Astaghfirullah

Assalamualaikum!

A couple of years back I came across a story regarding the power of Astaghfar i.e. repenting from Allah SWT continuously. I am pretty sure you have heard of it. Here is the story:(courtesy: http://goo.gl/ydTbij) 

This story about “Astaghfar” is from the life of Imam Ahmed Bin Hanbal, who is considered as a renowned scholar of Islam and a famous theologian. Imam Ahmed is also considered to be the founder of the Hanbali school of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and is one of the most celebrated Sunni theologians, often referred to as the “Sheikh ul-Islam” or the “Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah.”

During his old age, while Imam Ahmed was travelling he stopped by a town. After the prayers, he wanted to stay for the night in the masjid yard because he didn’t know anyone in the town. Owing to his humility, he hadn’t introduced himself to anyone thinking that if he did, he would be welcomed by many people.

Failing to recognize Ahmed bin Hanbal, the caretaker of the mosque refused to let him stay in the mosque. As Imam Ahmed was quite old, the caretaker had to drag him out of the mosque. On seeing this, a baker from a nearby place felt pity for this man (Imam Ahmed) and offered to be the host to him for the night. During his stay with the baker, Imam Ahmed observed that the baker would constantly recite Astaghfar (seek forgiveness from Allah). Imam Ahmed asked the baker if the constant practice of saying Astaghfar had any effect on him. The baker responded by telling Imam Ahmed that Allah had accepted all of his duas (supplications), except one. When he asked him what dua was it that hadn’t been accepted, the baker replied that he had been asking Allah to provide him the privilege to meet the famous scholar Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal.

On this, Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal said that Allah had not only listened to his dua but had dragged him onto his (the baker’s) doorsteps. [Summarized from Al Jumuah magazine, vol 19, issue 7].

On reading this, I thought to give it a try and so I made it a norm to recite Astaghfirullah at least a hundred times in a day, two hundred times, three hundred and continued to increase the count until I felt I could manage continuously every single day. After a definite count, I would then recite Astaghfirullah whenever I was free or doing a monotonous no-brainer task. It definitely is not very hard to say Astaghfirullah and over time your tongue and heart will get used to filling the voids in your day with the tasbeeh. 

At first I found no magical change in my life. I still kept going -increasing my tasbeeh count and making a conscious effort to make up for the count if I missed some in a day. I can't say for sure, but it was not long before I noticed peace in my heart. 

I realized that without even asking anyone for what I wished for, I was granted out of nowhere. From smallest of things to biggest of dreams -it blew my mind away. How was that I was wishing someone might get me a red velvet cake (I love cakes btw) and someone turns up with the exactly same cake from my favourite bakery after a couple of hours -without me asking anyone for it! How was that I wished in my heart to travel abroad but did not have the means to, and circumstances come to a point that I am supported by everyone around me financially and otherwise to do so. And, there I was travelling -living my dreams. I am not claiming anything here. All I am trying to convey is that I got surprised by the events in my life. And there were several times I would be baffled by how I did nothing to gain clients for my photography business and there were people coming from places I had never imagined to hire me for their events. Imagine what happened when I actually started working towards and making effort to gain success in my business - I got more. Where was all this rizq (sustenance) coming from? Who was resolving all my worries for me? Once when I was to deliver an urgent project and my laptop broke down, it was hardly a couple of hours later that my issue was resolved by a friend who happened to be around, without me making any effort at all. And, there were times when I would be worried and struggling with stuff, but Alhamdulilah I got a backing from places I had never thought I would get. 

The reason I relate this to you is to encourage you to make an effort in Allah's way. He will resolve all your matters for you. It might require some patience and time because Allah has His own amazing ways to settle your matters. All we need to do is to strive in His path and keep doing our best. This in no way means that you make no effort in gaining what you aim for. If you wish to get good grades, study hard; if you wish to attain success in a project, work with all your might; if you want something, look for avenues and the right contacts -as I related before, we are the people of pursuit. We give in our very best in all areas of life. In addition to all of that, strive to connect with Allah SWT. You will not regret it. And there will come a time, when you will notice His presence. Him being around, watching over you -always. And one fine day, you will be able to talk to Him as normally as you talk to people around you -it comes with some effort and Insha'Allah we are onto making that in the coming days. A few relevant verses from the Quran, Surah Nuh (Ayah 10, 11,12):

I am not a scholar or a very learned person to give fatwas or directions, but I felt I needed to share what I experienced and found useful in my life lest someone, somewhere might find it inspiring and hopefully life-changing an experience for good. Do give it a shot :)

May Allah grant us His mercy and guidance. Ameen.

Fi Aman Allah!

Tasbeeh

Assalamualaikum everyone! 

So, if you have been following my first post, the main purpose of this blog is to share and learn. I am no pro here and neither do I consider myself as any more learned than you guys are. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong or have misunderstood anything. The comments section is open to all. I would have made some videos to make things easier (as I prefer watching videos than reading through text), Insha'Allah will start making videos too soon. But, in the meanwhile I will try keep my text length to a five minutes read only, Insha'Allah. 

I have been looking around for digit counter/ tasbeeh counter apps for my mobile. After a couple of switches I found eTasbih app to be the most convenient one. There are no distracting ads, it is totally free and you can keep adding phrases as you like. The app not only keeps track of how many times you have done a particular tasbeeh in a day/month, but also let's you time your tasbeeh. Over time, you shall notice you are speeding up (that is when your tongue gets used to a phrase). The feature I love the most is the blackscreen mode -where the app continues to run while it seems as if your phone screen has timed out and hence, no one knows you are doing the tasbeeh while tapping on your mobile screen. 

Here is the link to this app: https://goo.gl/Vr4ekW

If you are aware of any more apps, I would love to hear from you. As for today's Dhikr. I can not emphasize enough on the power of 'Astaghfirullah'. I can probably keep talking forever about how your life literally turns around by this tasbeeh. For a start you can do a tasbeeh of the phrase 'Astaghfirullah' a hundred times in a day. This hardly takes a minute, trust me. And whenever you are free or stressed or even sitting idle, walking to your office, just keep saying 'Astaghfirullah'. By continuously doing this tasbeeh, you will notice that Allah SWT by His immense mercy shall dispel your worries, fears and will make everything easy for you. I will talk about the power of 'Astaghfiruallah' in another post Insha'Allah. In the meanwhile, do let me know how you guys are finding this blog and if there is anything I can do to make it better. 

Fi Aman Allah

In calling you O Lord, I have never been deprived

Assalamu alaikum !

Growing up in Middle-East and then moving to Pakistan in my teens, gave me exposure to predominantly Islamic societies. Somehow, our residence was always nearby a mosque so I grew up listening to Adhan five times a day. A true blessing, I must say.

I do not declare myself as a perfect perfect Muslim. But, I am on a journey and I hope to better myself until my last breath. It is true that if you take a step towards Allah, Allah takes ten steps towards you. If you call upon Him, He responds. 

There were times when I would wonder if Allah is actually listening to my duas (supplication) or not. I would feel I am just wasting time asking for things I so badly wanted to have in this life. I would cry rivers and plead in my prayers. I felt at times He heard me and granted me my wish and at times I felt I am being ignored by Him despite my apparently utmost efforts. Why is it so that we feel this way. There are people talking about how there is something 'better' that Allah wants for you, hence, your dua has not been granted. There must be some disaster that He made you avoid by His immense mercy. It never made sense to me, though it did give me some peace of mind that something better is probably coming up. 

My main issue was not in how my dua was not answered. The constant feeling inside of not being able to imagine Allah being there and listening to me, made me half sure of how my life was proceeding. I would try and imagine amazing landscapes and how vast Allah's blessings are while I prayed namaz. I used to try and somehow 'feel' Allah's presence, but it never worked. Looking back, I now understand the problem. The problem was in my 'connection' with Allah. 

Connecting to Allah

By Allah's mercy, I got to know that He is always listening -Always! He is aware of each and every leaf that falls on this earth. He is aware of which ant gets provision (rizq) from exactly which location. He knows what I see, hear and imagine in my head. What I fear, what my apprehensions are and what will trigger a specific reaction from me, He knows and He is there. How come did I reach this level of connection with Allah? It was nothing on my part to be honest -it is His immense mercy. I did not deserve this considering the amount of sins I have piled up against myself. But, one thing is for sure, if you make an effort in His way, you will witness His presence. 

How?

The key to not give up. 

If your Lord does not give up on you and punish you immediately for all your sins, why should you give up on Him and His mercy? You sin in the day and He still provides you food at night. You sin in the darkness of night and He still wakes you up the following morning and gives you provision. What excuse do we have for giving up on Him and losing hope in His mercy. 

Keep going...

Keep going where? Towards Allah. 

To start with, do Dhikr. Keep reciting His beautiful names, keep doing tasbeeh -all day long. Whatever you may be doing you always take time off to catch some breath, clear your mind and entertain yourself. Try doing tasbeeh in those times. It feels like 'work' in the beginning. But, as you attain closeness to Allah, you will feel it is the only respite you have amidst the chaos of this world. 

Every single day...

Keep doing the same count of tasbeeh every single day. Do not miss it. If you miss it, cover up for it. One thing I learnt by experience is that Allah loves continuity. He loves it when you show persistence, tenacity and do an act in His way -everyday. 

Up your game...

All I mean by this is to not settle for less. Once you become comfortable with 33 times (each) tasbeeh of SubhanAllah, Alhamdulilah, Allahu Akbar, Astaghfirullah - try and increase the count and keep doing it everyday. It is a good idea to do so in small increments. This will keep you motivated and there would still be some challenge involved considering how busy our lives are. But, guess what, that is all that matters. The effort you put in.

Strive - Pursue...

We are the people of Pursuit. We pursue our dreams of becoming the best we can. We give in our best to every task that we do. And this effort is what matters to Allah the most. To Allah, our efforts count. How do we push our own borders and strive to gain His closeness is what makes Him happy. And, we can achieve that by not giving up, by increasing our efforts and by giving our best. Allah is all-Hearing, all-Knowing. 

And to begin our journey, let me state last part of an ayah from Surah Maryam (Ayah 4) 

In calling you O Lord, I have never been deprived

The above means that I have not been denied any prayers by you, O my Lord. I have found this to be so true in my journey. And Insha'Allah you will too. Try and remember this ayah and recite it as often as you can. Even if it is once daily. Just make sure you read / recite it every single day. 

I will keep posting duas and verses from the Quran Insha'Allah in this blog. I hope we all gain some knowledge and better ourselves in the process. 

Fi Amaan Allah