins and bring them closer to Allah. It might be a means by which their status in the Hereafter will be elevated. Even the mere prick of a thorn can be a means for the forgiveness of sins.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Whatever befalls a Muslim of exhaustion, illness, worry, grief, nuisance or trouble, even though it may be no more than a prick of a thorn, earns him forgiveness by Allah of some of his sins.” [Sahīh al-Bukhārī]

Believers should never ask why Allah decrees what He does. They should know that they are the needy, dependent ones and place their hopes in their Lord who is their Creator, and who is All-Knowing and Wise: “He cannot be questioned about what He does, but they shall be questioned.” [Sūrah al-Anbiyā’: 23]

At the same time, believers can discern various aspects of Allah’s wisdom and mercy in the difficulties of life. Sickness, weakness, and poverty are among the common trials of life, but a discerning mind can often find wisdom in their existence. Nevertheless, the life of this world should not be considered in isolation. No assessment of life will be balanced unless it is considered in connection with the Hereafter – with the fact that our ultimate return is to our Lord.

This is what gives contentment and composure to the believer’s heart, and acceptance of what must be endured in life. It is only this consideration that provides a balanced view of life, and through which much of the wisdom of what takes place in the world becomes evident.