بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

We are in Dhaka 🌆 Bangladesh, and every new year around the stroke of twelve, the sky fills with fireworks 🎆 and flying lamps. Hundreds or thousands of them. It is a beautiful sight.

So as I stood in the roof, and viewed a wondrous scene, with my wife, and I could not but be amazed and wondered 🎇, then thoughts of Jannah came to me, which is more amazing and more wondrous ✨.

وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ

And He will admit them to Paradise, which He has made known to them. (47:6)

There will be no sun ☀️to dazzle the sight, and no freezing cold 🧊.

لَا يَرَوْنَ فِيهَا شَمْسًا وَلَا زَمْهَرِيرًا

Therein they will see neither sun nor bitter cold. (76:13)

People will see the Arsh (Throne) and the angels surrounding it ⭕, extolling the Lord above.

وَتَرَى الْمَلَائِكَةَ حَافِّينَ مِنْ حَوْلِ الْعَرْشِ يُسَبِّحُونَ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّهِمْ

And you will see the angels surrounding the Throne, exalting [ Allah ] with praise of their Lord. (39:75)

And people will see ⛲their Lord above them when the veil is lifted.

إِذَا دَخَلَ أَهْلُ الْجَنَّةِ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى تُرِيدُونَ شَيْئًا أَزِيدُكُمْ فَيَقُولُونَ أَلَمْ تُبَيِّضْ وُجُوهَنَا أَلَمْ تُدْخِلْنَا الْجَنَّةَ وَتُنَجِّنَا مِنْ النَّارِ قَالَ فَيَكْشِفُ الْحِجَابَ فَمَا أُعْطُوا شَيْئًا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ النَّظَرِ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

When the people of Paradise enter paradise, Allah blessed and exalted will say: Would you like anything that I give you more? They will say: Have You not whitened our faces? Have You not admitted us into Paradise and saved us from fire? He said, Then, Allah will lift the veil and nothing they are given will be more beloved to them than looking at their Lord Mighty and Majestic. (Muslim, 181)

May Allah grant us scenes of wonders, amazement and joy in this worldly life and the hereafter, fill out hearts with the joy of faith 🔆 that never departs.

وَيُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ عَرَّفَهَا لَهُمْ

And He will admit them to Paradise, which He has made known to them. (47:6)

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

Alhamdulillah, who created aroma and sweet scents 🌹.

وَالْحَبُّ ذُو الْعَصْفِ وَالرَّيْحَانُ

And grain having husks and scented plants. (Surah Ar Rahman, 55:12)

In plants, and fruits, in fragrance and in musk 🌸.

خِتَامُهُ مِسْكٌ ۚ وَفِي ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ الْمُتَنَافِسُونَ

The sealing of it [drink in paradise] is musk; so for this then let the competitors compete (83:26)

Dear Muslims, Islam teaches us good virtues and pure characteristics. It guides to the most beautiful 🏵️ paths. The Prophet ﷺ was sent to purify souls, to make lawful to them the good, and to make unlawful to them the filthy.

وَيُحِلُّ لَهُمُ الطَّيِّبَاتِ وَيُحَرِّمُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْخَبَائِثَ وَيَضَعُ عَنْهُمْ إِصْرَهُمْ وَالْأَغْلَالَ الَّتِي كَانَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ

He makes lawful for them the good things and prohibits for them the evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them. (7:157)

Islam has given importance to having good odor ❤️.

The Messengers of God, peace be upon them, all had the practice to wear perfume.

أَرْبَعٌ مِنْ سُنَنِ الْمُرْسَلِينَ الْحَيَاءُ وَالتَّعَطُّرُ وَالسِّوَاكُ وَالنِّكَاحُ

Four are from the practices of the Messengers: Modesty, wearing fragrance, siwak (toothstick🪥) and marriage. (Tirmizi 1080, Hasan (fair) - Suyuti)

Brushing one’s teeth 🪥, thus maintaining good oral smell has been given great importance. The Prophet ﷺ said:

السِّوَاكُ مَطْهَرَةٌ لِلْفَمِ مَرْضَاةٌ لِلرَّبِّ

Siwak (toothstick) is a purifier for the mouth and is pleasing to the Lord. (Nasa'i 5, Sahih - Darussalam)

One may use the siwak (or modern day toothbrush and paste) when entering the home, after waking up, when performing wudu, etc.

Islam teaches cleanliness after going to the washroom 🚻 and in general, thus minimizing bad odor. Allah says:

فِيهِ رِجَالٌ يُحِبُّونَ أَن يَتَطَهَّرُوا ۚ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُطَّهِّرِينَ

Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves. (9:108)

This refers to some people who used to wash themselves with water after defecating. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, quoting hadith in Ahmad and Ibn Khuzaymah)

When people visit mosques 🕌, they should pay attention to the odor of their mouths. The Prophet ﷺ said:

مَنْ أَكَلَ الْبَصَلَ وَالثُّومَ وَالْكُرَّاثَ - فَلاَ يَقْرَبَنَّ مَسْجِدَنَا فَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ تَتَأَذَّى مِمَّا يَتَأَذَّى مِنْهُ بَنُو آدَمَ

He who eats onion and garlic and leek, should not approach our mosque (because of bad odor that emanates from the mouth) for indeed the angels are harmed by the same things as the children of Adam. (Muslim 564c)

The human soul is naturally inclined to good smells and odor and repulsed from bad ones. Couples ❤️ should pay due importance to this, for continued love and harmony between them, and everyone in general. A believer should adhere to the guidance brought by the Messenger ﷺ, to live fulfilling, beautiful and exemplary lives.

And Alhamdulillah, who taught us 📖 what we did not know.

كَمَا عَلَّمَكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُوا تَعْلَمُونَ

As He has taught you that which you did not know. (2:239)

In the name of the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful Allah
​
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

When a man is married, his paradigms shift. His priorities turn around. All of a sudden, he is keen to live a happy married life, but how will he do so? I met a friend who was older than me, and married for longer than me. Known for his piety and good conduct, he gave me seven pieces of advice despite being shy and uncomfortable in providing them.

Do not be shy to gain knowledge from the expert advice of others, and from experience and sound advice, especially if the giver is a pious and wise individual.

In addition to the Quran and Sunnah, we should benefit from the experience and wisdom of others. Consider how Musa alaihis salam went in search for knowledge from Khidr.

وَإِذْ قَالَ مُوسَىٰ لِفَتَاهُ لَا أَبْرَحُ حَتَّىٰ أَبْلُغَ مَجْمَعَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ أَوْ أَمْضِيَ حُقُبًا

And when Musa said to his young man (servant): I shall not cease until I reach the confluence of the two seas or I go on for ages. (18:60)

Musa, alaihis salam, sought to gain knowledge from someone else, who knew what he did not know. This is despite Musa being given the Torah in which was guidance and light.

وَكَتَبْنَا لَهُ فِي الْأَلْوَاحِ مِن كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَّوْعِظَةً وَتَفْصِيلًا لِّكُلِّ شَيْءٍ

And We wrote for him on the Tablets of everything an admonition, and an expounding of everything. (7:145)

Whoever holds to the Quran will not go astray, but this doesn’t mean knowledge and wisdom can’t be gained from other places. The Quran itself draws our attention to the world, to history, to different things, reminding people to contemplate and think.

وَذَكِّرْهُم بِأَيَّامِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِّكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ

And remind them of the days of Allah. Indeed in that are signs for everyone patient and grateful. (14:5)

For in advice and experience Allah has kept a lot of knowledge, the religion is sincerity, and the word of wisdom is the lost treasure of the believer.

الْكَلِمَةُ الْحِكْمَةُ ضَالَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَحَيْثُ وَجَدَهَا فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِهَا

The word of wisdom is the lost property of the believer. Wherever he finds it, he is most deserving of it .(Tirmidhī 2687, Hasan (fair) according to Al-Suyuti)

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

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Alhamdulillah, who is very compassionate to His slaves. He created the pair, male and female, and made them to complement one another. He created mankind from a single soul, and from it created its mate. And from them both He dispersed from them many men and women.

A friend gave me 7 pieces of advice for men to having a good and blissful marriage life. I have recounted 6, adding the seventh from myself.

1. Be dependable.

Be the type of man your wife has confidence in and feels she can rely upon.

2. Be respectable.

Be someone your wife can respect and look up to.

3. Give her time.

Dedicate time for your wife, especially in the early stage before having children.

4. Facilitate entertainment.

Want to go to a restaurant? A day out? Make matters fun and entertaining. Where the shariah doesn’t give an objection, you can do it!

5. Be romantic.

Express your affection, and not only through intimacy. If the wife doesn’t feel loved, she may in some small way start to gradually replace you in her life with another.

6. Don’t complain about her

If things aren’t working out, try to get them working out at first instead of complaining about her to her parents (or others).

7. Let a girl be a girl

Being a girl, your wife would have wishes to joke, laugh, have light times and joyous moments. You have to provide opportunities for that. Not always everything is serious.

Dear brothers and sisters, one of my most enjoyable moments of the wedding ⛲ceremonies were meeting people, the kids and adults, the friends and well wishers ✔️.

In Jannah, people will meet each other, and they will question one another. Families will be united and brought together, and people separated will be once again together. There will be no more hatred, spite and being hurt ❤️‍🩹.

وَأَقْبَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَىٰ بَعْضٍ يَتَسَاءَلُونَ

And they will approach one another, inquiring of each other.

What will they say?

قَالُوا إِنَّا كُنَّا قَبْلُ فِي أَهْلِنَا مُشْفِقِينَ

They will say, “Indeed, we were previously among our people fearful.”

Fearful of what? It doesn’t say. The Quran left it to our imaginations. There are a gazillion reasons to be afraid. Scared of displeasing Allah. Scared for your family’s wellbeing in the midst of a corrupt world. Fearful of Allah, blessed and exalted and His punishment.

But this day, there will be no more fear. And there will be no more grief.

فَمَنَّ اللَّهُ عَلَيْنَا وَوَقَانَا عَذَابَ السَّمُومِ

So Allah conferred favor upon us and protected us from the punishment of the Scorching Fire. [Surah Tur]

The fear of Allah is a noble and righteous quality ✨. It is linked to entering paradise 🏞️, and to be quick in doing good deeds ✈️. Allah says:

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ هُم مِّنْ خَشْيَةِ رَبِّهِم مُّشْفِقُونَ… وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْتُونَ مَا آتَوا وَّقُلُوبُهُمْ وَجِلَةٌ أَنَّهُمْ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ رَاجِعُونَ * أُولَٰئِكَ يُسَارِعُونَ فِي الْخَيْرَاتِ وَهُمْ لَهَا سَابِقُونَ

Indeed, they who are apprehensive from fear of their Lord…
And they who give what they give while their hearts are tremulous [fearful] because they will be returning to their Lord -
It is those who hasten to good deeds, and they outstrip [others] therein. (Surah Mu’minoon)

So let us fear our Lord, so He be pleased with us, and we be pleased with Him 💖.

رَّضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَنْ خَشِيَ رَبَّهُ

Allah being pleased with them and they with Him. That is for whoever has feared his Lord. (Surah Bayyinah).

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

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

I tried to get some sleep after Fajr but woke up at my wife’s frightened cries😱 .

She pointed to a place in the bed where there was what appeared a caterpillar We were newly married and our bed was literally a bed of roses and decorated with a myriad of flowers 💐. A caterpillar may have sneaked into it somehow!

I got rid of it and my wife told me later it reminded her of the grave🪦! Subhanallah, I was impressed by her line of thinking 😮.

The Prophet ﷺ once prayed over someone buried who had died. After finishing he said:

إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْقُبُورَ مَمْلُوءَةٌ ظُلْمَةً عَلَى أَهْلِهَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ يُنَوِّرُهَا لَهُمْ بِصَلاَتِي عَلَيْهِمْ

Verily, these graves are full of darkness ⚫ for their dwellers. Verily, the Mighty and Glorious Allah illuminates them 🔦 for their occupants by reason of my prayer over them. (Muslim 956)

When ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, would stop at a grave he would cry 😢until his beard was soaked (in tears). It was said to him: 'The Paradise and the Fire were mentioned and you did not cry, yet you cry because of this?’ So he said: 'Indeed the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

إِنَّ الْقَبْرَ أَوَّلُ مَنَازِلِ الآخِرَةِ فَإِنْ نَجَا مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَيْسَرُ مِنْهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْجُ مِنْهُ فَمَا بَعْدَهُ أَشَدُّ مِنْهُ

“Indeed the grave is the first of the stages 🛫 of the afterlife. So if one is saved from it, then what comes after it is easier ⛲ than it. And if one is not saved from it, then what comes after it is severer 🔥 than it.”

And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

مَا رَأَيْتُ مَنْظَرًا قَطُّ إِلاَّ وَالْقَبْرُ أَفْظَعُ مِنْهُ

“I have not seen any sight except that the grave is more horrible ⚫than it.” (Tirmizi, 2308, Hasan - Darussalam)

Umar Ibn Abdul-Aziz, may God rest his soul, told some of his companions: “I have spent the night sleeplessly thinking of the grave and its habitant, if you saw the dead person 🪦three days after being buried you would hate being near it after your long lived intimacy. You would see a home of vermin, puss, worms instead of good shape, perfumed breath and clean garments”. [http://iswy.co/e4d7k]

Dear brothers and sisters, prepare for the grave. One day you and I will be in it. So will you not reason?

And praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

How did you know 💡?“ she asked me. Because of the letter ✉️ of ‘Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, I thought. Read the article to know more.

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Gracious.

"O Prophet, why do you prohibit [yourself from] what Allah has made lawful for you, seeking the approval of your wives? And Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” (Surah At Tahrim, 66:1)

We are newly married 🌸, and my wife was for some reason temporarily upset with me 🌑.

I told her I knew she would be upset 🌑 with me.

“How did you know 💡?” she asked me.

Because of the letter ✉️ of 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, I thought.

The mother of the believers Aisha wrote a letter to Muwawiyah, in which she said, Indeed I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying:

مَنِ الْتَمَسَ رِضَاءَ اللَّهِ بِسَخَطِ النَّاسِ كَفَاهُ اللَّهُ مُؤْنَةَ النَّاسِ وَمَنِ الْتَمَسَ رِضَاءَ النَّاسِ بِسَخَطِ اللَّهِ وَكَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى النَّاسِ

Whoever seeks the pleasure of Allah by the displeasure of people, Allah will suffice him against the people.
Whoever seeks the pleasure of people by the displeasure of Allah, Allah will leave him to the patronage of people. (Tirmizi, 2414, Sahih - Al Albani)

Being newly married, I was eager to make my wife happy with me. In this process I may have done something not right. It wasn’t related to my wife, but rather my behavior with someone else.

I was thus expecting she would become upset 🌑 with me.

Dear brothers and sisters, always seek Allah’s pleasure ☀️, even if it may mean displeasing people. Allah will be sufficient for you against the people.

But if you make your Lord displeased to make someone happy, Allah will leave you to the other person.

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught this prayer:

فَلاَ تَكِلْنِي إِلَى نَفْسِي طَرْفَةَ عَيْنٍ

Do not leave me to myself for the blink of an eye.
(Abi Dawud 5090, Hasan in chain - Al Albani)

O Allah do not leave us to ourselves for even the blink of an eye. Make us chose your pleasure over the pleasure of others.

​And peace be upon the one who follows right guidance.