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How can you be in the first batch rather than the last batch being admitted to Jannah?

The concise advice Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al-‘As (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: عن عبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص رضي الله تعالى عنهما قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏ “‏من أحب أن يُزحزح عن النار، ويُدخل الجنة، فلتأته منيته وهو يؤمن…

Indeed I am near
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Indeed I am near

Allah Almighty said in the Quran: وَإِذا سَأَلَكَ عِبادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذا دَعانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ If My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to the supplication of the caller, when he calls upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺…

Those who do not sleep and those who spend
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Those who do not sleep and those who spend

In Surat Sajdah, which the Prophet (peace be on him) used to recite in his Fajr prayer on Fridays, Allah Almighty mentions those who forsake their beds – they win the battle against their duvets and pillows. They stand in night prayers (qiyam al layl), rather than being tempted to sleep all night. These believers…

The perfection of creation is a sign of the Creator
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The perfection of creation is a sign of the Creator

In Surat Naml, Allah Almighty says: وَتَرَى ٱلْجِبَالَ تَحْسَبُهَا جَامِدَةً وَهِىَ تَمُرُّ مَرَّ ٱلسَّحَابِ ۚ صُنْعَ ٱللَّهِ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَتْقَنَ كُلَّ شَىْءٍ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا تَفْعَلُونَ And you see the mountains, thinking they are standing still, when in fact they are moving just like the movement of the clouds. Such is the making of God…

The enlightened heart
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The enlightened heart

In Surat Shu’ara Allah Almighty says that the one who carried the revelation is Jibril, and he revealed it onto the heart of the Prophet (peace be on him). وَإِنَّهُۥ لَتَنزِيلُ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ نَزَلَ بِهِ ٱلرُّوحُ ٱلْأَمِينُ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنذِرِينَ بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِىٍّ مُّبِينٍ This is certainly a revelation from the Lord of all…

the beautiful attributes of the Servants of the All Merciful
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The 14 beautiful attributes of the ‘Servants of the All Merciful’

In the very well known verses about the characteristics of the Ibad ur Rahman ‘Servants of Ar-Rahman’ in Surat al Furqan, the Most Merciful, Allah Almighty describes the qualities that will make us the VIPs of Jannah if we adopt them. Allah Almighty enumerates the attributes of these people and mentions the special treatment they…

Alone with Allah and your Book of Deeds
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Alone with Allah and your Book of Deeds

Two ayahs capture my imagination: وَنَرِثُهُۥ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْدًۭا  ‎And We will inherit what he boasts of, and he will come before Us all by himself. (19:80) ‏وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَمَةِ فَرْدًا ‎ And every one of them will come to Him on the day of resurrection alone. (19:95) Allah is saying in the…

Allah loves those who are easy going and make life easy for others
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Allah loves those who are easy going and make life easy for others

You get what you give عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رضي الله تعالى عنها قَالَتْ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «اللَّهُمَّ مَنْ وَلِيَ مِنْ أَمْرِ أُمَّتِي شَيْئًا فَشَقَّ عَلَيْهِمْ فَاشْقُقْ عَلَيْهِ وَمَنْ وَلِيَ مِنْ أَمْرِ أُمَّتِي شَيْئًا فَرَفَقَ بهم فارفُقْ بِهِ» . رَوَاهُ مُسلم Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that the Messenger of…

flee from Allah to Allah
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Flee from Allah to Allah

In a particularly beautiful ayah in the Quran, which appears in Surat al Dhariyat, Allah Almighty says: ﴿٥٠﴾ فَفِرُّوا إِلَى اللَّهِ ۖ إِنِّي لَكُمْ مِنْهُ نَذِيرٌ مُبِينٌ. سورة الذاريات. So flee towards Allah. I am to you from Him a clear warner (51:50) Nothing is certain This concise ayah reflects our current reality. Nothing is…

Why is a believer like a palm tree?
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Why is a believer like a palm tree?

 عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏”‏ إِنَّ مِنَ الشَّجَرِ شَجَرَةً لاَ يَسْقُطُ وَرَقُهَا، وَإِنَّهَا مَثَلُ الْمُسْلِمِ، فَحَدِّثُونِي مَا هِيَ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَوَقَعَ النَّاسُ فِي شَجَرِ الْبَوَادِي‏.‏ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَوَقَعَ فِي نَفْسِي أَنَّهَا النَّخْلَةُ، فَاسْتَحْيَيْتُ ثُمَّ قَالُوا حَدِّثْنَا مَا هِيَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ ‏”‏ هِيَ النَّخْلَةُ ‏”‏‏.‏البخاري  Ibn Umar…

The characteristics of a pure heart and how to diagnose your own heart
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Characteristics of a pure heart

The changeable nature of hearts Shahr bin Hawshab said: I said to Umm Salamah: O Mother of the Believers! What was the supplication that the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) said most frequently when he was with you? She said: The supplication he said most frequently was: يَا مُقَلِّبَ الْقُلُوبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِي عَلَى…

Light upon light – The verse of light and the heart of the believer
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Light upon light – The verse of light and the heart of the believer

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is like a niche within which is a lamp, The lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a brilliant star, Lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, Neither of the east nor of the west,…