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It should be the desire of every Muslim to draw nearer and closer to Almighty
Allah the most compassionate and the most merciful. By drawing closer and near
to Allah we gain his help in every aspect of our lives in this world and to be
merciful to us so that we may gain mercy in the hereafter in order to enter Jannah
in the next world.
When we call upon him he would answer our calls and when we ask of him for
anything he would give it to us and when we draw nearer to him then our sincerity
and intentions will enable us to become closer to him.
So we should strive to draw nearer to Allah, the Glorified the Exalted, who is the
majesty of honour and generosity and the giver of peace, the most high and the
most honoured.
So what can we do to draw closer to him? The following are 10 steps for us to
draw closer to our Almighty Allah:
The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) has guided us. And Allah,
the Glorified and the Exalted, has guided us how to draw near to Him. As He said
According to Hadith Qudsi:
Whoever draws near to Me among those drawn near by fulfilling what I have
made obligatory on them.
You do not draw near to Allah except by fulfilling the obligatory duties which
Allah has made obligatory on you; (that is) the obligatory duties from the
obligatory duties (Faraid) such as Prayers, and Zakat (obligatory charity), and Hajj,
and Fasting and being good to Parents and all these obligatory duties on you draw
you near to Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted.
The faraid (obligatory duties) are the first things that draw you near to Allah. You
do not reach the door of nearness nor do you reach to the presence of nearness
except by fulfilling the obligatory duties. This is the first thing that draws you near
to Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted, and you are in His Presence.
So the first thing we need to do is fulfil ALL of our obligatory duties and abstain
from that which Allah and his messenger have forbidden us from.
.and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil
(voluntary deeds) until I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he
hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips,
and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks
My Protection, I will protect him..." !"
#
$%
("
(* Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the
dark of the night, and (the recital of) the Quran at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the
Quran at dawn is ever witnessed. And some part of the night awake for its recital,
as voluntary worship for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised
estate. + *c,,-.,/"
And because night vigil time is the best of times for voluntary worship and prayer,
and the closest a servant is to his Lord.
So let us make the habit of reading as many Nawafil prayers as we can for more
prayers means more prostrations and one is truly the closest to Allah in prostration.
.bow down in prostration and bring yourself the closer (to Allah)." /1c/
23!
O ye who believe, remember Allah much. And glorify Him morning and evening
224'.42
The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to make remembrance of Allah at all times
and also encouraged all of us to do the same. When a man complained, "The laws
of Islam are too heavy for me, so tell me something that I can easily follow," the
Prophet told him, "Let your tongue be always busy with the remembrance of
Allah."
"
5
The Prophet, peace be upon him, would often tell his Companions, "Shall I tell you
about the best of deeds, the most pure in the sight of your Lord, about the one that
is of the highest order and is far better for you than spending gold and silver, even
better for you than meeting your enemies in the battlefield where you strike at their
necks and they at yours?"The Companions replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!"
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, 65
6
&*
' 0* "The similitude of one who remembers his Rubb and one who does
not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead.''
. !
("
3!
A person may ask, How can we do Zikr all the time whilst we have so many
things to do in life such as we go to work, feed the family, pay bills, etc.? Well, the
answer to this is that, firstly, it is the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger to work and
feed the family which is rewarded by Allah and, secondly, that when a person is
working or at school or wherever a person may be this does not mean that he
should stop remembering Allah while he is working, while he is serving his
customers or while he is programming his computer.
"... And the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and
tongues. Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e., Jannah).''
222:
In order to build a close relationship with Allah we should always call upon him in
all situations and circumstances whether we are happy or sad and we should ask
him for all of our needs aswell as help and guidance in all aspects of our lives.
* "Call on Me. I will
answer your prayer, but those who are too arrogant to serve me will surely find
themselves humiliated in Hell" 4 1
$=* "And your Lord says: Pray unto me: and I will hear
your prayer" 4 1 *
"When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I
listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me" 'c-1*
"Is not He (best) who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and who
relieves its suffering." ',1'
*"No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it
is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he
does not get frustrated."
>
*% %!<* "Whosoever does not supplicate to
Allah, He will be angry with Him." #?8.#@'4c4"
"The supplication that gets the quickest answer is the one made by one Muslim for
another in his absence."
<7 &"
So let us build a close relationship with Allah by making much dua to him. He
loves it when his slave calls upon him and it angers him if his slave does not call
upn him.
Let us have full hope that our duas will be accepted and if you think they wont
they know Allah is keeping the rewards for you in the hereafter and those rewards
are so great that one would wish that none of there duas were excepted in this
world just so that one can gain all the rewards for their duas in the next world.
:
+
Recite the Holy Quraan as much as we can for It will come as an intercessor for
its reciter on the Day of Judgement ("
Learn the Quran and recite it, because the example of one who learns the Quran,
reads it and recites it in Tahajjud is like an open bag full of musk whose fragrance
permeates the entire place. And the person who has learnt the Quran but sleeps
while the Quran is in the heart is like a bag full of musk but with its mouth closed.
There is no envy (acceptable) except in two (cases): a person whom Allah has
given the Quran and recites it throughout the night and throughout the day. And a
person whom Allah has given wealth, that he gives out throughout the night and
throghout the day.
. ! ("
A
+
Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah will receive a hasanah (good deed)
from it (i.e. his recitation), and the hasanah is multiplied by ten. I do not say that
Alif-Laam-Meem is (considered as) a letter, rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a letter,
and Meem is a letter.
.&*
.<"
A#
&'* 'In the Fatiha of the Qur'an, there is a cure for all
maladies(illnesses)' <2'21*
.<
.(
. B #+> *&(9c2 "
A#(!
>
(+ Whoever reads &!
(!#.(!" every night, Allah will protect him from the
torment of the grave. At the time of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him)
we used to call it al-maniah (that which protects). In the Book of Allah it is a
surah which, whoever recites it every night has done very well. .+
The virtues of reciting the Quran are too numerous to list. In order to get closer to
Allah we need to recite the Quran, understand it and implement it in our daily
lives.
We should make a target of reading at least a chapter a day. If one cant manage
that then at least half a chapter. If one still cant manage that then recite at least
quarter of a chapter or even a page a day. However much we can manage we
should try to recite each day with its meanings and implement what we learn into
our daily lives.
Reading a little each day is better than reciting a lot once in a while. We should
build a close relationship with the Quran which is in fact building a close
relationship with Allah!
Verily Allah raises nations by this book (the Quran) and puts down (i.e. destroys)
others by it. ("
1C
One of the most important things we must do, which sadly many people neglect, is
that we should avoid bad company. People we should avoid taking as friends those
who speak too freely, who miss Salah, who do not dress modestly, who backbite,
slander etc.
The company of such people is poison; just even sitting and talking with them will
lead one to commit sins. Just as a person who sits for a long time with a perfume
seller begins to smell nice, and a person who sits by a gutter cleaner begins to
smell awful, similarly a person who spends time in the company of the wicked
eventually gets affected badly by them.
Rather, we should seek out pious friends who fear Allah taala and who have the
qualities of humility, charity, compassion, modesty and knowledge. If we sit with
them we will always benefit and they will be a means for us to get closer to Allah
taala!
&'* The case of the good companion and the bad
companion is like that of the seller of musk and the blower of the bellows (ironsmith). As for the seller of musk, he will either give you some of the musk, or you
will purchase some from him, or at least you will come away having experienced
its good smell. Whereas the blower of the bellows will either burn your clothing, or
at least you will come away having experienced its repugnant smell.
.
! ("
5 All friends will be enemies of one another on that Day (Day of
Judgment) except those of the virtuous. .+ 421,
Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people. #
Fc'-,
One must be hopeful of Allahs mercy and forgiveness and fearful of His
punishment. It is this fear that should lead one to seek Allahs forgiveness with
hope.
Know that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
#.(:/-
In the above verse, Allah gives us reason to fear because His punishment is justly
severe, as well as good reason to have hope, since He is the Most Forgiving and
Merciful. There should be a balance between fear and hope and not too much or
too less of one or the other.
We should always remain between fear and hope. For, the right and the approved
kind of fear is that which acts as a barrier between the slave and the things
forbidden by Allah. But, if fear is excessive, then the possibility is that the man
will fall into despair and pessimism.
On the other hand the approved state of optimism is of a man who does good in the
light of the Shari'ah and is hopeful of being rewarded for it. Or, conversely, if a
man committed a sin, he repents sincerely, and is hopeful of being forgiven.
"Verily, those who believed, and those who migrated and fought in the way of
Allah, it is they who are hopeful of Allah's mercy. And Allah is very Forgiving,
very Merciful."
. B*'c-
In contrast, if a man indulges in sins and excesses, but is hopeful that he would be
forgiven without doing anything good, then, this is self-deception, mere illusion
and false hope.
7
59* "Fear and hope are like the two wings of a bird. If
they are well balanced, the flight will be well balanced. But, If one is stunted, the
Right would also be stunted. And, to be sure, if the two are lost, the bird will soon
be in the throes of death."
'Is one who worships devotedly during the night, prostrating himself or standing,
fearing the Hereafter, and hoping for the mercy of his Lord (is equal to him who
doesn't do these things)?'
3*/
Hope then also demands fear. If that was not the case, one would be in a state of
false security. Conversely, fear demands hope. Without that it would be despair.
Fear and hope, both should be equally proportioned in our hearts, in our worship,
and in our dua to Allah.
Call out to Him with fear and hope. #. ,:1
They forsake their beds to call their Lord in fear and hope. #.#)
2'c1
8
7 The Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa salam, used to fast
Mondays and Thursdays".
.+G#"
Abu Hurairah reported that the most the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa salam,
would fast would be Monday and Thursday. !
"The deeds of people are presented to Allah on every Monday and Thursday.
Allah forgives every Muslim except for those who are deserting each other.
"leave them for later."
G "
As opposed to Ramadan, the intention does not have to be made before dawn. The
person can intend fasting [and start fasting] after dawn any time [even after noon]
Fasting and the Quran will intercede for the slave on the Day of Resurrection.
O My Rabb! I prevented him from food and desires, so accept
my intercession for him.
+ I prevented him from sleep
during the night, so accept my intercession for him. 8
And they will (be allowed to) intercede.
*.& *
.!*#"
So let us get closer to Allah by fasting Mondays and Thursdays or at least 3 days
every month on the 13th,14th and 15th. If we leave something for the pleasure of
Allah then we will get MUCH greater in return!
/#
O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky and
you would then seek My forgiveness, I would forgive you.
When a person sins and then sincerely turns to Allah for forgiveness, one will find
Allah ready to accept his repentance and to forgive him, %
And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself, but then seeks forgiveness from
Allah, he will find Allah forgiving and merciful. # .4cc
Everyone commits sin and does wrong, but Allah is always willing to forgive and
He always gives them a chance to repent and seek His forgiveness. A believer
should never forget the fact that Allah is so forgiving. If Allah had willed, He
could have held everyone accountable for his or her sins, but He has decreed that
He shall allow His servants to seek His forgiveness and that He shall in fact forgive
who and what He wills. In fact, Allah commands that His servants seek His
forgiveness:
And seek Allahs forgiveness. Certainly, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. #.
(99,2'
Repentance is an act, which purifies the soul and brings the servant closer to Allah.
It puts the heart at rest from guilt. It protects one from falling prey to his desires
and lusts and increases his faith.
Lo! Allah is a Lord of Kindness to mankind, but most of mankind give not thanks.
#. B'c42
The first and most important is that the act of repentance be sincerely for Allah
alone.
Secondly, the person must feel remorse and guilt over his actions so much so that
he wished he had never done it in the first place.
The third condition is that the person must immediately cease performing the
wrong and sinful act.
Fourthly, the repentant person must have a firm intention to never commit the sin
again.
And lastly, the person must repent before it is too late, meaning before death
approaches.
However, there is a condition. One must not associate any partners with Allah,
which is shirk. And Allah does not forgive shirk and if one dies without believing
in Allah alone as ones Creator, then he will be doomed to the Hellfire for all of
eternity.
So, Allah emphasizes the importance of calling on Him alone. He has no and needs
no partners, associates, wives, children, etc. There is no god, but Allah. None
forgives sins except Him, so one who is seeking forgiveness should seek it only
from Allah.
Allahs forgiveness and mercy is far greater and vaster than the sins of the creation.
One must always have trust and hope in Allah in both good times and bad times
and especially when seeking Allahs forgiveness. And the believer who calls out to
his Lord for forgiveness demonstrates his true weakness and that he is totally
dependent on the Creator.
When one confesses his sins to Allah and sincerely repents with hope in Allahs
mercy, the heart should come to peace and the soul should feel rest. When a person
has hope, he has no reason to despair because it only leads to destruction. Allah
gives hope to all, especially those who despair that there is no reason to despair
because Allah is the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy.
And those who, when they commit a lewd act or wrong themselves with evil,
remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins and who forgives sins except
Allah? And they do not persist in what (wrong) they were doing while they knew
it. For such, the reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens with rivers
flowing through, wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is the reward of
the doers (of good)! #
> 2c2:.c21
If the ritual observances do not help the person to be humble, virtuous and truly
God-fearing, then he or she is not a real Muslim. A Muslim should be good and
just in dealing with others, no matter their religion, and take special care to keep
away from all the shameful and sinful things Allah has forbidden.
One can never get close to Allah by being arrogant, full of pride and having a bad
character and manners. Those who have humility and are humble and have good
character and manners are the closest to Allah and Allah raises their ranks in the
hereafter. The best person is the one who is best towards others.
&
&'' 0 "He who was humble for the sake of God by one
degree, God (SWT) would then elevate them to a degree till they reach the
uppermost of high Orders, and he who was arrogant to God (SWT), God (SWT)
would then lower him for a degree till he reaches the lowest of low Orders",
(1:2:
.
&'
And no one
humbles himself before Allaah but Allaah will raise him (in status).
Humbleness is for one who is important and significant and he fears to gain
notoriety or to become too great among people. Humbleness is that one should
humble himself with his companions.
Humbleness is to humble oneself to one who is below you. If you find someone
who is younger than you, or of less importance than you, you should not despise
him, because he might have a better heart than you, or be less sinful, or closer to
Allah than you. Even if you see a sinful person and you are righteous, do not act in
arrogance towards him, and thank Allah that He saved you from the tribulation that
He put him through.
Remember that there might be some riyaa' or vanity in your righteous deeds that
may cause them to be of no avail, and that this sinful person may be regretful and
fearful concerning his bad deeds, and this may be the cause of forgiveness of his
sins.
Humbleness is that your deed should not become too great in your eyes. If you do a
good deed, or attempt to get closer to Allah ta`ala through an act of obedience,
your deed may still not be accepted, "Allah only accepts from those who have
taqwa (fear of Allah)." #.(',
Humbleness is that, when you are advised, if Shaytaan calls you to reject the
advice, you must negate him. Because the purpose of advice is that your brother
points out the defects that you have.
The arrogant never gives credit to anybody or mentions good about someone, and
if he needed to do so, he would also mention five defects of that person. But if he
hears somebody reminding him about his own defects, he will not be flexible nor
comply due to his inferiority complex. This is why it is among man's moral
integrity to accept criticism or comment without any sensitivity or discomfort or
feelings of shame and weakness.
H
9
>(
* "The love of Allah is the axis around which all good
revolves." If you fall in love with Allah, and then strive to be true in your love--in
accordance with the way of the Beloved of Allah (Allah bless him and give him
peace), then you'll find nothing but increasing light and contentment in your life.