Dhuha

In the name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful

All praise is due to Allah alone. And prayers and peace of Allah be upon the last Prophet S.A.W.

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) said:

“In the morning charity is due for every bone in the body of every one of you. Every utterance of Allah's glorification (SubhanAllah) is an act of charity. Every utterance of praise of Him (Alhamdulillāh) is an act of charity, every utterance of profession of His Oneness(La Ilaha Illa Allah) is an act of charity, every utterance of profession of His Greatness (Allahu Akbar) is an act of charity, enjoining good is an act of charity, forbidding what is evil is an act of charity, and two Rak’as which one prays in the forenoon will suffice.”
[Reported by Muslim]


And it is narrated on the authority of Buraida (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard the Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) says:

“Everyone has three hundred and sixty joints, so he has to give charity for each one of them.” It was said (to him): “O Messenger of Allah, who can afford that?” “You can bury the mucus that you may find in the Masjid, or remove stumbling block from people's path. If you could not afford that, then two Rak’as at Ad-Duha (forenoon) are enough” The prophet s.a.w replied.

[Reported by Ahmad and Abu Dawûd and Authenticated by Al-Albani]


It is an optional prayer that is performed between the full rising of the sun (15 to 20 minutes after sunrise) until it ends approximately 15 minutes before Dhuhr prayer.

And it is better to pray it when the heat of the sun reaches its highest grades, because the Prophet s.a.w says:

“The prayer of those who are penitent is observed when your weaned camels feel the heat of the sun.”

[Reported by Muslim]


The ruling is that Duha prayer is a sunnah mu’akkadah (confirmed Sunnah), which entails massive rewards and blessings if established, but there is no sin on the one who leaves it.


The minimum of Duha prayer rak'ahs is two rak'ahs, because of the saying of Abu Hurayra: “My companion (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) has advised me to do three things” and mentioned among them “Two Rak’as of Duha prayer.”


And it is said that there is no maximum number of Rak’as for it, because ‘A`ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: “The Messenger of Allah (prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Duha prayer four Rak’as and then increases as Allah wills.” [Reported by Muslim]


There is nothing clearly authentic narrated about the sūrah to read after surah al-Fātihah. The Shāfiʿi opinion is to recite surah al-Kāfiruun in the first rakʿah and surah al-Ikhlās in the second rakʿah, due to the massive rewards of reciting both surah.


Sayyidina Abu Hurayra (Allah have mercy on him) narrates that my beloved companion (the Messenger of Allah, prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) advised me three things: To fast three days of every month, to perform the two rak'ahs of Dhuha, and that I perform my Witr before retiring to bed.(Sahih al-Bukhari: no: 1981)



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Note to self : May Allah SWT grant us the chance to pray Dhuha habitually, give us HIS blessings and protection always...aamiin.

Missed Appointments

Found this poem (here)..a timely  reminder to me....

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YOU show more concern for me than any doctor, I must say

Cos You want to see me so many times in just one day

Afterall – it’s You who looks after the health of the soul

Something that the most learned specialist in the world can only ever dream to control

I spiff up in my best for every job interview

So why procrastinate to purify myself for my meeting with You

Afterall – they are interviews into Jannah, true?

What about meeting the queen or a celebrity singing tween?

Definitley count me in!

I can go to a pro to sort out the stuff I don’t like about me :

* Personal Trainer

* Beautician

* Dietician

* Debt Councillor

* Even a Shrink

…At a nominal fee

Every cent worth it … really?

But

Why is it so difficult for me to pour out all my

~ sorrows,

~ pains,

~ dreams

and

~ hopes to You

Afterall – it is for free?

And

Should I happen to miss

* a train,

* plane,

* party,

* an appointment,

* movie date

How would I feel?

Definitely more than a smidge irate,

Miss a fixed appointment with You?

With a set time, date, place?

What a disgrace!

Forgive me for standing You up so many times!

Surely this must be the worst of crimes

Considering it’s me that needs You

even though sometimes I am so short sighted this I can’t even see

By now even my own blood would have given up on me

But

You just keep bestowing blessings on me!

Ya Ghafuru,

Please hold on to me!

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Du’aa of Istikhaarah

(youtube by ummsuhayb : here )

Beautifully recited by Mishary Raashid al-'Afasy.

Here is the Arabic of the du'aa:

اللهم إني أستخيرك بعلمك ، واستقدرك بقدرتك ، وأسألك من فضلك العظيم ، فإنك تقدر ولا أقدر ، وتعلم ولا أعلم ، وأنت علام الغيوب . اللهم إن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر- ويسمي حاجته - خير لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري فاقدره لي ، ويسره لي ، ثم بارك لي فيه . وإن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر شر لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري فاصرفه عني واصرفني عنه واقدر لي الخير حيث كان ثم أرضني به

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Here is the English Transliteration of the du'aa:

[Allaahumma innee astakheeruka bi'ilmik, wa astaqdiruka biqudratik, wa as aluka min fadlikal 'atheem, fa innaka taqdiru wa laa aqdir, wa ta'lamu wa laa a'lam, wa anta 'allaamul ghuyoob. Allaahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna haathal amr. -here you mention your need-. Khayrun lee fee deeni wa ma'aashi wa 'aaqibati amree faqdirhu lee wa yassirhu lee, thumma baarik lee fee. Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna haathal amr sharrun lee fee deenee wa ma'aashi wa 'aaqibati amree fasrifhu annee wasrifni an waqdir li al-khayra haythu kaan thumma ardineebi.]

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And here is the English meaning:

O Allaah, I seek Your counsel by Your knowledge and by Your power I seek strength and I ask You from Your immense favour, for verily You are able while I am not and verily You know while I do not and You are the Knower of the unseen. O Allaah, if You know this affair -and here he mentions his need- to be good for me in relation to my religion, my life, and end, then decree and facilitate it for me, and bless me with it, and if You know this affair to be ill for me towards my religion, my life, and end, then remove it from me and remove me from it , and decree for me what is good wherever it be and make me satisfied with such.

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Jabir bin Abdullaah –RadhiAllaahu anhu- said 

"the Messenger of Allaah -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- used to teach us al-Istikharah (a prayer said for seeking blessings in carrying out a decision) for all matters, just like he used to teach us a chapter from the Qur’aan, he would say: If any of you intends to undertake a matter then he should pray two Rakah other than an obligatory prayer then he should say the Du'aa of Istikhaarah.

Ibn al-Qayyim -Rahimullaah- said:

‘So the purpose of al-Istikharah is to rely upon Allaah and entrustment to Him and the capability to fulfill the action with Allaah’s Capability, His knowledge. And that Allaah chooses good for His slave, and this is from those things which necessitate being pleased with Allaah as the Lord. As a person will not taste the flavour of Eemaan if he does not have these things (reliance, entrustment etc), and if he is pleased with destiny after al-Istikharah then that is a sign of happiness.’

[Taken from ‘Za’ad al-Ma’aad’ by Ibn al-Qayyim 2/443-445]

Shaykh Muhammad bin Umar Bazmool said:

‘That al-Istikharah is not done when a person is uncertain about the matter at hand; because the Prophet -sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam- said: ‘If any of you intends to undertake a matter’ and that the whole of the Dua’ indicates to this point.

So if a Muslim is uncertain about a matter, and he intends to pray al-Istikharah , then he should make a choice between the two matters and then pray al-Istikharah , and then after al-Istikharah he executes that matter, and if it was good then Allaah will make it easy for him and bless him in that, and if it was not good for him, then Allaah turns it away from him and makes easy for him that in which there is good by the permission of Allaah -Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

[Taken from: ‘Buggeeyat al-Mutattawa’ fee salat at-tattawa’ p.105]

Ramadan Kareem - Taraweeh

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The virtues of the Taraweeh Prayer

~ Abu Hurayrah said: Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said "He who prays during the night in Ramadan with faith and seeking his reward from Allah will have his past sins forgiven" (Agreed Upon)

~ The time for Taraweeh prayer is between Isha and Fajr. Generally during Ramadan the taraweeh prayer is prayed after the Isha prayer in the Masjids in congregation.

~ ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray eleven rak’ahs at night, and say the tasleem after each two rak’ahs, and he would pray Witr with one rak’ah. Saheeh, (agreed upon)

~ There is no set limit as to how much Quran is recited in each night of the taraweeh prayers.

The Prophet peace be upon him recitation used to vary, sometimes it would be long, at other times short. Sometimes in every rakah he would recite the equivalent of ‘Yaa ayyuha’l-muzammil, which is twenty aayaat; sometimes he would recite the equivalent of fifty aayaat.

He used to say, “Whoever prays at night and reads one hundred aayaat will not be recorded as one of the negligent.”

According to another hadeeth: “…and reads two hundred aayaat, will be recorded as one of the devout and sincere believers.”

Each day after the 8 rak'ahs of the Taraweeh prayers the witr are also prayed.

Du’aa’ which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught to his grandson al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), which is (translation):

(O Allaah, guide me along with those whom You have guided, pardon me along with those whom You have pardoned, be an ally to me along with those whom You are an ally to, and bless for me that which You have bestowed.

Protect me from the evil You have decreed for verily You decree and none can decree over You. For surety, he whom You show allegiance to is never abased and he whom You take an enemy is never honored and mighty.

O our Lord, Blessed and Exalted are You. There is no refuge from You except with You).”

Live broadcast of taraweeh (here)

"When My servants ask about Me, I am indeed close to them. I listen to the prayer of every supplicant, when he calls on Me. Let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me, so that they may walk in the right way" (Qur'an 2:186).

Prayers and Du'a videos (here)

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Du'a : Save Palestine

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Du'a for Gaza by Sheikh Rashid Mishary