Institute for Community Developm

الحمد لله...

Do you want your actions "rectified" before Allah and your bad deeds forgiven?

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا (70) يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا (71) إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنْسَانُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا (72) لِيُعَذِّبَ اللَّهُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتِ وَالْمُشْرِكِينَ وَالْمُشْرِكَاتِ وَيَتُوبَ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا (73)

Beware of Allah at all times and always speak a word in which there is benefit. Look for
obedience to Allah in all things and never become complacent.  Look for ajr in every small and large thing.

قَالَ قَالَ لِيَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:  لَا تَحْقِرَنَّ مِنْ الْمَعْرُوفِ شَيْئًا وَلَوْ أَنْ تَلْقَى أَخَاكَ بِوَجْهٍ طَلْقٍ

If you compete, then compete for thawaab, not the things of this world or the praise of people.  Islam (submission) is istislaam (ACTION and EFFORT in submitting and complying with Allah's orders).

مَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلَا يُؤْذِ جَارَهُ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيُكْرِمْ ضَيْفَهُ وَمَنْ كَانَ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ فَلْيَقُلْ خَيْرًا أَوْ لِيَصْمُتْ  (البخاري)

What is the way to that? Taqwa – consciousness and remembrance of Allah at all times. Ta'ala – obey Allah and his Messenger in that which is easy and that which is difficult; that which appeals to your desires and that which does not. This is the commitment which Allah's Messenger (sas) established as the relationship between the Muslims and their leaders.

بَايَعْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَلَى السَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ فِي الْعُسْرِ وَالْيُسْرِ وَالْمَنْشَطِ وَالْمَكْرَهِ وَعَلَى أَثَرَةٍ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى أَنْ لَا نُنَازِعَ الْأَمْرَ أَهْلَهُ وَعَلَى أَنْ نَقُولَ بِالْحَقِّ أَيْنَمَا كُنَّا لَا نَخَافُ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ (Muslim)

 We will not return to security, unity, safety and power until we understand this concept once again.

عَلَيْكَ السَّمْعَ وَالطَّاعَةَ فِي عُسْرِكَ وَيُسْرِكَ وَمَنْشَطِكَ وَمَكْرَهِكَ وَأَثَرَةٍ عَلَيْكَ (مسلم)

Rulers of Muslims must be supported and not opposed for as long as they take the Shari'a as the law of the land and uphold it. Even the Prophet's (sas) order for the Khilafa to remain within Quraish was conditioned on this (though some have misunderstood it to mean forever):

إِنَّ هَذَا الْأَمْرَ فِي قُرَيْشٍ لَا يُعَادِيهِمْ أَحَدٌ إِلَّا كَبَّهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ مَا أَقَامُوا الدِّينَ

Guard what is between your jaws and what is between your legs and Allah's Messenger (sas) has guaranteed for you your hereafter. Use your tongue and all of your parts and constituents for Allah, and He will transform your bad deeds and slip-ups into saalihaat (good deeds).

 يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَقُولُوا قَوْلًا سَدِيدًا(70)يُصْلِحْ لَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ فَقَدْ فَازَ فَوْزًا عَظِيمًا(71)

Islam is only one way. It is the way of the Prophet (sas), his Companions and the first three generations.  It really IS that simple. Anything which was added later and cannot be found or directly supported by the acts of Allah's Messenger (sas) and these praised generations is NULL AND VOID, it is cast against the wall regardless of its source, its age or its longevity among the later generations of Muslims. Guidance for all times, places and situations can be found or extrapolated from these generations and this glorious beginning of this Ummah.  As Imam Malik said, "That last of nation will only be reformed with the SAME THING with which the beginning of this Ummah was reformed."

خَيْرُ أُمَّتِي قَرْنِي ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ ثُمَّ الَّذِينَ يَلُونَهُمْ قَالَ عِمْرَانُ فَلَا أَدْرِي أَذَكَرَ بَعْدَ قَرْنِهِ قَرْنَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثًا ثُمَّ إِنَّ بَعْدَكُمْ قَوْمًا يَشْهَدُونَ وَلَا يُسْتَشْهَدُونَ وَيَخُونُونَ وَلَا يُؤْتَمَنُونَ وَيَنْذُرُونَ وَلَا يَفُونَ وَيَظْهَرُ فِيهِمْ السِّمَنُ

As-siman (not as-saman): 1) love for food and going to excess in consumption or 2) being "puffed up" and loving to claim or show beyond one's actual state or status. It does not mean "fatness" which is something which Allah creates in some people and is not necessarily their doing.

The praising of the first three generations is in general and overall. There were surely the few in those generations who had the blameworthy attributes but what is considered here is their overall state.

This nation of ours is one nation. When this is our reality and any one part of it hurts, we all experience the pain. Is this our state?

مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى

Allah addressed all of the messengers saying:

المؤمنون:
وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاتَّقُونِ(52)فَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ زُبُرًا كُلُّ حِزْبٍ بِمَا لَدَيْهِمْ فَرِحُونَ(53)فَذَرْهُمْ فِي غَمْرَتِهِمْ حَتَّى حِينٍ(54) ...

The nation of any messenger which engages in hizbiyya or dividing into sects and groups has forgotten this vital fact - that the community of tauhid is a single community - and turned from true obedience to Allah. "Leave them until a time..." means leave them to the certain destruction to which they have sentenced themselves with their divisions.

الحشر
يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَلْتَنْظُرْ نَفْسٌ مَا قَدَّمَتْ لِغَدٍ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ(18)وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ نَسُوا اللَّهَ فَأَنْسَاهُمْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ(19)

Second:

 One nation, one nation!

الأنبياء
إِنَّ هَذِهِ أُمَّتُكُمْ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً وَأَنَا رَبُّكُمْ فَاعْبُدُونِ(92)وَتَقَطَّعُوا أَمْرَهُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ كُلٌّ إِلَيْنَا رَاجِعُونَ(93)

Some will say, "OK, we agree, but that is just theory and every group will advocate this but in reality will only be calling to their own group."  The answer to that is simple.

 أَلَا إِنَّ مَنْ قَبْلَكُمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ افْتَرَقُوا عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ مِلَّةً وَإِنَّ هَذِهِ الْمِلَّةَ سَتَفْتَرِقُ عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ ثِنْتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَهِيَ الْجَمَاعَةُ زَادَ ابْنُ يَحْيَى وَعَمْرٌو فِي حَدِيثَيْهِمَا وَإِنَّهُ سَيَخْرُجُ مِنْ أُمَّتِي أَقْوَامٌ تَجَارَى بِهِمْ تِلْكَ الْأَهْوَاءُ كَمَا يَتَجَارَى الْكَلْبُ لِصَاحِبِهِ وَقَالَ عَمْرٌو الْكَلْبُ بِصَاحِبِهِ لَا يَبْقَى مِنْهُ عِرْقٌ وَلَا مَفْصِلٌ إِلَّا دَخَلَهُ

When asked about the one successful group out of 73, he (sas) said, "They are al-jama'a" and, in another narration, "They are those who are upon what I am upon and my companions."

اللهم ارنا الحق ...

ربنا لا تجعلنا فتنة للقوم الظالمين ، ونَجِّنا برحمتك من القوم الكافرين

اللهم إنا ضعفاء فقوِّ في رضاك ضعفنا ، وخذ إلى الخير بنواصينا ، واجعل الإسلام منتهى رضائنا .اللهم إنا ضعفاء فقوِّنا ، وإنا أذلاء فأعزنا ، وإنا فقراء فارزقنا

 اللهم اهد ضال المسلمين. اللهم! ردنا إليك رداً جميلاً. اللهم! إنا نسألك خشيتك في الغيب والشهادة، وكلمة الحق في الغضب والرضى،

 عباد الله! هذا وصلوا وسلموا على من أمرتم بالصلاة والسلام عليه امتثالاً لأمر ربكم القائل: { إن الله وملائكته يصلون على النبي يا أيها الذين آمنوا صلوا عليه وسلموا تسليما } [الأحزاب:56].