ADVICE: Sunnah Salahs/Prayers Can Benefit

It was narrated that the Prophet Muhammad (SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said: “The first of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded; and if they are deficient, then he will have failed and lost. If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, Allah will say: ’see if My servant has any supererogatory prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers.’ Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion.”

 [At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, an-Nasaa‘i, Ibn Majah and Ahmad]

ALLAH KNOWS BEST.

A Muslim who prays the five obligatory salahs is much better than a person who does not pray at all.

A Muslim who prays the Sunnah/voluntary salahs before and after the obligatory salahs is much better than a Muslim who prays only the five obligatory salahs.

A Muslim who prays the Sunnah/voluntary salahs before and after the obligatory salahs AND regularly prays Dhuha in the forenoon and Tahajjud at night is much better than the Muslim who does not regularly pray Tahajjud nor Dhuha.

The similitude of the above is that of students who received different grades in an exam:

a student who got a C for his mark is better than a student who got an F

a student who got a B is better than the one who got a C

an A student is better than a B student

and an A+ student is much better than an A- student. 

As humans we cannot be sure that every one of our salahs/prayers, since the time we are held accountable, are accepted 100% so in order to compensate for the 'unaccepted' salahs, it is encouraged or even necessary to pray as many Sunnah prayers as you can every day and night.

Allah knows best.

PERSONAL: Travel Survey

 10) In no particular order, mention TEN cities or countries you have visited.

1. U.A.E.

2. Egypt

3. Singapore

4. Malaysia

5. Thailand

6. Indonesia

7. England

8. France

9. U.S.A.

10. Denmark

9) Mention NINE places of attraction (abroad) you have been to.

1. Tivoli Land (Denmark)

2. Euro Disneyland (Paris)

3. Madame Tussaud Wax Museum (London)

4. Natural History Museum (London)

5. Walt Disney World (Florida)

6. Disneyland (California)

7. The Egyptian Pyramids (Egypt)

8. Underwater World Langkawi (Malaysia)

9. Singapore Zoo And Night Safari (Singapore)

8) Mention EIGHT interesting memories you can remember from your travels.

1. while my brothers and I were in one hotel room and my parents were in another 'non-connecting' room, we (the family) were watching the same channel and when an 'inappropriate' scene showed up my Dad quickly telephoned our room number and reminded us not to watch anything 'bad'.

2. sitting in a bus, I think in Denmark, and wondering if the person beside me was a man or woman.(AstaghfurAllah)

3. in Denmark, at a huge shopping complex, I remember walking past by a family who looked Muslim because one of their companions was wearing hijaab, I remember one of the kids tugging his dad's (?) shirt and pointing at us probably telling his dad 'look, Muslims like us!'

4. playing soccer with my brothers in the garden of the house of my father's friend, in Denmark, where we vacationed for quite a long time, maybe about one month. Allah knows best.

5. seeing the body of fir'awn (the pharaoh who was cursed by Allah) in an Egyptian museum (Egypt).

6. buying some chocolates at a sweets shop in Denmark.

7. sleeping at Heathrow Airport (London), waiting for our flight the next day. I remember that time when two or three white kids were blocking the play area, preventing my brothers from entering. when my brothers told me about that I went to the children's play area, met the 'bullies' face-to-face. upon seeing me wearing hijaab and glaring at them the boys just ran away.

8. befriending this British girl who was about our age at that time and exploring the aircraft together. I remember communicating with her in English though not really understanding her accent, maybe she was speaking 'Cockney'.

7) Mention SEVEN foods you remember eating in your travels.

1. A mickey-mouse-shaped ice-cream in Disneyland or Disney World

2. Veggie 'Murtaba' in Singapore

3. Fried 'Fish n Chips' at a hotel restaurant in Malaysia

4. Chinese food at a Chinese restaurant in Dubai or Abu Dhabi (can't remember which)

5. Indian food at an Indian restaurant in London, England

6. Some fast food at some restaurant in a theme park in Indonesia

7. 'Dodol' sweets in a box, in Langkawi, Malaysia

6) Mention SIX strangers you remember befriending in your travels or who were friendly with you.

1. that British brunette on British Airways who was about my age at that time.

2. a dark-skinned girl who was also about my age in an airport (not sure which country), I remember hanging out with her and my brother, exploring the airport together while waiting for our flight. we communicated in English.

3. a Southeast Asian Muslimah (maybe Indonesian or Malay) who sat next to me on a flight to a country in Southeast Asia (can't remember which country we were traveling to). I remember though talking to her in Arabic since she didn't really speak English.

4. a Muslim man on a wheelchair who gave us part of his Iftaar meal, during Ramadan (I think). That was in a hotel lobby in Makkah or Madinah. May Allah reward that Muslim with entry to Jannah/Heaven for his kindness. Ameen.

5. a Saudi guy (from the way he looked you'd think he's a rich snob) who defended us when a cafeteria staff person told us that we weren't allowed to sit at a table unless we ordered something from their restaurant. the Saudi was like 'let them be. it's all good. this is Ramadan.' May Allah bless that Saudi man and his family with much good in this world and on Judgment Day. Ameen.

6. an elderly American on a wheelchair, when we were touring Mississippi, who held our camera for us so that my mom would be included in the film.

5) What FIVE things do you always bring with you when traveling?

1. Salah/prayer mat/carpet

2. Toothpaste

3. Toothbrush

4. Compass

5. Bags/luggage

4) Mention FOUR things that you always do when you travel.

1. Shorten and combine the obligatory prayers, following the Sunnah of the Messenger Muhammad (SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam).

2. Read from the Qur'an.

3. Observe and at the same time lower the gaze as much as possible.

4. Ask or say something to traveling partners.

3) What THREE things do you usually buy for souvenirs?

1. Edibles/snacks

2. Key chains

3. Shirts, shawls etc.

2) Name TWO countries which you are not interested in traveling to.

1. Australia

2. Switzerland (I can't imagine myself visiting those countries)

1) What country/city have you visited but would not like to visit again?

Dubai -too modern... and a place where I might bump into somebody (from school) whom I may not be interested in meeting.

wasalaam