The Day of ʿArafah (The Ultimate Day of Mercy)

اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إِلٰهَ إلَّا اللّٰهُ وَاللّٰهُ أَكْبَرُ اَللّٰهُ
أَكْبَرُ وَلِلّٰهِ الْحَمْدُ

“Allāh is the Greatest. Allāh is the Greatest. There is no god worthy of worship but Allāh and Allāh is the Greatest. Allāh is the Greatest and all praise is for Allāh alone.”

Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله said:

"Work for a day, the day you die, so that you’ll be laughing with joy, while they’ll be crying for you."

[Ṣayd ul-Khāṭir | Pg. 203]

The Importance of Studying The Names of Allāh

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Allāh has ninety-nine names. Whoever preserves [understands] them will enter Paradise.” Sahīh Bukhārī [no. 7392]
- “Whoever knows the names of Allāh and their meanings, believing in them, will have a more complete faith than the one who does not know them but just believes in them in general.” See Majmoū Al-Fatāwa [7/234] by Shaykhul Islām Ibn Taymīyyah.

- “Whoever knows Allāh, knows everything other than Him. Whoever is ignorant of his Lord is even more ignorant of everything other than Him.” Madārij As-Sālikīn [vol. 3, p. 351] by Imām Ibn al-Qayyim.

- "The key to the call of the Messengers, the essence of their Message, is knowing Allāh through His Names and Attributes and Deeds, because this is the foundation on which the rest of the Message, from beginning to end, is built." Sawā'iq al-Mursalah ala al-Jahamīyyah wal-Muattilah by Ibn al-Qayyim [1/150-151]

- "The more a person learns about the Names and Attributes of Allāh, the more his faith increases and the stronger his conviction becomes." Tawdīh wal-Bayān li Shajarat al-Īmān by Shaykh Abdur Rahmān As-Sa'di [p. 41].

Action plan:
- Supplicate to Allāh with His Names: "And to Allāh belong the best names, so invoke Him by them." Sūrah al-A’rāf: 180.
- We should praise Allāh with all of His Names.
- Contemplate on the meanings of the Names of Allāh.
- Strive to memorise the Names of Allāh.

Books to read on the topic:
- Explanation to the Beautiful and Perfect Names of Allāh - Shaykh Abdur Rahmān As-Sa'di
- The Beautiful Names & Attributes of Allāh - Shaykh Sālih Al-Uthaymīn

Compiled by Ibrāhīm Hussain
Read & Share📚 https://t.me/abuismailnotes

📌 Fasting the 3 White Days:

***• Tuesday 21st May
[13th Dhul Qa’dah]

• Wednesday 22nd May [14th Dhul Qa’dah]
• Thursday 23rd May [15th Dhul Qa’dah]***

The Prophet ﷺ:

“Fasting 3 days of each month is equivalent to fasting for a lifetime and the shining days of al-beed (white days) are 13th, 14th & 15th.”

[Sunan an-Nasa’i | 2420]

Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله:

“The one who has Mus-ḥaf must recite it everyday of whatever is easy for him lest he be from those who've forsaken Qur’ān."

‎[الآداب الشرعية ٢\٣٠٠]

Imām ‎Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله:

*“Look at your situation in which you’re in; if it is suitable for death and the grave, then continue upon it.

‎And if it is not suitable for both, then repent to Allāh, Exalted is He, and return to what is suitable!”*

‎[Bustān al-Wā‘iẓīn | 193]

📌 Supplication in the last 10 nights…

Aa'isha رضي الله عنها reported that she asked:

"O' Messenger of Allāh ﷺ! What if I knew which night Laylatul-Qadr was, then what should I say in it?"

He ﷺ said:

"Say:
"اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي"
[O' Allāh you are the one who pardons, and loves to pardon, so pardon me].

[at-Tirmidhi | 3760]

Ibn al-Jawzi رحمه الله said:

“Desires cannot see beyond the immediate; whoever foresees that its outcome is in fact a burning fire will patiently endure abnegating it.”

[Kitaab Al-Lataa’if Fil-Waa’iz | P. 179]

Fasting: The Gateway to Worship

Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله said,

*“Fasting is the best act of worship because it is the gateway to worship.’ Allāh has made this month a means of expiating great sins. You need to know that all sins in reality are great because in sin we are disobeying the Supreme Lord. They used to say, ‘Don’t look at how small your sin is, look at the greatness of the One you are disobeying!’

May Allāh forgive us and save us from disobeying Him.

Allāh! Servants of Allāh, fear Him! Lower your gaze in this great month, and in all other months. Don’t look at what is forbidden. Control your tongues and don’t violate the honour of your Muslim brothers and sisters. Give lots of charity to the poor and needy. Spend your nights in prayer. Let your eyes shed tears. Beg your Lord to save you from slipping and falling. In this way, we pray that He will change our evil deeds to good.”*

[Bustān al-Wā’izīn | Pg. 322]

Read, Reflect & Relay

Ibn al-Jawzī رحمه الله said:

‎"Do not let your past (carelessness) make you lose hope of achieving good for many people have come back to wakefulness after a long sleep."

‎[Awaking from the Sleep of Heedlessness, Pg. 58]