Her Secret

1

Since that day, Maryam wakes up early morning and goes to school. When she comes back she reads a juz of the Qur'an then eats. After that, it is Magrib prayer but since she forgot how to pray, Maryam reads Prayer books to learn how to pray again. She finally saw the light. She left that hole behind and was pulled out of darkness. She used to feel pain and be glum but now she is always a happy little girl who has a smile stuck to her face. The plastered smirk always makes everyone happy around her. But not her mum. Her mum gets frustrated with her happiness.

"Why are you so happy for? Your father is dead and I am ill! Yet you are still smiling? Crazy child!" Raida (Maryam's mother) angrily shouted at Maryam.

"It doesn't matter what happened. The prophet SAW always smiled and wept only in private. It is sunnah to smile mother," Maryam calmly replied to her mother.

Ever since Maryam came back on the right path, she liked giving fatwah to those who were in need of it. When one would become angry, Maryam would try to calm them with beautiful words of Islam.

Over the next few days Maryam spent all her time practising how to pray and understanding everything. Ramadan came and she fasted, prayed, read Qur'an and completed Dikr everyday. Her mother also prayed and read Qur'an but she didn't fast as she was too ill to fast. She didn't do Dikr either as she was never that keen upon it. She was religious but didn't do Dikr. Maryam's education also improved. She studied hard and got straight A's in all of her exams.

After school, Maryam prays Asr then reads the Quran up until it is time for Magrib. She does her Magrib salah then breaks her fast.

 اللَّهُمَّ اِنِّى لَكَ صُمْتُ وَبِكَ امنْتُ وَعَليْكَ تَوَكّلتُ وَ عَلى رِزْقِكَ اَفْطَرْتُ

Allahumma inni laka sumtu wa bika aamantu wa alayka tawakkaltu wa ala rizq-ika-aftartu

O Allah! I fasted for You and I believe in You and I put my trust in You and I break my fast with Your sustenance.

After that, she does her homework and some extra studying so she doesn't fall behind due to the lack of concentration in class - as she is fasting. Maryam prays Isha on time and then read hadiths as this always relaxes her mind.

Hadith of Intention

Umar Ibn Al-Khattab relates that he heard the Messenger of Godصلى الله عليه و سلم  say : “Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His messenger, his migration was for Allah and His messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.” ~ Related by Bukhari and Muslim

This is an extremely comprehensive and rich Hadith of the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم that reflects the core of the Islamic Faith.

Imam Bukhari selected the first hadith, ‘Innamal a’malu binniyat’of Sahih Bukhari as an introduction to the whole collection to show the sincerity of purpose of the author. It reminds the reader that good and noble deeds inculcated by the Hadith found therein will only bear fruit if there is sincerity attached to their intentions and would be meaningless if the motive is not sincere.

Once she finished reading the hadith, she made duaa that Allah SWT helps her to increase her knowledge.

Blessings of God be upon Muhammad and his progeny. O God, I ask you, the one who mentions goodness and actualizes it and commands it, remind me of that which the shaytan makes me forget.

صَلّىَ اللهُ عَلى مُحَمّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمّد. اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْألُكَ يَا مُذَكِرَ الخَيْرِ وَفَاعِلَهُ  وَالآمِرَ بِهِ ذَكِرّنِي مَا اَنّسَانِهِ الشّيطَان 

Salla-l-laahu Alaa Muhammad Wa Aal-e Muhammad. Allahumma Inni As’aluka Yaa Mudhakkira-l Khayr Wa Faa’ilahu Wa-l-aamira Bihi Dhakir-ni Maa Ansaani-hi-shaytan.

In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful,

O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family

O Allah I ask You for beneficial knowledge  and good deeds and a strong memory and a perfect understanding

and a sound intellect by Your mercy, O the most Merciful of the merciful ones

O Allah, bless Muhammad and his family

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم 

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَّآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْألُكَ عِلْماً نَافِعاَ  وَعَمَلاً صَالِحاً

وَحِفْظاً قَوِيّاً   وَفَهْماً كَامِلاً

وَعَقْلاً سَالِماً  بِرَحْمَتِكَ يَا اَرْحَمَ ٱلرَّاحِمِينَ

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّدٍ وَّآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ

Bismillāhir rahmānir raheem  -

Allāhumma Swalli ‘alā Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad  -

Allāhumma inni asaluka ‘amalan nāfi‘ā  -

Wa ‘amalan swālihā    -

 hifzan qawiyyā   -

wa fahman kāmilā  -

wa aqlan sālimā  - birahmatika yā arhamar rāhimeen   -

Allāhumma Swalli ‘alā Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad- 

Aameen.

Now she performed her 2 rakat nafil (optional) salah and read out loud her Dikr. She read surah Al fathiha four times, the four quls three times each and the other 6 main surahs once. Then she blew on her chest and made duaa again.

O Allah! Forgive me for my sins! Those that I commit intentionally and those that I commit unintentionally. Those that I commit unaware and those that I commit with full awareness. I beg you my lord help me and this ummah so that we lead a righteous life. Obviously we are imperfect and we have many flaws and we sin as you have not made up perfect but surely we can do our best to please you so please ya Rab! Guide us to the straight path ans keep us on the right path! Don't let us go astray and if we ever fall in to the darkness then please Ya Rahman give us light! Ya Ghafur forgive up please surely you are the All Forgiver! Please my Lord help us all!

“O Allah, I ask You for paradise and seek Your protection from the fire”

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنَ النَّارِ

Allaahumma ‘innee ‘as’alukal-jannata wa ‘a’oothu bika minan-naar.

Aameen

Finally, she went to the bathroom and got ready for bed. She also made sure to redo her wudu before entering her bed as it is said:

A hadeeth was narrated to this effect, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When you go to bed, do wudoo’ as for prayer.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 247; Muslim 2710). 

Ibn Hajar said: The apparent meaning is that it is mustahabb for everyone who wants to go to sleep to renew his wudoo’, even if he already has wudoo’. It may be interpreted as applying only to the one who has broken his wudoo’. 

Al-Nawawi said: if a person has wudoo’, that is sufficient for him, because the point is to go to sleep having wudoo’, lest he die in his sleep, and so that he dreams will be more true, and so that the Shaytaan will be less likely to play with his dreams and terrify him.

She went to sleep peacefully just like every other day.