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18 Benefits of Prayer
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah [d.751]
Source: Zaad al-Ma'aad (4/304-305)
translated for www.bakkah.net [1]
[In the Name of Allaah, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful...]
In his excellent book, Zaad al-Ma'aad, in the section which includes the book, At-Tibb an-Nabawee, Shaykh al-Islaam Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have Mercy on him) stated in his alphabetized discussion of medicines and nutrition:
- Prayer -
Allaah the Exalted has said:
( And seek help in patience and in prayer. Surely that is something quite difficult on (people) other than people of humility and submissiveness ) [2]
And He has said:
( O you who believe! Seek help in patience and in prayer! Verily, Allaah is with those who are patient. ) [3]
And He, the Exalted One, has said:
(And command your family to pray, and be patient upon that. We are not asking you for any provisions, (rather) We provide for you, and the favorable outcome is for (those with) taqwaa (consciousness of Allaah that produces righteous actions). ) [4]
And in the Books of Sunnah it is reported that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) used to hasten to prayer whenever an affair disturbed him. And previously discussed was the concept of healing most ailments through prayer before seeking out other ways of dealing with them.
- 1 - Prayer is something that causes one to receive sustenance.
- 2 - It is something that safeguards one's physical health.
- 3 - It keeps away harmful things.
- 4 - It casts away illnesses.
- 5 - It strengthens the heart.
- 6 - It brightens one's countenance.
- 7 - It delights the soul.
- 8 - It gets rid of laziness.
- 9 - It makes the limbs active.
- 10 - It increases one's physical strength.
- 11 - It expands the chest (making one at ease and giving him insight).
- 12 - It is nourishment for the soul.
- 13 - It illuminates the heart.
- 14 - It safeguards one's blessings.
- 15 - It repels catastrophes.
- 16 - It brings on blessings.
- 17 - It keeps away the Shaytaan (the Devil).
- 18 - It draws one close to Ar-Rahmaan (Allaah, the Most Merciful).
And overall it has an amazing effect on the health of the body and heart, and in strengthening them and expelling harmful pollutants from them. No two people have been afflicted with any disability, disease, or other calamity, except that the portion of the one who prays is less and his outcome is cleaner.
Also, prayer has an amazing effect on the evils of the dunyaa (the worldly life) and how it repels them, especially when the prayer is performed properly and completely, inwardly and outwardly. Nothing keeps the evils of the dunyaa at bay and brings on the benefits of it like prayer.
The reason behind this is that prayer is one's connection to Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic. So based on the strength of a person's relationship with his Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, the doors of goodness will accordingly be opened up for him, bad things and the reasons for them befalling him will be cut off, and the elements of success granted by His Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, will begin pouring in, along with safety and good health, wealth and worldly riches, relaxation, bliss, enjoyment, and all types of joyful affairs will be brought to him, and in an expedient manner, too. [5]
FOOTNOTES
[1] The title and the numbering of the 18 benefits are both additions from the translator: Moosaa Richardson.
[2] A translation of the meaning of Soorah al-Baqarah (2):45
[3] A translation of the meaning of Soorah al-Baqarah (2):153
[4] A translation of the meaning of Soorah Taa-Haa (20):132
[5] Zaad al-Ma'aad (4/304-305) of Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Mu'assasatur-Risaalah, 4th ed., 1424.
Learning Quran - Useful links
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله
I would like to share the following sites with you that I found this morning.
http://www.mounthira.com/
Goto Learning Zone on Main page - Good for learning new Ayahs and excellent for kids…
Learn Ayat Al-Kursi By Heart - Ayat Al-Kursi (2:255) is the most powerful ayah in the Quran and it is vital to know it since it has many benefits, such as protection.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/transliteration/index.html - Especially good for new Muslims
Transliteration of the Qur'an - We would like to emphasize that this [transliteration] text is not a substitute for the original Arabic Qur'an. It is only an attempt to help those who are trying to learn to read the Arabic text, since it is as close to the written text as possible.
http://www.whyislamsc.org/ - download free copy of quran by clicking on link at bottom of page - small .exe file installs on any PC.
HOSPITAL WINDOW
The note below takes a short time to read - and it might change your thinking, Insha Allah
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and colour of the world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Families walked amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by. Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it. In his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days and weeks passed. One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window. The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money
can't buy.
"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."
Holy Quran A book to read and understand
Since last night my young son has been unwell. When I got back from work this evening I decided to take him to hospital despite my exhaustion. There were many waiting; perhaps we will be delayed by more than an hour. I took my number and sat down in the waiting room. There were many faces, young and old, but all silent. Some brothers made use of the many booklets available in the waiting room. Some of those waiting had their eyes closed, while others were looking around. Most were bored. Once in a while a nurse calling out a number broke the long silence. Happiness appears on the one whose turn it is, and he gets up quickly; then silence returns.
A young man grabbed my attention. He was reading a pocket-sized Quran continuously; not raising his head even once. At first I did not think much about him. However, after one hour of waiting my casual glances turned into a deep reflection about his lifestyle and how he utilizes his time. One hour of life wasted! Instead of making benefit of that hour, it was just a boring wait. Then the call for prayer was made. We went to prayer in the hospital's Masjid. I tried to pray close to the man who was reading the Quran earlier in the waiting room. After the prayer I walked with him. I informed him of how impressed I was of him and how he tries to benefit from his time.
He told me that most of our time is wasted without any benefit. These are days that go from our lives without being conscious of them or regretting their waste. He said that he started carrying the pocket-sized Quran of his time. He told me that in the time other people waste he gets to read much more of the Quran than he gets to read either at home or in the Masjid. Moreover, besides the reward of reading the Quran, this habit saves him from boredom and stress.
He added that he has now been waiting for one and a half hours. Then he asked, when will you find one and a half hours to read the Quran? I reflected; how much time do we waste? How many moments of our lives pass by, and yet we do not account for how they passed by? Indeed, how many months pass by and we do not read Quran?
I came to respect my companion, and I discovered that I am to stand for account and that time is not in my hand; so what am I waiting for? The nurse calling out my number interrupted my thoughts; I went to the doctor. But I want to achieve something now.
After I left the hospital I quickly went to the bookshop and bought a pocket-sized Quran. I decided to be mindful of how I spend the time. Please do forward it to your friends and relatives. Our Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said; "Whoever guides or directs to good, then he gets the same amount of blessing (reward) as the one who does it"
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HADITH
When a man dies and his relatives are busy in funeral rites, there stands an extremely handsome man by his head. When the dead body is shrouded, that man gets in between the shroud and the chest of the deceased.
When after the burial, the people return home, 2 angels,Munkar and Nakeer (names of two special Angels), come in the grave and try to separate this handsome man so that they may be able to interrogate the dead man in privacy about his faith. But the handsome man says, "He is my companion, he is my friend. I will not leave him alone in any case.
If you are appointed for interrogation, do your job. I cannot leave him until I get him admitted into Paradise". There after he turns to his dead companion and says, "I am the Qura'an, which you used to read, sometimes in a loud voice and sometimes in a low voice. Do not worry.After the interrogation of Munkar and Naker, you will have no grief.
When the interrogation is over, the handsome man arranges for him from al_Mala'ul A'laa (the angels in Heaven) silk bedding filled with musk. May Allah bestow this favour on all of us. AMEEN AMEEN Rasulullah (Sallalloho alaihe wasallam) said, "On the Day of Judgement, before Allah, no other intercessor will have a greater status than the Qura'an, neither a Prophet nor an angel."
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله
Check interesting excerpt below http://islamcode.com/ which is from a link on the excellent website by Yusuf Estes http://www.islamalways.com
Da Vinci Code Broken? Read Answers provided by Islam
Da Vinci Code controversy - It is everywhere! Dan Brown's book claims Jesus in not divine or God, and the gospels as we know them, have been changed, and after Jesus stay here on earth, men raised his status to the level of God. Could any of this be true?
Ancient secrets of the Church, hidden for centuries have actually been revealed and published in books prior to the fictional writings of Brown in the Da Vinci Code. Baigent and Leigh have produced other books from researchers point of view over the last two decades, including "Dead Sea Scrolls Deception", "Holy Blood, Holy Grail", and "Messianic Legacy." These books were the talk of the religious communities when they came out in the early 90's and certianly they have fueled an ongoing interest into just exactly who was this man Jesus, what was his message and what happened to him?
Islam claims to "break the code" so to speak, over 1,400 years ago. The answer, according to Muslm scholars has been in the Quran for over fourteen hundred years
Some may be surprised to learn, Muslims believe in the miracle birth and other miracles associated with Jesus. They actually consider him as the "Messiah" and they even say, "peace be upon him" when mentioning his name. However, they are quick to negate any connection between God and Jesus as a partnership or God-head, and they rule out the notion of God having any son (or daughter for that matter).
Here is how Muslim scholars present their understanding and "break the code":
How Muslim scholars "broke the code":
Creation itself tells us there is a creator and from the beginning of time – Allah, (the One God in Arabic) alone is to be worshiped. This is clear teaching throughout the Old testament (Torah), the scriptures that Jesus himself read and taught from. God is one not one of three; for example: ‘He is God; there is no other besides Him’. (Deuteronomy 4:35). The same is mentioned in the book of Mark in the New Testament, chapter 12, verse 29, when Jesus, peace be upon him, had been asked about the Greatest Commandment he replied, "To know, O Israel, the Lord your God is One Lord; and you have to love Him with all your heart and all your mind and all your strength."
According to the oldest and most authentic copies of manuscipts and scrolls available throughout the centuries, Jesus, peace be upon him, never claimed to be God, or the creator, or the One to pray to, nor did he tell his followers to revere him as God. These notions appear on the lips of others who came along decades and even centuries later.
While Jesus was on earth he did not claim to be the creator or ask us to revere him as God. His miraculous birth is a sign of his prophethood: “Verily, the likeness of Jesus before Allah, is the likeness of Adam. He (Allah) created him from dust and said “Be!” and he was” (Quran 3:59). Like all the great and noble prophets of Allah such as Adam, Abraham, Moses, Isaac and David, Jesus came with one message: Worship, love, obey and submit to the one true God, Allah, the creator of everything and do not worship anything besides Allah.
Throughout history, people have taken to worship things or people alongside Allah, or just worshiping something else like power, status or money. Even the names of religions seem have more to do with the creation and less or nothing to do with the Creator. For example: Buddhism – Buddha (the name of a man), Confucianism – Confucius (the name of a man), Hinduism – Hind (the name of an area), Judaism – Judah (the name of a tribe) and Christianity – Christ (the name of a great prophet).
Islam is different. Islam is a word coming from the verb "aslama" and it carries the meaning of "surrender", "submission", "obedience", "sincerity" and "peace" between you and Almighty Allah (God) and not to any human or anything within creation. Anyone who practices Islam submits to and worships Allah, alone without any partners of any kind.
The Quran states: "There is only One God (Allah) then have reverance for Me and fear Me (and Me alone)." To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and on earth, and to Him is duty due always: then will ye fear other than Allah?" (Quran 16:51-52) )
Isn’t it time you join Jesus, the son of Mary, along with all of the other Prophets of Allah and practice the "Submission to the Will of God" (Islam)?
"Worship the Creator - and not His Creations"
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