Tawba Barriers: What Stops You?


25 June, 2020


QHow do we purify our hearts? What are some barriers along the way?


ANSWER

 

Rasulullah mentioned the heart in such a beautiful way. He mentioned that the heart is almost the center of the body.


And if the heart is not pure, if the heart is not clean, then there is a problem with the rest of the body.


How do we purify our hearts? The 3 barriers are Tawba, Shaytan and The Loss of hope in Allah.


Read on and check out this video.

Tawba Barriers, What Stops You?


Rasulullaah mentioned the heart in such a beautiful way. He mentioned that the heart is almost the center of the body. And if the heart is not pure, if the heart is not clean, then there is a problem with the rest of the body. SubhanAllah..sallalahu alayhi wa salam.

The First Barrier


Now, in order for that renewal, the first step to be taken is that of Tawba. Why? Through life, we create boundaries or barriers between ourselves and Allah. So, when we are taking this journey of Tawba, we need to think what is the foundation part? The foundation part is clearing out the sins that we have collected.

Now, sometimes we are collecting big sins. Brothers and sisters, you are not collecting big sins are you? SubhanAllah. The small ones we all do them, and sometimes we forgot that we are doing these sins. What happens they build up. Imagine lots of little grains of small sand and you are adding them, adding them, adding them and eventually they build up and you have a desert. This is what the desert is made up of of..tiny little grains.

So, in order to do this Tawba, we need to break up this barrier between ourselves and Allah. So, what creates the need for this? Our sins are our responsibility, we know this but we have to do muhasabah. Take account of ourselves before Allah takes account of us. Because surely He will take account of us. But if we are taking account of ourselves first this journey will be much smoother. Because we have already looked deep inside ourselves.

The Second Tawba Barrier


The second barrier between building a barrier between ourselves and Allah is the Shaytan. Allah tells us that Shaytan is not just an enemy but an avowed enemy to us. But we are kind of chilled out about that, aren’t we?

Can you imagine, I want you to really think about this, sisters and brothers. Imagine sitting in your home and you know somebody is going to come and attack you in your home, you know this for sure. What are you going to do? You will set defenses up, right?

You are going to lock the doors, and probably put furniture against the door. You are going to put your family in a locked place, perhaps a cellar or a basement. So, why is it that even though we protect our homes from an invader. why don’t we protect our hearts from Shaytaan? Why do we not see the Shaytaan as an enemy?

The Third Tawba Barrier


Even if we recognize the Shaytaan and we recognize the sins that we are doing. The third barrier is probably the most hidden barrier, and that is our loss of hope in Allah.

As we think our sins are too big, we have done too much wrong. Will Allah ever forgive me? And we start thinking and maybe even doubting that Allah will forgive us.

So, my dear sisters and brothers, we should never lose hope in Allah giving us forgiveness. Why? Because the gates of forgiveness are only closed on 2 occasions. SubhanAllah, we are told this very clearly, we must never lose hope in Allah.

So, there is a beautiful hadith when Rasulilaah explains about what is called the door of the gate of Tawbah. Allah created this gate, and it is so wide it would take 10 years to travel from one opening of the gate to the other side. Can you imagine this? 10 years to travel! This is mentioned in the hadith.

So, this amazing gate of Tawba is open for everybody. Because Allah is Ghafoor, Rahim ( The Most Forgiving, The Most Merciful). This gate will only close when? When the sun rises from the west.

So, sisters and brothers, this gate is open. It is not just open, it is waiting for us to go and purify ourselves and to ask Allah for forgiveness from our sins. Because Allah wants us to ask for His forgiveness.

What Studying Muhammad Taught Me About Islam

Dr. Craig Considine


25 June, 2020

In this short piece, I want to share with you what I have learned about Muhammad and how his legacy informs my understanding of Islam.

10 Great Prophet Muhammad Quotes on Christians

Protector of Religious Minorities


Muhammad’s beliefs on how to treat religious minorities make him a universal champion of human rights, particularly as it pertains to freedom of conscious, freedom of worship, and the right for minorities to have protection during times of strife.

The Covenant with Christians


Muhammad initiated many legal covenants with Christians and Jews after establishing his Muslim community. For example, in one covenant with the Christian monks at mount Sinai in Egypt, Muhammad called all Muslims to respect Christian churches and for no Muslim to fight against his Christian brother or sister.

Through this agreement, Muhammad made it clear that Islam, as a political and philosophical way of life, respected and protected Christians.

The Madinah Charter


In the constitution of Madinah, a key document which lead out a societal vision from Muslims, Muhammad also singled out Jews who, he wrote:

shall maintain their own religion and the Muslims theirs. The close friends of Jews are as themselves.

Similarly, in the treaty of Maqna, the Prophet stated that Jews may be in peace under his rule. In safeguarding the rights of Jews, Muhammad made it clear that a citizen of an Islamic state didn’t have to follow Islam and that Muslims should treat Jews as they would their own friends.

Coexistence is Strength

In developing these arguments with these fellow Muslim, Christians, and Jews, Muhammad clearly rejected elitism and racism and demanded that Muslims see their Abrahamic brothers and sisters as equals for God.

Lessons from Muhammad’s Last Sermon


According to Muhammad, humanity was at the heart of Islam. In my reading and interpretation of his last sermon at mount Arafat in 632, I learned that the Prophet fought against racism long before Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela.

In this sermon, Muhammad argued:

… an Arab is no superiority over a non Arab, nor a non Arab has any superiority over an Arab; a white person has no superiority over a black, nor is a black have any superiority over a white except by piety and good action.

Muhammad’s final sermon informed me that Islam teaches Muslims to be tolerant of difference and welcome to diversity.

Conclusion


Studying Muhammad has taught me invaluable lessons on the fundamental principles of Islam but more importantly principles of life itself. His treatment of religious minorities and his basic moral beliefs have encouraged me to further promote dialogue between Muslims, Christians and Jews.

Without a doubt, my research into the Prophet’s life has showed me that he is indeed a role model for both Muslims and non-Muslims and that humanity can benefit from Islam.

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. (49:13)