Submitted by : k.ibrahim on Strugle

Bismillah Ir-Rahman, Ir-Raheem. I begin with ALLAH's auspiciousness,whose Name is the Best among all the names. All Revences, All Sanctities and All Worships are due to ALLAH alone. Ashahadu An Laa illaaha illal llahu
Wa Ash Hadu Anna Muhammadan Abdu Hu Wa Rasooluhu
''I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah
who is without partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) is the Rasool.''
"O Allah, Shower Your Peace come upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have brought peace to Ibrahim and his family.
Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious. O Allah, Shower your blessing upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious". Iam Satisfied with Allâh as My Rabb and Cherisher,Iam Satisfied With Islam as My Din(religion) and I am satisfied with Muhammad as a Rasulallah (Messenge r)sallallahu alaihi was salam) I seek Protection with ALLAH! With the Glorious and Noble Face of ALLAH! With the Complete and Perfect words of ALLAH! With the Exalted Attributes of ALLAH! From the Punishment of Hell; From chastisement in the Grave; From the Trial of Life and Death; From the Mischief of the dajjal. There is no power nor strength with (anyone) save Allah. ALLAH is Good and Only accept that which is Good. ALLAH is the Truth and only accept that which True. ALLAH is Pure and only accept that which is Pure. Ya ALLAH! ALL the praises are for You,You are the Holder of the Heavens and the Earth, And whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All praises are for You; You are are the Substaner of the Heavens and the Earth And whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All the praises are for you;You have the Possession of the Heavens and the Earth and whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All the praises are for You; You are Light(Nur) of the Heavens and Earth And whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All praises are for You; You are the King of the Heavens and th! e Earth And whatever is in them. Ya ALLAH! All praises are for You; You are the Truth and Your Promise is the Truth, And Your word is the Truth and the Meeting with You is true, And Parardise is True And Hell is true and All the Prophets(peace be upon them) are true; And Muhammad Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) is true,And the Day of Resurrection is True. Ya ALLAH! You have promise and Your promise is the truth,Ya ALLAH! You have promise and Your words is the truth, Ya ALLAH! You have promise and You are the Truth!. Ya ALLAH! You have created Rasulallah(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) to be the most truthful of men and what He(sallallahu alayhi wa salam) has said is the absolute truth! Ya ALLAH! You have promise that You would send one who would revive,restore,rejuvevate Your Din(religion).Ya ALLAH it is geting late and time is not with us,Ya ALLAH You have Promise! Ya ALLAH You have Promise! and Your Promise is the Truth! O Most Merciful of those who show mercy!,O Most Merciful of those who show mercy!,O Most Merciful of those who show mercy!”-------{O Muslim people!THIS IS K.IBRAHIM! I ask you in the Name of ALLAH! To make Dua(Pray) for me! that ALLAH increase and Strengthen my (faith) imaan!} -------- {The Holy Quran} And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allah no protector or helper.-(2:120). Say, "Shall we invoke instead of Allah that which neither benefits us nor harms us and be turned back on our heels after Allah has guided us? [We would then be] like one whom the devils enticed [to wander] upon the earth confused, [while] he has companions inviting him to guidance, [calling], 'Come to us.' " Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance; and we have been commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds.(6:71).--------------------------- Guide us to the Straight Way.The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace , not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians)(1:6-7) The Muslim servant of ALLAH is in the greatest need of being knowledgeable of what will benefit him in this life and the hereafter, that he prefers and chooses what benefits him and avoids what harms him. By both of these things he is guided to the Straight Way. If the knowledge of this passes him by he will be treading the path of those who are astray. If his desiring it (i.e., the truth) and following it is lost, he will be treading the path of those upon whom is (ALLAH's) anger.



By this (explanation) you will realise the extent and scope of this mighty supplication, the intense need for it and the dependence

of the happiness of this life and the hereafter upon it. THE BELIEVING SERVANT'S EXTREME NEED FOR GUIDANCE- “Guidance is not attained except with knowledge and correct direction is not attained except with patience.”

The Muslim servant is in need of guidance, at every moment and in every breath, in everything that happens to him and passes him by,

for he is in the midst of many matters from which he cannot separate himself:

(i) Matters in which he found himself because of ignorance, rather than guidance, so he is in need of seeking guidance to the truth with respect to these.

(ii) Matters in which he knows the guidance, but did not act upon it in the proper manner, so he is in need of repenting from them.

(iii) There are matters concerning which he did not know the aspect of guidance in them, neither in terms of knowledge nor action. Thus guidance to both knowledge and acquaintance with them, the desire for them and acting upon them has passed him by.

(iv) There are matters in which he has been guided in one aspect but not in others, so he is in need of perfect and complete guidance

with respect to them. Or matters for which he has been guided to their foundations but not -to their particular details, so he is need of a specific guidance (to those particular details).

(v) There are matters to which he has been guided but he is in need of further guidance with respect to them since guidance to the path is one thing, but guidance upon the path is something else.

Do we not see that a man knows the path to a certain city, that the path is such and such. However, he is not capable of traversing this

path because traversing it requires specific guidance in the journey itself, such as travelling at a certain time as opposed to another, taking a certain amount of water in such and such a desert, resting at this place as opposed to that one. All of this is guidance upon the journey. The one who (merely) knows that this is the path neglects

all of this, perishes and is cut off from the desired goal. (vi) Likewise there are matters for which he is in need of guidance in the future, similar to (the guidance) that he obtained in the past.

(vii) Matters for which he does not have belief concerning their truthfulness or falsehood and thus he is need of guidance as to what is correct regarding them.

(viii) Matters with respect to which he believes he is upon guidance but, in reality, is upon misguidance and does not realise. He is in need of being taken away from that (false) belief by guidance from Allaah.

(xi) Matters which he has acted upon due to guidance so that he is in need of guiding others towards them, directing them and advising

them. His neglect of this causes a similar level of (his own) guidance to be lost.



-Allah's Knowledge and Wisdom

ALLAH is All Knowing and All Wise about His choice and the consequences.

E.g.: The hadeeth of istikhara, whereby the Muslim asks for ALLAH's guidance in a certain affair saying

"O my Rabb, I ask your guidance due to your knowledge and appeal to you to help me (give me power) due to your ability, and ask you from your great favour, for you are able and I am not, you know and I don't and you know all hidden matters. O ALLAH! if you know that this matter (and you name it) is good for me in my deen, my livelihood,, the aftermath of my matter (also for my life in the Hereafter) its long term and short term then decree it for me, make it easy for me and bestow blessings in it for me. And if you know that this matter is bad for me in my deen, livelihood, the aftermath of my matter, its long term and short term, then keep it away from me and turn me away from it and for me the good wherever it is and then content me with it." (Bukhari).
The slave of ALLAH needs to know what benefits him in his livelihood. Is he able to achieve it? is it going to be easy or not? Certainly ALLAH taught him from what he taught man. So the knowledge is His. The slaves ability is from ALLAH, otherwise he is weak, making matters easy is also from ALLAH. If He does not make things easy for His slave they will turn out difficult. The Rasulallah(Sallallahu alayhi wa salam )directed the Muslim to the essence of Uboodiyah. Asking guidance from the one who is All Knowing about the after math of every task, its details, its good and its bad; seeking the help and Ability from the All Able, Asking His favour by making the matters easy for him. If ALLAH guides him due to his ability and makes it easy for him. If ALLAH guides him due to His knowledge, helps him due to his Ability and makes it easy for him due to His favour, then he needs ALLAH help to preserve his guidance and to bestow blessings in it, so that his matter (what he asked for) becomes firm and grows. The person requests that ALLAH makes him content with His choice, otherwise ALLAH may choose what the person dislikes not knowing that it is good for him. Abdullah ibn Umar said, "The person asks ALLAH for guidance and ALLAH gives him. However he turns angry on His Rabb, only to look at the aftermath and find that Allah indeed has chosen (what is good) for him."
Imam al-Sadiq (as) is reported to have said, “Allah forgives only one who repents, acquires conviction, does good deeds, then is guided. It is understood from this statement that guidance and being guided are two synonymous paths complementing one another, except that guidance is a divine gift whereby Allah, Praise and Glory to Him, grants His favors upon His servant. His guidance has indeed included all of His servants without any exception. This is proven by the verse saying, “And by the soul and by the One Who made it perfect, then He inspired it to understand what is right and what is wrong ... “ (Qur'an, ash-Shams 91:7)
and by this verse: We have surely shown him the way: he may thank; or be an ingrate. (Qur'an, al- Dahr or Al-Insan, 76:3) As regarding seeking guidance, it is the personal effort exerted by a servant of Allah who follows the norms of general guidance in order to reach, after researching, ascertaining, utilizing his intellectual faculties, the knowledge relevant to the difference between what is right and what is wrong, and he willingly chooses the path of guidance after having avoided it. This is deducted from the verse saying, ... so convey the glad tidings to My servants who listen to the word then follow the best thereof, those are the ones whom Allah has guided, and those it is who are the men of understanding. (Qur'an, al-Zumar 39:17-18)
A servant of Allah who opens his heart and mind to seek the knowledge of guidance, such a servant of Allah willingly goes back to the roots of natural guidance through the (light) Nur of the Quran and Sunnah of Rasulullah(Sallallahu alayhi wa salam) and becomes worthy of Allah's praise servant among the Ulul-Albab (men of understanding). The greatest example in explaining guidance is Rasulullah(Sallallahu alayhi wa salam) , and seeking it was the Sahabah. and explaining what would befall the Muslims Ummah and the world, the Ummah of whom Allah guided through
Rasulullah(Sallallahu alayhi wa salam) who took them out of the darkness into the light, leading the Sahabah and mankind to His path so that they may tread upon His As-Siratul-Mustaqeem (the Straight Path), keeping them on the right guidance after having perfected their creed, completed His blessing upon them, and accepted Islam as their religion.-------------------------
“...Say: ‘True guidance is the is the guidance of Allah ... All bounties are in the hands of Allâh. He grants them to whom He pleases. And Allah cares for all and He knows all things.” (3:73)
“This is the Guidance of Allâh. He gives that guidance to whom He pleases, of His servants if they were to join other gods with Him, all that they did would be vain for them.” (6:88)
“Those to whom Allah wills to guide, He opens their breast to Islâm. Those whom He wills to leave straying, He makes their breast close and constricted, as if they had to climb up to the skies; thus does Allah lay abomination on those who refuse to believe.” (6:125)
“Whom Allah does guide, he is on the right path. Whom He rejects from His guidance, such are the persons who lose.” (7:178) Allah has revealed (from time to time) the most beautiful Message in the form of a Book, consistent with itself, (yet) repeating (its teaching in various aspects). The skins of those who fear their Rabb tremble there at: then their skins and their hearts do soften to the remembrance of Allâh. Such is the guidance of Allâh: He guides therewith whom He pleases, but such as Allah leaves to stray, can have none to guide. (39:23)- In line with the above Qur’anic Ayât (Verses), the following hâdîth shows that verily, only Allah the Almighty can guide us to Islam. In fact,Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam) himself tried to guide his uncle to Islam but he failed. Indeed, only Allah has all the power to guide those whom He wills to His Path:
Abû Hurairah (r.a.) narrated that Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam)said to his uncle (at the time of his death): “Make a profession of it that there is no god but Allâh. And I will bear testimony (of your being a Muslim) on the Day of Judgment.” He (Abû Talib) said, “Were it not the fear of the Quraysh blaming me (and) saying that it was the fear of (approaching death) that induced me to do so, I would have certainly delighted your eyes.” It was then that Allah revealed: “Verily you can not guide to the right path whom you love. And it is Allah Who guides whom He will and He knows best who are the guided. (28:56).” (Muslim 38)
Knowing that Allah (S.W.T.) Alone guides those whom He wills to Islam, we Muslims must thank Allah (S.W.T.) for the greatest blessing that He has given us. Allah (S.W.T.) has shown His favor upon us by enlightening us to Islam, which alone can lead us to eternal success. We must cherish and preserve Islam as it is the greatest gift that man can ever receive from Allâh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Only Creator and Sustainer of the worlds. The best way to express our gratitude to our Rabb is to know Him through the Qur’an and the Sunnah or in other words, authentic knowledge of Islam. We need to study and follow the Qur’an which also reminds us to hold on to the Sunnah of Rasulullah(Sallallahu alayhi wa salam) We have to know that through the Qur’an, Allah the Exalted has guided our Rasulullah(Sallallahu alayhi wa salam)who is the best model for the whole mankind:
Anas bin Malik (r.a.) narrated that he heard Umar (r.a.) speaking while standing on the pulpit of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam)in the morning (following the passing of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam)when the people had sworn allegiance to Abu Bakr(S.W.T.). He said the Tashah-hud before Abu Bakr, and said, “Amma Ba‘ad (then after) Allah has chosen for his Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam)what is with Him (Paradise) rather than what is with you (the world). This is that Book (Qur‘an) with which Allah guided your Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam)so stick to it, for then you will be guided on the right path as Allah guided His Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam)with it.” (Bukhari 9/374)
By reading the Qur’an, we are also guided to follow the Sunnah of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam) For our complete guidance, we therefore need to learn Islam in its authentic sources. We have to know from the Qur’an and the Sunnah what Allah wants us to do to be able to please and adore Him the best we can. We need to know how we must follow His Guidance, to live in accordance with it, follow it with utmost sincerity, and share it to others -- all for His Pleasure. In this way, we attain success especially the supreme success in the eternal life Hereafter.----
Guide us to the straight path” (al-Fatiha, 1:6).
Have we ever reflected upon the nature of this guidance and the straight path that we are supposed to be upon? In Arabic, the word hidaya means guidance. The word hadiyya or gift also comes from the same root letters as the word for hidaya. Religious guidance is one of the greatest gift that a person can possess. It is also something that we do not control or own, but rather it is bestowed upon us in an act of infinite mercy and grace by Allah (SWT).One of the best explanation of the word, hidaya has been offered by Imam Raghib al-Isfahani in his Mufradat al-Qur’an, according to which hidaya or guidance signifies leading someone towards his destination, gently and kindly. It has several level or standard.

The first level of guidance is general, given to all creation and covers everything that is in the universe. By this guidance, animals, plants, minerals and all other inanimate objects fulfill the purpose for which they are created. Thanks to this general guidance, everything in the universe is performing its allotted function with precision and efficiency. That is to say, Allah has given every created thing a particular nature and function, and guided it in a way which should correspond to its station in the grand scheme of things. When Firaun asked Musa (AS) to tell him who his Rabb was, Musa (AS) said,
“Our Rabb is He who gives each thing its created form and then guides it” (Ta Ha, 20:50).
The Qur'an also makes it quite clear that all forms of existents in the universe, and every particle of dust possesses life, sensitivity, and even consciousness and understanding in its own degree and according to its own sphere of existence. An ayah in Surat a-Isra’ informs us,
"There is not a single thing that does not celebrate His praise, though you do not understand their praise” (al-Isra’, 17:44).
The Second level of Guidance unlike the first is not general but particular. It is limited to those creatures which are considered to be rational creatures on Earth; that is, endowed with the faculty of reason. These include the humans and jinns. This kind of guidance comes to every human being through al-anbiya (prophets) and revealed books. Some accept this guidance, and become believers; others reject it and become disbelievers. This is the type of hidaya or guidance referred to in Surat al-Insan, where Allah (SWT) says,
“We have guided him to the path, whether he be one who is thankful or ungrateful” (al-Insan, 76:3). The Third level of guidance is still more particular, being special to the true believers, to the ALLAH-fearing (the God-fearing), and to the virtuous among people. Like the first level, the third kind of guidance also descends directly to the individual from Allah, and it is called tawfiq, that is to say, Allah's grace provides an individual with means and circumstances that make it easy, and even pleasant for him or her to accept and act upon the divine guidance, and difficult to ignore or oppose it. The scope of the third level of guidance is limitless. Increase in virtuous deeds brings with it an increase in divine guidance. The Qur'an itself gives us the promise of such increase:
“And those who are guided, He increases their guidance, and grants them piety and protection from sinning” (Muhammad, 47:17).
As for those who strive in our cause, We will guide them to Our paths. For ALLAH is with those who do good” (al-‘Ankabut, 29:69).
It is in this field of progress that we see the al-anbiya (prophets) and their followers striving; seeking increase in divine guidance and help till their last breath. The Qur’an reports Shu’aib (AS) as saying,
“And my guidance (or success) can only come from ALLAH” (Hud, 11:88).
Keeping in mind the three distinct level of guidance, one can easily see that guidance is a thing which everyone does possess in some way, and yet everyone requires to attain more of its advanced and higher stages. Hence, of all the prayers man can address to Allah, the most important is the prayer for guidance, which has been taught to us in the very first Surah of the Qur'an; and this prayer is as necessary for the greatest of al-anbiya (prophets) and men of Allah as for an ordinary Muslim. To avoid any confusion, it is important to note that the Qur’an sometimes speaks of divine guidance as being general and common to believers and non-believers, in fact to all creatures, and sometimes makes it out to be particular and special to the ALLAH-fearing believers. On the one hand, the Qur'an reminds us that ALLAH does not grant guidance to the transgressors and the unrighteous; on the other hand, it declares that ALLAH guides all. The misunderstanding which may arise here is removed by knowledge of the level of guidance. The general guidance is given to all without any distinction, but the third and very special level of guidance is not granted to those who don’t want to be guided or to the rebellious.
The first and the third level of guidance pertain to a direct act of divine grace, and no Nabi (prophet) can have anything to do with it, for the function of the al-anbiya (prophets) is related only to the second level; that is they are guides.
And for every people there is a guide” (ar-Ra’d). It is neither the function of a Nabi (prophet) nor is it in his power to provide tawfiq to anyone, or to make it easy for anyone to accept guidance. Addressing Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wa salam), ALLAH says,
You cannot guide those you would like to but ALLAH guides those He wills. He has best knowledge of the guided” (al-Qasas, 28:56).
Those of us who invite or try to guide others to Islam should be humbled and should internalize the fact that we have no power over this matter, and that true guidance is the sole dominion of ALLAH, the 'turner of hearts. However, on the other hand, that should not make us lose hope in the work we do, for which our reward is with Allah, but rather it should increase our confidence in inviting others, knowing that the result is not dependent on our dawah or speech, which is full of weakness and defects, but is in the hands of Allah who can instantly change the hearts of the most wicked and tyrannical into the most pure and righteous. We ask Allah (SWT) to turn our hearts to His deen and to His obedience. O ALLAH! 'O turner of Hearts! Turn our Hearts toward Your Guidance!
“O, Turner of the hearts, keep our hearts firm on your deen (religion).” “O Allah, the Turner of the hearts, turn our hearts to your obedience.
O Muslim People! We have a divine principle mentioned in Surat al-Najm, which is very clear and straight forward, and that is:
“Man can have nothing but what he strives for” (al-Najm, 53:39).
Applying this general rule, one has to strive hard to qualify to become the recipient of the precious gifts of knowledge, wisdom, understanding and guidance. It does not come to the one who does not want to be guided or who does not work hard enough to be guided. That is why the special level of guidance is not granted to the unjust and the unrighteous. Another important point is that we should first and foremost; seek knowledge, understanding and guidance in every matter with Allah, before turning to others. This is why it is recommended to offer Salat ul Istikhara whenever we have to make life-changing decisions. Istikhara means to ask Allah to guide one to the right thing concerning any affair in one’s life, especially when one has to choose between two permissible alternatives; whether to undertake a major project or not, whether to change career or not, whether to invest in a certain company or not, whom to get married to, etc.. We are instructed by Allah to ask for guidance to the straight path (al-Sirat al-Mustaqim). A path (sirat) needs to possess five qualities for it to be called a sirat. The path needs to be: (1) straight, (2) easy to travel upon, (3) a familiar well-trodden path, (4) wide and spacious, and (5) one which leads to the desired destination.
Since the path that we are asking guidance to is Islam itself, we should notice and reflect on how these qualities apply to Islam. Islam is straight as it is a correct and firmly established way, pure and protected from any crookedness or deviation from the truth. Islam is also easy as Allah (SWT) has said,
“Allah desires ease for you; He does not desire difficulty for you” (al-Baqarah, 2:185).
According to a hadith, "The din is easy. Anyone who makes the din too hard on himself will find that it becomes too much for him. So aim for what is right, follow a middle path, and head for the goal in the morning, evening and some of the night and you will reach the goal." The Qur’an clearly says,
“Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity” (al-Baqarah, 2:286).
There will be challenges, temptations and difficulties in living as a Muslim but they are things that we ultimately have the capacity to bear and face. Everything in Shari`ah (Islamic law) benefits us or wards off harm from us. Islam, which is submission to the commands of Allah (SWT), is also a familiar and well-trodden path, the path of all al-anbiya (the Prophets) and their followers. As Allah (SWT) says,
“Whoever obeys Allah and (the Messenger)Rasulallah(Sallallahu alayhi wa salam) will be with those whom Allah has blessed: the al-anbiya (Prophets) and the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous. What excellent company such people are!” (al-Nisa’, 4:69). The final, universal revelation of Islam is wide and spacious and accommodates all, regardless of color, race or social status. And indeed the path of Islam leads to the desired destination, which is Allah's pleasure gained by obeying Him. Allah says,
“Allah will admit those who believe in Him and hold fast to Him into His mercy and favor; He will guide them towards Him on a straight path” (al-Nisa’, 4:175).
The one who is guided in this life to the Straight Path will be guided to the straight path in the Hereafter that leads to Paradise. What is the ultimate destination that each one of us desires—paradise; and the Qur’an tells us that the believers while entering paradise will say:
“Praise be to Allah who has guided us to this! We would not have been guided, had Allah not guided us” (AL-A’raf, 7:43).
May Allah (SWT) make us among those who are truly guided; Ameen ya Rabb al-‘Alameen.