A Simple Zikr

Today, I would like to share a very simple zikr, it is very easy to remember and very easy to practise. If you have been thinking what zikr should you start with, I think this one is a good one.

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : ( كلمتان خفيفتان على اللسان, ثقيلتان في الميزان, حبيبتان إلى الرحمان : سبحان الله وبحمده, سبحان الله العظيم )

رواه البخاري ومسلم عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه

Which Means: 

Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said: "There are two statements, light on the tongue, heavy on the scale, dear to The Merciful :  Glory be to Allah , this is the praise (Subhanallah Wa Bihamdihi), Glory be to Allah The Most Great (Subhanallahil Aziim)."

Hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim, narrated by Abi Hurairah.

Two simple sentences "Subhanallah Wa Bihamdihi, Subhanallahil Aziim" symbolizing our gratefulness of Allah's countless bounty bestowed upon us. Amazingly, even our praise of Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala earns us rewards from Him as another hadith shows : 

قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: ( مَنْ قَالَ سـُبْحـَا نَ اللهِ وَبِحَـمـْدِهِ في يوم مائة مرة, حُطّـت خـطاياه وإن كانت مثل زبد البحر)

رواه البخاري ومسلم عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه

Which Means:

The prophet peace be upon him said: (Whoever recites "Subhanallahi Wa Bihamdihi" in a day one hundred times, his sins will be pardoned even if they are as countless as the ocean's foam). 

Hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim, narrated by Abi Hurairah.

How great is Allah's mercy towards us that even while we are praising Him, our sins are pardoned and we are awarded more rewards that will hopefully benefit us in the Hereafter. 

How many  times in a day do we indulge in meaningless conversations? How hard can it be to replace those with these two simple statements? Not very hard, you just have to start. If, we have the time to indulge in the beauty and pleasures of this world, take the time to indulge in the beauty of it's Creator.

Wallahu A'lam..

Dua For Exams

Below are my favorite duas that I practised when I was a student.

• Dua for a quick understanding and absorption of subject from Surah Taha verse 25-28

رب اشرح لي صدري. ويسر لي أمري. واحلل عقدة من لساني. يفقهوا قولي.

Rabbishrahli sadri, wa yassir li amri, wahlul uqdatan min lisanii yafqahu qaulii.

Which Means: 

O My Lord, expand for me my breast (with assurance). And ease for me my task. And untie the knot from my tongue. That they may understand my speech.

• Dua for quick understanding and good memory

 اللهم إني أسألك فهم النبيين,وحفظ المرسلين, وإلهام الملائكة المقربين, في عافية يا أرحم الراحمين.

Allahumma inni as aluka fahman nabiyyiin, wa hifzhal mursaliin, wa ilhamal malaaikatil muqorrobiin, fii 'aafiyatin ya Arhamar Raahimiin.

O Allah, I ask of you the understanding of the prophets, the memory of the messengers, and the inspiration of the angels that are close to You, all in good health, O Most Merciful of all who displays mercy. 

• Dua after revision

اللهم إني أستودعك ما علمتنيه فاردده إلي عند حاجتي إليه. 

Allahumma inni astaudi'uka ma 'allamtaniihi, fardud hu ilayya 'inda hajatii ilaihi.

O Allah, I place with You the knowledge that You have taught me for safeguarding, that You may return it to me in my time of need. 

• Dua when sitting for the examination

ربي يسر ولا تعسر, ربي تمم بخير ياكريم

Rabbi yassir wa la tu'assir, Rabbi tammim bi khair Ya Kariim

O My Lord, ease (my task) for me and do not make it difficult for me, O My Lord, end (my task) with a good ending, O Gracious One.

I would also practise reading Surah Al-Insyirah (seven times) and Surah Al-Fath (once) when dealing with a particularly difficult subject before revision. 

Hope the above helps. 

Wallahul Musta'an.

Al-Fatihah - Suatu Penghayatan

Sesekali, apabila mendapat ni'mat mendirikan solat dalam keadaan tenang dan tanpa gangguan, syahdu terasa apabila membaca Al-fatihah.. 

Dengan nama Allah yang Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang

Betapa dalam kasih sayang Mu terhadapku Ya Allah, berbagai nikmat yang Kau kurniakan kepadaku tanpa memerlukan sebarang pengiktirafan dan balasan, betapa ni'mat-ni'mat itu tetap Kau limpahkan walaupun terkadang ku alpa dalam urusan keduniaan.

Segala puji bagi Allah, Tuhan sekalian alam

Segala pujian itu milikMu Ya Allah, namum walaubagaimana kerap aku memuji dan mensyukuri ni'matMu, tidak akan pernah mencukupi kerana ciptaanMu dan nikmatMu tidak ku terhitung. Engkaulah Tuhan semesta alam, sedang aku hanya seorang makhluk yang dhaif yang hidup di alam ciptaanMu yang tidak dapat akalku menjangkau.

Setiap kali ku ucapkan ayat "Alhamdulillahi Rabbal A'lamin.." ku bayangkan diriku yang hina ini bersujud kepadaMu sedang aku rendah di dunia dan Engkau tinggi  di 'ArasyMu memerhatikan aku disamping makhlukMu yang lain, apakah terdapat sekelumit amalan yang dapat aku banggakan yang dapat membezakanku dari hamba-hambaMu yang lain sehinga aku dapat lebih dekat denganMu? 

Yang Maha Pengasih lagi Maha Penyayang

Walaupun amalan baikku dapat dihitung dan dosa-dosaku tinggi menggunung, namun atas sifat kasih dan sayangMu Ya Allah, aku memohon; ampunilah dosa-dosaku dan terimalah amalan-amalanku yang tidak seberapa ini. Janganlah Engkau murka terhadapku Ya Allah dan janganlah Engkau mengharamkan aku dari ni'mat kasih dan sayangMu Ya Allah.

Ynag Maha Menguasai di hari pembalasan

Ya Allah,Yang Maha Pengasih lagi Penyayang, aku memohon terutama sekali di hari pembalasan, berlembutlah denganku Ya Allah, walaupun kekuasaan di tanganMu Ya Allah, dan Kau berkuasa dan berhak untuk menghukumiku Ya Allah. Kasihanilah aku dan ampunkanlah dosa-dosaku Ya Allah. 

Hanya Engkau yang kami sembah dan hanya kepadaMu kami minta pertolongan

Hanya Engkau yang layak disembah Ya Allah, aku tahu tatkalaku bersujud, ramai lagi hambamu di setiap pelusuk dunia ini sedang bersujud kepadaMu Ya Allah, namun ku tetap berharap akan perhatianMu Ya Allah, dan berharap Kau terima sujud dan ibadahku ini Ya Allah. Sujud seorang hamba dari jutaan hambaMu di dunia ini.

Tunjukilah Kami jalan yang lurus

Ku berharap Ya Allah.. kau berikanlah aku hidayah ke jalan yang benar, dan tetapkanlah imanku ke atasnya Ya Allah, sesungguhnya aku sedar aku ini lemah dan sentiasa bertarung dengan nafsuku. Oleh itu, selamatkanlah aku jika aku tersesat jalan dan kembalikanlah aku ke jalanMu yang lurus, perhatikanlah aku sentiasa Ya Allah dan lindungilah aku, kerana aku amat berharap akan perlindunganMu.

Jalan orang-orang yang telah Engkau beri ni'mat kepada mereka; bukan (jalan) mereka yang dimurkai dan bukan (pula jalan) mereka yang sesat

Tunjukilah aku ke jalan mereka yang kau redhai Ya Allah, dan jauhilah aku dari jalan mereka yang Kau murkai dan jalan mereka yang sesat. Sesungguhnya aku tidak mahu Kau murka terhadapku Ya Allah, betapa sedihnya aku sekirannya Kau murka terhadapku Ya Allah, dan betapa ruginya aku jika Kau murka terhadapku sedang rahmahMu begitu luas dan janganlah Engkau membiarkan aku dalam kesesatan Ya Allah. Ya Rabbal 'Alamin.

Sekadar berkongsi, Wallahu A'lam.

Doa Nabi Ayub / The Dua of Prophet Ayub

Prophet Ayub alaihis salam was well known for his patience and perseverance in facing hardship and relentless remembrance of Allah s.w.t. even when Allah s.w.t tested him one after another by taking away his wealth, his children and his health. He remained steadfast in remembrance of Allah and remained thankful.

At the end of his illness, he recited one dua by which with Allah's grace his illness is cured and his tests ended.

This supplication is mentioned in Surah Al-Anbiya'; verse 83:

Which means:

"And (mention) Ayyub, when he called to his Lord, "Indeed, adversity has touched me, and you are the Most Merciful of the merciful."

If you are reciting the dua then it starts from:

"Anni Massaniyad Dhurru wa Anta Arhamur Raahimiin."

This dua is especially useful when you are faced with hardship or illness. And it is hoped that when you recite this dua, you will also adopt Prophet Ayub's stance in being ever thankful to Allah s.w.t and not lose hope on Allah's grace.



Malay Version: 



Nabi Ayub alaihis salam amat terkenal bagi kesabarannya dalam menghadapi kesusahan dan keteguhannya dalam mengingati Allah s.w.t. Walaupun tatkala Allah s.w.t. mengujinya ujian demi ujian dengan mengambil kembali ni'mah kekayaan, zuriat dan kesihatan, beliau tetap teguh mengingati Allah dan terus bersyukur atas kurniaan Allah s.w.t.

Pada akhir keuzurannya, beliau membaca serangkap doa dan dengan izin Allay s.w.t. maka sembuhlah beliau dari penyakitnya dan berakhirlah ujiannya.

Doa ini disebutkan dalam  Surah Al-Anbiya'; ayat 83:

Yang Bermaksud:

"Dan (ingatlah) Ayub, tatkala dia menyeru Tuhannya, "Sesungguhnya, aku ditimpa penyakit, sedang Engkaulah sahaja yang lebih mengasihani daripada segala (yang lain) yang mengasihani."

Untuk membaca doanya, maka ia bermula dari:

"Anni Massaniyad Dhurru wa Anta Arhamur Raahimiin."

Doa ini amat bermanfaat untuk dibaca apabila ditimpa kesusahan atau penyakit. Dan adalah diharapkan apabila kita membaca doa ini, kita juga menerapkan pendirian Nabi Ayub dalam terus bersyukur kepada Allah s.w.t. dan tidak berputus asa dari rahmatNya.

Wallahu A'lam.

Doa Penyeri Muka / Dua For A Radiant Face

(Untuk Bahasa Melayu - sila lihat di bawah)

All ladies yearn for a radiant shining face, and it is easily achievable just by keeping your prayers. Did Rasulullah peace be upon him not say that "Prayers are a shining light"? 

In addition to that, reciting the Quran will also add a shine to your face without the need for cosmetics. I still remember vividly, my friend in KUSZA who memorised the Quran, how beautiful and radiant her face was, without a single speck of powder on her face. 

For those, desiring a dua for a glowing face and may its shining glow be like a beacon for us in the Hereafter; you can recite verse 8 from Surah At-tahrim: 

رَبَّـنَــا أَتْــمِـمْ لَــنَــا نُــوْرَنَــا وَاغـْفِـرْ لَـنَــا؛ إِنَّــكَ عَــلـَـى كُــلّـِــي شَــيْءٍ قـَــدِيْــرٍ.

Rabbana Atmim Lana Nuurana Waghfirlana, Innaka 'Ala Kulli Shai-in Qadiir

Which means: 

"Our Lord! Perfect our light for us and forgive us our sins, for verily You have the power over all things."

Of course, you can't be asking for a radiant shining face and use it in the wrong way yeah? I mean it's not enough to just ask for a radiant face, it must be accompanied with "amal" good deeds; namely: 

1) Staying away from bad deeds (that's why the following dua is "forgive our sins" read - forgive our past sins and we shall endeavor not to commit future sins - )

2) Keeping our prayers

3) Reciting the Quran / Zikirs

4) Performing what is commanded and staying away from what is prohibited.   

Logically, can you ask something from someone and then do things that will anger him? Of course not! The same thing applies here. You are asking a favor from Allah the Exalted, once He has granted it, if you ever do something that displeases Him; what's stopping Him from taking it away? So, 'amal soleh is required for this dua to work and to make it stay. 

Malay Version: 

Setiap wanita inginkan wajah yang berseri-seri, yang bercahaya, dan ia adalah amat mudah dikecapi hanya dengan menjaga solat. Bukankah Rasulullah s.a.w. telah bersabda : "Solat itu adalah cahaya"? 

Disamping itu, membaca Al-quran juga akan menambahkan seri di muka kita tanpa perlu kepada kosmetik, masih teringat lagi rakan ku di KUSZA dahulu yang menhafal Al-Quran; betapa ayu dan berseri wajahnya, tanpa secalit bedak di muka.

Bagi mereka yang ingin berdoa untuk muka bercahaya dan semoga cahaya ini juga menjadi pelita bagi kita di Akhirat nanti; amalkanlah ayat 8 dari Surah At-tahrim: 

رَبَّـنَــا أَتْــمِـمْ لَــنَــا نُــوْرَنَــا وَاغـْفِـرْ لَـنَــا؛ إِنَّــكَ عَــلـَـى كُــلّـِــي شَــيْءٍ قـَــدِيْــرٍ.

Rabbana Atmim Lana Nuurana Waghfirlana, Innaka 'Ala Kulli Shai-in Qadiir

Yang Bermaksud: 

"Wahai Tuhan kami! Sempurnakanlah bagi kami cahaya kami, dan limpahkanlah keampunan kepada kami; sesungguhnya Engkau Maha Kuasa atas setiap sesuatu." 

Sememangnya, anda tidak sepatutnya meminta wajay yang berseri kemudian menggunakannya pada jalan yang salah ye? Maksud saya, tidak mencukupi bagi kita untuk sekadar berdoa, malah di samping itu perlu juga kita melakukan amal soleh antaranya: 

1) Menjauhi dari melakukan dosa (sebab itu dua yang seterusnya adalah "limpahkan keampunan kepada kami" bermaksud - ampunkan dosa-dosa kami yang lalu dan kami akan berusaha untuk tidak melakukan dosa-dosa yang baru- )

2) Menjaga solat

3) Membaca Alquran

4) Melaksanakan perintah Allah dan menjauhi yang terlarang.

Memang secara logik, kita tidak akan meminta sesuatu dari seseorang kemudian melakukan perkara yang akan menimbulkan kemarahannya, nah, samalah di sini; anda sedang meminta pertolongan dari Allah s.w.t. dan apabila Allah kurniakan permintaan kamu, sekiranya kamu melakukan sesuatu yang menimbulkan kemarahanNya, apa yang dapat menahan Allah dari menarik balik pemberianNya? Oleh itu, amal soleh amat penting bagi doa ini untuk dikabulkan dan supaya ia berkekalan.

Wallahu A'lam

The Prayer of Prophet Yunus / Doa Nabi Yunus / Doa Untuk Dibebaskan dari Musibah

This is the prayer of Prophet Yunus alahis salam when he set off in despair, abandoning his ummah after giving up hope of them coming to the right path. Allah the Exalted then instructed a whale to swallow him (but not digest) so that he stayed in the dark belly of the whale contemplating his mistake in abandoning his ummah with out Allah's instruction and there he repented. 

The lesson learnt here is that everyone makes mistakes in judgement even the prophets and it's best not to follow your emotions when you are angry or sad and find a quiet place to contemplate and review your best action to take. 

This dua is mentioned in Surah Al-Anbiya' verse 87: 

Which means : 

"And (remember) The Man of the Fish (Yunus), when he went off in anger, and imagined that We shall not punish him! But he cried through the darkness (saying) La ilaha illa Anta (none has the right to be worshipped but You; O Allah) Glorified (and Exalted) are You. Truly, I have been among the wrong doers." 

If you are reciting the dua then it starts from:

" La Ilaha Illa Anta, Subhanaka Inni Kuntu Minaz Zhalimin". 

 It is a very good dua to recite when faced with calamity or when demonstrating your repentance to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala for your wrong doings. 

Malay Version : 

Doa di atas ini adalah doa Nabi Yunus alaihis salam tatkala beliau meninggalkan ummatnya dalam keadaan marah dan berputus asa bahawa mereka akan mengikut dakwahnya ke jalan yang benar. Allah s.w.t. kemudian memerintahkan seekor ikan paus untuk menelan beliau tanpa menghadamnya. Maka, duduklah beliau di dalam perut ikan paus yang gelap, merenung kesilapannya dalam meninggalkan ummatnya tanpa keizinan Allah s.w.t dan bertaubatlah beliau kepada Allah s.w.t.

Pengajaran dari kisah ini adalah setiap manusia membuat kesilapan dalam penilaian, walaupun beliau adalah seorang nabi. Oleh itu, adalah sebaiknya apabila kita sedang beremosi untuk tidak mengikut perasan tatkala marah atau bersedih dan carilah tempat yang sunyi dan tenang untuk kita merenung situasi di tangan dan memikirkan jalan yang terbaik untuk menyelesaikan masalah. 

Doa Nabi Yunus ini tersebut di dalam Surah Al-Anbiya', ayat 87 dan bermaksud: 

"Dan (sebutkanlah peristiwa) Zun-Nun, ketika ia pergi (meniggalkan kaumnya) dalam keadaan marah, yang menyebabkan ia menyangka bahawa Kami tidak akan mengenakan kesusahan atau cubaan ; maka ia pun mnyeru dalam keadaan yang gelap gelita dengan berkata: "Sesungguhnya tiada Tuhan (yang dapat menolong) melainkan Engkau (Ya Allah) Maha Suci Engkau! Sesungguhnya aku adalah dari orang-orang yang menganiaya diri sendiri."

Doa bermula dari:

" La Ilaha Illa Anta, Subhanaka Inni Kuntu Minaz Zhalimin". 

Amatlah baik sekiranya kita membaca doa ini apabila berhadapan dengan musibah atau apabila kita sedang melahirkan taubat kita kepada Allah s.w.t atas kesalahan-kesalahan yang telah kita lakukan.

Wallahu A'lam. 

Benefits of Obligatory Prayers / Faedah Solat Lima Waktu

The obligatory prayers of Islam is the backbone of Islam and there are only 5 of them in a day:

1) 2 rakaah of Fajr (dawn) which starts at the first appearance of light at dawn and ends when the sun starts to rise.

2) 4 rakaah of Dhuhr (noon) from the time the sun starts to descend towards the west after the zenith to the time when the length of an object's shadow is equal to the actual object's height.

3) 4 rakaah of 'Asr (Afternoon) starts when Dhuhr ends and ends when the sun sets.

4) 3 rakaah of Maghrib from the time the sun sets till the red color of the dusk disappears.

5) 4 rakaah of Isya' from the time Maghrib ends till the first appearance of light of dawn.

Sadly, not many of us are able to perform them religiously. Many of us are deeply immersed in our worldly concerns that we neglect this responsibility of ours. We forget that this responsibility is also a privilege only available to Muslims. It is a private time between us and Allah the Exalted, communicating directly to our creator, to thank Him for all the good fortune that He has bestowed on us and confide in him our grievances.

Among the biggest benefits of praying are:

1) It is an act best loved by Allah.

 As Abdullah bin Mas'ud asked the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him; "Which deed is best loved by Allah?" The prophet said "Performing prayers on time." (Part of a hadith reported by Bukhari)

2) Preventing us from continuously immersing ourselves in sinful deeds.

As mentioned in Surah Al-Ankabut; verse 45:

"Indeed, the prayer prevents (you) from (committing) great sins and evil deeds." 

 This is a known fact too, any of us who has "been there, done that" knows that whenever we start to indulge in sinful deeds, our prayers will undoubtedly be missed; one time or another. If, on the other hand, you keep track of your prayers, the tendency to stray will be minimized. Somehow or another, you heart will not be at ease, the guilt will be too overwhelming and rightly so, how can you ever face your God five times a day and happily disobey him the rest of the day? If you guard your prayers fiercely, you will always remember that Allah's eyes are Ever Watchful and that He sees all that you do.

Even if you do indulge in some form of entertainment, the duty of praying will bring you back to a rational state of mind  before you further delve into mischief.

3) Purification of sins so long as we don't commit the major sins in Islam. 

It is reported in Shahih Muslim in a hadis narrated by Abi Hurairah: 

The Prophet peace be upon him said : "The five prayers and the friday prayer to the next friday prayer, is a purification (of sins) between them, so long as you don't engage in Major sins."

4) A radiant shining face in this world and hereafter as the hadith reported in Shahih Muslim "The prayer is a shining light."

5) Elevates your status and cleanse your sins.

As the Prophet said " Perform plenty of sujud (prostration) , as you shall not sujud in front of Allah one time but He will elevate your status one higher and forgive a sin. " Reported in Shahih Muslim.

If these are not enough benefits to make you strengthen your resolution to keep your prayers, then remember that it is the first deed to be accounted for on the Day of Resurrection. Should our prayers be complete, happy will us be, but if otherwise, wretched will us be. 


Remember too, that Muslims have no mark on their faces, no emblem whatsoever, so what separates a Muslim man from a non-Muslim man? It is the prayer, as simple as that.


So, I call upon my Muslim brothers and sisters, let us keep our prayers and may we be among those who succeed in the Hereafter. 


Amin.. 


(Note for a little help in keeping your prayers, check out the dua here )