This ends the sequence of articles and I hope and pray you benefitted from it. I ask Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) to accept it and to forgive me for my shortcomings. We will end by again speaking about Jannah (Paradise) as that is what we strive to attain.

 

Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:

 

“And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

 

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

 

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

 

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

 

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

 

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

 

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

 

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk whose taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

 

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

 

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem¹ , ginger, and Kaafoor² .

 

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

 

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.

 

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

 

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

 

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

 

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.

 

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

 

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.

 

And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.

 

And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-’Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

 

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

 

And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorify, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everything but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.

 

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

 

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face – free from any resemblance or likeness to anything – as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: ‘O People of Paradise! Your Lord – Blessed and Exalted – requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!’ So they will say: ‘We hear and obey!’

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet – and none of them will turn down the request of the caller – the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: ‘O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allah in which He wishes to reward you!’ So they will say: ‘And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?’

 

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller – Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names – has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: ‘O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!’ So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: ‘O Allah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!’ So the Lord – Blessed and Exalted – will laugh to them and say: ‘O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!’

 

So, they will all give the same response: ‘We are pleased, so be pleased with us!’ So, He will say: ‘O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!’ So, they will all give the same response: ‘Show us your Face so that we may look at it!’ So, the Lord – Mighty and Majestic – will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allah – the Exalted – had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them.

 

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord – the Exalted – will speak to him and say: ‘Do you remember the day that you did this and that?’ and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldly life, so he will say: ‘O Lord! Will you not forgive me?’ So, He will say: ‘Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.

So, how sweet is this speech to the ears, and how cooled are the righteous eyes by the glance at His Noble Face in the Afterlife…

 

{Some faces that Day will be shining and radiant, looking at their Lord…} (al-Qiyaamah 75:22-23)”

 

[from  Haadi al-Arwaah ilaa Bilaad il-Afraah by Ibn al-Qayyim, pg. 193]

 

Wouldn’t you love to enter that?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I’m sorry; we’ve decided to go with someone else. We’ll be sure to keep your resume on file for a year in case something else comes up.“

 

I’ve been to plenty of job interviews. I’ve applied to more places than I can count since I finished my undergrad and interviewed at more places than I can remember. I definitely did not land every job I interviewed for. No matter how great or horrific my interviews went though, I learned something from them. I’ve also interviewed my fair share of people and talked to other managers in the process about what we’re looking for and what we’re not. These are simply some of my thoughts, based on my experience as both an interviewer and an interviewee. I hope that my advice will help you find something that you love, make you successful, and allow our ummah (community) to prosper insha’Allah (God willing).

 

  

You can pray istikharah (prayer for guidance) after the interview as well, but doing it before accomplishes several things. One, it gives you comfort that the outcome is from Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He). You remember that your potential employer is not your provider. Two, it calms you down. You realize that if it is good for you, you will get it, and if not, you won’t. So don’t sweat it! Just make du`a’ (supplication) for whatever is best.

 

  

Come up with a list of 5 things about yourself that would make them want to hire you. This can be some big accomplishment you have had, something you studied on the side, a problem you solved, or an example of teamwork or leadership. Work those 5 things into the interview wherever you can. Make sure you do not walk away from the interview wishing that they knew something about you that you just didn’t get a chance to say. There will be opportunities to work them in, so don’t let them pass by.

 

  

Come up with a list of 5 “smart points”. These are intelligent things that you can say about your field (your area of expertise and the field that you are interviewing for). These are points that will make the interviewer realize that you have background in that area and probably have a solid understanding in your field as well. Know them well; practice them in front of a mirror if you need to. Make sure that you are able to use them during the interview. Unlike the list of things that you want them to know about you, not all smart points have to be used if they don’t seem appropriate. After seeing your resume, there are many cases in which the employer is no longer wondering whether or not you are familiar with the subject. Instead, they just want to know that you’re a good match for the company. You’ll know this when they stay clear from the technical/field related questions. If they do this, do not press it too much, and don’t try to direct the interview in the direction that you want. If not, make sure you insert your smart points wherever possible.

 

  

Ask questions throughout the interview if appropriate. In addition, have at least two or three questions ready at the end of the interview. They will ask you if you have any questions for them. Never say no. You can even use the opportunity to find out more about the interviewer. Make them sell you the company! The interview goes both ways. Come up with your questions ahead of time. You can even write them down, bring them with you, and read them right off the paper if you need to (but they must be very good if you do). Some sample questions could be:

  

A lot of the interview questions that are asked are somewhat standard. Be ready to answer them. They can be found online and may be repeated throughout your different interviews. There are many questions that you can be sure you will be asked: why do you want this job, tell us about yourself, what is your greatest strength, what is your greatest weakness, etc. And by the way, when they ask for your greatest weakness, do not say that you’re too hard of a worker or something obnoxious like that. You’ll read tips online that will tell you to think of your strength and manipulate it to sound as if that’s your weakness so they think you’re amazing. When people answer me like this, I don’t think, “Wow, this person is really that great.” Instead, I think, “Wow, this person doesn’t even know in what areas they can improve.”

 

  

Before you go, read up about the company. Know what they do, their goals, their achievements, their culture. Be prepared to display your knowledge of the company during the interview. This goes a long way in showing that you are really interested in them, and that you’re not just hoping to land any job that comes along.

 

  

This is obvious and goes without saying. Dress professionally. Get a haircut if you need one. Shower, smell nice (guys), and make sure your shoes are nice and clean. Sisters, do not sacrifice your Islamic morals for the interview. Wear your hijab right and be modest. You’re not going to win a job by sliding your hijab back a few inches. Also, if you need to, you can carry your cell phone in your pocket, but make sure the ringer is off. I’ve had an interview take a turn for the worse because the person I was interviewing forgot to turn his ringer off, and a very strange ring-tone went off which gave us a completely different impression of the professional person we thought we were interviewing. Don’t take the chance.

 

  

Before you go, determine if you will shake hands with the opposite gender. Regardless of your decision, be both confident and polite. Have a general idea of how you will respond if you will not shake their hand. A short, concise, answer should do the trick. Also, consider that you may be put in a position where they want to interview you behind a closed door, with no windows into the room, with one person from the opposite gender (khalwa). You can politely ask that the door be left slightly open.

 

  

There isn’t much you need to bring to your interview: some copies of your resume (five should be enough unless you know you need more), a pen, and something to write on. Don’t come in with more than that. Don’t bring your own drink or cup of coffee, snacks, or anything additional. It can be a turn-off.

 

  

Be on time or else you pretty much automatically don’t get the job. This is the professional world. 9:30 means 9:30. Not 9:33. Also, don’t try to impress them by showing up 45 minutes early. When someone shows up half an hour early, I don’t think that the person is punctual. Instead, I think that that person has no respect for my time. I’m at work, I have things to do, I have other meetings, and a schedule. When someone shows up half an hour early, I have to drop what I’m doing and rearrange my entire day because of it. Get there a half an hour early– but sit in the car, go over your smart points and the things you want them to know about you. Make some du`a’. Just don’t check in with the receptionist (or interviewer) until 5 minutes prior to your interview time.

 

  

Do not give one word, yes and no answers. Answer thoroughly. They are asking questions hoping to hold a conversation with you. Whenever possible, tell them a story about yourself – tell them heroic stories of great things you’ve done on the job or a project. They’ll be sure to remember you if you do. Tell them about a problem you solved or method that you improved at your last job or school project. Answer questions completely and enthusiastically. Show them that you can hold a conversation. Use the STAR method when answering questions – Situation (setting the scene), Task (specifics of what’s required), Action (what you did), Result (what happened). Answering in a results-oriented way is critical. You can find some good examples online by doing a Google search on the STAR Method.

  

Part of the interview process is the employer finding out if you would be a good match for the company. They want someone who is personable, can get along with other employees, and is good for the overall culture. You have those few short hours to prove that you’re that person. It’s OK to crack a joke or laugh at something. Allow your good Muslim character to show.

 

  

Of course you will have to take a long break for Jummah (Friday) Prayer. You will need to slip out for 5 minutes to pray Duhr and Asr. You’re going to get the bathroom sink wet once or twice a day making wudu (ablution). Your schedule may need to change slightly during Ramadan. However, there is absolutely no reason you need to mention any of that right off the bat. Most of these will not affect anything at work any more than someone slipping out for a cigarette a couple times a day. The only thing probably worth mentioning is your slightly longer lunch break on Fridays for Jummah Prayer. And don’t even mention that until they make you an offer. And don’t make it a bigger deal than it is.

 

  

Again, this goes with the tip of knowing that Allah (swt) is your provider. This employer is not your provider. So know that they need you just as much as you need them. Be humble, but confident, just like the character of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him). Don’t wait for approval in the interviewer’s face because it may not come. Speak clearly, don’t say anything negative (no matter how horrible your last boss was), don’t be nervous, and sit up straight. We once did not make someone an offer because of the way he disrespectfully slouched throughout the entire interview. We decided that he was not someone that we could put in front of our clients.

 

 

 

 

Question: Why aren’t my prayers being answered?

 

Answer: May Allah reward you for asking such an honest question, and may He guide us towards the truth. Ameen.

 

I think what happens in this type of situation is that we mix up our means and our ends. When we make du`a’ for a good husband, for example, is that strong marriage a means or an end? I think many people take it as an end, which explains much of the disillusionment and disappointment that often follows (ironically in both cases: whether we get it or we don’t). Like everything in this dunya, marriage is only a means – a means to reach Allah. So if we pray for it and we don’t get it, perhaps Allah has chosen another means for us – perhaps through hardship, the purification it may cause and the sabr it builds, to bring us to that end: Allah. It may be, as only Allah knows best, that had He given us that amazing husband we made du`a’ for, it would have made us heedless and therefore not achieve our end at all.

 

Instead of seeing it like this, however, I think the problem is we are seeing things as just the opposite. The dunya (that great job, certain type of spouse, having a child, school, career, etc) is our end and *Allah* is the means that we use to get there. We use that means, through making du`a’, to achieve our end (whatever it is that we’re making du`a’ for), and then get disappointed when our means (Allah) didn’t come through for us. We throw our hands up in the air and say our du`a’ are not being answered. Our means just isn’t coming through for us!

 

But, Allah isn’t a means. He is the end. The ultimate objective of even du`a’ itself is to build our connection to Allah. Through du`a’ we become closer to Him. So, I think the problem is that our focus is wrong. That’s why I love the du`a’ of istikhara so much. It’s just perfect because it acknowledges that Allah only knows best, and then asks for Him to bring what is best and take away what is not best. The focus of that du`a’ is not that which you are asking for. The focus is what is best in this life and next.

 

This is not to say that we cannot make du`a’ for things specifically that we want. On the contrary. Allah loves for us to ask of Him. But it means that once we ask, do our part to the utmost, and put our trust in Allah, we are pleased with what Allah chooses for us. And we realize that Allah answers all du`a’ - but not always in the form we expect. And that is simply because our knowledge is limited, and His is unlimited. In His infinite knowledge He may send us what He knows to be better for us in achieving the ultimate end: the pleasure of Allah (swt).

 

Wa Allahu `alam (and Allah knows best).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three US-born scientists have been awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize for Physics after discovering that the universe is expanding at an ever-increasing rate. What is interesting though is that this scientific fact was stated in the Holy Quran over 1400 years ago where Allah (swt) states:

 

"…We have constructed the heaven with might, and verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it…. " (Surah 51:47).

 

Saul Perlmutter of Berkeley National Laboratory, along with Brian Schmidt of Australian National University, and Adam Riess of Johns Hopkins University together share the $1.5m prize.

 

Their study of exploding stars revealed that after the Big Bang, the universe continued to expand for several billion years, but at a slower rate than today.

 

In 1998, Perlmutter, Schmidt and Adam Riess presented findings that overturned the conventional idea that the expansion was slowing down 13.7 bn years after the big bang.

 

Their discovery raised a fundamental question: What is pushing the universe apart? Scientists have labelled it "dark energy," but nobody knows what it is.

 

That mystery is "an enigma, perhaps the greatest in physics today," the Nobel committee said.

 

Perlmutter, 52, of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and University of California, Berkeley, will receive half the $1.5m prize.

 

The other half will go to Schmidt, 44, at the Australian National University in Weston Creek, Australia, and Riess, 41, an astronomy professor at Johns Hopkins University and Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.

 

Working in two teams, with Perlmutter heading one, they had raced to measure the universe's expansion by analysing light from dozens of exploding stars called supernovas. They found the light was weaker than expected, signalling that the expansion of the universe was accelerating.

 

"(It was) one of the truly great discoveries in the history of science, and one whose implications are not fully understood," said Paul Steinhardt, a physics professor at Princeton University.

 

One consequence of the finding is that in a trillion years, galaxies will be spread apart from each other by more than the current size of the universe, he said. And the ever-greater expansion rate means the light from
one galaxy will no longer be visible from another as it is today, he said.

 

"It's like changing from New York City to suddenly where everyone is spread out across some huge desert and there's nothing around to view," Steinhardt said.

 

 

Riess initially thought the prize-winning discovery was a mistake.

 

"I assumed I had made some mistakes and spent a long time analysing that and could not find a mistake," Riess said during a teleconference with reporters, adding that he then asked Schmidt and finally his research team to also review his work.

 

"None of us could really find what was wrong and at some point we decided maybe this was the way the universe really was, it wasn't slowing down it was speeding up," he said.

 

But while Riess shook off the disbelief that surrounded the early days of his discovery, he has since been confronted with an even larger mystery that astronomers and physicists are not sure how to solve.

 

"Really, we created a bigger question than we answered," said Riess. "We discovered that the universe is accelerating and it is filled with dark energy, but the question we created is, 'What is dark energy?' We don't understand the physics of it.

 

"It seems to live at the nexus between quantum mechanics and general relativity, two of our great theories of physics, but it lives just at that nexus where they don't work together."

 

Perlmutter told AFP he too is grappling with the enormity of what they found, and did not find.

 

"It's a mysterious force… it may be three-quarters of all the stuff in the universe is this form and we did not know that before."

One can learn many lessons at a graveyard. I once found myself helping carry the corpse of a stranger, an old woman, to its final abode. At the time, I was a 20-year-old on a family trip to the Holy City of Medina in Saudi Arabia. Following the ish'a (night) prayers at the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Nabawi) and the recitation of obligatory funeral prayer, I came across a middle-aged man searching for help to transport the coffin of the woman, who I later learned was his mother. She had passed away a few hours earlier and her son was eager to fulfill her final wish: to be buried immediately after death.

 

The son was the only family member present. He was anxious to hastily transport the steel coffin, containing the corpse of his mother wrapped in a white shroud, to the Garden of Heaven or, as it is called in Arabic, Janatu l-Baqi', a graveyard adjacent to the Prophet's Mosque. (Photos of the Prophet's Mosque and the Garden of Heaven are below.)

Since it was late at night, the mosque had emptied quickly and there weren't many eager beavers to lend a hand. A few men on their way out of the mosque regrettably declined the man's pleas for assistance, saying they had far travel before reaching home. I wanted to help, but I was unsure if I would be able to carry the coffin all the way to the grave situated a couple of hundred meters away. After a handful of men gathered to move the coffin, four men including me lifted it in unison and rested each corner on the shoulder. As we proceeded toward the graveyard, the coffin was tilted toward my side since I was relatively shorter than the other three.

"She isn't heavy," I thought to myself in relief.

A man behind me yelled blessings to the dead as we commenced our walk towards the Medina graveyard. We all joined in enthusiastically, chanting blessings to the dead.

Our voices started to get dimmer as we ran out of breath. The farther we moved away from the mosque, the darker it became. In the sunlight, the sands of Medina graveyard vary in color from orange to a shade that borders on red, with volcanic rocks scattered throughout the grave marking the grave. But at night, it was pitch-black. Our pathway was lit only by the light illuminating from the towering minarets atop the mosque, where Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, rests along with Abu Bakr, the first caliph, and Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second caliph, may God be pleased with both.

After a few uneven steps, the buckle of one of my sandal's broke, forcing me to push it aside as we continued forward. The ground was warm, even at this late hour. I could barely see where my feet were stepping in the wide graveyard around us. I was granted some relief when a man volunteered to help, seeking only reward from the Creator.

We walked aimlessly for a bit, trying our best not to trample over the other graves as we searched for the woman's resting spot. Once we located it and rested the coffin beside the dugout, I took a peak at the grave. It was remarkably dark — the darkest shade of black that I have ever seen.

As I stood among these strangers with death before my eyes, and a six-foot deep grave that felt suffocating from above, the importance of my worries drifted away, and I began reflecting on the temporality of life. It dawned on me how near we are all to death, our inevitable fate, although many of us think about death very rarely.

Quite out of the blue, I felt I was granted clues and answers to questions that had been filling my mind: Why am I here? And where will I go from here?

I had little to no sense of time. My startled parents went out looking for me when they saw all the doors of the Prophet's Mosque closed from the window of our hotel room. I arrived back at the hotel more than an hour later than usual, yet the impression the experience left on me has been lasting. It was a moment of clarity, an hour that changed the very foundation of my existence.

"A moment of true reflection is worth more than ages of heedless worship," Faraz Rabbani, a leading Islamic scholar, said recently on Twitter.

His words reminded me of that night. At certain points in our lives, we have experiences that shake us to the core and compel us to question our outlook on existence and, if we cultivate them properly, bring us nearer to the Almighty. Even many years later, in times when anger, distress, tribulation or temptation has attempted to sway me, my mind returns to that graveyard.

When you become mindful of death, you think and act differently. It becomes difficult to lash out in anger when we know how near death could be. A person conscious of death would think twice before defrauding and deceiving another human being. By remembering that we will all perish and be buried in dirt, taking none of our possessions with us, it becomes undesirable to wrong or hurt someone intentionally. But one has to realize that death is inevitable.

My recollection of the funeral procession that night is vivid. I remember how time seized for me in the midst of that graveyard. I recall the haunting feeling of suffocation and discomfort that kept me awake that night. Back in the hotel, as I rested my head on the plush pillow, in an arctic air-conditioned room, I thought of the rock-hard walls encircling that meager grave.

We need not reflect on death at all times to keep us on track. Paying attention to life — to the wondrous creations of the universe around us — can always draw us near to God and prompt us to be grateful. But also reflect on death, since it turns you away from the superficiality of the world and curbs your ego.

I would not say I am a man of immense knowledge. I haven't spent an adequate amount of time fully uncovering the miracles of the Quran as deeply as I should. I have my ups and down. My faith, at times, dangles, and then I have to realign my thoughts. It happens more often than I am ready to confess here.

Thoughts of death need not flood our minds with sorrow and negativity, as we should understand that death is a natural part of the journey of life.

If we work on making every prayer count as if it's our last and set aside time from our busy schedules to unwind the thoughts and worries entangled in our minds, we may become better humans and will indeed have a greater chance of living with peace.