What is Ihsaan?

كَنْزُالأَطْفاَل

(The Children's Treasure)

Taught by: Umm Hyatt al-Ameriki  حفظها الله

LESSON # 11

Q 17)  مَا هُوالإحْسان؟ - What is Ihsaan?

أن تَعْبُدالله:

كَأنَّك تراه *

فإن لم تَكُن تراه فإنَّهُ يَراك *

Answer:  It is to worship Allaah as if you see Him and even if we don't see Him, know that He sees you. Ihsaan has to do with actions that are 'hasan' (good) and perfection within that action. So, Ihsaan is from perfecting your actions (if you made this action good). 

Sheikh A'ala Sheikh حفظه الله mentioned in his book with regards to the explanation of this hadeeth in 'Forty Hadeeth' that every Mu'min (believer), every servant has some level of Ihsaan. He mentioned that no action is considered correct except with the presence of Ihsaan. So, he said every Muslim has a level of Ihsaan.

Read & Download Lesson #11

What is 'Jaahiliyyah?'

 كَنْزُالأَطْفاَل  (The Children's Treasure)

  

Taught by: Umm Hyatt al-Ameriki حفظها الله

Question #14

مَا هِيَ الجَاهِلية ؟  - What is 'Jaahiliyyah'?

كُل مَا خَالف الكِتَاب وَ السُنة 
- Everything that opposes and goes against the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم .

Linguistically the word 'Jaahiliyyah' is from the verb 'Jahila' -- which means 'to be ignorant' and  'Jaahiliyyah goes back to 'ignorance.'  Ignorance opposes the Qur'aan and the Sunnah. Allaah سُبحانه وتعالى sent Prophet Muhammad صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم with knowledge.

The word 'Jaahiliyyah' is used in many different forms. It all goes back to ignorance.

One definition of Dr. Faisal's for 'al-Jaahiliyyah' is: Everything that goes against the Kitaab & the Sunnah.

Sheikh A'ala Sheikh حفظه الله mentioned in his book 'Masaa'il al-Jaahiliyyah':

'Jaahiliyyah' is also used to denote everything that prevailed before the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم became a Messenger / and sent as a Messenger.  (This is as far as we look at it from the aspect of 'time.')

* Who are the People of Jaahiliyyah at that time?

Those who oppose the Prophet  صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم. They are the Jews, the Christians and the Mushrikeen from the Arabs. 

Who are the 'Victorious Group?"

 At-Taa’ifah Al-Mansoorah - (The Victorious Group)

This is found in the hadeeth of Mughirah bin Shu'bah رضي اللّه عنـه  where he narrated that the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم  said:

"There will NEVER cease to be a group from my Ummah manifest (clear) upon the truth, they will not be harmed by those who forsake them until Allaah's Decree comes."

{Reported by Muslim in his Sahih (no.1920) in the Book of 'Imarah, Abu Dawud (no. 4252) in the Book of Fitan, Tirmidhi (no. 2177 & 2230) in the Book of Fitan.}

From this hadeeth it shows us that they are At-Taa’ifah Al-Mansoorah (the victorious group).

'Al-Mansoorah - means 'the victorious'.  Here the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم  explained that they are victorious because they will not be harmed by those who leave them or those who go against them. 

{Extract from  كَنْزُالأَطْفاَل- The Children's Treasure}

Read & download Lesson #8 

What is our Aqeedah? What is Sunnah? Who are the Salaf? MUST READ !!

كَنْزُالأَطْفاَل

 (The Children's Treasure)

Taught by: Umm Hyatt al-Ameriki  حفظها الله

Question #13:   مَا عَقِيدتك؟ - What is your Aqeedah (belief)?

Answer:

سُنِّي سَلَفِي. - (for males)

 سُنِّية سَلَفِية - (for females)

What does سُنِّية سَلَفِية  mean ?

It means we, (the Muslims) take our Deen from the Sunnah & from the Salaf.

The daleel (proof) to call ourselves Sunni is the following hadeeth:

عَنْ أَبِي نَجِيحٍ الْعِرْبَاضِ بْنِ سَارِيَةَ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: "وَعَظَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم مَوْعِظَةً وَجِلَتْ مِنْهَا الْقُلُوبُ، وَذَرَفَتْ مِنْهَا الْعُيُونُ، فَقُلْنَا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! كَأَنَّهَا مَوْعِظَةُ مُوَدِّعٍ فَأَوْصِنَا، قَالَ: أُوصِيكُمْ بِتَقْوَى اللَّهِ، وَالسَّمْعِ وَالطَّاعَةِ وَإِنْ تَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَبْدٌ، فَإِنَّهُ مَنْ يَعِشْ مِنْكُمْ فَسَيَرَى اخْتِلَافًا كَثِيرًا، فَعَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي وَسُنَّةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ الْمَهْدِيينَ، عَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ، وَإِيَّاكُمْ وَمُحْدَثَاتِ الْأُمُورِ؛ فَإِنَّ كُلَّ بِدْعَةٍ ضَلَالَةٌ."

On the authority of Abu Najeeh al-’Irbaad ibn Saariyah رضي اللّه عنـه who said:

The Messenger of Allaah صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم gave us a sermon by which our hearts were filled with fear and tears came to our eyes. So we said, “O Messenger of Allaah! It is as though this is a farewell sermon, so counsel us.” He صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسل said, “I counsel you to have taqwa (fear) of Allaah, and to listen and obey [your leader], even if a slave were to become your ameer. Verily he among you who lives long will see great controversy, so you must keep to my Sunnah and to the Sunnah of the Khulafa ar-Rashideen (the rightly guided caliphs), those who guide to the right way. Cling to it stubbornly [literally: with your molar teeth]. Beware of newly invented matters [in the religion], for verily every bid'ah (innovation) is misguidance.”

(Tirmidhi)

The Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم is clearly commanding us in this hadeeth:

عَلَيْكُمْ بِسُنَّتِي - It is upon you 'My Sunnah!'

The Sunnah means 'the way, the path' -- the way of the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم and the four righteous leaders i.e. the caliphs.

عَضُّوا عَلَيْهَا بِالنَّوَاجِذِ  - means Cling to it stubbornly [literally: with your molar teeth]. This shows how tightly and firmly we must hold onto the Sunnah of the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم.

When we say   سُنِّية , the   ' ي '  means that you are attributing and connecting yourself to the Sunnah (the Path) of the Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم and the Salaf (our pious predecessors).

Continue to read & download Lesson #7

EVERYONE has to be upon their adkhār!!

The adkhār of Salaah, Morning and Evening etc. are a protection for a Muslim. It aids a person in bringing barakah and also to increase his Eemaan. When we are consistent with our adkhār we know that we are sticking closely to the Sunnah of our Prophet صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم. It is something that our Messenger صلّى اللَّهُ عليه وسلّم did and encouraged us to do. The different supplications we recite also protects us from Shaitaan.

The adkhār of morning should be recited specifically after fajr (before sunrise) and the adkhār of the evening should be recited after Asr (before sunset). If for any reason we miss doing them at the proper time, then we MUST still do it as soon as we are able to. In fact, no matter what, one MUST stay upon the adkhār.

(Extract from Kanzul Athfaal - Children's Treasure / Lesson #5)

Continue to read  

Why did Allaah create us? By Dr. Faisal Az-Zanâmi al Wâdi'ee

Question from  كَنْزُالأَطْفاَل - (The Children's Treasure)

6.     لِمَاْذَا خَلَقَنَاْ الَلَّه؟  -  Why did Allaah create us?

 خَلَقَنَاْ لِ: عِبَاْدَتِهِ - He created us for His worship.

The daleel (proof) is the saying of Allaah:   

 وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ

"... and I (Allâh) created not the Jinns and humans except they should Worship Me (Alone)."

(Ad-Dhaariyāt  51:56)

In ayah 56 Allaah stressed the purpose of mankind and Jinn which is for ibaadah. After that Allaah  سُبحانه وتعالى says:

مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَن يُطْعِمُونِ

'I seek not any provision from them (i.e. provision for themselves or for My creatures) nor do I ask that they should feed Me (i.e. feed themselves or My creatures).'

(Adh-Dhariyat 51:57)

Allaah  سُبحانه وتعالى says in the above ayah that He DOES NOT want from mankind and Jinn rizq, any provision nor want to be fed by them.   

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