Month: December 2023

This post was originally written on August 25, 2018. If you find this post insightful, please share with your friends, colleagues, family and loved ones. Jazakallah khair. Let’s spread this blog throughout the world!

I have many friends who are Muslim, so when we go out and eat, I am amazed that they don’t try to consume halal food. They will eat chicken, or beef at a restaurant, while I eat veggie based dishes or fish (carefully looking at the ingredients, of course). They believe that since it’s hard to find halal places, they can make an exception and eat chicken or beef at restaurants. I get it, but if you can’t find anything halal, then stick to vegetarian, vegan or fish dishes (if you like fish, that is, because not everyone does). Side note: Of course, I used to be this way a long time ago when I was venturing out in the college world, and would eat chicken mostly at restaurants without thinking about where the chicken came from or if it was even halal. I made some changes in my life though when I left college, and have alhamdulillah stayed 100% halal when eating out.

I remember, I’d come home and have conversations with my mom about how my some of my Muslim friends didn’t consume halal food when we’re out at restaurants. In fact, a couple of my friends told me they don’t buy halal meat and just buy whatever they need from their local Ralphs or Vons when there are halal meat butchers literally 5 minutes away. That left me baffled because unfortunately, places like Vons and Ralphs don’t carry halal meat, or really, anything halal. Jons has halal lamb from New Zealand and Australia, and even then, I usually won’t buy that unless it has the “halal” sign that’s pictured below (for those reading who are not Muslim and don’t know what the halal sign looks like).

Side Note: The good news is that many nutrition based grocery stores have started carrying halal items – frozen dinners are now halal (depending on the company) and many international grocery stores in the United States carry halal items as well. You can find Saffron Road in most Sprouts, and Whole Foods locations. You can find halal meats at Walmart under the name Crescent Halal. Not every location has this though, so do some Googling and find out if your location has Crescent halal foods. 

The interesting thing is that we have many local halal meat shops close to us where they can go and buy meat (and support our Muslim businesses at the same time), but some of my Muslim brothers and sisters choose not to for whatever their reasons are.

I get it. Everything we do is a choice we make – it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is the right choice though.

If we choose to be halal in everything we eat, and even with our jobs (careers), Allah SWT will make our lives easier and our duas will be answered in a much more deeper way that brings us closer to Allah SWT.

I’ve heard many of my friends complain about the issues they’re dealing with in life. They don’t know how to overcome them despite the duas they constantly make, and then I see them consuming non-halal things, or doing work that is not helping them to bring in halal income.

Think about it…as Muslims, Allah SWT wants us to obey His commands and we are encouraged to follow the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet (SAW). Our five daily prayers, remembrance of the Oneness of Allah SWT through dhikr, fasting during Ramadan and in other times of the year, going to Hajj once in our lifetime, giving in charity (Zakat) and doing good for others are the pillars of Islam that Allah SWT wants us to commit ourselves to.

Aside from the pillars, there are other things we must commit to if we want to create a close relationship with Allah SWT and see our duas manifest:

– We should not backbite and gossip nor should we judge others for their past mistakes or really, for anything that’s none of our business.
– We should treat others with respect.
– We should not show off and be prideful.
– We should do good deeds as much as possible.
– If we want to go to Jannah, we have to work on ourselves on a spiritual, emotional, mental and physical level.
– We should help others in this world as much as we can if we want to attain success.

The biggest one we need to work on is to commit to only halal means if we want our duas to be answered.

If we gamble and make profit through the gambling process, if we sell items that are prohibited, such as alcohol and illegal drugs and we use that profit to take care of our families, we end up hurting ourselves and stray from the path of Allah SWT. How could we expect Allah SWT to answer our duas and bring us the best if our earnings come from haram means, which we have been strictly forbidden from doing?

If we are eating meat that is not halal, we are not following the commands of our Rabb (SWT).

I have seen some of my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters whose earnings were not coming from halal sources. Some of them didn’t have a choice in where they were working however. Or at least, that’s what it felt like – they had to work where they were at because it was all they could do at the time. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it seems hard to make the right choices and you have to do what you have to if you need to survive. I understand.

There were some of my friends who were eating food from McDonalds and other places – hamburgers made from beef (or I suppose so called beef since they add so many chemicals, and pink slime…), and made on the same skillets as the pork that was cooked just earlier.

Or they were purchasing meat from stores such as Ralph’s and Vons rather than purchasing halal meat from our local halal butcher shops.

Depending on where we live, there are a variety of halal butchers and halal restaurants that cater to Muslims, and yet, some of my friends were eating at restaurants that do not use halal meat and cook in the same containers as pork and alcohol are cooked in, rendering the food haram; not even makruh.

Let me explain a little about what makruh actually means –

It means something that is not considered necessarily haram, but that it is disapproved of. For example, eating chicken from McDonalds may not be haram, but unless it is out of necessity that one has to eat that because it is to save their life, it is considered makruh. It is best to avoid anything that is makruh, and stay as halal as possible. Why should we do something that Allah SWT does not like?

We have strict Islamic dietary laws which forbids us from consuming certain foods due to their haram nature, such as pork. We should eat only that upon which Allah SWT’s name is stated. We are told that when we slaughter the animal, it must be done in a humane way. During the time of slaughter, we must say “Bismillah-ir Rahman Nir-Raheem” and using a special sharp knife, slaughter the veins of the animal in a way that the animal does not feel pain. We cannot eat animals that have died or were killed by something else. We cannot eat certain sea creatures (although there are some differences in the Four Madhabs – Hanafi forbid the eating of shellfish such as crabs, lobsters, mussels, clams, squid, and scallops, but dispute about shrimp. Shafi madhab says it is okay because they are part of the ocean).

Some scholars have stated that actually eating non halal meats, such as chicken and beef (aside from pork) is also considered haram, and not even makruh.

My friends who are not Muslim know I am strictly halal, as well as I consume no alcohol ever, and try their best to accommodate me whenever possible.

A great example was a few weeks ago – the dean of my University actually decided to celebrate me by having a luncheon with the faculty and staff. She told me to come and meet with her for lunch, then surprised me by getting food from P.F. Changs (an American-Chinese fusion restaurant) and a beautiful card everyone signed for me for all the work I’ve done and for congratulating me on graduating.

Because she is aware of my religious dietary restrictions, she made sure they got a lot of vegetarian dishes that did not have any meat or any type of alcohol in it. I did find out that the restaurant does cook their vegetarian meals separately from their meat dishes. Having non-Muslim friends respect me in that way really means so much to me.

My friends who are Muslim but do not consume halal also know about my restrictions and help me to find places that are halal we can either go to, or vegetarian restaurants. Vegan restaurants are my favorite places when I can’t find anything halal to eat.

Let me share a little bit of my background…a long time ago, I thought it was okay to eat chicken and beef even when out in restaurants because I thought since it wasn’t pork, and it was only makruh, it was okay. I saw my Muslim friends eating beef and chicken while out at restaurants as well.

Then I realized that if I wanted to have closeness with Allah SWT, and ensure that my duas are being answered, I have to eat only halal and not consume makruh or non-halal food while out. Our mufti also told us that even though we are told that the chicken and beef and other meats are makruh, in fact, they are haram (like I stated above, that some scholars consider other non-halal meats to be haram).

The reason why?

The animals are killed inhumanely, and are not blessed with the name of Allah SWT. They are not good for us to eat energetically due to the fear enzymes that have stayed inside their bodies during their killings (there is scientific evidence out there now to prove that). To top it off, the ONLY time it is okay to eat chicken, beef, lamb or other meats that are not halal is when there is a need for it due to sickness, and there are absolutely no halal places in sight that provide halal products. Kosher would be okay at this point because they follow similar dietary restrictions as Muslims, except without the name of Allah SWT when they slaughter the animal. Everything else is similar when it comes to dietary laws and slaughtering.

However, side note – it does not mean we can eat Kosher meat. Even that is not for our consumption unless it is absolutely necessary and you are in an area where no halal meat is available.

And no, reading Bismillah over the meat you’re about to eat is not going to make it halal because it should have already been halal from the moment the butcher said bismillah during the slaughtering process. I’ve heard this so many times from the people in my community that they think it’s okay to eat chicken from the grocery store so long as they said Bismillah over it before eating it with the idea that it will become halal that way. No, not true. Sorry but I do have to roll my eyes on this one because it’s not true. Yes, we say Bismillah before we eat, but that doesn’t mean the meal will become halal.

One should say bismillah before eating, but saying bismillah and blowing on a piece of cooked chicken does not make it halal. The meat itself is not halal unless slaughtered by humane Islamic means.

The name of Allah SWT must be said during the time of slaughter. Not after the fact. For those of you who may have believed otherwise, sorry for letting you down about that.

Alhamdulillah, we now have many, many places where there are halal restaurants, halal butchers, and grocery chains that carry halal products. One of my favorites is Saffron Road. Sadaf also carries halal products, and so do many others now. They also sell them in regular grocery stores. I have also seen halal ground lamb, and other

We really do not have an excuse.

Also, many foods cooked in restaurants are not cooked in separate pans and pots. Some are cooked in the same pot as pork is cooked in. That means the food becomes haram anyway.

To top it off, some of the dishes contain wine or other alcohol. While they say the alcohol is cooked away, it’s not 100% cooked down and there are some remnants of the alcohol left. That makes the dish haram for us, and we cannot eat it.

A month ago I was at an Awards and Installation Luncheon hosted by my Toastmasters district. The luncheon was at an Italian restaurant. When it was time to eat, we had a buffet style pizza, pasta and bread filled with the most delicious cheese. But I had to make sure the pizza and pasta I had was vegetarian and was not cooked with any meat.

When it was my turn to get the pasta, one of the servers started putting pasta on my plate. I noticed that it looked like the sauce had meat in it and asked. The server said the other pasta was vegetarian so he quickly took out the pasta he put in my plate, and the other server put the vegetarian pasta instead.

Needless to say, I couldn’t eat the pizza. It was too greasy, lol! But the cheese bread was heaven sent.

Later on, we were being served dessert. It was Tiramisu.

Now, I love eating sweets, but many desserts have alcohol in them. I watch a lot of Food Network and cooking shows, so I see what they add to desserts and certain dishes. I also have a certificate in culinary arts, so I had to see first-hand my peers using wine to cook their dishes, and I avoided it with all costs. I remember having to let my instructor know I could not cook with nor eat food that was made with alcohol, nor could I eat meat if it was not halal. He was a wonderful man, and very flexible, allowing me to use vinegar as a substitute for dishes I would cook without having to taste if I had to use beef that was not halal.

Anyhow, I was getting ready to take a bite of this Tiramisu. My fork cut through the corner of the cake so I could eat it and suddenly, I didn’t. I had this urge to ask about the ingredients first. I told my friends and one of them said she felt as if she tasted the alcohol in the cake, and she’s never had alcohol before.

My other friend then got the server, and together, we asked what the ingredients were in the Tiramisu.

She said it had marsala wine in it. That did it for me.

I did not eat that Tiramisu. The server was very nice and understood my not eating anything with alcohol in it due to religious restrictions, so she brought me a scoop of ice cream instead (picture below).

I’m lactose intolerant….that’s another story and my stomach definitely wasn’t happy yesterday, but I gladly accepted it and did eat a couple of bites of the ice cream.

Had I not asked, nor been aware of the fact that alcohol is usually put into Tiramisu, I would have eaten something that would not have been good for me in the long run. But Allah SWT knows our intentions and forgives especially when it is unintentional because we did not know.

You have to be aware of what you’re eating and never be afraid to ask or inquire. Sometimes, they may list a name that you don’t know about and think it’s all vegetarian until you see otherwise.

Have you ever eaten something, and did not know what was in it?

It’s happened to me a couple of times, and then I ask Allah SWT to forgive me because I didn’t know.

For example – one day, I was at Starbucks. I am usually very careful and read ingredients before buying anything to consume. I got an egg salad sandwich. I read the ingredients and everything seemed okay. There was a long list of ingredients, and I apparently missed the ingredient “white wine” that was mixed in with the egg salad. I ate the sandwich, and while I was eating it, I read the ingredients once again. That’s when I saw the “white wine” and I stopped eating immediately and threw the last few bites of the sandwich away. May Allah SWT forgive me for it. I was begging for forgiveness because I did not see that and did not know.

One other time, I was out with a friend at a breakfast place. I ordered an egg omelet, and thought it was vegetarian. The ingredients were all vegetarian, or so I thought. When I took a bite of the omelet, I tasted meat, and I asked my friend to look at it because I thought it was vegetarian.

Nope. I was so wrong.

There was pork in it in the form of andouille sausage….astaghfarullah!!

When she told me that there was pork in the omelet, I was upset and immediately in my mind asked Allah SWT to forgive me. Then I asked the waiter to come and take away my dish because I thought it was vegetarian. I asked him why it had pork in it, when it was supposed to be vegetarian. Well, my bad. I didn’t know that andouille was sausage and that it was even made of pork. It just said andouille and I thought it was a sauce. LOL! I was so embarrassed, and I have a culinary certificate, but didn’t know what the heck andouille was. Shame on me, right? LOL! I had to laugh at that one. Now that I know, I steer clear of it.

I told my mom about what had happened and how bad I felt. She said, “Don’t worry, you didn’t know, so Allah SWT will forgive you for it because it was unintentional.”

This is why based off of my experiences, I always say to be aware of things, and always ask questions. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

A few weeks ago, I was at my friend’s baby’s one year old birthday party. Her family are strictly halal (which is super great!) and she told me that she ordered Mexican halal. I had NO idea there was a Mexican halal restaurant called Pura Vida (in Carson, CA), and mashallah, the food was so delicious. Now that I know about it, I’m taking my family there when we want Mexican food. Look around. You will find places that are halal and cater to your tastebuds.

We really need to support our local halal restaurants, eateries, bakeries, and butchers. So I do encourage all of you to inquire in your cities and see what is there. Try them out, then use word of mouth to spread the news to others who may enjoy that restaurant, eatery, bakery, or butcher, etc.
And if there is a doubt that a restaurant which says they are halal may not be serving all halal meat, ask questions. If they say it is halal, we should accept it. Unless we find proof that they serve non-halal meat, we should not point accusatory fingers. I’ve seen people do that, causing chaos in the communities because the wrong information spreads, ending up ruining someone’s business reputation who truly is serving halal food and products.

Our mufti told us that if someone gives you food and says it is halal, but that person knows it’s not and you eat it with belief it is halal, you will not be the one in trouble for eating it. The person serving you the food will have to answer to Allah SWT because of their intention to deceive.

Allah SWT looks at our intentions. If we had absolutely no knowledge and we ate something that had an ingredient we weren’t supposed to consume, we will be forgiven. If we do it intentionally knowing that the food contained haram ingredients we should not consume, but we do it anyway, or we feed someone else with it, then maybe that speaks more about our characters, values and morals than about anything else. We need to check into ourselves spiritually at all times, and make sure we follow the guidance of Allah SWT as written in the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW).

I’ve been to places where when I ask if a particular dish has alcohol in it, the servers give me a strange look and wonder why am I asking so many questions. There are many people who have sensitivities as well and must ask about what their food contains before ordering it, so I would think servers would be more sensitive about customers’ needs instead of looking at us as if we’re weird. Oh well….

Our source of income must come from our own hard work, and the profit must not come from haram sources such as selling alcohol, illegal drugs, pork, and gambling. Our food must be halal and good for us to consume.

If we want our duas answered, and we want to see miracles happen, then it is important to stay halal at all times. It is harder when we are living in places where finding halal means of work and food may be hard to come by, but our intentions are to try. Only under extreme emergency situations, should a person consume kosher meat or meat from the market that is not halal. And when I say extreme emergency, it’s where there is absolutely no halal stores or places, and this meat is what you need to keep you from becoming sick or ill or to help you survive.

Please brothers and sisters, do your very best to stay halal at ALL times. Ask questions, look for local halal restaurants, stores, meat shops, etc.

Here are a couple of companies that sell halal (only eat kosher if there is no halal products to be found anywhere). I can update this further as I get more information.

– Saffron Road: They belong to the American Halal Company Inc., and certified by IFANCA They are halal and delicious if you are looking for some quick frozen meals to heat up and eat. https://saffronroad.com/

– Midamar Halal products – they can be found in many stores depending on your location. In Los Angeles, we can find them in our local halal grocers freezer, Valley Produce and other middle eastern markets as well. We’ve ordered from them before and they have good halal meat. http://www.midamar.com/Content/Services/Halal-Foods/Midamar-Halal-Brand.aspx

– For halal vitamins, check out Solgar. They are kosher and halal certified the last I checked and saw a halal sign on them. http://www.solgar.com.

There are other halal items available that I will post once I get more information.

Fi Amanillah

– Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on March 2, 2018. Please share this with your friends and family. Three more parts in this series will be written soon – these first three kalimahs are already posted. Jazakallah khair for reading and for your support!

First Kalimah Tayyab – Words of Purity and Oneness

How many of us read kalimahs daily? We talk about duas, and reading verses from the Qur’an, but next to reading durood/salawat in abundance, we also must read kalimahs in abundance. I’ve decided to create a six-part series on the six kalimahs that we should be reading daily, doing dhikr of it as much as possible.

The first part we’re discussing today is the First Kalimah – It is called Kalimah Tayyab, or “The Purest Words.”

The First Kalimah is – La ilaha illallahu Muhammadar Rasoolullah. This means “There is no one worthy of worship except for Allah, and Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah.”

What are the virtues of reading the first kalimah? Why should we read this daily?

By reading this kalimah, we are stating the Oneness of Allah SWT, and the truth of Allah SWT. We receive so much humbleness from reading this kalimah because we acknowledge that Allah SWT is one, and we acknowledge that our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger – Allah SWT sent down our final messenger (SAW) to spread Allah SWT’s message of Islam, set examples to show us how to become the leaders of Islam (we can learn much about leadership through our Prophet (SAW)), and how to make dua, and dhikr to consistently remember Allah SWT.

There are many other virtues of reading this kalimah. Read it 100 times a day, or even 1000 times a day if you are able to. Read it in the morning after Fajr prayer, and in the evening before going to bed.

As you read this, the Noor of Allah SWT will give you guidance. You will receive the utmost blessings in this world and in the akhirah. And when you make dua after reading this kalimah, Allah SWT will accept your duas, inshallah.

So much barakah (mercies and blessings) of Allah SWT will shine on you, and in your heart, a place will open up to connecting with Allah SWT even more than ever.

It is because you are reciting the very foundation of what Islam is about – the Oneness of Allah SWT and acceptance of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as His Messenger. We cannot equate any partners with Allah SWT for it is only Him and Him alone Who has created us and this world and is the King of the Universe, the Heavens, and everything in the Unseen that we are unable to fathom. That is why we call Him the Lord of the Worlds.

It is said that when you read the First Kalimah Tayyab in abundance, your face will shine like the moon on the Day of Judgement.

My mom reads Kalimah Tayyab in abundance every morning alhamdulillah. I have started reading it myself when I am able to during the week and doing the dhikr is not only a beautiful thing, but I notice how good I feel after spending even 10 minutes reading Kalimah Tayyab.

For women during their monthly time, they can also continue to read this in abundance. It is not necessary to have the tasbeeh beads. You can read it while you are sitting, standing, working, driving, etc. It is through this dhikr that you constantly remember Allah SWT is One and claim that daily through reading this tasbeeh.

Read this kalimah in abundance and with ikhlaas. Allah SWT will bring to you things you will not know about – and you will see duas being fulfilled, utmost blessings and above all, closeness to Allah SWT. This kalimah will help stop you from sins, and “indulging in the forbidden things” as a hadith says – “One who recites La ilaha illallah with ikhlaas will enter paradise, and will prevent one from indulging in the forbidden things.”

Reading the First Kalimah will help your faith, imaan, yaqeen and tawakkul in Allah SWT strong. Your sins are forgiven, erased by reading Kalimah Tayyab, and instead, good things, virtues are written under your account. You will be granted forgiveness as you read this kalimah. La Ilaha Illallah outweights everything else in the world on the scale. It will outweigh the universe! That’s how powerful this Kalimah is and why you should make it a habit to read this every day as much as possible in abundance.

My family’s Mufti has told us to read this in abundance 70,000 times – it can be done in increments totaling 70,000 (it could take couple of months, but the point is to read this dhikr in abundance). Reading this will help you become safe from hell fire, and take away worries, and grief. You will feel at peace. You don’t have to read 70,000 times.  However, read it 100 times every morning and evening and make it a daily part of your life.

I will say this – don’t leave home without reciting this kalimah at least 100 times in the day. It doesn’t take any more than 5 minutes of your time. You can even recite kalimah while driving, or sitting at your desk at work, or while you are waiting to talk to customer service on the phone (seriously, I had to wait an hour and a half at one point for customer service to help me with an issue).

In the next part, I discussed the second kalimah – Kalimah Shahadah, and the virtues of reading that kalimah. You can read that post by clicking here. If you would like to be notified about when I publish my next blog post, please email me at aasiyah at draasiyah.com, so that you can be notified when I write my latest posts. Feel free to share this blog with anyone who will benefit. After all, reading kalimah should be a HUGE part of our lives, along with reading durood/salawat daily and astaghfar.

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on March 15, 2018. Please note that these blogs are not being brought back in order, so if you are looking for Part 1 and Part 3, I will link them below. Jazakallah khair for reading! Please share this with your friends and family as well. The more my blog is shared, the more sadaqah e jariyah will be given to my family and progeny inshallah.

As Muslims, we declare the Oneness of Allah SWT, and that there is no one else but Allah SWT. Without this, we are not Muslims – at least, not true Muslims. Because Islam is based on monotheism, we are told that it is Allah SWT we must obey, and pray to. It is Him who has created the entire heavens and the earth, and everything in between.

The second Kalimah is the following:

Ashhadu Al-laa Ilaaha Illa-llaahu Wahdahoo Laa Shareeka Lahoo, Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammadan ‘Abduhoo Wa Rasooluhu. This means:

I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One alone, without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

What are the virtues of reading the second kalimah?

Well, first of all, this kalimah is about the testimonial we make – the oath we make to always remember that our Lord is Allah SWT alone, and that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the messenger of Allah SWT. Let me break this down further.

Ashhadu al-laa ilaaha illa-llaahu means bearing witness that Allah SWT is the only One worthy of our worship. We do not worship anyone or anything else aside from our Lord of the Worlds. No one has created us except for Allah SWT, so therefore, we must obey Him, and praise Him.

When we say the first part of the Shahadah, we are giving our testimony that Allah SWT is the only God. There is no other God. Allah SWT does not have children, does not have parents, or partners. We do not ascribe partnership with Allah SWT. He is the One, and that is all.

Wahdahoo laa shareeka lahu means there is no other being, or shareek other than Allah SWT. Whoever ascribes others to Allah SWT does not believe in the Oneness of Allah SWT or in Islam. This is the very foundation of our religion. It is what our souls had witnessed before we were all born on this earth through Prophet Adam (AS).

Finally, wa ashhadu anna muhammadan ‘abduhoo wa rasoolahu means there that our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah SWT. Messenger means that he is a human being who came to guide us to the path of Allah SWT. He is not a partner of Allah SWT, nor is he another being. Our Prophet (SAW) was a human being, and he was the personification of leadership. He led us toward Islam again.

Now, why is this line so important in the Shahadah? Why is it specifically mentioned that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger here?

There is a good reason.

When Prophet Isa (AS) was born, he was born through the miracle of Allah SWT. Mariam (RA) was not married and was a virgin when she gave birth to Prophet Isa (AS). With him came the book, the Injeel, which has since then become known as the Bible.

As we know, Christians believe that Prophet Isa (AS), also known as Jesus Christ in the Christian religion, is the son of God.

Astaghfarullah! May Allah SWT provide forgiveness. This is not true and it even says it in the Bible, where Prophet Isa (Alayhis Salaam) says that he is nothing without his Lord and that the Lord of the Worlds is but One.

Therefore, the line in the Shahadah becomes even more important for us to know that just as all the other prophets who have come into this world (those who are mentioned specifically in the Quran and those who have not been mentioned), they were all human beings. They were not God, and should never be considered as such. They are like all of us, but Allah SWT enlightened their hearts and souls so they could deliver the message of Islam, and the true Oneness of Allah SWT.

Reading the Shahadah is important. It is a part of the Five Pillars of Islam, and we read this, sans the wahdahoo la shareeka lahu part, during our Tashahhud. When we raise our right index finger during the Tashahhud, we say:

Ashhadu Al-laa Ilaaha Illa-llaahu, Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammadan ‘Abduhoo Wa Rasooluhu

In every salaah, we bear witness that there is no one but Allah SWT, and that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is the Messenger of Allah SWT.

Is the Shahadah the key to paradise?

If one reads the Shahadah with pure sincerity, yaqeen, with the acceptance that Allah SWT is our Lord, and we ask Him to forgive us, we obey His commands, and we love our Lord more than anything else, this will be the key to paradise.

However if one reads this, but has no sincerity in his or her heart, and believe reading this will protect them and provide them entry to Jannah, they will not have that key. The reason is because a person can say this and still be a hypocrite if they do not have the full belief in their hearts.

Only Allah SWT knows the true intentions of our heart. Therefore, whenever you say the shahadah, say it with love, with the utmost respect and sincerity. Doing dhikr of this kalimah often will provide you with more love and insight of the Oneness of Allah SWT.

If you missed the first part of the Kalimah series, please click here to read about Kalimah Tayyab.

Look out for the third part of the Kalimah series here. Please share this blog and any of my other blog posts with your family, friends and on social media so it can spread around the world. The more Islamic knowledge we spread, the better it is for everyone, subhanallah.

-Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on March 23, 2018. Please share this post with others you know who would enjoy reading this and learning more about the Kalimahs. Jazakallah khair.

The third kalimah is one of the best, and the most beautiful kalimahs to read. It starts like this:

Subhanallahi wal hamdulillahi, wa la ilaha illallaho wa allahu akbar, wa la hawla, wa la quwwata illa billahil ‘aleeul ‘azeem.

Before I break down each part of this kalimah, I want to explain why we should be reading this daily.

First, reading Kalimah Tamjeed helps with removing anxiety, depression and stress. Life can get in the way, and sometimes, things get so hard that we feel upset, and sad. Doing daily dhikr of this kalimah will aid with not only removing the feelings of sadness, depression, stress or anxiety, but it will also help with taking away any calamities that may come our way.

This is another reason to keep reading the Kalimah Tamjeed. Allah SWT, through His Mercy, protects you from castastrophes and mishaps that may occur.

Reading a tasbeeh of Kalimah Tamjeed every morning after Fajr salaah will bring so much abundance and prosperity in your life. One tasbeeh – 99 beads, and you get what??

Prosperity.

Abundance.

Forgiveness of sins.

This kalimah contains a special word – Subhanallah. Subhanallah means “perfection of Allah SWT.” When you simply read a tasbeeh of Subhanallah, you will reap rewards! It is glorifying Allah SWT through remembrance and dhikr of Subhanallah.

So when you read the kalimah in its entirety, you will feel relief, see prosperity, attain forgiveness, and enhance your own spiritual closeness with Allah SWT.

When you read the following: “la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah,” Allah SWT will plant trees on your behalf in Jannah. Wouldn’t you want trees growing in Jannah for you because you read this dhikr daily?

In fact, reading this entire kalimah will plant trees for you in Jannah.

There is a hadith I was reading in one of my Islamic books, where the Prophet (SAW) went for Miraj. During the Miraj, Prophet Ibrahim (AS) met with our Prophet (SAW) and first stated for our Prophet (SAW) to give his salaam to his ummah (all of us). Prophet Ibrahim (AS) then proceeded to tell our Prophet (SAW) to tell his ummah (us) that the dirt of Jannah (heaven) is pure and clean, that the rivers are clear and located in a place that is just like a desert. There is nothing in there except for the rivers and the pure, clean soil. However, as each of us read the third kalimah Tamjeed, trees will be planted. Then this place in Jannah will be so full of trees. Whoever reads this kalimah the most will see the reward of his trees planted in Jannah.

How beautiful is this? Our dhikr of this beautiful kalimah will plant trees in Jannah. Just as we physically plant trees here, the words of this kalimah we utter in just five or ten minutes per day will fill Jannah with trees on our behalf.

Now, let me break down each part of the kalimah…

Subhanallahi wal hamdulillahi…

 Glory be to Allah SWT, and praise to Allah SWT

We glorify Allah SWT all the time and we remember him during both our good times and bad times. It is Allah SWT who is there for us. He takes the time to listen to our duas and to answer them.

wa la ilaha illallaho wa allahu akbar…

 There is none worthy of worship except Allah SWT and Allah SWT is the Greatest.

Again, we see the shahadah in a way being repeated – that there is only one Allah SWT and no other god other than Him. He is the Only One we pray to, we supplicate to and who will relieve us from our hardships. Allah SWT is the Greatest because he is Lord of the Worlds and has created the entire universe. Therefore, it is only Allah SWT we should worship.

wa la hawla, wa la quwwata illa billahil ‘aleeul ‘azeem

There is no power other than Allah SWT, and He is the Exalted, the Great.

The last part of this kalimah reminds us that only Allah SWT has the power to do everything. Our taqdeer is in the Hands of Allah SWT. We are powerless without Him. This reminds us that we are human beings in need of our Lord to always be there for us. And somewhere in between this verse, we also see the yaqeen (certainty) and the tawakkul (trust) we need in our reliance upon our Lord to bring us out of problems, to remember Him daily, and to know everything is in His hands. Truly, it is.

This verse actually takes me to every moment in my life where only reliance upon Allah SWT was what had gotten my mom and I through some very rough times. Allah SWT is the one who brings us to it, and brings us out of it – meaning, we are tested. Sometimes, our tests are hard, and sometimes it is a little easy. However, it is always a reminder that Allah SWT is the one with the power to change our taqdeer (destiny). We do not. We have free will, choices, but it is Allah SWT who guides us and coaches us to where we are meant to be.

There is a special prayer related to this kalimah, called Salaat-e-Tasbeeh. I will write more about this in another post because it is quite long to talk about it. I want to explain the methodology of it, how to pray it, and that will be long in itself. If you’ve subscribed, you will get an email letting you know when I’ve written about it.

In the meantime, please enjoy this post, and share it with everyone using the social media and email links you see in this blog. You can also subscribe, if you haven’t yet, by providing your contact info in the box below.

The next kalimah I will talk about will be Kalimah Tauheed. Stay tuned!

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on May 17, 2018.

First of all, I want to wish all of you a very blessed Ramadan Mubarak! May Allah SWT make all of your fasts easy and may all of your fasts be accepted throughout this holy month.

There is so much barakat (blessings) during Ramadan. This is the month the Qur’an was first revealed. This is the month when doing good acts will lead to closeness to Allah SWT and the duties we are obligated to will be considered fulfilled. If a person does their obligatory duties, such as reading the five daily prayers, taking care of parents, and children, or giving in alms, it will be as if the individual has fulfilled seventy obligatory duties. The reward of this month is immense and filled with gold – that’s pretty much what I’m saying – it’s gold.

It is also the month when our duas are more accepted and answered by Allah SWT, especially during the last ten days of Ramadan when the night of Laylatul Qadr will occur in any one of the odd nights. The night of Laylatul Qadr, known as the Night of Decree (or Power) is a very important night. However, we are told it is in any one of the odd numbers of the last ten nights of Ramadan, and we are not sure exactly what night that could be.

For the most part, the majority of the world assumes the 27^th of Ramadan to be Laylatul Qadr. It is believed that the first verses of the Qur’an was revealed during the time of Laylatul Qadr.

Why is this night so special? The Night of Decree/Power? 

Have you heard of Surah Al ‘Alaq? This Surah means The Clot.

It starts with the following verse:

“Iqra bismi rabbikal laze khalaq. Khalaqal insaana min ‘alaq”

Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created.

Has created man from a clot (of blood)

These verses form the beginning of this Surah, which was first revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) when he was in the Cave of Hira. Thus, began the revelations of the Quran for the period of 23 years, until the death of the Prophet (SAW).

This is the night Allah SWT decrees who will be forgiven for their sins. It is the night of blessings, mercy, and when duas are answered the most. It’s not to say our duas are not answered most in other times outside of Ramadan, rather, Ramadan is the most holiest of months and the more we pray, the more it is answered. During Suhoor (Sehri) and Iftaar, when one makes dua, Allah SWT answers it for Allah SWT says He answers the supplicaitons of the person who is fasting.

During the month of Ramadan, sins will be forgiven for the good deeds we do. If we offer iftaar to someone who is fasting, Allah SWT will forgive us of our sins more and good deeds will be written.

Fasting in itself is a benefit for our health and well-being. In fact, we should fast often, which is why we have supererogatory (beyond the call) days of fasting during other months, such as the six days in Shawwal.

In fact, I decided that I will start fasting at least 3 times per month, and more during the winter months because of the spiritual cleansing, and closeness that is created with Allah SWT during the fasting period.

For the last ten nights of Ramadan, it’s great to have a plan as far as supplicating and being in more prayer. Even if Laylatul Qadr falls on any of the odd nights, one should supplicate, and do as much dhikr as possible during each of the ten nights of Ramadan.

Every night, for as long as you can stay awake, do dhikr of the following:

1. Durood/Salawat
2. Istighfar (my favorite one is “Allahumma inni astaghfiruka min kulli zambeou wa atoobu ilaik” or “astaghfarullahi rabbi min kulli zambeou wa atoobu ilaihi“
3. Third kalimah Tamjeed (read the virtues of this kalimah here)
4. “Subhanallahi wa bihamdihi, subhanallahil azeem”

Read Quran – if you are trying to finish reading the Quran, then I suggest you double up on your reading as much as possible.

The best thing that one can do in the last ten days is reflect. If you like to journal, I suggest you find a nice journal from your closest bookstore, or office supply store, and use it as a reflection journal for Ramadan. What has this month taught you? What areas have you seen improvement in regarding your imaan? What areas do you feel you need to work more on to increase your deen? What have you noticed about yourself in this month that has been different from other months?

It is good to reflect upon the fact that Ramadan teaches us firstly, how to be patient. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we are dealing with long days of fasting – 16 to 18 hours for the majority of us, and some it’s even longer, up to 22 hours depending on the location. For those in the Southern Hemisphere (think Australia, Southern America, South Africa, etc.) we are dealing with shorter fasts. Iftaar is longer and there is time to eat, and spend time in taraweeh.

Heck, those of you in the Southern Hemisphere  are mashallah, so lucky and can eat Suhoor later, while also having your 8 hours of sleep. Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere don’t sleep. I’m not! I am sleep deprived! 

Ramadan not only teaches us patience, but it also teaches us the benefits of fasting. We aren’t just fasting physically. We are fasting spiritually. Our mouths have to fast so that we are not cursing or saying bad things about others, or of ourselves. Focus on how during Ramadan, we refrain from looking at things that may not be good for us – we try not to hurt others. We work on our own spiritual well-being – gaining closeness to Allah SWT.

Ramadan brings us awareness toward our supplications – the duas we make to Allah SWT that we want fulfilled becomes the forefront of our prayers and fasts.

Ramadan also brings us awareness about what poor people go through everyday. They don’t have any food or water to drink and may have to wait days before they even get a decent bite to eat, or water to drink. Often, the children end up getting vitamin deficiency diseases because of the lack of water and food. We go through a period of anywhere between 10 to 20 hours of no food or drink and it’s hard for us to deal with it, but imagine those who do not have a choice. Allah SWT brings us this mindfulness so that we may feel their pain, and sacrifice so we can be able to help them in some way.

With that said, I would love for all of you to please take the time to donate to a few charities that are in need of donations, especially for those who are in humanitarian need for aid in Gaza.

Ramadan is a month of spiritual cleanness, a month to really hone in on our deen, and become more aware of what is going on around us, as well as within us. However, the spirituality of Ramadan must be celebrated all year around. There are people who become “religious” during this month, then forget everything and go back to doing the same things again and again, such as gossiping, forgetting prayers, etc. As an ummah, we must strive to maintain our spiritual balance, and continue to develop our relationship with Allah SWT even after Ramadan is over.

Please keep me, and everyone in your duas during this beautiful month of Ramadan. Mabrook!

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was written originally on August 3, 2018.

I’ve been on a hiatus in the last two months, with my latest post being at the beginning of Ramadan. It’s been a long while since you’ve seen me write, and I’ve missed all of you! I know you’ve been reading my previous posts on my blog, and I hope inshallah, that they are benefitting you, and you’re sharing them with your family and friends.

The more you share my blog with others, the more the message of hope in duas and supplication will spread and everyone will be motivated to continue making dua with yaqeen (certainty) and tawakkul (trust in Allah SWT). Please continue to share through WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, all other forms of social media, e-mail, and text. It becomes a sadaqah jariyah.

If you are going through a moment where you feel that your duas have not manifested yet, let me share with you some of the miracles I’ve witnessed during the month of Ramadan. These are duas that were manifested through dhikr of certain ayats that our Mufti told me to do, as well as reading durood (salawat), and making duas in sujood, while driving, etc.

Allah SWT hears us in so many different ways. It doesn’t matter if we are making dua in the car, if we are reading ayats and durood/salawat. Allah SWT hears all, sees all and knows what is in our hearts. There are days we ask for miracles, and they come true in ways we could not believe.

For the last ten years, I had been wanting to get my Master’s degree, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I had a C average GPA from my undergraduate schooling at Cal State University, Northridge, and I felt that applying for a Master’s degree would not be feasible. I also did not want to take any admissions exams, such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) because, first, the exams are costly, and secondly, because I felt that I would pretty much fail the mathematics section of these exams (I’m weak in math). But Allah SWT knew my desire and I was enrolled into a Master’s program, concentrating on Human Resource Management at DeVry University’s Keller Graduate School of Management.

Alhamdulillah, as of Eid ul Fitr, I have graduated and received my Master’s degree! The University is having their graduation ceremony this month, and I am excited to walk across the stage!

Oh but wait!! Not only am I going to walk across the stage with my cap and gown on, but I made dua to be selected as the graduate speaker for the ceremony, and did my audition last week. Alhamdulillah, and mashallah, I am the graduate student speaker for our graduation! Truly, duas are manifested! I was also nominated as the Voice of the Student for the West Group and was the guest lecturer for Welcome Week at the university. I had the pleasure of teaching students about success in academia, and pointing them to resources the university offers so they have knowledge about tutoring, counseling, and career advisement services.

During Ramadan, I was also making dua for acceptance into five universities I had applied to for my doctoral program. My mom spoke to our Mufti, and he told me to read an ayah from Surah Baqarah in the Qur’an daily with adhkar, and do dhikr, and also read salawat/durood Ibrahimi. I did that throughout the time I went through the application process, to the writing exams, and ordering transcripts to be sent to the school. I prayed in sujood, and made dua that I would be accepted to all of the universities I applied to.

(For those who are asking which ayat in Surah Baqarah, it is “lan fissama laha” which is part of the ayah number 256. I was told to read one tasbeeh of this daily with durood/salawat Ibrahimi before and after reading lan fissama laha. I did this for about 2.5 months. Always ask your local muftis about duas specific to what you need to read for whatever situation you are in. My mufti told me to do this and thus, I followed suit.)

I found out during my last week of classes right when Ramadan ended, that I received acceptance to all of the schools – the top one being Pepperdine University, for my doctoral program! I was so excited and extremely grateful to Allah SWT for answering my duas. My mom was also praying for me, so both of our duas came true!

Here is the story behind this – last year, I wanted to go to only ONE university for my doctoral program. It’s right here by my house and they had a program that connected with me. However, that school LOST their accreditation and I did not want to apply when that happened. It would mean students would not be able to take classes, or receive financial aid from the government.

I was distraught, and did not know where else to go to. I didn’t want to go to an online university and I had only thought about going to this one by my house. I made dua, and started doing some research on universities, when the same doctoral programs in leadership came about with the universities I decided to apply to.

Being accepted into the universities I applied to, and being accepted to a very prestigious university known around the world was not something I had ever thought about, ever. Be prepared to know that Allah SWT will answer your duas and bring you more than you asked for. It’s amazing how this happens! What you want may not happen exactly, but instead, in a much better, more amazing and powerful way.

And I also received a $2,500 scholarship toward tuition as well (it’s not going to make much of a ding on the price of the program, but it helps with overall tuition cost, so I’ll take it!).

In the first week of Ramadan, I was dealing with some financial tightness. I had many bills to pay and wasn’t sure what to do since I didn’t have the finances needed to get things taken care of. I was also finishing up the last few weeks I had left of my classes during Ramadan, taking care of any application paperwork for the universities I was applying to, and was focused on passing my courses with A’s. Who had time to think about finding a job!? That in itself was a full time job to deal with, and I didn’t have time for it.

In early June, around the 12^th of Ramadan, I met up with one of my friends so we could chat. When I sat down in my car to drive over to her, my car didn’t start. The battery had literally died. I thought to myself, “What am I going to do? I can’t even afford to pay for a new car battery.” I ended up taking my uncle’s Mini (which I can’t stand driving because it’s too small and claustrophobic for me) to meet with my friend.

While driving, my mom called me excitedly. I picked up, and told her that my car battery had died and I was driving the Mini instead. My mom told me to be very careful driving the car, but she said she had some amazing news for me.

She found $3,000 in cash that was saved in the master bedroom closet!!!

Can you believe this miracle?? We needed this money to pay bills, and while my mom cleaned out the closet, she found cash and was so excited!

Then we also got another $1,000 from the bank, which I thought had been stolen from the main account, but was not!

$4,000 total for us to be able to pay off our bills, get groceries, and be taken care of for at least a good month and a half.

Allah SWT did a miracle for us. We asked Him, and He provided in the exact perfect timing.

I also didn’t have to pay for my car battery either. I remembered that I had gotten this battery replaced less than three years prior, and still had warranty left. I called Triple A’s Roadside Assistance, and they installed a fresh new battery for me at no cost. I still have till December of this year before my warranty is over if I needed another battery.

One last dua manifestation for now – this was during the month of Shawwal after Eid ul Fitr. I found out about my acceptance to Pepperdine on June 23 (I found out about the other acceptances a couple of weeks prior to Pepperdine, and one more university accepted me two weeks ago). I also found out I needed to pay a $500 deposit to the university for me to be able to register for my courses.

I didn’t have the money to pay them and had till July 20 to provide this money to them. What was I going to do?

I spoke to a few friends who suggested I create a fundraiser to get money for my deposit. I decided to create a GoFundMe account, and asked initially for $1000. I needed to also pay $500 for orientation on top of the $500 for deposit to register for my classes.

I made dua that Allah SWT help me to get the $500 so I can pay the deposit and made dua in sujood many times. I witnessed the miracle as I was able to get $880 within a few days of posting my GoFundMe account and was able to pay my deposit, and register for classes.

My mom’s iPhone literally shut down and stopped working. I needed to save the rest of the money I received for the orientation, but unfortunately, I had to pay Apple for them to replace my mom’s phone, as that’s the only way she can communicate with me (no landline). Apple was going to charge me $349 for the replacement. I quickly made dua, read durood/salawat and asked Allah SWT to help me out. I spoke to the technician and told him that I am a student, and financially unable to afford getting a replacement for the $349 cost. He spoke to the manager who said they could give it to me for $160 + sales tax. Alhamdulillah again!! Duas answered and I was able to afford the replacement for my mom.

Of course, I have to fundraise for the other $500 for orientation again, which is happening next weekend, but I’ll figure that out. Allah SWT will help me find a way.

If you have read my post all the way through to here, you can see the ways in which Allah SWT manifests our duas. Everything is done according to how He wills for things to be. We can make dua, and know that Allah SWT will always be there for us, and in turn, we need to be loyal to our Lord through obeying his commands of praying salaat, giving zakat, helping out one another, be of good character, and make dua to Him daily. Reading Qur’an daily and learning the lessons from our Prophets (PBUH) who have been fearless leaders will help us with our own patience, and faith in Allah SWT.

Thanks for reading!

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was written originally on November 5, 2017 and has been republished.

This is a question I hear many people ask (not only to me, but to one another, or to a Shaikh, Mufti, etc.)

In fact, I was doing some searches on Google regarding duas, and this was one of the first things that I would see – questions about why duas weren’t getting fulfilled, or what to do to get the duas manifested.

Here is the reality…

Ready to hear why your dua may or may not be accepted?

The truth is that we do not know whether our duas have been accepted or not. We have no knowledge of the Unseen, of the ghayb. We have no knowledge of Allah SWT’s thoughts and whether He has fulfilled our duas or how long it will take for our duas to be fulfilled.

We don’t know anything, really. We are human after all and we do not have that kind of knowledge.

So why do we assume that just because a dua is taking too long to manifest, it’s not happening? Or it is not being accepted or answered?

Why do we assume that what we are asking for is not something that is being granted to us?

We don’t know that, so we shouldn’t assume. The only thing we should assume is our duas are accepted the moment it leaves our lips.

In fact, I want you to look at this in another way.

It is known that duas are answered in the following ways:

• Yes, immediately
• Yes, but after some time
• Yes, but to protect you from a calamity that would otherwise befall on you
• Yes, but not in this world, in the hereafter.

Do you see what I just did? I said YES, because duas are ALWAYS accepted. Allah SWT does NOT reject duas.

Some people are blessed immensely by Allah SWT that every dua of theirs is fulfilled. Some people are blessed that their duas are fulfilled both in this world and in the hereafter. Everyone is blessed to be able to make dua, and everyone is blessed to receive an answer for it in one way or the other.

If you have been praying for something for ten years, and you’re telling yourself, “I’m going to give up because Allah SWT hasn’t answered me and it’s been ten years” then you have sadly given up on Allah SWT. You have given up all certainty (yaqeen) and tawakkul that Allah SWT has your back.

Perhaps the time hasn’t come yet. Allah SWT knows when the time comes for duas to manifest. We do not have that kind of knowledge.

Allah SWT, the Most High, is the one who knows which duas to answer immediately, and which ones He will take his time to answer. Maybe we are the ones who have to work on ourselves in order for us to have our duas fulfilled.

Let me give you a few examples:

I had always wanted a new car – I had a car but it was quite old and outdated. I wanted a new car and I would pray about it, wish about it in my heart all the time. This took me over 10 years, and finally in 2014, I was able to go and choose the car I liked with the given budget that my uncle told me he could help me with, and got a new car for myself. It had all the bells and whistles I wanted, and more. But it took years and years for this to happen.

It was all timing. I had gone through the frustration of “When will this dua manifest!!?” But I didn’t give up hope. I knew I would get a new car one day. I had to learn to appreciate what I had at the time, and then somehow, through a huge miracle, my uncle (who wouldn’t even open his pocketbook for anyone, let alone help anyone either) said he would help me financially with getting the car. This was Allah SWT’s doing – the tawakkul and the fact that Allah SWT is in control of the hearts of mankind – that made this miracle happen.

Another dua manifestation example:

I had been making dua for a new MacBook because my old one had started to wear down on me. The keyboard wasn’t working properly and I was having issues with it becoming so slow. I needed a new laptop for school because otherwise, how would I be able to do my assignments and complete homework? I started my Master’s program earlier in the year so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t falling behind because my laptop wasn’t working properly.

I made dua to Allah SWT that He provide me with the means to purchase a new MacBook. I wanted one that had ALL the specs on it, and it would cost $3,000, which I didn’t have.

So after making dua for the new laptop for a while, one day, as I was doing homework, I had this sudden urge out of nowhere to go and get myself a laptop. I had the money for it, not quite $3,000, but enough to go and buy a smaller MacBook (not the MacBook I wanted).

I told my mom about my sudden urge to go and purchase the laptop, and she said, “It’s coming from Allah SWT, so go and see.” I said I wasn’t sure if I had enough money for it, but I would go to the Apple store and see what I could afford.

A couple of hours later, I got the exact laptop I had wanted, the MacBook Pro, with a student discount (YES!), and walked out of there with it fully paid for. It did not cost me $3,000. Sure, I didn’t get the bigger hard drive I wanted (which was why it would have cost $3,000), but really, that wasn’t a big deal for me because I was able to afford the MacBook Pro with the TouchPad and everything else I wanted, and it was at a reasonable price.

How long did this dua take to manifest? Give or take, around 2 months after my asking for it in duas.

The timing of this one was amazing. This is how Allah SWT works. You will get a sudden urge to take action on something, and the next thing you know, you have received what you were asking for. Alhamdulillah all the way!

I’m so glad that I was able to get a new laptop, because I am able to write these inspirational blogs for all of you and spread dawah about duas.

The point in these two examples is that we don’t know whether Allah SWT has answered our duas or not. We shouldn’t give up and we shouldn’t be frustrated with the timing of the manifestation of our duas.

Look, It took me ten years to get a new car that I love. It took me two months from the moment of making dua to get a new MacBook.

Timing is in the Hands of Allah SWT. Not in us. And therefore, we shouldn’t believe that our prayers have been rejected, or give up. It can take years and years but duas do manifest. We have to make ourselves deserving of them as well. This means, we have to work on ourselves in order to receive what we are asking for.

Working on ourselves means, boosting our Iman, doing good as much as possible, and being good to our fellow Muslim brothers and sisters.

We must work on our salaah, praying our obligatory and superogratory (nawafl) prayers, and do dhikr of Allah SWT each day. We must avoid doing what is haram, and eat, drink and make money that is halal.

Of course we also have to work on our own personal development by taking care of ourselves, and others around us, and showing up as a leader everyday by being good examples of not just a good muslim, but as a good human being.

This is how we work on ourselves.

So for those of you who say “We have been praying for so long but haven’t seen our duas manifest” and think that Allah SWT hasn’t answered you, do not despair. Allah SWT has answered your duas – in what ways, how it will happen, I do not know and neither do you. This is knowledge that belongs only to Allah SWT. This is knowledge that is kept hidden from us and for good reason.

The more connected you are with Allah SWT, the more you will find the smaller manifestations happening, which will ultimately lead you to your main duas being fulfilled as a result. So, make your connection with Allah SWT as the main goal, and watch how Allah SWT will create miracles in your life, and how your duas will get manifested, inshallah!

Always know this – the way your duas are fulfilled can be completely unexpected, and beautiful. Always be in gratitude that no matter what ways your duas are being manifested, they are being answered. Timing is not in our hands, but in the hands of Allah SWT. Have tawakkul, yaqeen and, detach from the outcome so you have complete trust in Allah SWT’s plans for you.

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on November 9, 2017 and was reposted on December 26, 2023.

Here we are on the next part of the topic of Tawakkul. I will talk about action and duas, and how having reliance on Allah SWT is really, what the ultimate goal is.

Note: If you have not read the first part of this blog series, please click here to read Why it is important for us to have Tawakkul – Part 1. 

Is it true that we have to take action in order for our dua to be manifested?

There is a hadith that a Bedouin was going inside the mosque without tying his camel. One day, the Prophet (SAW) noticed this and asked the Bedouin why didn’t he tie the camel. The Bedouin responded to the Prophet (SAW) saying that he left the camel because he put his complete trust in Allah SWT. The Prophet (SAW) then responded that what the Bedouin should do first is to tie his camel, and then put his trust in Allah SWT that the camel will be there and taken care of. This hadith was related by Tirmidhi and is an authentic hadith.

There is another version of the hadith where the Bedouin asked the Prophet (SAW) whether he should leave the camel and rely on Allah SWT, or whether he should tie the camel and then have tawakkul on Allah SWT. The Prophet (SAW) answered that the Bedouin should tie the camel and then have tawakkul upon Allah SWT.

Either way, you do have to take some action. And you know, dua is a huge action on its own!

Tawakkul is the means to the end result. What this means is having full complete trust in Allah SWT with regards to your duas and the answer to the duas. You are not putting the trust on the action step itself, but rather, in Allah SWT Himself.

You’re ultimately saying “Allah SWT, if this is good for me, then I trust You in providing this for me.” You build your patience through tawakkul.

You don’t need to take big action steps or even small ones. You simply take a step, and trust that as you take that step, Allah SWT will help you with each milestone you achieve toward your goal. It is Allah SWT who guides your action steps, if you really think about it. And it is Allah SWT who brings miracles into existence when things are going to happen for you as it is meant to be.

So, is it true that you absolutely need to take an action step in order for your duas to be manifested? Not all the time. Sometimes, we don’t even know where to begin!

When we don’t know where to begin, what do we do? We make dua to ask Allah SWT for guidance on what to do next. Then Allah SWT guides us through putting the ideas and thoughts in our intuition (this is another blog post for another time about intuition). The next thing you know, action begins to happen.

How do you think the street lights were built? When cars were first being built, no one thought about potential accidents that could happen without street lights, and stop signs. But then Allah SWT provided guidance to someone by giving them the idea, and then the street lights, and stop signs came about. There is rich history behind the creation of the first street light, but that’s again, a topic for another blog. 

Who do you think came up with the idea of technology and computers? Again, Allah SWT guides people towards the ideas and thoughts that bring about what we use today.

Let’s go back eons ago to Prophet Nuh (A.S.) Before the flood, no one had a clue what a ship was. Hadrat Jibreel (A.S.), upon Allah SWT’s command, came down to Prophet Nuh (A.S.) and taught him how to build an ark that would guide him, his family and believers along with animals in pairs to safety while the disbelievers would not survive the huge flood as punishment for not believing in the Oneness of Allah SWT and not heeding the message Prophet Nuh (A.S.) was spreading. From that moment on, we had ships that were built to help us travel, trade with other countries, and so much more.

This is Tawakkul. Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, everything happens in Allah SWT’s will. Not in ours. So, when we do not know of what action step to take, Allah SWT guides us – even when we aren’t aware about what we want, or how to obtain our needs and wants.

Let me talk about tawakkul from what I have personally experienced.

I didn’t actually think about becoming a professional speaker, or even to go down the path of becoming a certified life and leadership coach/consultant at all. Ten years ago, I had finished my Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (BSBA) and I went to law school full time for a year and a half. Halfway into law school, I decided to quit. I had a nervous breakdown and I couldn’t handle all the stress that I had collected over the years I was in college, then law school (studying for exams, LSATs, finals, etc.). When I left law school, and took time off (two years), I was trying hard to find a stable job but we were going through a recession in the United States. It was hard to find anything, and although I took action with sending out resumes, I couldn’t find any jobs I was qualified for no matter my educational background. I was not called into interviews or anything of the sort. I lost hope.

I was upset, depressed and didn’t know what to do.

Reality was that I wanted to be a professor and teach college ever since I started my bachelors, but to be able to do that, you need to have a Master’s degree or a Doctorate. Both of which I didn’t have at the time (and my main reason for going to law school).

Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen at that moment.

What was I supposed to do? I had no clue what action to take. This is where Allah SWT steps in and says, “I will provide guidance to you because I know what you do not know.”

This is so true! Allah SWT knows what we do not know about our lives, our future, and we are unaware. We follow the guidance set forth, and make the choice of taking the path He provides for us, or to follow a different path that may or may not be good for us (this is the concept of free will, which I will get into another time).

Side note: I have this personal belief that no matter what path you take, Allah SWT will always guide you to your destiny because it is already preordained for us. Always choose that which Allah SWT guides you to, for it is the best path, and one that will lead you to where you need to be in the right time.

Back to what I was talking about…..

I spent two years looking for work, sitting at home trying to find ways to keep busy and do what I could. In 2010, I fell sick for a year with panic attacks that were coming from out of nowhere, and other health issues due to the chronic stress I had built up from many years of schooling. After speaking to my doctor, I was guided to go back to college again. I had wanted to get my Masters, and at that time, I decided to become a certified coach. I figured that since my friends and others come to me for advice about anything ranging from academics, to relationship issues, to life problems that I could become a coach and help people out with credentials behind me.

I became a certified life coach, and a certified health coach in 2012. In 2014, I became a certified clinical hypnotherapist as well. I decided to open up my own business in coaching and therapy, and started getting a few clients. Things were slow at first, and I was learning more about how to run a business than I was doing the coaching or therapy sessions.

Gradually, I started learning more about the coaching industry, and what my purpose was in the world. I realized I had a strong passion about speaking, personal development, and leadership. In 2012, I heard about Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org) from a friend of mine (who wasn’t even in Toastmasters and really didn’t have a clue about it at the time). Allah SWT guided me to finding a really amazing Toastmasters club, and I started giving speeches, while taking on various leadership roles that really built my skills up more. This gave me the credibility and the confidence I needed, and helped me grow as a coach, speaker, leader and as a better person.

I started working on my own personal development, and found the passion I had lost when I took that two year hiatus from life, pretty much.

A few weeks ago, I had an epiphany. All along, Allah SWT had already chosen my path for me. Everything I’ve been doing in the last 10-12 years of my life has brought me to where I am today. When I didn’t know what to do, Allah SWT guided me because He knew I was ready. He taught me what I needed to understand and still to this day, Allah SWT is guiding me to inspire others through this blog, and through other ways.  He has helped me to work on being a better version of myself each day. Honestly, I do all of this for Allah SWT. Not for anyone else. The action steps I took were guidance from Allah SWT.

When you are ready to follow your path, Allah SWT shows you where to go. This is Tawakkul. Without reliance on Allah SWT, and on Him alone, we will never be able to find our way.

My story is just an example of how Allah SWT guides us – this is why we should have tawakkul. It is through our trust in Allah SWT that we know our lives are worth living and being. It is our trust in our Lord that we are able to survive the pain and the problems life brings us. Everything that happens in our lives, the good and the bad, are all life lessons for us coming from Allah SWT. He wants us to continue having trust in His plans for us. We may feel that our life is so hard, or we have hardships going on when bad things happen more than the good things we want. But that does not mean that Allah SWT has left us. No. It means that there is a greater purpose behind why we go through what we do, and we have to trust that Allah SWT will protect us, guide us and bring us the salvation we are looking for both in this world, and rewards in the Hereafter.

Without tawakkul in Allah SWT, we will be completely lost, misguided and our lives will never be good in this world or in the afterlife. Therefore, with ALL your heart, put your trust in Allah SWT, and only pray to Him for ALL of your needs. Why do you need to ask anyone when the Lord of the Worlds is the One to pray to and Who gives us freely of His bounties? When we take action, and Allah SWT guides us to where we need to go. So amp up your tawakkul, and your yaqeen, and keep making those duas in the sincerest way possible.

Take the risk by tying your camel, and trust in Allah SWT.

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on November 21, 2017.

Recently, a few of my friends and I were talking about Islam, and about duas. They were asking me how they could create a close relationship with Allah SWT because they find it hard to do. They were asking how I have created my relationship with Allah SWT and that inspired me to write a blog to talk about why it’s so important for us to have a close connection with Allah SWT and how to do that.

Having a relationship with someone builds connection with them in one way or the other, right? We can build connections in many ways with people we meet. We also have more than one type of relationship with a person. For example, my mother is my best friend, as well as my mother. I don’t have any siblings, but if I did, my sister would be my best friend too. There is a relationship we have created there from birth, and developed overtime.

Relationship dynamics are different for each family and each individual.

When it comes to creating a connection with people outside of our family, we make friends. Our friends can be more than just “friends” – we can treat them as if they are family and call them sisters, or brothers. In fact, in Islam, we are all each other’s brothers and sisters. We are all related to one another and have a connection on a soul level, as well as on an Islamic level. Our friends can also become our significant others, and vice versa. You see the dynamics, right?

But what about our relationship and connection with Allah SWT? The MOST IMPORTANTrelationship we need to have is with our Lord, with Allah SWT. He is our Creator. He made us, and we would not be in this world without His Will. Allah SWT created us so that we can earn His Love, and attain Jannah – the ultimate place we all must strive to achieve in the Hereafter.

Our relationship with Allah SWT is the most dynamic of it all because He is first and foremost, our Lord to whom we pray to. He is the One Who created us. He is our Creator. He is our Best Friend. He loves us and protects us. He knows more about who we are, and our lives more than we even know ourselves. He is Our Provider.

The most beautiful connection we can create with Allah SWT is through doing the following things:

1. Doing continuous dhikr of Allah SWT and His Prophet (SAW);
2. Doing as many good deeds as we can each and every day that will bring us closer to Allah SWT;
3. Speaking with kindness to others remembering that Allah SWT is watching us;
4. Spreading unlimited true love, and sharing more of our faith with others who want to learn about Islam;
5. Following the obligatory pillars of Islam the best way possible – Shahadah, Salaat, Zakaat, Fasting and Hajj;
6. Having tawakkul on Allah SWT, and yaqeen that our duas are answered; that we are taken care of and loved by Allah SWT;
7. Making dua in abundance to our Lord after each salaah, and during other times duas are answered, in times of distress and in times of happiness;
8. Reading the Qur’an everyday or at least a few times a week if one is not able to read everyday;
9. Having and showing gratitude toward Allah SWT;
10. Taking care of and respecting our parents, and siblings – also, we have to take care of and show love to ourselves because by doing that, we are also showing our respect to our Creator who created us the way we are;
11. Showing respect to others, especially to our elderly;
12. Being honest with ourselves and others;
13. Giving to others who are going through a need (such as money, even sadaqah jariyah)

This list can go on, but there are countless ways, as you can see, for us to work on creating a close connection with Allah SWT. We have to be mindful of what we are doing and how we are treating Allah SWT.  He is the One we must respect and please, and He wants us to connect with him through the ways He has taught us through the Qur’an and the sayings of our Prophet (SAW). Allah SWT loves us so much, how can we not love Him and give our Lord the respect that He asks from us by following His commands and living in His way.

Following the Sunnah of our Prophet (SAW), reading Qur’an and following the way of life as prescribed to us through the Qur’an and Sunnah is one of the biggest ways we can be close to Allah SWT in all proximity.

Just as it takes time to cultivate our relationships with our families and friends, it takes time to cultivate a deep and meaningful relationship with Allah SWT. Sometimes, it takes years! However, we must continue each and every day to improve our relationship and connection with Allah SWT until all we see is His Divine Light (Noor) around us.

While we develop our relationship and connection with our Lord, we must also create our relationship and connection with our Prophet (SAW). The best way to do this is countless dhikr by reading durood (salawat) in abundance. The best durood to read is Durood Ibrahimi. You want to make sure you read durood before and after you make dua so that your duas are accepted by Allah SWT himself, for Allah SWT reads durood on His Nabi (SAW). By loving our Prophet (SAW) and showing respect to the hadith and the teachings, we develop the closeness with Allah SWT.

Creating our relationship with Allah SWT does not happen overnight. It will take time. And you have to start off slowly. When we jump in too quickly into any task, we end up not completing it and become overwhelmed. It is the same with relationships.

We take our time to get to know our friends, and our significant others. It takes us years, as we grow up, to learn, understand and create a bond with our family members. If you think about that, our relationship with Allah SWT will take time, especially if it is one where you didn’t have any connection ever, and are beginning now. This is especially good for our new Muslims who have converted because they probably want to know what to do to connect and build that bond with Allah SWT and with our beloved Prophet (SAW).

When I was much younger, my mother taught me about how to connect with Allah SWT. I learned to read the Qur’an at the age of 4, and by the time I was about 6 or 7 years old, I completed the full Qur’an. I learned how to pray my five prayers. I read stories about our prophets (may Allah’s peace and mercy be upon them all), and I read stories about our Prophet (SAW).

I understood everything about Islam – I would watch my mom doing dhikr all the time, praying, making dua, and living her life in full connection with Allah SWT.

However, I was the one who rebelled and refused to make any connection with Allah SWT because I felt as if my life was one big hell. Why? I was constantly made fun of from a young age. I had no friends, I didn’t have a father in my life, my uncle was at times, mentally and verbally abusive toward me. I saw my mom suffer so much financial abuse at his hands, and lose friends because of him and his antics. I saw that my mom didn’t have the happily married life I felt she should have had and thought, why Allah? Why?? I felt as if the duas I made were not answered (they were but not in the way I wanted them to be and I never understood the miracles behind that until later on in life), so why should I bother with praying my five prayers, or doing anything else. That was my mindset at the time when I was younger and most naïve.

My mom of course kept getting me to get up and pray. She would tell me all the time to create a connection with Allah SWT. I didn’t want it. Astaghfarullah, how naïve was I? Why did I not want that relationship? Just because a few of my duas weren’t manifested the way I wanted it to be?

I didn’t realize the immense blessings Allah SWT had showered me with as I was growing up. I was so ungrateful at the time. I wouldn’t fast during Ramadan, or do any dhikr. I was always upset and depressed. I felt alone because of the way I was treated by people in my own Muslim community, by my peers, and teachers. I literally had no self-confidence.

Once in a while when I felt like I wanted to connect, I would get up and pray salaah. Once in a while, I would try to attempt reading Qur’an. It wasn’t something that I was doing on a regular basis. Just when I tried to make a relationship with Allah SWT. But I wasn’t understanding how to connect, so I would give up after a few attempts.

This was the glimmer of hope! The fact that I did TRY to connect when I felt it in my heart to do so. I know this was a part of my mother’s duas for me. She would constantly make dua that I would start connecting with Allah SWT and create a relationship with Him as she had done so with our Lord of the Worlds.  Her dua was answered.

Slowly, I started creating my relationship. First, I started by creating a connection with our Prophet (SAW) by doing short dhikrs of Durood (Salawat) Ibrahimi (please click here to read my blog post about why reading durood should be a huge part of your life).

That was all I did, daily. I would make time in the day, do Wudu (ablution) and sit down with my tasbeeh so I could do dhikr. I did this every day. I would cry and make dua and then I’d feel contentment in my heart. Reading durood everyday helped me to not only connect with Allah SWT, but also with our Prophet (SAW) by sending blessings upon him.

I did this for a couple months, and then I started to add in the five daily salaah. It took me a while there too.

I had a hard time waking up for Fajr, and I didn’t get all my five prayers in during the day. My mom said it was okay for me to start slowly since I wasn’t used to praying all five prayers. If I even did just one or two in the day, that was success for me. And that helped me build my relationship with Allah SWT.

Eventually, I was able to get at least four prayers in out of my five – this took me a couple of months to get into the habit of doing because it wasn’t something I had been doing all the time in the past. I would always have to make up Fajr because I had the habit of falling asleep at 2am – I’m a night owl and love working at night more than during the day. Obviously, that had to change.

One day, I decided that I was going to start waking up for Fajr and Tahajjud. So I did.

Let me tell you about creating a habit – you don’t need to follow the rule of doing something repetitively for 21 or 30 days. I get that many experts say habits take that much time to build. However, intentions are what builds habits, and when you intend to do something and dedicate yourself to it more than anything else, you will begin doing it from day one, until infinity. There will not be a need to do something for 21 or 30 days to make it a habit. Dedication, commitment, and intention is all it takes to make the changes you TRULY want to make from the heart.

With that said, I decided one night that I would wake up for Tahajjud, and Fajr no matter what. From that moment on, I have always woken up for Tahajjud and Fajr every morning, even if I only have four hours of sleep. I know I can make up the sleep later on in the day. My relationship with Allah SWT, and the connection that I have worked to build is far more important than anything else. I make sure to be on time for all of my prayers. I read Qur’an, and I spread knowledge about Islam as I learn and apply the concepts in my life.

As I learn more and more dhikrs, recite them, share them, and speak to our scholars about the concepts of Islam as I study it, I continue to be in awe of the beauty, and of the mercy of Allah SWT. How He blesses us and brings us what we need at the right time, listens to our duas, and is always there for us. No human is able to do this for us. Only Allah SWT. And He is the one who gives us the love of 70 mothers. Imagine that love! We have one mother who loves us, and here, our Lord gives us the love of 70 mothers! Subhanallah!

Alhamdulillah for my building my connection and bond with Allah SWT. I pray that I continue to build this relationship for the rest of my life and beyond. Ameen.

It is through this beautiful relationship with Allah SWT that I have learned tawakkul, and yaqeen. I know that all I have to do is make dua, and simply have the certainty what I am asking for will be given to me in the best ways and the best of times by Allah SWT.

I remember I was talking to someone who told me that he was sad he didn’t have many friends who liked him because he was a Muslim. He was told not to worry because Allah SWT is the One he should make as his Friend and Confidant.

When I heard that story, I was so moved. While you are connected with Allah SWT, you truly feel it, and you know that Allah SWT will always have your back. He will never leave you alone. Other people will – when we need them the most during our difficult times, our friends, and our family are not always there for us. People leave us, and take our friendships for granted. I’ve been there so many times that my heart has been broken from most human relationships. Allah SWT is the one we should be focusing on creating our relationship with. Through this, Allah SWT will send us the right people who will inspire us, and be there for us during our good and bad times because our Lord blesses us with the right people, and is the turner of hearts.

Creating a truly loving, and blessed relationship with Allah SWT however, will take away any feeling of loneliness and despair. In turn, Allah SWT will bring you the right people, and provide you with fulfillment of your needs through blessings.

Making Allah SWT your Wali (custodian, protector, friend) should be the focus of the rest of your life.

Start today. Begin with doing dhikr. Slowly, add in other forms of prayer, dhikr, Qur’an, duas, and live in the way of Allah SWT. Bring kindness to others, do good, and do the things that I have listed in bullet points above. You will slowly find yourself building your relationship, and trust me, your life will NEVER be the same.

This hadith completely relates to me:

“When Allah wills good for a person, He grants him understanding of the religion.”

May we all be granted with the knowledge, understanding and the wisdom of our beautiful religion. May our understanding of Islam, and of Allah SWT bring us closer and closer to Him so that we may be united with Allah SWT in Jannah. Ameen.

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi

This post was originally written on December 2, 2017. I am reposting all of my old blog posts because I had lost this site and hosting for a while and due to an overwhelming response from those who really loved this blog, I have brought it back. Thank you for the love and the inspiration to continue writing. New posts will be posted in January 2024.

If you haven’t read Tahajjud, ever, or if you are someone who reads Tahajjud on or off, then you must absolutely read this post. Even if you are one who reads a few times a week, this blog post is for you.

There is something so magical, miraculous and beautiful about reading Tahajjud in the last portion of the night that it is not easy to explain that feeling. It’s as if one feels euphoric when waking up from such a comfortable sleep, to go and remember Allah SWT and pray to Him for our most cherished duas. Our sleep doesn’t seem important when it comes to praying Tahajjud salaah.

In fact, there are many hadith which mention the virtues and enormous benefits of reading Tahajjud. Here are some:

“Two rakaat in the late hours of the night are more valuable than all of the riches of the world…but for fear of hardship on my followers, I would have made these fardh (obligatory).” 

“It is related by Hazrat Abu Hurairah (R.A.) that Rasulullah (SAW) said: ‘When the last of the night remains, our Rabb, the Glorious One, descends towards the heavens of the world (His special Mercy) and Proclaims: ‘Who is there who supplicates Me, and I grant his supplication? Who is there who begs Me for (anything), and I grant it to him? Who is there who seeks my forgiveness, and I forgive him?’” 

And lastly…

“Make a habit to observe Tahajjud salaat. It used to be the custom of the pious people before you (Hazrat Dawood (A.S.) used to read Tahajjud in the third portion of the night and then sleep in the last part of the night). Tahajjud salaat leads you to be near your Rabb and keeps you away from sins.” 

There are many beautiful reasons for us to read Tahajjud during the third portion of the night. It leads us to be near Allah SWT, we stay away or are more cautious not to commit sinful acts, our needs are fulfilled, our duas are answered, and we are given forgiveness if we ask for it during Tahajjud.

I had started getting into the habit of praying my five obligatory prayers and wanted to read Tahajjud. My mother always told me that it is important to observe what is obligated to us from Allah SWT – that means, reading our five prayers. She always told me, if you read the five prayers and are consistent with them, then you will be invited to pray Tahajjud.

When she said “invited,” my curiosity peaked. What did she mean by that?

What she meant by that was that once I was a “namaazi” meaning, once I was fulfilling my obligations toward reading my five mandatory prayers, then Allah SWT would put it in my heart to begin waking up for Tahajjud. This, He did, alhamdulillah.

One evening, I made a commitment and the decision that I would begin waking up in the last one third portion of the night and start reading Tahajjud, every night. That evening, I read Isha, did not read my Witr prayer because I wanted to read that after Tahajjud, set my alarm, and went to bed, albeit, I went to bed at 1am, because I have a bad habit of sleeping late.

Despite going to bed late, I woke up at 4:30am (thanks to my alarm on my iPhone), made my wudu and begin praying Tahajjud. It felt soooo good as I read my first two rakaats. I wanted to keep reading more and more, but I ended up reading up to six rakaats since I had to read Witr and make my dua before the time for Fajr would begin.

I did this every night and stayed committed – even today, I still wake up for Tahajjud and read – some nights, however, I wake up only 20 minutes before, and it takes me a good 10 minutes to open my eyes and do wudu so I get 10 minutes to read before Fajr begins. This means I only end up reading two rakaats, but that’s okay. Even two rakaats of Tahajjud is good and Allah SWT fulfills your duas while bringing you close to Allah SWT, and makes things easier for you for the day.

It’s the sweetest feeling in the world to wake up and read this most special nawafl prayer.

The beautiful thing is that you don’t even have to sleep too long. Say you fell asleep at midnight, and then happened to wake up at 1am. You can take that moment to get up, do wudu and pray Tahajjud, then sleep until Fajr. It’s not obligatory that you have to wake up 20 minutes before Fajr to pray Tahajjud. It can be at anytime during the night.

You can also read Tahajjud right after you finish reading Isha, as the time for Qiyam begins after Isha ends. Mufti Menk and other scholars have said that sleep is not an obligatory condition, although it is sunnah since the Prophet (peace be upon him) would sleep and then awaken in the last third portion of the night to observe Tahajjud.

The way Tahajjud is read, one can read up to 12-16 rakaats – if you read two rakaats six times each, you read 12 rakaats total or eight times to get 16 rakaats. The minimum one can read is two (2) rakaats, and the most is 12-16 rakaats.

Once you finish reading Tahajjud, then you can read Witr. Make sure you read Witr – I read three rakaats. Some places say you can read one rakaat, but it is best to perform it as a three rakaat, odd numbered salaat.

While you are reading Tahajjud, it is encouraged to read any surahs or verses from the Qur’an you have memorized as our Prophet (SAW) would read verses of surahs during Tahajjud. Reading it is just like reading a nawafl prayer – Tahajjud is not an obligatory prayer, it is a nawafl. So, you read it like you would read any nawafl prayer, but with the intention of how many rakaats, and that you are reading Tahajjud as there are many different nawafl prayers. Thus, make sure you do your niyyah that you are reading two rakaat nafl salaat-ul-Tahajjud, facing the Ka’aba, and then begin your prayer.

Just as you read any other salaat (namaaz), it is the same way – read Surah Fatiha, and then read any other surah you know. I usually read Surah Falaq, Surah Nas, parts of surahs that I remember, Ayat-ul-Kursi, Surah Kafiroon, Surah Ikhlas, Surah Kauser, Surah Quraysh – so you can choose to read whichever surah you remember.

Make sure you have ample time to read Tahajjud, especially if you like to read more than two rakaats. Some nights, you may only be able to read two rakaats and that’s okay because that’s the minimum.

After reading your Tahajjud nawafl, read Durood Ibhahimi three times or more, and make dua. The best way to make dua is in sujood. Whenever you do sujood, make sure you say Allahu Akbar, and then read Subhana Rabbiyal Ala three times or more, then read durood during sujood (sajdah) and make ample dua for your needs and hajaat (desires).

Allah SWT is the closest to the heavens on Earth during the last third portion of the night so this is the best time to read Tahajjud and make as much dua as you can for yourselves and others.

Of course, if you work, or unable to get up in the last third portion of the night, but you don’t want to miss Tahajjud, you can always read this beautiful nawafl right after you complete Isha, and before you pray Witr.

I’ve done this before. I had to be up early for a personal training session at the gym, and then we had to drive down to San Diego to spend the day with my mom’s best friend, my aunty, during the Thanksgiving holiday we just had. I knew that I was not going to be able to get up earlier to read Tahajjud, so I decided to read four rakaats right after Isha, and before my Witr prayer.

I had to do this again a few days before too because I had to wake up earlier and needed the extra half hour of sleep; so that I wouldn’t miss Tahajjud, I read it after Isha.

I remember telling my mom that although we could read Tahajjud after Isha, I felt the sweetness of reading Tahajjud after waking up in the middle of the night – the last third portion of the night. The connection with Allah SWT and my duas made during that time was just so much more special for me and I love it. My mom agreed with me and said that’s why it’s such a special time and why Allah SWT wants to hear our duas and answer them even more. Waking up from a comfortable sleep and remembering Allah SWT brings us closer to Him, and that’s ultimately what we are doing. We are creating our relationship and connection with Allah SWT (click here to read my previous post about ways to create connection with Allah SWT). We are also striving to attain Jannah through this beautiful act of praying Tahajjud.

I look forward to waking up and reading Tahajjud no matter how tired I may be. I still have to adjust my sleeping schedule however, but I make sure to wake up no matter how tired I am. I try to make up my sleep after I read Fajr.

Usually after Fajr, I read Surah Yaseen daily. This is another blog post for another time where I will tell you why I read Surah Yaseen every morning and how this happened (through a miracle, nonetheless!).

It is my hope that this post convinces you to read Tahajjud. If you have never read it before, begin today, as soon as you read my blog. Make it a point to find out what time Fajr is and then set your alarm to wake up at least 30 minutes before to give yourself time to do your wudu and read Tahajjud, and make dua.

Duas that are made during Tahajjud, (and in sujood) are answered more – duas are answered all the time, but this is the time that duas are answered more because Allah SWT descends to the heavens of the Earth to hear our supplications. How many people are actually waking up and reading Tahajjud? It is that much more special because not everyone takes advantage of this time to wake up and remember Allah SWT.

Also, let me give you all a piece of advice. If you can’t go all gung ho like I did – meaning, you can’t wake up every night to pray Tahajjud and feel it’s going to be too much for you, start slowly. I just started waking up every night and made it a part of my life. But this is not the same for everyone because we all have different situations. Some people cannot wake up in the last third portion of the night due to sickness, or because they are elderly – some people have to work so waking up early may hinder their productivity for the day, some people have to take care of their children in the middle of the night – babies cry and then there is no time left for Tahajjud once the baby is calm. Things happen.

If you are unable to read in the last third portion of the night, then make it a habit to read at least four rakaats of Tahajjud right after Isha, before Witr, and then sleep. That option is there since there is no pre-condition to having to sleep before praying Tahajjud. However, sleeping, and then waking up to read is much more beneficial of course. But if not, Allah SWT loves whatever it is you can do to remember Him. If that means reading it after Isha, do it.

If you feel that you wake up late (which happens to me) and you may not have the time to read Witr after Tahajjud, or fear that you will miss it completely, please at least read Witr after Isha. You do not have to repeat it and must not repeat it again. You can still wake up to read Tahajjud in the third portion of the night even if you have already read Witr, so don’t complicate yourself by listening to someone who says you can’t. You can. This is confirmed through various Islamic books, shaikhs, and muftis.

Lastly, start off slowly by incorporating Tahajjud once or twice per week. Slowly as you are able to, add in another day, and another until you are able to get up and read all seven days of the week.

Don’t feel bad if you are unable to wake up for Tahajjud. Like I stated before, you can read Tahajjud prayers right after Isha and before Witr so you don’t miss it if you love reading it. Last night, I was unable to wake up for Tahajjud, but had planned that I would wake up for it or, at least try, and I missed it completely because I didn’t read after Isha. Since Tahajjud is not obligatory it was okay, but I felt like I lost out on something beautiful, so inshallah, I will be up and reading it in the last third portion of the night, tonight.

You may have to adjust your sleeping schedule – do it. It’s worth it. And I will tell you, even if you don’t adjust your schedule and still sleep by midnight (which I still do no matter how early I try to sleep), it will still be worth SO much to wake up in the last third portion of the night and pray. You will never want to stop.

Please, make this a habit for the rest of your life. Try your level best to get up and read Tahajjud, then Fajr, and stay up if you can to do dhikr. You will find your duas manifesting, life being easier, problems being solved, ease during the day – and more importantly, your connection with your Lord becoming stronger and stronger even more, inshallah.

-Dr. Aasiyah N. Ghazi