Imam Ghazali states in his work, The Beginnings of Guidance:

The Proper Manners of Keeping Allah’s Company

Know that the companion who never leaves you whether you are resident or travelling, whether asleep or awake, both in your life and after your death is your Lord, Master, Protector, and Creator.

And whenever you make remembrance of Him, He is your intimate partner–for Allah Most High says, “I am the intimate partner of one who makes remembrance of Me.”

And whenever your heart is broken in sadness over your shortcomings in fulfilling your religious responsibilities, then He is your companion and indeed close–for Allah Most High says, “I am with those broken-hearted for My sake.”

And Allah alone gives success.

The Prophetic Understanding of Strength in Islam–Faraz Rabbani

Abu Hurayra said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer although there is good in each. Desire that which will bring you benefit, and seek help from Allah and do not give way to incapacity. If something happens to you, do not say, ‘If only I had done such-and-such.’ Rather say, ‘The decree of Allah. He does what He will.’ Otherwise you will open yourself up to the action of shaytan.” [Muslim]

Shaykh Faraz gives us a road map to follow by focusing on the four characteristics of a strong believer mentioned in the remaining words of the above hadith which are .
1) Be avid for benefit,
2) Seek the assistance of Allah,
3) Don’t deem yourself incapable,
and 4) Don’t second guess yourself.

Shaykh Faraz also mentioned five keys to benefit in this.
1) Seek beneficial knowledge,
2) Be committed to turning to Allah,
3) Act on one’s knowledge,
4) Keep good company,
and 5) Hold fast to the remembrance of Allah and to repent.

source: sunnipath library

Qur'an On One Side, Sunnah On The Other

Quraan
on one side
of my heart
Sunnah
on the other
I can't function without either
Eemaan
pumping around
my body
keeping me
active
and alive

Quraan
on one side
of my heart
Sunnah
on the other
My brain working
with a rhythm
Eemaan
rushing through
my veins
keeping me
stable mind
and body

Quraan
on one side
of my heart
Sunnah
on the other
My heart
functioning
because of Deen
Eemaan
present in the
bloodstream
Keeping me
elated and serene..!

http://www.islamicpoetry.org/viewpoem281.htm

A Story From the Life of Ayesha (R.A) Part 1

Ayesha (may Allah be please with her)
(the wife of the Prophet peace be upon him) stated that, "Whenever Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) intended to go on a journey, he would
draw lots amongst his wives and would take with him the one upon whom the lot fell.

During a Ghazwa of his, he drew lots amongst us and the lot fell upon me, and I proceeded with him after Allah had decreed the use of the veil by women. I was carried in a Howdah
(on the camel) and dismounted while still in it. When Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) was through with his Ghazwa and returned home, and we approached the city of Medina, Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) ordered us to proceed at night. When the order of setting off was given, I walked till I was past the army to answer the call of nature. After finishing I returned (to the camp) to depart (with the others) and suddenly realized that my necklace over my chest was missing. So, I
returned to look for it and was delayed because of that. The people who used to carry me on the camel, came to my Howdah and put it on the back of the camel, thinking that I was in it, as, at that time, women were light in weight, and thin and lean, and did not use to eat
much.

So, those people did not feel the difference in the heaviness of the Howdah while
lifting it, and they put it over the camel.


At that time I was a young lady. They set the camel moving and proceeded on. I found my necklace after the army had gone, and came to their camp to find nobody. So, I went to the place where I used to stay, thinking that they would discover my absence and come back in my search. While in that state, I felt sleepy and
slept.


Safwan bin Mu'attal As-Sulami Adh-Dhakwani (may Allah be pleased with him) was behind the army and reached my abode in the morning. When he saw a sleeping person, he came to me, and he used to see me before veiling. So, I got up when I heard him saying, 'Inna lil-lah-wa inn a ilaihi rajiun (We are for Allah, and we will return to Him).' He made his camel kneel down. He got down from his camel, and put his leg on the front legs of the camel and then I rode and sat over it.


Safwan (R.A) set out walking, leading the camel by the rope till we reached the army who had halted to take rest at midday. Then whoever was meant for destruction, fell into
destruction, (some people accused me falsely) and the leader of the false accusers was
'Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul. After that we returned to Medina, and I became ill for one month while the people were spreading the forged statements of the false accusers. I was
feeling during my ailment as if I were not receiving the usual kindness from the Prophet (peace be upon him) which I used to receive from him when I got sick. But he would come, greet and say, 'How
is that (girl)?' I did not know anything of what was going on till I recovered from my ailment and went out with Um Mistah to the Manasi where we used to answer the call of nature,
and we used not to go to answer the call of nature except from night to night and that was before we had lavatories near to our houses. And this habit of ours was similar to the habit of the old 'Arabs in the open country (or away from houses).



So, I and Um Mistah bint Ruhm (R.A) went out walking. Um Mistah (R.A) stumbled because of her long dress and on that she said, 'Let
Mistah be ruined.' I said, 'You are saying a bad word. Why are you abusing a man who took part in (the battle of) Badr?' She said, 'O Hanata (you there) didn't you hear what they
said?' Then she told me the rumors of the false accusers.



My sickness was aggravated, and when I returned home, Allah's Apostle came to me, and
after greeting he said, 'How is that (girl)?' I requested him to allow me to go to my parents.
I wanted then to be sure of the news through them. Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) allowed me, and I went to my parents and asked my mother, 'What are the people talking about?' She said, 'O my daughter! Don't worry much about this matter. By Allah, never is there a charming woman
loved by her husband who has other wives, but the women would forge false news about
her.' I said, 'Glorified be Allah! Are the people really taking of this matter?' That night I kept on weeping and could not sleep till morning.


In the morning Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) called Ali bin Abu Talib and Usama bin Zaid when he saw the Divine Inspiration delayed, to consult them about divorcing his wife (i.e. 'Aisha (R.A)). Usama bin Zaid (R.A) said what he knew of the good reputation of his wives and added, 'O Allah's Apostle! Keep your wife, for, by Allah, we know nothing about her but good.' 'Ali bin Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Allah has not imposed restrictions on you, and there are many women other than she, yet you may ask the woman-servant who will tell you the truth.' On that Allah's Apostle called Buraira (R.A) and
said, 'O Buraira. Did you ever see anything which roused your suspicions about her?'
Buraira (R.A) said, 'No, by Allah Who has sent you with the Truth, I have never seen in her anything faulty except that she is a girl of immature age, who sometimes sleeps and leaves
the dough for the goats to eat.'

A Story From the Life of Ayesha (R.A) Part 2

On that day Allah's Apostle may Allah be pleased with him ascended the pulpit and requested that somebody support him in punishing 'Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul. Allah's Apostle said, 'Who will support me to punish that person ('Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul) who
has hurt me by slandering the reputation of my family? By Allah, I know nothing about my family but good, and they have accused a person about whom I know nothing except good,
and he never entered my house except in my company.'

Sad bin Mu'adh (R.A) got up and said, 'O Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him)! by Allah, I will relieve you from him. If
that man is from the tribe of the Aus, then we will chop his head off, and if he is from our brothers, the Khazraj, then order us, and we will fulfill your order.' On that Sad bin
'Ubada, the chief of the Khazraj and before this incident, he had been a pious man, got up,
motivated by his zeal for his tribe and said, 'By Allah, you have told a lie; you cannot kill him, and you will never be able to kill him.' On that Usaid bin Al-Hadir (R.A) got up and said (to
Sad bin 'Ubada), 'By Allah! you are a liar. By Allah, we will kill him; and you are a hypocrite, defending the hypocrites.'

On this the two tribes of Aus and Khazraj got excited and were about to fight each other, while Allah's Apostle may Allah be pleased with him was standing on the pulpit. He got down and quieted them till they became silent and he kept quiet. On that day I kept on weeping so much so that neither did my tears stop, nor could I sleep.

In the morning my parents were with me and I had wept for two nights and a day, till I thought my liver would burst from weeping. While they were sitting with me and I was
weeping, an Ansari woman asked my permission to enter, and I allowed her to come in.


She sat down and started weeping with me. While we were in this state, Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) came and sat down and he had never sat with me since the day they forged the accusation.

No revelation regarding my case came to him for a month. He recited
Tashah-hud (i.e. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah and Muhammad is His Apostle) and then said, 'O 'Aisha! I have been informed such-and-such about you; if you
are innocent, then Allah will soon reveal your innocence, and if you have committed a sin,
then repent to Allah and ask Him to forgive you, for when a person confesses his sin and asks Allah for forgiveness, Allah accepts his repentance.' When Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) finished his speech my tears ceased completely and there remained not even a single drop of it.

I requested my father to reply to Allah's Apostle on my behalf. My father said, By Allah, I do
not know what to say to Allah's Apostle(peace be upon him).' I said to my mother, 'Talk to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) on my behalf.' She said, 'By Allah, I do not know what to say to Allah's Apostle.'(peace be upon him)

A Story From the Life of Ayesha (R.A) Part 3

I was a young girl and did not have much knowledge of the Qur'an. I said. 'I know, by Allah,
that you have listened to what people are saying and that has been planted in your minds and you have taken it as a truth. Now, if I told you that I am innocent and Allah knows that
I am innocent, you would not believe me and if I confessed to you falsely that I am guilty, and Allah knows that I am innocent you would believe me. By Allah, I don't compare my
situation with you except to the situation of Joseph's (peace be upon him) father (i.e. Jacob (peace be upon him)) who said, 'So (for
me) patience is most fitting against that which you assert and it is Allah (alone) whose help can be sought.' Then I turned to the other side of my bed hoping that Allah would prove my
innocence. By Allah I never thought that Allah would reveal Divine Inspiration in my case, as
I considered myself too inferior to be talked of in the Holy Qur'an. I had hoped that Allah's
Apostle (peace be upon him) might have a dream in which Allah would prove my innocence. By Allah, Allah's
Apostle (peace be upon him) had not got up and nobody had left the house before the Divine Inspiration came
to Allah's Apostle. So, there overtook him the same state which used to overtake him,
(when he used to have, on being inspired divinely). He was sweating so much so that the
drops of the sweat were dropping like pearls though it was a (cold) wintry day. When that
state of Allah's Apostle was over, he was smiling and the first word he said, 'Aisha! Thank
Allah, for Allah has declared your innocence.' My mother told me to go to Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him). I replied, 'By Allah I will not go to him and will not thank but Allah.' So Allah revealed: "Verily!
They who spread the slander are a gang among you . . ." (24.11)

When Allah gave the declaration of my innocence, Abu Bakr, who used to provide for Mistah bin Uthatha for he was his relative, said, 'By Allah, I will never provide Mistah with anything because of what he said about 'Aisha.' But Allah later revealed:

"And let not those who are good and wealthy among you swear not to help their kinsmen,
those in need and those who left their homes in Allah's cause. Let them forgive and
overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? Verily! Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most
Merciful." (24.22) After that Abu Bakr said, 'Yes ! By Allah! I like that Allah should forgive
me,' and resumed helping Mistah whom he used to help before.

Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) also asked Zainab bint Jahsh (i.e. the Prophet's wife about me saying, 'What
do you know and what did you see?' She replied, 'O Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him)! I refrain to claim
hearing or seeing what I have not heard or seen. By Allah, I know nothing except goodness about 'Aisha." Aisha further added "Zainab was competing with me (in her beauty and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) love), yet Allah protected her (from being malicious), for she had piety."

The Story of Moosa (Moses peace be upon him) and Firon (Pharoah) : (Post 1)

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.


Tua Ha.[1] We have not sent down this Qur’an to put you to trouble,[2] but as a reminder to those who fear Allah.[3] This is a revelation from Him Who has created the earth and the lofty Heavens,[4] the Beneficent (Allah) Who is firmly established on the throne of authority,[5] to Him belongs whatever is in the Heavens and in the earth, and all that lies between them, and all that is beneath the soil.[6] The One to Whom you need not speak aloud; for He knows what is said in secret and what is yet more hidden.[7] He is Allah! There is no deity worthy of worship except Him! To Him belong the most beautiful Names.[8]



Have you heard the story of Moses?[9] When he saw a fire, he said to his family:
"Wait! I saw a fire. I may be able to bring some fire or find someone beside the fire to guide us towards the right direction."[10] When he reached there, he was called: "O Moses![11] In fact, I am your Lord! Take off your shoes, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa.[12] I have chosen you, so listen to what I am about to reveal.[13] It is Me, Allah; there is none worthy of worship except Me, so worship Me and establish Salah for My remembrance.[14] The final Hour is sure to come, I choose to keep it hidden, so that every soul may be rewarded according to its efforts.[15] Therefore, let not any, who does not believe in this fact and follow his own desires, turn your away, lest you should perish."[16]


"O Moses what is in your right hand?"[17]

Moses replied: "It is my staff; I lean on it, I beat down fodder with it for my flocks and I have also other uses for it."[18]

Allah said
"Toss it down O Moses."[19] So he tossed it down and saw that it became a snake active in motion.[20] Allah said: "Catch it and don’t be afraid, We shall change it to its original shape.[21] Now put your hand under your armpit, it shall become shining white without hurting you, this will be another Sign.[22] These miracles are given to you, in order to show you some of Our Great Signs.[23] Now go to Pharoah (Pharaoh) for he has indeed transgressed all bounds." [24]



Moses prayed: "O Lord! Open my heart,[25] ease my task[26] and remove the
impediment from my speech[27] so that people may understand what I say[28] and grant me a minister from my family;[29] Haroon my brother.[30] Grant me strength through him[31] and let him share my task,[32] so that we may glorify You frequently[33] and mention You often;[34] for You are the One Who has always been watching over us."[35]



Allah responded: "Your request is granted, O Moses.[36] We had indeed bestowed a favor on you before,[37] when We revealed Our will to your mother saying:[38] 'Put your child into the chest and throw the chest into the river.
The river will cast him on to the bank and he will be picked up by one who is an
enemy to Me and an enemy to him.' I made you an object of love and so arranged things that you may be brought up under My supervision.[39]


Recall when your sister went to them and said: 'May I tell you of the one who can take care of this child?’
Thus did We return you back to your mother to comfort her eyes and that she might not grieve. Again when you killed a man, We saved you from great distress and We tested you through various trials. You stayed a number of years with the people of Median. Now you have come here per Our pre-ordainment, O Moses.[40] I have molded you for My service.[41] You and your brother should go with My Signs and do not neglect to mention Me.[42] Go both of you to Pharoah, for he has indeed transgressed all bounds.[43] Speak to him in gentle words; perhaps he may take heed of the reminder or fear Our punishment."[44]


Moses and Haroon said: "Our Lord! We fear that he may behave towards us unjustly or may cross all bounds."[45]

Allah said: "Do not be afraid, I shall be with you both. I hear everything and see
everything.[46] So go to him and say 'Surely we both are Messengers of your Lord.
Let the Children of Israel go with us and oppress them no more. We have brought you a Sign from your Lord; may peace be upon him who follows the guidance.[47]
Indeed it has been revealed to us that the scourge will fall on those who deny this fact and turn away’."[48] 20:[25-48]



When Moses and Haroon went to Pharoah and delivered this message , he said:
"Well, who is your Lord O Moses?"[49]

Moses replied: "Our Lord is He Who has given a distinctive form to all creatures and then rightly guided them."[50]

Pharoah asked: "What do you say about the condition of previous generations?"[51] Moses replied: "That knowledge is with my Lord, duly recorded in a Book. He neither makes
a mistake nor does He forget."[52] He is the One Who has made the earth a cradlefor you, traced the roads on it for you to walk on; and sends down water from the sky with which We produce pairs of various kinds of vegetation[53] - eat from these yourselves and pasture your cattle. Surely there are Signs in it for those who use their brains.[54]
We have created you from the earth, into it We shall return you and from it We shall bring you back to life once again.[55]


We showed Pharoah all kinds of Our Signs, but he denied them and gave no heed.[56]

He said: "Have you come to drive us out of our land with your magic O Moses?[57]