Reliance on Allah

As I look forward to an impossible week, I am realising, that nothing is impossible if made possible by Allah. It reminded of the story of Surah Fil. As I did a bit of research on its background through Sheikh Google, I found that this apparently simple surah has left different marks on different people's minds. From power of Allah to wisdom in Allah's actions, it is all there! However, what strikes me the most - is the power of effects of 'Tawakkul' - trust and reliance in Allah.

When Abraha defeated everyone on his way to Mecca, stood with his huge army of elephants and men, there was no reason why Abdul Muttalib should not have worried. He was one of the only men, the powerless ones, against an army equipped with everything to destroy the Kaaba. Yet, he was determined that Allah will save His house. He trusted Allah to take care of the future, no matter how ridiculous it may have seemed to everyone else at that particular time.

The prophet said: "If you had all relied on Allah (SWT) as you should rely on Him, then He would have provided for you as He provides for the birds, who wake up hungry in the morning and return with full stomachs at dusk." [At-Tirmidhi]

There are several ways to start/increase your reliance on Allah:

1. Realise Who Allah is. If you want to truly rely on Him, you must acknowledge and accept the fact that He has the greatest power, no one can overcome Him. The fact that He knows everything about you every single moment, inside and out, the fact that He holds the power to change anything and everything in any moment.

2. Be true to yourself. As well as accepting Allah's attributes, you need to accept yours too. You need to figure out exactly what Allah has given you and exactly what you need. Doing that would allow you to be thankful for what he has already given you and allow you to ask Him without any false pride.

3. Try to stay away from sins as much as possible. Once you have realised how much you need Allah, the only way you can keep harmful guilty feelings at bay is by staying away from things that will instil those feelings in your heart. Every time you feel like doing something that you know in your heart you should not, renew your trust in Allah by asking Him to keep you away from it, and do something that He would love.

4. Ask for forgiveness for past sins. Allah LOVES those who repent (2:222) - and what can increase your reliance on Allah more than His love? A very good reminder for the benefits of repentance is expressed by Imam Ibn Taymiyyah: A calamity that makes you turn to Allah is better for you then a blessing which makes you forget the remembrance of Allah.

5. Do your morning and evening dhikr regularly. One of the dhikr that I love is the following: "Allah is sufficient for me. There is none worthy of worship but Him. I have placed my trust in Him. He is the Lord of the Majestic throne." (9:129) It is said that Allah grants whoever recites this seven times in the morning or evening whatever he desires from this world or the next. (Abu Dawud) The arabic of this particular dhikr isn't too hard - it is in Fortress of the Muslim. Alternatively, you can look up 9:129.

Keep myself and yourself in your duas so that Allah makes us sincere in our way towards Him and allows us to have Tawakkul.

5 tips to increase productivity this Ramadan

If your Ramadan is flying past you because school/uni/work/family is keeping you busy, you have come to the right place. This is a list of things I have been doing for the past few days/have seen others do/have read or heard somewhere and felt like it would work. This list should be kept as a reminder for both you and I on how we can get the best out of this month.

1. Spend 10-15 mins each night reviewing what you have done throughout the day. Was it productive? Make a list of everything that you felt added to your productivity and a list of everything that deterred you from it. Come up with a plan to consistently and sincerely do the things on the first list and stay away from those in the second. 


2. Fix a sleeping habit and stick to it! I recommend praying Isha and taraweeh as soon as possible, then sleeping until about an hour before Fajr starts. That way, you can use half an hour for tahajjud and making dua, and half an hour for suhoor. After that, do not sleep after Fajr. Instead, use that time to do dhikr, study the Quran, plan for your day and some other things, depending on your schedule for the rest of the day. Try to get 1-2 hours of sleep at some other time throughout the day. I find public transport to be an amazing place for that! Your situation might be different - spend a few minutes to work out a plan. Lack of sleep can lead to loss of energy, and that's the last thing you want in this blessed month!


Regarding tahajjud: "Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said: Our Lord descends every night, during the last third of it, to the skies of this world, and asks: ‘Who is making du’aa to me, so that I can respond to him?  Who is asking Me, so that I can give him?  Who is asking for My forgiveness, so that I can forgive him?’" (Bukhari, Muslim)

Also, Rasulullah (pbuh) said, "At night there is such a moment in which a Muslim supplicates Allah for the good of this world or the Hereafter, Allah will grant him his request, and this moment appears every night." (Muslim)

"O you wrapped in a cloth, Stand [in prayer]  by night except a portion, half of it or a little less, or a little more, and  recite the Quraan in measured tones. Soon shall we send down to you a weighty  message. Truly the rising by night is most potent for governing the soul, and  most effective in speech [of praises and prayer]. [73:1-6)


Regarding suhoor: Prophet (pbuh), said: “Eat Suhoor; Indeed, there is a blessing in Suhoor.” (Al-Bukhaari and Muslim)


Abu Sa'id al-Khudri related that, the Messenger (pbuh) said: Suhur is a meal containing blessing so do not abandon it even if you have only a drink of water. Allah and His angels pray on those who eat suhur.


Regarding doing your work in the morning for maximum baraqah: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘O Allah, bless my Ummah in the mornings.’(Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah)


3. Constantly do dhikr and dua. If there is anything you want from Allah, this is the month you ask for it! You do not need a time, place or any equipment to do this. You can do this while waiting for the bus, while walking to your next class, while making food, while cleaning - anywhere and everywhere! Specifically, make dua for increase in baraqah in time, effort and good deeds, and watch your productivity rise exponentially!


4. Make dua before Iftaar. Alhamdulillah, I am lucky enough to grow up in a household where this is practised, which is a reason why I was very surprised to know that many people do not practise this. Rasulullah  said, “The fasting person has at the time of breaking his fast a Du’aa’ that is not rejected.” (Ibn Majah & Al-Hakim). This is a clear guarantee! Why not take advantage of it?


5. Keep your workspace and living space clean and tidy. If it is usually not, make it a point to get into this habit in Ramadan. Allah’s Messenger said, “Cleanliness is half of Faith. (Muslim)


Some useful sources of inspiration:
For more articles and tips: http://www.productiveramadan.com/
For a greater appreciation for the Book of Allah: http://bayyinah.com/podcast/category/nouman-ali-khan/ (I started this series by listening to the tafseer of Surah Ikhlas and got hooked on to it. It gave me a much clearer picture of how I should view Allah. Nouman Ali Khan goes through the the surahs from a linguistic, psychological and spiritual point of view. I strongly recommend this to anyone who is looking to improve their relationship with the Qur'an.)