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The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Religion (dīn) is sincerity (nasiha) (corrective advice, good counsel and sincere conduct). The dīn is nasiha. The dīn is nasiha." They asked, "To whom, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "To Allah and His Book and His Messenger and the Imams (leaders) of the muslims and the common people."[*]
To counsel and to be sincere with someone as in the quranic verse:
[*]The above hadith is related in many of the standard hadith-collections, such as Muslim, Abu Dawud, Al-Nasa'i, Al-Tirmidhi etc, and is considered one of the general and universal principles of Islam, so it was included as the seventh hadith by Imam Al-Nawawi into his 'Forty Hadith' collection.
Religion is sincerity – meaning: “religion is hinged upon
sincerity”, or “religion depends on
sincerity.”
It is obvious that religion and sincerity are not synonymous
to one another, and by
turning to the tools of Arabic rhetoric and style we
understand that a word must be added in order to
understand the sentence. In Arabic this is known as
'idmar', or interpolation. The most commonly accepted
meaning is “religion is hinged upon sincerity”,
while other possibilities include: “Religion in its
complete form is sincerity”, or “Religion ... one of
its conditions is sincerity”.
• sincerity – in Arabic nasihah, which means “sincerity” as well as “advice”, and here is perhaps best understood as “sincere counsel”.
• towards Allah – by believing in Him, establishing what is obligatory, thanking Him, and bringing people to do this.
• His book – by learning it, acting according to it, and guiding people to this.
• His Messenger – Muhammad bin ʿAbd Allah ﷺ Allah bless him and give him peace - by following him, assisting him, and defending him.
• the leaders of the Muslims – those responsible for their affairs, by respecting them and obeying their orders in what pleases Allah and His Messenger ﷺ Allah bless him and give him peace ; “O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those of you who are in authority” (Sura Al-Nisa', 4:59), and by correcting them when they err.
• their common folk – by guiding them to what contains their happiness in the Dunya and the Akhira, and offering them assistance and protection.
The above chapter is by Sh. Musa Furber [ Source: Mansur ʿAli Nasif. al-Taj al-Jamiʿ li-l-Usul.
1:27-28; by m#f# ]
Nasiha, Shaykh Muhammad Sa'id Burhani
The Obligation Of Nasiha For The Prophet ﷺ Qadi 'Iyad
Counsel Sidi Ahmad Zarrooq Ahmad Zarrooq
Advice for the student of (hadith-) knowledge Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi
Nasiha - Quotes
Advice to Our Brothers the Ulema of Najd, Sayyid Yusuf al-Rifaʿi
Nasiha ur Ash-Shifa Qadi 'Iyad (Swedish)
- 7 ideas to make the Prophet Muhammad (saws) come alive for your children
at soundvision.com
- Also:
The best way to improve our knowledge of Islam is to go directly to the source, and to study it with our family.
If we think of reading the whole Quran, it seems a difficult task.
However, it becomes very easy, if we decide to read just a few verses every day, and to do this regularly. Just try this little excercise.
Each night after Magrib or Eisha prayers, spend 10 minutes with your family, and take it in turns to read a few verses from the Quran, to discuss its meaning, and how it relates to your life today. Make this a daily habit. You will be amazed to see what little effort this takes, and how big are the benefits.
Your children will ask questions and make comments that will surprise you. Within a short time you will see how the Quran becomes a part of your life, how verses you've read and discussed, come to mind in different situations.
Without realising it, you and your family will grow in knowledge, understanding, confidence, and most importantly, you will strengthen your Iman.
This is all part of our duty as Muslims, to seek knowledge, to better ourselves and become more effective instruments of Allah's plan. We are urged to seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave, and to seek knowledge, even unto China.
From members.cox.net/arshad, expired link 2012
Before anything else, there are hungry Muslim children everywhere who have needs right now. There are several reputable relief agencies who offer orphan sponsorship programs that only cost from $20-$40 a month. You and I know that's nothing expensive on your part - so do it. Some agencies even offer automated withdrawal so you can send a letter once with a voided check and never have to fill anything out again. Doing this can make you close to the Prophet in Paradise.
• Also: In addition to helping your relatives if you have the means: find someone in your neighbourhood to assist.
These are the stories of the prophets of Islam, first of all acquaint them - at least about the basics - of the life of Prohet Muhammad ﷺ. The from the lives of the luminaries of Islam, the Sahabah, the scholars and saints of Islam. Also anecdotes or short Islamic stories which are here.
In the West today, nearly all of us have a Masjid within driving distance. Even if you don't go to the local Masjid for Jumu'ah because of your job, then go for at least one Maghrib a week or for Zuhr on Sunday. Whatever, just go at least once a week- WITH YOUR FAMILY. It's the only way that you and your family will consider the Masjid to be your place.
If your children go to public school, and there is no Islamic school nearby, then make sure they either get into some Sunday school program, or, if the local Masjid doesn't run it right, then pool together with some like-minded families and run your own program at somebody's house every Saturday or Sunday and conduct it the way you think it should be done. This is the minimum requirement for not losing your children to secular society.
Buy at least one book, audio or video produced by a Muslim company or author per month. Have you ever wished that there were better items for you and your family's pleasure? Unfortunately, Muslims don't support their own writers and artists very well. No one can make even a decent living if they want to write or produce for the Muslim market. That must change if you want to see wonderful products for you and your children. Just buy one thing per month. Either out of a catalog or from your local Muslim bookstore. For you it's only $5-$10 bucks, but collectively, it can encourage our creative and talented brothers and sisters to do more.
If you see any new Muslims at your Masjid, then partially "adopt" them into your family. The convert experience is basically one of isolation and loneliness. You'd be surprised to know that most converts are outright ignored by the people in the Masjid. Beyond a few pleasantries and handshakes, they are usually never made to feel welcome or accepted. They are often cut off from their non-Muslim friends and relatives so they are doubly vulnerable. A new convert should be invited into various peoples home for dinner a minimum of six times a month. Get together with others and make sure you all put the new convert on your guest list for any sort of gathering.
Keep three extra Qur'an translations and some literature in your home at all times. You never know when you'll find someone interested who wants to know more. Besides, your children read only and understand only English. (You wouldn't believe how many Muslim families don't have an English Qur'an translation in their homes! How will the child read it if they don't understand Arabic, and they never understand Arabic, even if their parents are Arabic speaking!)
Even if you have given up on them, you have to go. It's the only way your children will feel a part of a greater community of believers. Think about it and realize that you don't just go to a convention for your personal enrichment. It's about Muslim solidarity. Go to at least one every year. Couple it with your vacation plans or something. Just go.
Besides all the religious aspects I could mention, which are the most important, by the way, there is another advantage. You solidify your identity and introduce to your family the concept that animals should not die cruelly (like they do in all American slaughterhouses) and that Muslims eat cleaner food. If there are no Halal meat stores nearby, you'll probably find a Kosher store. At least many of the Jews are not shy about Allah's commandment there and have established kosher markets everywhere.
Lastly, make sure you and your family have cultural-type items in your home in abundance that are associated with Islam or Islamic culture. Everyone in your home should have prayer beads, prayer rugs, kufis, Hijabs, (even if they're worn only for prayer), gowns, posters, wall plaques, stickers, logo-shirts, Islamic screen-savers on the computer, and on and on. You want to establish an identity in your home. Everything outside is totally un-Islamic. At least let the Islamic flavor be present inside.
**This is extremely crucial! Don't be passive. Don't sit around and watch your spouse and children drift further and further away into disbelief and kufr. Would any of you like to be on their deathbed and then realize that they only left non-Muslims behind them? Imagine entering the great sleep with that realization on your heart!
These ten things can be done, with minimal trouble and fuss, by each and every Muslim family. Through these ten points nearly every purpose of Islam is served and you can finally feel that you're doing something in an organized fashion to help promote your healthy way of life and also to fulfill your responsibility to your Creator. Give it a try and see how easy these things really are. Then stick with it. You have no excuses for inaction anymore.
from: islamfortoday.com/emerick10.htm - broken link 2020
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