I wake up while mentioning Your Name and sleep while glorifying You. O Lord, You are always present in my heart wherever I go out of my recognition of Your Favor and Generosity. Whenever I read Your Words, my glorification to Your High Names increases. You granted us the goodness of the earth to plant and reap, O Allah, how generous You are!
I had many years in Your Company during which I was quite sure that You are great and ample in mercy. O Allah, You did not oppress any of the people even an iota, for You say in the Qur'an: "And Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth, in order that each person may be recompensed what he has earned, and they will not be wronged." [Surat Al Jathiyah: 22].
A pious soul may ask: Is it proper that Allah deprives people of their freedom, and direct their lives in their most precise details?
Muhammad (peace be upon him) established his call on repentance, regret, and submission to the ordinances of our religion. It is the submission which says that Allah is one, He does not beget nor begotten, and He does not have a parallel or a counterpart. The vicegerent of Allah on earth is man who is commanded to execute the rulings of Islamic Shari`ah so as to develop his character on loving the teachings of Islam that are extracted from the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
He is the Giver, the Most High, the Benefactor, the Superior Force, the Owner of pride, and the Forgiving, so praise be to Allah for His Bounties.
You created us in the best image and increased our blessings by Your Generosity, so O Allah, Your Name is in my heart and Your Mention moistens my tongue with the best of all names i.e., Allah.
My eyes cry out of Your Fear and from a day in which money and children shall not avail except when a person comes to you with a sound heart. My senses confirm that You have perfected Your Creation. My heart is in Your Hands, and You turn it as You will. Likewise my forelock, therefore You commanded us to prostrate on them in humiliation and submission to Your Power. Our weakness and rush are natural disposition, so how we could not be afraid of the Great Day?! You have all pride in heavens and on earth.
We glorify, praise, and ask You while our conditions are stable, then we repeat our invocation and supplication for a purpose whether a disease to cure, a distress to remove, a need to meet, an absentee to come back, and a dead to bestow mercy upon; these are our wishes but Your Status is sublime and our words of gratitude do not equate Your Gratitude.
`Ubadah ibn As-Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Whenever a Muslim supplicates Allah, He accepts his supplication or averts any similar kind of trouble from him until he prays for something sinful or something that may break the ties of kinship.'' Upon this someone of the Companions said: "Then we shall supplicate plenty.'' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Allah is more plentiful (in responding).'' [Reported by At-Tirmidhy].
Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do not indulge in excessive talk except when remembering Allah. Excessive talking without the Remembrance of Allah hardens the heart; and those who are the farthest from Allah are those whose hearts are hard.'' [Reported by At-Tirmidhy]
We must accustom the tongue to mention Allah and say good words that are decorated by truthfulness and short forms away from backbiting and tale-bearing. Abu Sa`id Al Khudry(may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "When the son of Adam gets up in the morning, all the limbs humble themselves before the tongue and say: 'Fear Allah for our sake because we are with you: (i.e., we will be rewarded or punished as a result of what you do) if you are straight, we will be straight; and if you are crooked, we will become crooked.''' [Reported by At-Tirmidhy].
O Allah, You have created the organs in the best manners to perform their functions, and it is shameful for ears to listen to foul language or spying words that are being said in assemblies instead of listening to the truth. It is also shameful for eyes to look at prohibited things, for legs to go to prohibited places, and hands steal money or take deposits of others. These things prohibited by Allah and reform cannot be achieved except by the reform of the heart.
O Allah, You prohibited us from committing major sins. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Avoid the seven great destructive sins. The people enquire, O Allah's Messenger! What are they? He said: To join others in worship along with Allah, to practice sorcery, to kill the life which Allah has forbidden except for a just cause, (according to Islamic law), to eat up Riba (usury), to eat up an orphan's wealth, to give back to the enemy and fleeing from the battlefield at the time of fighting, and to accuse, chaste women, who never even think of anything touching chastity and are good believers." [Reported by Al Bukhari and Muslim].
There is a shield which a Muslim must have to protect himself from things which Allah prohibited because refraining from these things save man from the torment of Hell. Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaytan (Satan) then seek refuge with Allah. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower." [Surat Al A`raf: 200].
Allah (Glory be to Him) says: "And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins * For such, the reward is Forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath (Paradise), wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is this reward for the doers (who do righteous deeds according to Allah's Orders)."[Surat Al `Imran: 135 - 136].
And Allah's Saying: "And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful." [Surat An-Nur: 31].
How many mercies and chances Allah granted us to avoid the false track and go to correct one. There is a good chance to recall and hold yourself accountable before it is too late. Some of us may not give a chance to others to fix their mistakes and exclude them from mercy; therefore the mercy of Allah became superior to the mercy of humans.
What are the proper positions to obtain the favor of Allah?
There are many positions by which you can gain the love and mercy of Allah. `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever loves to meet Allah, Allah (too) loves to meet him and whoever hates to meet Allah, Allah (too) hates to meet him". `A'ishah, or some of the wives of the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "But we dislike death." He said: It is not like this, but it is meant that when the time of the death of a believer approaches, he receives the good news of Allah's pleasure with him and His blessings upon him, and so at that time nothing is dearer to him than what is in front of him. He therefore loves the meeting with Allah, and Allah (too) loves the meeting with him. But when the time of the death of a disbeliever approaches, he receives the evil news of Allah's torment and His Requital, whereupon nothing is more hateful to him than what is before him. Therefore, he hates the meeting with Allah, and Allah too, hates the meeting with him." [Reported by Muslim].
The best position is to do righteous actions to win Paradise which has pleasure that no eyes have ever seen, no ears have ever heard, and no heart ever thought of. So, why do we waste that precious treasure by our reckless, indifference, lack of conscious, and refraining from aiding this religion? Why do not we return to Allah at every distress and joy, and at the removal of our distress to thank Him for these blessings out of His Benevolence?
I think that there is no status higher than the love of Allah (Glory be to Him). Seeking forgiveness can lead to many keys as Allah says: "So glorify the Praises of your Lord, and ask for His Forgiveness. Verily, He is the One Who accepts the repentance and forgives."[Surat An-Nasr: 3].
Allah also says: "And whoever does evil or wrongs himself but afterwards seeks Allah's Forgiveness, he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." [Surat An-Nisa': 110].
Allah also says: "And those who, when they have committed Fahishah (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) or wronged themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins." [Surat Al `Imran: 135].
Be sure, Allah shall not waste the actions of those who do righteously.
So, where are we from salvation and success?
Where are we from the companionship of Allah to recognize His Qualities more?
Where are we from the biography of our Prophet (peace be upon him) to take the example to follow?
Where are we from the example of the Pious Predecessors?
Where are we from the example of the Prophet's women, daughters and granddaughters? Each one of them has an example in morals, obedience, bravery, and strong character.
Where are we from the biography of heroes such as Hamzah ibn `Abdul-Muttalib, Khalid ibn Al Walid, `Ammar ibn Yasir, Zayd ibn Harithah and others?
Where are we from feeling jealous for our religion, countries, language, and principles upon which we have been raised?
So as to spread goodness to everyone who believes in the oneness of Allah, I beseech Allah with this invocation: O Allah, do not leave us to ourselves even a twinkle of an eye. O Lord, forgive our sins, slips, and our negligence in our affairs. O Allah, reform the conditions of Muslims and unite their lines, for You are Able over everything.
