Surah Al-Fath: Companions of the Prophet SAW

"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those with him are firm of heart against the unbelievers, compassionate among themselves; you will see them bowing down, prostrating themselves, seeking grace from Allah and pleasure; their marks are in their faces because of the effect of prostration; that is their description in the Taurat and their description in the Injeel; like as seed-produce that puts forth its sprout, then strengthens it, so it becomes stout and stands firmly on its stem, delighting the sowers that He may enrage the unbelievers on account of them; Allah has promised those among them who believe and do good, forgiveness and a great reward." [Al Fath: 29]

I am absolutely in awe of the Sahabas (RA). I felt such gratitude today for our Muslim Heroes class! I felt as if in my mind's eye I could see these chosen slaves of Allah (s.w.t.) as they passionately protected our deen, with their love and obedience for Allah (s.w.t.) and His messenger (s.a.w.). Imagine that such people truly existed! Allah (s.w.t.) speaks of them in the Quran, and tells us that He is pleased with them- what an honor. Their existence and the fact that Allah (s.w.t.) has preserved the knowledge of them is a personal blessing of Allah (s.w.t.) upon us. I particularly loved how Ustazah taught us some seerah along the way. Reviewing the biography of the Prophet (s.a.w.) is something we should all do regularly as I have personally found it very beneficial in the understanding of the tafsir.
May Allah (s.w.t.) grant us the taufeeq to work in His path, to follow in the footsteps of those beautiful men and women with whom He is pleased. May Allah (s.w.t.) permit us with His mercy to be in the company of these brave souls and our beloved Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) in Jannat-ul-Firdous. Ameen.
-Rushda Haq, Mississauga, Oct 11, 2006

Who were the Sahabas? The beloved companions of Allah’s Messenger (saw), Allah's loved ones, and great personalities. These motivated souls spread our deen to its fullest. If it weren't for them what would become of our Islam? Such strong characters from the outside yet amongst the most humble people that walked this earth. These are our heroes, ones who have earned Allah's pleasure. Yet sadly we look up to others. If only we realized what they brought was true success, we wouldn’t make this mistake.
-Ayesha Ahmed, Oct, 11, 2006, Texas

"FOOTPRINTS OF OUR BELOVED”
THERE WAS ONCE PEOPLE WHO WERE BRAVEAND ALLAH'S MERCY THEY WOULD CRAVE.SO ALLAH TESTED THEM, AND THEY WERE PATIENTAND THROUGH THE PAIN THEIR HEARTS WERE ABSORBENT.

STILL THEIR HEARTS WOULD NEVER TUMBLE
SINCE THEY WERE SINCERELY HUMBLE.

FOR THE LOVE OF ALLAH AND HIS RASOOL THEY WERE LOYAL
READY TO TAKE THEIR LOYALTY WITH THEM BENEATH THE SOIL.

PEOPLE PURELY KIND
LIKE THEM ARE HARD TO FIND.

THEY WOULD ALWAYS MAKE QURAN THEIR CURE
WHICH HELPED THEM KEEP THEIR HEARTS PURE.

SURELY THEY WERE CARING
TO HELP OTHERS, THEIR OWN RIGHTS THEY WOULD BE TEARING.

IN EVERY WAY THEY WERE BIG HEARTED
REAL GENEROSITY HAD THEY STARTED.

THEIR WORDS KNOWLEDGEABLE
AND THEIR ACTIONS BELIEVEABLE

THESE PEOPLE WERE THE SAHABA’S, FOREVER TRUTHFUL
AND FOR SUCH ROLE MODELS WE SHALL BE GRATEFUL!
By: Faiza Bano, Texas and Noor-Ul-Ain Toronto, Oct, 11, 2006

The Companions of the Prophet (saw) were perfect role models! They were willing to sacrifice anything for their religion and anything for their friend, the Messenger of Allah (saw). How many of us are willing to do anything in the name of our deen?
-Fatima Malik, Mississauga, Oct, 11, 2006

While looking over verse 29 in Surah Al-Fath, which mentions the qualities of the Sahaba, I was thinking; what is it that makes us so different than the Sahabas? I then compared a few of their qualities with most Muslims today;
The Sahaba were: Ones strong upon the disbelievers
We?: Weak and apologetic of our way of life, look up to and follow the disbelievers blindly.
Sahaba - Merciful among themselves.
We?- Always disputing amongst ourselves. Don't forgive or overlook each others mistakes or weaknesses.
Sahaba - Making ruku and sujud, seeking blessings from Allah(s.w.t) and his good pleasure.
We?- Seeking blessings and good pleasure from other humans. Trying to please others to gain status in society. Putting our trust and asking for blessings from other helpless human beings like us.
Sahaba - They have the distinctive mark of sujud on their foreheads, the traces of their prostration.
We? - Our prayers don't have the quality or spirit in them to leave any kind of trace.
These are some of the things that make us different from the Sahaba, who earned the praise of Allah. I pray that Allah(SWT) will help us change our ways and work up to having the qualities of the respected Sahaba. Ameen.
-Ayesha Baig, California, Oct, 11, 2006


No matter what situation faces you in life, a believer never lets go of his excellent character. He lives his life striving to be better than his best. Why? Because he lives for a higher purpose in life... to serve Allah...
-Farhat Nazir, Oct, 11, 2006

Surah Al-Fath: 18-20, 27
There is always some wisdom behind all of Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala’s decisions – even if we don’t understand it right away. Sometimes we really want something to happen and when it doesn’t we start complaining and begin to despair. Or when everything’s going perfectly our way something happens to interrupt our happiness. Why do these things happen? These are all tests from Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala to see if we are really worthy of entering Jannah or not. Furthermore, coping with difficult situations makes us stronger. We learn valuable lessons through these times that we may not be able to learn in times of ease. Thus, when this happens we must be patient and have trust in Allah, remembering that the temporary hardships that we have to go through in this dunya is well worth the everlasting reward in the Hereafter. We will see that Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala will not only take away our hardships but give us more than we could ever have imagined. Allah subhanahu wa ta'aala says in Surah At-Talaaq, ayah 2-3: “And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose.” We are all tested in different ways but the key is to remain steadfast throughout the situation, be patient and put our trust in Allah – for verily, this is the way to success.
-Maryam Hameed, Ottawa, Oct, 11, 2006