Du'ah: Invocation to Allah- II

Alhamdulillah, all glory, greatness and praise are for Allah (swt), Master of the universe Who gave me, this humble servant the Tawfiq to continue the subject of my Friday Sermon today on the invocations (duahs) that He taught me.

So, whoever hears these duahs and those who bear witness to how these duahs come down from the heavens are very lucky and fortunate among the billions of creatures who inhabit this world....

So listen carefully to these spiritual treasures, these duahs that come directly from my Lord, Allah (swt): -

O My Lord (Rab)! I am a victim of the atrocities of my opponents and the water in my eyes [i.e., my tears] are witnesses to it. It is these tears that know this oppression better.

O Allah! My tears know these atrocities better. How should I console my heart? What to tell it? With whom will I share this pain, because it is a war of pain and suffering and that is my very ordeal! Suffering for religion has killed me and my heart is shattered to pieces. If I had not received the support of my Beloved, then this is the same death that I would have acquired.

O My Master! This favour is certainly Yours and at every moment it is this same hope that I conceive that all my difficulties will be erased.

O my Master! This burden of pain is very heavy.

O my Beloved! Do not hide Your face; that’s my remedy.

O my Master! Treat us with mercy. We have hope and trust in You.

O my Beloved! We are faithful to You; we trust You, and all of Your promises are true. We have come to the brink of peril [dangers] and it is from this very place that we must call You.

Du'ah: Invocation to Allah- I

'Who is it that answers the distressed when they call upon Him? Who removes their suffering? Who makes you successors in the earth? Is it another god beside God? Little notice you take!' .---(Surah An-Naml; 27: 63).

After having expounded on the ATTRIBUTES OF ALLAH – and I hope that you understood the subject well - I begin today a series of sermons [Friday sermons] on invocations [to Allah] - DUAHS.

In the light of the verses that I have just recited before you, I will teach you some invocations (duahs) that Allah (swt) Himself taught me by His grace and His favours. And personally, I think that Allah (swt) had taught in the same way [these invocations] to His chosen servants in the past and I ask you all to listen carefully to these invocations and to say “Ameen” [May it be so] in your hearts.

Allah Himself opened my mind, enlightened my mind, and my heart, and He placed these extraordinary words on my lips [lit. in my mouth], so that I can address Him. As for me, I am just a beggar in front of [my doorstep] my Master’s door. It was by His grace and favours that He taught me how to address Him. Even if these invocations already exist, and I do not know of their existence, then it is a great favour of my Master to have taught them to me; certainly these are extraordinary invocations. So I have to be very grateful to my Allah [God] and I am very fortunate that Allah (swt) Himself taught me all these duahs [invocations]. Alhamdulillah.

O Allah, I am very weak, full of sins; every day by the weaknesses that overwhelm me [that I have], I commit sins. O Allah, I ask You to wash me of all my sins, to cleanse myself of all the faults that I have, to test my heart by the piety of hearts, O You Who effaces the stumbling of sinners.

The Attributes of Allah-XI

By the grace of Allah and the Tawfiq bestowed by Him, I have yet again the opportunity to continue to expound on the attributes of Allah (twa).

Hazrat Abu Huraira (ra) reported Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) as saying: “There are ninety-nine names of Allah; he who commits them to memory would get into paradise. Verily, Allah is odd [He is one, and it is an odd number] and He loves odd numbers.” (Muslim).

In the Hadith compilation, Sahih Al-Bukhari, it has been recorded concerning the beautiful names of Allah that they are ninety-nine, i.e. one hundred minus one, and whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter paradise; and Allah is Witr (One, which is an odd number) and loves ‘the witr’ (i.e. odd numbers).

Allah is the Creator (Al-Khaliq); the Formidable Creator. This attribute points to the complex and astonishingly beautiful organization of constituent parts of the universe with their complete dependence on an underlying order [that is fundamental and very precise] that is found both in the cosmic universe and each atom or microscopic element.

Man’s part in this lies in acquiring in his soul not only knowledge of the whole and the minutiae of the parts of the physical universe but in knowing generically, and in detail, the arrangements of the spiritual universe – things such as the role and rank of the different angels, as well as the advent of the messengers and prophets of Allah and their ranks in the divine order.

Asma’ul Husna: Names of Allah

The Attributes of Allah- Part X

Wa lillaahil Asma’ul Husna, fad’uhu biha’.

The most beautiful names belong to Allah, so call on Him by them. (7:181)

Asma’ul Husna, means the most beautiful names, and the most beautiful names indeed belong to Allah (twa).

In a Hadith compiled by Imam Bukhari (ra), it has been narrated that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: 

“There are 99 names that are Allah’s alone, one hundred less one. Whoever (learns, understand, and) enumerates them, enters Paradise.” 

The Attributes of Allah- IX

The 'Fall' of Hazrat Adam (as)

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah we continue today on the subject of the attributes of Allah, and man’s thanksgiving to Allah for the sublime favours which He has done to him. We thank Him by mentioning Him by His most beautiful names.

Through the favours that Hazrat Adam (as) benefited from Allah during his creation and also afterwards, it appears to us that the elite has with God states [stages, emotions & connections] that they do not share with any other, and that it is through them, excluding ordinary beings, that God executes His plan.

The fact of having eaten the [forbidden] fruit, and the fall on earth which followed, had indeed many happy effects. But how could this disobedience to Allah have had good repercussions, you may ask? Well, in paradise, Adam and his wife knew God only under His attributes of Provider (Al Razzaq), Donor (Al Mu’ti), and Benefactor (Al Muhsin), but in His Secret Benevolence (Lutfihi Al-Khafi) which presides over the divine plan, it pleased God to reveal Himself to them as The Magnanimous (Al Halim), The One Who conceals [faults] (Al Sattar), The Forgiver (Al Ghafur), The Indulgent (Al Tawwab), and the One Who chooses [His elect] (Al-Mujtabi) among many other attributes. His magnanimity in fact meant that He did not hasten to punish them for their act, which is indeed the characteristic of this attribute, which leaves a delay to the sinner (whether to forgive him afterwards and have mercy on him, or to better exercise His power over him by making him suffer a painful revenge).

The Attributes of Allah- VIII

“He is God: there is no god other than Him, the Sovereign, the Supreme-In-Holiness, Source of Peace, Granter of Security, Guardian over all, the Almighty, the Compeller, the Majestic (Al-Mutakabbir) …” (Al-Hashar 59 : 24).

Al-Mutakabbir is The Majestic, Conscious of His greatness. Allah alone has the right to know and to proclaim His greatness and omnipotence over everything and everyone. He magnifies Himself and sees grandeur and superbness only for Him. All greatness belongs to Him. This attitude is completely justified because it is true.

Allah is distinguished by an exclusive greatness just for Him and by an absolute Royalty. He controls everything. He is the one who shows His greatness in all things and by all means.

Know well [what will follow], O my brothers and sisters! Do not be fooled by the simple verbal intention that you give to the meaning of your life, because God hopes to see a radical transformation [in you which] change this.

He demands that you inflict a kind of death on yourselves, after which He will breathe new life into you. Make haste to promote peace among yourselves, to forgive your brothers and sisters their weaknesses, because the one who is not inclined to make peace with his brother is mean, and he risks being excluded [from the proximity of Allah] because he is a source of dissension.

Give up your base desires and don’t cultivate resentment. Even if you are right, behave humbly as if you were wrong, so that forgiveness is reserved for you. Eliminate obesity from your ego, because narrow is the door you have to go through. So eliminate your ego and pride so that you can go through that door.

The Attributes of Allah- VII

It is essential that you know with certainty that you have a God, Creator, and Support of all existence Who is Almighty, and whose attributes are eternal and immutable. He is distant, yet close. He is close, yet distant. He is One, but His manifestations are manifold. God cannot undergo any change, for He is eternally unchanging and Perfect in His attributes. Do not prefer the world, its resources or your loved ones to Him, but prefer Him to everything else so that in heaven you will be among those registered in His community. 

The Omnipotent God has always shown His mercy. If you want to enjoy it, make sure that nothing separates you from Him, that your will submits entirely to His, and that your pleasures and desires are identified completely with His. Whatever the circumstances, whether successful or unsuccessful, always bow down before the threshold of His Throne, that He may accomplish what He wishes. Deploy whatever is in your power to establish His Oneness on earth. Show kindness and mercy to His creatures; do not harm them, be it with your tongue, hands or any other means, and work to promote their well-being [to improve their plight].

Do not act proudly with anyone, even if he is your subordinate or servant, and do not swear at anyone even if you are insulted. Be humble and kind, and have real sympathy for your fellow human beings so that God accepts you. There are many who are only humble in appearance, but deep down, they are real hungry wolves. Externally, they seem to have a pure nature, but internally, they are real vipers. God will only accept you if your tongue and your actions conform to your heart. If you have a high rank, show consideration for those who are below you, and do not despise them. If you are learned, do not boast about it, and do not conceivably disdain the ignorant, but enlighten them with your good advice. If you are rich, don’t boast about it, and don’t flaunt your pride before the poor, but serve them and help them.