Bilal (Ral) : The Symbol Of Equality

 

Bilal (ral) was one of the few sahabas who were given the news of success (they will enter jannah) before they died. 

Once the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “O Bilal, what special deeds you have done that I heard sounds of your walking steps ahead of me in Paradise.” Bilal said, “Whenever I make Wudu (ablution), I offer two units (rakah) of prayer as Tahiyatul Wudu.”

Such was Bilal’s devotion to Islam and piety that he rose to such heights of spiritual attainment.

Introduction

Born in 680CE in Makkah, to his slave parents — Rabah and Hamamah — Bilal too served as slave to a lady close to Umayyah ibn Khalaf, an arch enemy of Islam.
When Umayyah heard about Bilal converting to Islam, he tortured him and forced him to relinquish the new faith. But filled with love of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Islam, Bilal remained steadfast in his faith despite extreme torture and kept saying “Ahad, Ahad.” (Allah is One, Allah is One).

Bilal became one of the most trusted and loyal companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He was among the first few persons to embrace Islam.

A great honor came to Bilal after the Conquest of Makkah in 8 AH. When the city surrendered and all the nobles from the Muslims and the non-Muslims were standing in the courtyard, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) asked Bilal to climb the roof of the Holy Kaaba and give a call of Azaan from the top of it. This was the first Azaan, which was given in Makkah.

Bilal spent his last days in Syria. He died in 18 AH at the age of 64, and was buried at Bab-Al Sagheer near Jama Umavi in Damascus. He served the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) for 25 years

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Islam raised him to the status that one of the strongmen like Omar bin Khattab addressed him as Saiyydana (our leader).

While on death bed, his wife Hind cried, ‘wa hazanaa’ (what a great grief), to which Bilal replied, ‘Wa Tarabaa’ (what a great joy); “Tomorrow I will meet with my loved ones — Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his companions,” he is said to have told his wif

Virtues of Fasting And Ramadan

 

Ramadan, also spelled Ramazan, Ramzan, Ramadhan or Ramathan, is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting, prayer, reflection and community.

Ramadan is a holy month of fasting, introspection and prayer for Muslims, the followers of Islam. It is celebrated as the month during which Muhammad received the initial revelations of the Quran, the holy book for Muslims. Fasting is one of the five fundamental principles of Islam.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from eating any food, drinking any liquids, smoking cigarettes, and engaging in any sexual activity, from dawn to sunset. That includes taking medication (even if you swallow a pill dry, without drinking any water).

Allah says in the qur'an "O you who believe fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you so that you can learn Taqwa" (Quran 2:183)

there are many benefits of Fasting :

1. There is nothing equal to fasting as it is a means to be admitted into the Paradise.

It was narrated that Abu Umamah said:

I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, tell me of an action (I should do).’ He said: ‘Take to fasting, for there is nothing equal to it.”‘ (Sunan an-Nasa’i)

2. Fasting intercede on behalf of its observers on the Day of Judgment. This is mentioned in Hadith collected by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Musnad.

3.Fasting is means to expiate sins and to have all one’s past sins forgiven.

Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Whoever observes fasts during the month of Ramadan out of sincere faith, and hoping to attain Allah’s rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

4. Fasting is a reason for happiness in this life and Afterlife.

Abu Hurairah narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah said: “There are two joys for the fasting person: the joy when he breaks his fast, and the joy of when he meets his Lord.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

5. Allah’s reward for fasting is high and it highlights how great fasting is!

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “(Allah said), ‘Every good deed of Adam’s son is for him except fasting; it is for Me. and I shall reward (the fasting person) for it. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

6. The virtue of the smell of the mouth of the person observing fasting

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said “Verily, the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better to Allah than the smell of musk.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

7.The supplication of a fasting person when he breaks his or her fast at sunset is not rejected.

 

Virtues Of Surah Mulk 

Quran is the greatest blessing of Allah which he has bestowed upon mankind. There are 114 Surah of Holy Quran and each Surah is a light that alters our lives and shows us the right way to live.

Surah Mulk is at the beginning of the 29th Juz and is the 67th surah in the qur'an.

There are some hadiths that emphasize on the importance of Surah Mulk.

Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There is a chapter in the Quran, not but thirty verses, which will argue on behalf of its companion until he enters Paradise. It is the chapter: Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion.” (67:1)

Jabir reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would not go to sleep until he had recited the chapters, “The revelation of the Book, in which there is no doubt, from the Lord of the worlds,” (32:1) and, “Blessed is He in whose hand is the dominion, and has power over all things,” (67:1).

Abu Huraira reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “There is a chapter in the Quran of thirty verses, which will intercede for its companion until he is forgiven: Blessed is He in whose Hand is the dominion.” (67:1)

BENIFITS AND VIRTUES OF SURAH MULK

1.  The Prophet (sal) said : "There is a Surah in the Holy Quran that consists of thirty verses that call for a man until his sins are forgiven"

2.  "It is the prevention of punishment of the grave".

3.  On the Day of Resurrection Surah Mulk will intervene with Allah for the forgiveness of its Reciter.

4. The Prophet Muhammad PBUH said, "There is a Surah in the Quran which is only thirty verses. It defended whoever recited it , until it puts him into paradise, this was regarding Surah Mulk

5.  Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him narrates that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bestow peace and blessings upon him) said, “There is a Surah in the book of Allah it is but thirty passages which intercedes for a man on the day of judgment so that he taken out of the fire and entered into paradise; it is Surah the Blessed.” (Abu Dawud 1400, At-Tirmidhi 2891 and Ibn Majah 3876.)

6.  It was narrated that Abdullah ibn Mas’ood said: Whoever reads Surah al-Mulk every night, Allah will protect him from the torment of the grave.

The prophet never went to sleep without reciting selected surahs from the quran. one of them was Surah Mulk. This is a sunnah of our prophet and we must strive hard to revive this sunnah among the ummah. I pray each and everyone takes this seriously and prays this every night in order to acquire these benefits. Ameen