Qualities of John(Yahya) Ibn Zakariyah

John (PBUH) was born a stranger to the world of children who use to amuse themselves, as he was serious all the time. Most children took delight in torturing animals whereas, he was merciful to them. He fed the animals his food until there was nothing left for him, and he just ate fruits and leaves of trees.

John loved reading since childhood. When he grew up, Allah the exalted called upon him.

<<”O John ! Hold fast to the Scripture (The Torah).” And we gave-him wisdom while yet a child. >> Sura 19:11

Allah guided him to read the Book of Jurisprudence closely; thus, he became the wisest and most knowledgeable man of that time therefore, Allah the almighty endowed him with the faculty of judgments on people’s affairs, interpreting the secrets of religion, guiding people to the right path, and warning them against the wrong one.

John (PBUH) said: “The dwellers of Paradise are sleepless out of sweetness of Allah’s bounty; that is why the faithful must be sleepless because of Allah’s love in their hearts. How far between the two luxuries, how far between them?”

John wept so much that the tears marked his cheeks.

When John (PBUH) called people to worship Allah, he made them cry out of love and submission, arresting their hearts with the truthfulness of his words.

Lessons from this:

What lessons have you extracted from this ?

TBC…

Inner Deminsions of Salah

“Recite,what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer prohibits immorality and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows, that which you do” (29:45).

Man has been advised in the Qur’an to be steadfast in his prayer, for prayer fends away indecency and evil. When the Prophet sallahu alyihi wa sallam was asked about this verse he said (jist), “if a person’s prayer does not fend away indecency and evil then his prayer is not really prayer at all“.

What is prayer? It is to remember the fact that man is living before a Allah, Who though man cannot see Him, can see man. Whoever leaves salah with this fact firmly embedded in his mind cannot live forgetful of Allah. In prayer, man testifies to the fact that Allah is the greatest of all beings. If one is truthful in one’s testimony, then one will not claim greatness for oneself when one has finished salah. Whatever one recites in salah is a covenant before Allah that one will keep his commandments; then how is it possible that one should leave salah and treat people with arrogance and contumacy? The actions of salah are a manifestation of the fact that one’s heart is full of fear and love for Allah. How can one claim to be full of fear and love for Allah during salah, and then live as if one knows neither fear or love for Him when one goes outside?

If one prays in the true spirit of salah, then one’s prayer will surely fend away indecency and evil. But if one’s salah is devoid of spirit, then it will be no more than a perfunctory action which has no connection with one’s real life. It will be prayer in form, but not in reality: for it will not fend away indecency and evil.

It is as if one were to say: a son who stays lying down while he sees his father standing does not respect his father; a brother who sees his sister hungry and does not give her something to eat is not really a brother at all; the friendship of a person who hears of his friend’s death and does not stop laughing is not really friendship at all.