Dua

Oh Allah, have mercy on me in the name of the great Quraan,make it for me a guide and light,And guidance and mercy,

Oh Allah, make me remember that of it which I have forgotten,Make me know of it, that which I have become ignorant of,And make me recite it in the hours of the night and day,
And make it an argument for me, O sustainer of all the worlds,

Oh Allah, set right my faith which is the safeguard of all my affairs,And set right for me my world affairs wherein is my living,
An set right for me my hereafter on which depends my after life,And make my life a source of abundance of every good,And make my death a source of protection for me, protecting me from every evil,

Oh Allah! Make the best part of my life the end of it,And the last of my deeds the best one,And the best of my days, the day I meet you,

Oh Allah! I ask of you the best whilst living,
And ask for a good death,And not a shameful or embarassing return,

Oh Allah! I ask you for the best affair,The best suplication,The best success,
The best knowledge,
The best deed,
The best reward,
The best life,
And The best death.
Keep me upright,Make my scale heavy,
confirm my faith,raise high my status(in the hereafter),Accept my Salah,
And forgive my sins,I ask you for high positions in Paradise,

Oh Allah! I ask you obligation of your mercy,
And determination of your forgiveness,
And the peace of every sin,
And the booty of every reward,
And Winning Paradise,
And surviving from Hell,

Oh Allah! make the result of all our affairs good,And deliver us from the disgrace of this world and the torment of the hereafter,

Oh Allah! Distribute between us the heedfullness necessary to come between us and the commision of wrong against you,
The obedience necessary for us to gain admission into paradise,
And the unswerving faith necessary to minimise for us the tribulations in this world,

Oh Allah! Allow us to enjoy our hearing, our sight, and our strength for as long as we live,
And make that enjoyment our heir(so that the people that we have befitted could pray for us), and place our vengeance on those that have wronged us,And give us victory over our enemies,And try us not in our faith,
Neeither make this world our greates concern,or the extent of our knowledge,
Nor give power over us to those who would oppress us,

Oh Allah! Leave no sins of ours in this assembley unforgiven,
Nor any grief without being relieved,
Nor any debt without being paid,
Nor any difficulty in this life or the hereafter without being facilitated,

Oh the most merciful of all that is Merciful,
Our Lord! Give us the good of this world and the hereafter,And save us from the torment of the fire,

Oh Allah! send peace and salutation upon Muhammed (PBUH) and his family, his companions and those that follow him,
AMEEN!

What is the ruling on fasting six days of Shawwaal? Is it waajib (obligatory)?

Praise be to Allaah.

Fasting six days of Shawwaal after the obligatory fast of Ramadaan is Sunnah Mustahabbah, not waajib. It is recommended for the Muslim to fast six days of Shawwaal, and in this there is great virtue and an immense reward. Whoever fasts these six days will have recorded for him a reward as if he had fasted a whole year, as was reported in a saheeh hadeeth from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Abu Ayyoob (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever fasts Ramadaan and follows it with six days of Shawwaal, it will be as if he fasted for a lifetime.” (Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawood, al-Tirmidhi, al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah).

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) explained this when he said: “Whoever fasts for six days after (Eid) al-Fitr has completed the year: (whoever does a good deed (hasanah) will have ten hasanah like it).” According to another report: “Allaah has made for each hasanah ten like it, so a month is like fasting ten months, and fasting six days completes the year.” (al-Nisaa’i and Ibn Maajah. See also Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 1/421). It was also narrated by Ibn Khuzaymah with the wording: “Fasting for the month of Ramadaan brings the reward of ten like it, and fasting for six days brings the reward of two months, and that is the fasting of the whole year.”

The Hanbali and Shaafa’i fuqaha’ explained that fasting six days of Shawwaal after fasting Ramadaan makes it as if one has fasted for an entire year of obligatory fasts, because the multiplication of the reward applies even to naafil fasts, because each hasanah brings the reward of ten like it.

Another of the important benefits of fasting six days of Shawwaal is that is makes up for any shortfall in a person's obligatory Ramadaan fasts, because no one is free of shortcomings or sins that have a negative effect on his fasting. On the Day of Resurrection, some of his naafil deeds will be taken to make up the shortcomings in his obligatory deeds, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The first thing for which people will be brought to account on the Day of Resurrection will be their salaah (prayer). Our Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, will say to His angels – although He knows best – ‘Look at the salaah of My slave, whether it is complete or incomplete.’ If it is perfect, it will be recorded as perfect, and if something is lacking, He will say, ‘Look and see whether My slave did any voluntary (naafil) prayers.’ If he did some voluntary prayers, [Allaah] will say, Complete the obligatory actions of My slave from his voluntary actions.’ Then all his actions will be dealt with in a similar manner.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood).

And Allaah knows best.



Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Four Poisons of the Heart

1. Unnecessary Talking

Umar Ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "A person who talks too much is a person who often makes mistakes, and someone who often makes mistakes, often has wrong actions. The Fire has a priority over such a frequent sinner."

2. Unrestrained Glances

It has been related that the Prophet *saaws* once said words to the effect: "The glance is a poisoned arrow of shaytan. Whoever lowers his gaze for Allah, He will bestow upon him a refreshing sweetness which he will find in his heart on the day that he meets Him."

3. Too Much Food

Al-Miqdam ibn Ma'd Yakrib said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah *saaws* say: "The son of Adam fills no vessel more displeasing to Allah than his stomach. A few morsels should be enough for him to preserve his strength. If he must fill it, then he should allow a third for his food, a third for his drink and leave a third empty for easy breathing."

4. Keeping Bad Company

Allah's Apostle said, "The example of a good companion (who sits with you) in comparison with a bad one, is I like that of the musk seller and the blacksmith's bellows (or furnace); from the first you would either buy musk or enjoy its good smell while the bellows would either burn your clothes or your house, or you get a bad nasty smell thereof."

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We will show them our proofs in the horizons, and within themselves, until they realize that this is the truth. Is your Lord not sufficient as a witness of all things?