The Names of the Qur-aan

Al Qur-aan.

Al Fuqraan - The Criterion.

Al Kitaab – The Book.

Al Hudaa - The Guidance.

An Noor - The Light.

Ash Shifaa – The Cure.

Al Bayaan – The Clarification.

Al Maw’dhah – The Exhortation.

Ar Rahmah – The Mercy.

Basaa-ir – The Clarity.

Al Balaagh – The Proclamation.

Al Kareem – The Noble.

Al Majeed – The Glorious.

Al ‘Azeez – The Honored.

Al Mubaarak – The Blessed.

Al Tanzeel – The Revealed or Sent Down.

Al Munzal - The Revealed or Sent Down.

As Siraat al Mustaqeem – The Straight Upright Path.

Habl Allaah – The Rope of Allaah.

Adh Dhikr – The Remembrance.

Adh Dhikraa – The Reminder.

Tadhkirah – The Admonition.

{ And Indeed it is a Reminder for those who have Taqwaa }

{ Indeed it is an admonition }

{ So let whoever pleases pay attention to/remember it }

{ A verification to what was revealed before it }

{ A Confirmation of what came before it }

{ A Guardian to what came before it }

{ A detailed clarification of all things }

{ An explanation of all things }

Al Mutashaabih - its parts resembling each other (in goodness and truth).

Al Mathaanee - oft-repeated.

Al Hakeem – Full of Wisdom;

{ These are the versus of the Book of Wisdom }

Muhkam – Evident.

Mufassal - Detailed.

{ it is He Who has sent down to you the Book, explained in detail }

Al Burhaan – the Evidence or Proof, according to one of the explanations.

{ Verily, there has come to you a convincing proof from your Lord; and We sent down to you a manifest light }

Al Haqq – the Truth according to one of two interpretations;

{ Indeed the truth has come to you from your Lord }

In a clear Arabic language

The best of speech.

The best of stories.

The Speech / Word of Allaah.

{ …Grant him protection until he hears the Word of Allaah }

Knowledge.

{ Then whoever disputes with you concerning him (Jesus) after the knowledge that has come to you }

Al ‘Alee al Hakeem – exalted, full of wisdom.

{ And verily, it (this Qur-aan) is in the Mother of the Book (i.e. Al-Lauh Al-Mahfoodh) with Us, indeed exalted, full of wisdom. }

Al Qayim – Upright or correct and straight.

{ reciting purified pages (the Qur-aan). Wherein are correct and straight laws from Allaah. }

{ Who has sent down to His slave (Muhammad [sal-Allaahu 'alayhi wa sallam) the Book (the Qur-aan), and has not placed therein any crookedness. (He has made it) straight to give warning… }

Wahy - A Revelation.

{ It is only a Revelation revealed. }

Hikmah - Wisdom.

{ And indeed there has come to them news (in this Qur-aan) wherein there is (enough warning) to check (them from evil). Perfect wisdom… }

Hukm - Judgment.

{ And thus have We sent it (the Qur-aan) down to be a judgment of authority in Arabic }

Naba – News according to one interpretation.

Nadheer – a Warning according to one interpretation;

{ This is a warning in the (series of) warnings of old }

In the Hadeeth of Abu Musa;

Shaafi’ – Interceeder.

Mushafi’

Shaahid – a Witness.

Musaddiq – a confirmation for what came before it.

The Messenger - صلى الله عليه وسلم – called it “A proof for you or against you.” .

In the Hadeeth of al Haarith on the authority of ‘Alee: “A protection for those who act upon it.”

The Three who Spoke in the Cradle

The Hadeeth:

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah - may Allaah be pleased with him - who said that the Prophet - صلى الله عليه وسلم - said:

“None spoke in the cradle except three:

1. ‘Eesa the son of Maryam,
   
2. Jurayj’s companion; Jurayj was a man of worship, he had a place of worship and while he was in it, his mother came in and called upon him. He said to himself; ‘My Lord, my mother or my prayer?’ So he continued praying and she left. The next day she also came and called upon him while he was in prayer, he said to himself; ‘My Lord, my mother or my prayer?’ So he continued praying and again she left. The following day she came again and called upon him while he was in prayer, he said to himself; ‘My Lord, my mother or my prayer?’ So he continued praying.
   She said: ‘O Allaah, do not allow him to die until he sees the faces of prostitutes.’
   The Children of Israel knew of Jurayj and his worship. There was a very beautiful prostitute who offered to seduce him. She attempted to do so but he did not pay her any attention to her. She then approached a herdsman who used to seek refuge in his place of worship, she offered herself to him and he slept with her. She became pregnant, and when she gave birth she claimed that it was the child of Jurayj. They went to him, invoked curses over him, destroyed his place of worship and attacked him.
   He said: ’Why are you doing this?’
   They responded: ‘You fornicated with this woman and she bore you a child.’
   He said: ‘Where is the child?’
   So they brought him the child.
   He said: ‘Leave me until I pray.’
   When he finished praying he came to the boy and poked him in his stomach. He said: ‘O child, who is your father?’
   The baby boy responded: ‘So and so the herdsman.’
   So the people turned to Jurayj, kissing him and asking him for forgiveness. They offered to rebuild his place of worship in gold, but he refused and asked them to rebuild it from mud just as it was before, and so they did.
   
3. There was also a baby who was being breast fed by his mother when a rider in fine garments passed by on an agile animal.
   His mother said: ‘O Allaah, make my child like him.’
   The baby stopped suckling and looked at him, he said: ‘O Allaah, do not make me like him.’
   He then continued suckling…”Abu Hurayrah - May Allaah be pleased with him - said: ‘It is as if I can see Messenger of Allaah - صلى الله عليه وسلم - right now, as he is illustrating the scene of the baby’s suckling with his forefinger in his mouth.’
   He continued: "They passed by a slave girl who was being beaten by people who were accusing her of committing fornication and theft.'
   She was saying: `Sufficient is Allaah is for me, and the best of Guardians He is’
   The mother said: `O Allaah, do not make my child like her.'
   Again the baby stopped suckling, looked at her and said: ‘O Allaah! Make me like her.'
   At this point they spoke to each other, the mother said: `A good looking man passed by and I asked Allaah to make my child like him, you asked Allaah not make you like him. We passed by this slave girl while she was being beaten and being accused of fornication and theft, I asked Allaah not to make my child like her, and you asked Allaah to make you like her.'
   The child said: `That man was a tyrant, so I asked Allaah not to make me like him. They were accusing the girl of fornication, while she did not commit it, and they were accusing her of theft, while she did not steal, so I asked Allaah to make me like her"

[Collected by both al Bukhaaree and Muslim.]

The Ten Ways to Expiate Your Sins

If a believer falls into sin, it’s punishment would be repelled from him in ten ways:

1. He repents and therefore Allah would accept his repentance. The one who repents from a sin is as the one who hasn’t sinned.



2. He asks for forgiveness and he would therefore be forgiven.



3. He performs acts of righteousness that would erase his sins, for indeed righteous actions erase sins.



4. His brothers supplicate for him; that his sins be forgiven - while he is alive and after his death.



5. His brothers gift the reward of their actions to him so that Allah may benefit it him through them [Translator’s note: Not all actions can be gifted as reward, only those that were specified by the Qur-aan and Sunnah].



6. That his prophet Muhammad - صلى الله عليه وسلم - intercedes for him.



7. That Allah puts him through trials in the life of this world that would expiate his sins.



8. That Allah puts him through trials in the Barzakh and the Sa’iqah that would expiate his sins.



9. That Allah puts him through the trials of the Day of Resurrection and its horrors, that which would expiate his sins.



10. Or that the Most Merciful of the merciful has mercy over him.

Whoever lets these ten pass him by, then let him blame no one but himself, as Allaah the Elevated said in a Hadeeth that was narrated by His Messenger:

“O My servants, they are only your own deeds, I take them into account for you, and then give (their reward or punishment) back to you. So whoever finds good then let him praise Allah. And whoever finds other than that then let him blame no one but himself.”

[Collected by Muslim: #2577]

I Never Missed the Congregation in Forty Years

Al Qaadee ibn Samaa'ah said: For forty years I never missed the first Takbeer of the congregational prayers except on one occasion; my mother died and I missed it. So I got up and prayed twenty seven times in order to make up the reward.

When I slept, it was said to me in my dream; 'Indeed you have prayed, but what about the Angels saying Ameen?'

[Ie he made up for the reward of the congregation by praying twenty seven times, as the congregational prayer is twenty seven times greater in reward than a prayer on your own, but how is he going to make up for the angels saying Ameen at the same time that the people in congregation say Ameen, as this cannot be made up when one prays on their own.]

On the authority of 'Ubaydullah ibn' Umar al-Qawareeree, may Allah have mercy upon him, who said: I never used to miss a prayer in congregation, but one time I had a guest and was preoccupied with hosting him so I missed the 'Ishaa at the Masjid. I left to pray with the congregation at the Masjid but found that all the Masaajid had finished the prayer and closed.

I returned home, feeling sad that I missed the congregation; I said to myself; In the Hadeeth it states that a prayer in congregation is better than twenty seventy prayers alone, so I prayed the 'Ishaa twenty seven times.

I went to sleep and saw myself in a dream riding a horse with other people in front of me also riding horses. I pushed my horse to catch up to them but I wasn't able to.

I looked at one of them, he said to me; 'Do not tire your horse, you will not be able to catch up with us!'

I said to him; 'Why, my brother?'

He said; 'Because we prayed the' Ishaa in congregation and you prayed by yourself. '

So I woke up in a state of sadness and worry.

[Al-Waafee bil Wafayaat by as-Safde: 3/116]

Haatim al Asam said; I missed the prayer in congregation one time, and only Abu Ishaaq al Bukharee gave me his condolences. If a child of mine were to pass away, more than ten thousand people would have given me their condolences; a calamity regarding religion is lighter to the people than a calamity in worldly life.

[Az-Zawaahir 'an Irtikaab al-Kabaa-ir by al-Haythamee: 1/277]

Causes of the Hardening of the Heart

The causes for the hardening of the heart are:

• Sinning and disobedience to Allah.
• Excessive heedlessness (of the religion).
• Accompanying the heedless and the sinful.

All of this is from the causes of the hardening of the heart.

As for the causes that soften, purifiy and put the heart at rest:

• Obedience to Allah the Mighty and Magnificent.
• Accompanying the righteous.
• Spending one's time with Dhikr, reading the Quran and seeking forgiveness.

Whoever spends his time by (verbally) remembering Allah, reading the Quran, accompanying the righteous and distancing oneself from the heedless and the sinful, his heart would be in a good state and soften, Allah the Elevated said:

{It is with the remembrance of Allah that hearts find tranquility}

14 Instances it is Disliked to Extend the Salaam

Ash Shaykh Saaleh al Fawzaan - may Allah preserve him - comments:

These are the instances where extending the Salaam is disliked;

The First: It is Disliked to extend the Salaam to someone who is speaking, because he is occupied with speaking to someone else.

The Second: "one who is busy with Dhikr (verbal remembrance of Allah)" such as Tasbeeh (SubhanAllah), Tahleel (La Ilaha Ilallah) and the recital of the Quran.

The Third: One who is busy with the speech (Hadeeth) of Muhammad - peace be upon him.

The Fourth: Extending the Salaam to one who is giving a Khutbah (a public speech), with the exception of the Jum'ah (Friday) Khutbah, for it is prohibited to speak during it; it is prohibited to extend the Salaam to the Khateeb or those attending the Jum'ah prayer, this is not permissible. "

The Fifth: "and a person giving a lesson" one who is giving a lesson in Quran, Hadeeth, Fiqh or Arabic grammar, do not extend the Salaam to the teacher. Some people come to a circle of knowledge while the class is being taught and extend the Salaam with a raised voice. This is disliked, because it distracts the teacher and those sitting and listening, as they would now give their attention to the new comer.

The Sixth: "those who are engaged in knowledge based research" One who is researching a specific knowledge based issue, do not extend the Salaam to him and interrupt his research.

The Seventh: "one who is preaching" Whoever is delivering a sermon to people, do not extend the Salaam to him. If you arrive, sit and listen to the sermon, do not extend the Salaam because you will distract the one giving the sermon as well as the listeners.

The Eighth: "One who is reviewing Fiqh"; the one who is studying Fiqh.

The Ninth: "The Mu-Adhin" If he is calling to the prayer do not extend the Salaam to him because you will interrupt the Adhaan for him.

The Tenth: "one who is praying" If you arrive and there is a person praying, do not extend the Salam to him until he finishes his prayer.So if a person extends the Salaam to you while you are praying, then respond by indication with your hand.

The Eleventh: "one who is engaged in purification" Do not extend the Salam to one who is performing Ablution until he is done.As for the one who is bathing without the intention for 'Ibaadah (ie performing Ghusl), such as the one bathing to cool down or for cleanliness, then there is no problem with extending the Salaam.

The Twelfth: Likewise it is not Legislated to extend the Salaam to one who is eating.

The Thirteenth: "one who is using the bathroom" This is more severe; one who is Defecating or Urinating, do not extend the Salaam while he is relieving himself. This is because it is disliked for the person who is relieving himself to speak, so do not extend the Salaam.

The Fourteenth: "One who is engaged in battle during a war," The last is one who is engaged in a battle, because he is occupied with battling the enemies of Allah.