Why Shaddah?

On By FalakIn Studying Arabic & IslamLeave a comment

Ever wondered why while reading the Qur’an do we assimilate some letters and not others?

A shaddah (w on top of the letter) is used when the first consonant has a sukoon (no vowel) on it and the second one is followed by a vowel. For example when you have a word that starts with ال followed by one of these letters u make shaddah (W) on top of the word: ت ث د ذ ر ز س ش ص ض ط ظ ل ن 
These are called sun letters
So u will say الشَّمس , because of the ش 
Therefore instead of Al shamsu it will be pronounced Ash-shamsu.
 
The rest of the letters are called moon letters. In thee letters you do not place a shaddah on top and the words are not assimilated.
For example: القَمَر will be pronounced al- Qamar and not Aq-Qamar. 
The fourteen moon letters are: ء ب ج ح خ ع غ ف ق ك م و ي ه 
 
 

Friday Khutbah (Sermon) 18 Oct 2013

On By FalakIn IslamLeave a comment

Beautiful Khutbah today, some simple notes:

الَّذِينَ يُنفِقُونَ فِي السَّرَّاءِ وَالضَّرَّاءِ وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنِ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

Those who spend (benevolently) in ease as well as in straitness, and those who restrain (their) anger and pardon men; and Allah loves the doers of good (to others).

Surah Al-Imran, verse 134. 

To get to Jannah:

Give freely
Swallow your anger 
Forgive lovingly – This is especially difficult when you are right.

The verse uses the term وَالْعَافِينَ to highlight the importance of ‘forgiving out of love’, instead of the term ‘ghafoor’

It is important to remember that: “We should not destroy the bridge on which we ourselves are going to walk.” ~ Sheikh. 

7 qualities that Allah loves:

Tawbah – Repentance
Taharaa – Cleanliness, Purification
Taqwaa – Piety
Ihsan – Goodness and Perfection (Using the above mentioned traits – Those who spend freely, Swallow their anger and forgive lovingly)
Tawakul – Putting your trust in Allah (SWT) alone
Qist – Justice
Sabr – Patience

May Allah (SWT) always guide us on the right path and may we seek true knowledge with every passing day. Ameen.

Humanity

On By FalakIn Art, WritingLeave a comment
This year has taught us a lot. Different lessons from different individuals, but what it should have taught humanity is that it is lacking in compassion and empathy. We are more troubled everyday by the demise of innocent people and yet we cannot do anything but sympathize and move on. Let’s try to teach our children to build better communities and to be able to permeate in societies as bearers of righteous deeds who stand up against evil. We can all be super heroes who fight crime, may it be verbally, judicially, spiritually or empathetically. Let’s learn to respect another human being as much as we respect our own selves. And yes, let’s learn to respect ourselves. Do not think you are above someone because you are more knowledgeable or have a certain standing in society or have sinned less or differently than others. All of us will end to dust so learn to respect the time we have. Go beyond your family today and show the world that humanity is universal. Spend a dime in someone else’s name, give to those who are less fortunate, feed someone who may need a bite to survive, or just help your neighbor shovel the snow. Stand up for the weak and strengthen your self, help a kid with a low self-esteem, and educate the uneducated. There are many within our own community who cannot read, help spread the wealth of knowledge. It is the MOST important asset you can give to someone. Learn to be aware of the people around you don’t be blinded by your love for someone if someone needs help… accept it, and get them the help they need. Do not wait for them to commit a crime to understand the seriousness of their mental and emotional health. Be there for your children, for your family, for your fellow human being and also for your fellow living beings. You are lucky enough to be guarded, blessed, and living, do something to make it worthwhile. May God bless you and hope you have a safe, prosperous and compassionate year ahead, insha’Allah.