Prayers of the Pious
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
Omar Suleiman
Imam Omar Suleiman is the Founder and President of the Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research, and an Adjunct Professor of Islamic Studies in the Graduate Liberal Studies Program at SMU (Southern Methodist University). He is also the Resident Scholar at Valley Ranch Islamic Center and Co-Chair of Faith Forward Dallas at Thanks-Giving Square. He holds a Bachelors in Accounting, a Bachelors in Islamic Law, a Masters in Islamic Finance, a Masters in Political History, and is currently pursuing a PhD. in Islamic Thought and Civilization from the International Islamic University of Malaysia.
Read more from Omar Suleiman
Allah Loves Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Meeting Muhammad Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Angels in Your Presence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Judgement Day: Deeds That Light the Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/540 on Justice: The Prophetic Voice on Social Reform Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For Those Left Behind: Guidance on Death and Grieving Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to Prayers of the Pious
Related ebooks
Blessed Names and Attributes of Allah Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Day with the Prophet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For Those Left Behind: Guidance on Death and Grieving Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Timeless Seeds of Advice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Should We Say? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Journey to Allah Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Al Asmaa Ul Husnaa: How To Live By The Names of Allah Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Diseases Of The Hearts And Their Cures Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Ibn Qayyim's Sabr and Shukr Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5101 Ways to Concentrate in Prayer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeveloping Khushoo’ in Salaah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSins: Poison of the Heart Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Upright Moral Character: A Concise Guide to Attaining Dignified Islaamic Character Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Understand and Memorize Surah Yaseen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivine Sayings: The Mishkat al-Anwar of Ibn 'Arabi Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ibn Qayyim's Spiritual Stations Volume 1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Journey to Success and True Happiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Inner Dimensions of the Salah: Asrar Al-Salah (Prayer) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings33 Ways of Developing Khushoo' in Salah Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Ramadan With The Prophet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Great Authentic Explanation of Surah Yusuf Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIbn Qayyim’s Beneficial Advice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAn-Nawawi's Forty Hadith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ikhlas and Taqwa Sincerity and Piety Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Treasury of Hadith: A Commentary on Nawawis Selection of Prophetic Traditions Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Abu Bakr: The First Caliph Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lessons and Benefits from the Marital Life of the Prophet Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So You Want To Memorize The Quran? Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTimeless Wisdom to Recharge Your Imaan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Islam For You
Islam For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Quran English Translation. Clear, Easy to Read, in Modern English. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Quran: Arabic Text with Corresponding English Meaning Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Holy Qur'an Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Islam: A Concise Introduction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holy Quran, English Translation, "Text Only" Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Critical Qur'an: Explained from Key Islamic Commentaries and Contemporary Historical Research Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Rumi's Little Book of Wisdom Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic, and Slavery in Omar ibn Said's America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an: Complete Translation with Selected Notes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Islamic Wisdom: The Wisdom of Muhammad and The Wisdom of the Koran Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The False Teachings of the Man from Planet Rizq: Nuwuapian Cult Leader Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Everything Understanding Islam Book: A complete guide to Muslim beliefs, practices, and culture Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Year with Rumi: Daily Readings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Sufi Stories: Ancient Wisdom to Nourish the Heart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnglish Translation of the Qur'an Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sufism: The Transformation of the Heart Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Holy Quran: English Translation and Commentary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Complete Introduction to Islam: World Religion Series, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Sufis Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Holy Qur-an: Text, Translation and Commentary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDefenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Quran Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Five Percenters: Islam, Hip-hop and the Gods of New York Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rumi: The Big Red Book: The Great Masterpiece Celebrating Mystical Love and Friendship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for Prayers of the Pious
39 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5absolutely love this book, only if books could hug you
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely Amamzing loved every second of this book it was fantastic Alhamdullilah
Book preview
Prayers of the Pious - Omar Suleiman
1
The Best of My Days
Allāhumma ijʿal khayra zamānī ākhirahu, wa-khayra
ʿamalī khawātimahu, wa-khayra ayyāmī yawma alqāka
O Allah, let the best of my lifetime be its ending,
and my best deed be that which I seal (my life with),
and the best of my days the Day I meet You.
Aconstantly recurring theme is that the pious predecessors, the Salaf, deliver the most righteous and most beautiful prayers towards the end of their lives. Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was a man that would give his life for the Prophet (peace be upon him) , and he accompanied him in life and in death. He is buried right next to the Prophet (peace be upon him) , who mentioned that Abū Bakr would enter into Jannah beside him. You can imagine how much Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) desired to be with the Prophet (peace be upon him) after he passed away; how much he looked to the signs of approval and the signs of continuity of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) impressed upon him after he departed from this world.
Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was blessed with an exquisite ending. He was blessed to die on the same day of the week and at the same age that the Prophet (peace be upon him) passed away, the age of sixty-three. This was also the same age that ʿUmar and ʿAli (may Allah be pleased with them) both died. He took comfort in this knowledge, and he dressed himself as the Prophet (peace be upon him) dressed as he was about to pass away. Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) called out with this moving duʿā’: ‘O Allah, let the best of my lifetime be its ending’. What a magnificent life this man had lived but he still said that the best of his life should be its ending. He continued, ‘and my best deed be the one that I seal my life with.’ Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had an impressive list of achievements, but his wish was that his best deed be the one that ends his life. And he completed the duʿā’ by saying, ‘and let the best of my days be the Day that I meet You,’ meaning to meet Allah (glorified and exalted is He) on the Day of Judgement.
This is a powerful and alluring duʿā’. When he passed away, Abū Bakr mentioned the duʿā’ of Prophet Yusuf (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):
Let me die a Muslim and be accompanied by the righteous. (Yusuf 12:101)
This is an admirable way for all of us to call upon Allah (glorified and exalted is He) because it encompasses the last of our days in terms of time, the last of our deeds to the very specificity of that last deed, and the last of our days, the Day that we meet with Allah (glorified and exalted is He), being the best Day of our life.
2
His Door Is Always Open
Ilāhī ghārati al-nujūmu, wa-nāmati al-ʿuyūnu
wa-ghallaqati al-mulūku abwābahā, wa-bābuka
maftūḥun, wa-khalā kullu ḥabībin bi-ḥabībihī,
wa-hādhā maqāmī bayna yadayka
O Allah, the stars have vanished, the eyes
have slept, the kings have locked their doors, and Your
door remains open. Every lover has found privacy with
their beloved, and here I am standing before You.
This du ʿ ā’ was narrated by a very special woman, Habibah al-ʿAdawiyah (may Allah have mercy on her) . She is not one of the Companions but one of the following generations, the pious predecessors. It was her custom, as narrated by ʿAbdullah al-Makki and others, that towards the middle of the night, when it became very dark and her time of night prayers arrived, she would head up to the rooftop and would call out to Allah with these powerful words. She would continue to pray, and as the night passed and the time for Fajr arrived, she would continue with her du ʿ ā’ and would end her night with this supplication:
O Allah! Here goes the night departing and here comes the day brightening, and how I wish to know, have you accepted this night from me so that I may congratulate myself, or have you rejected it from me so that I may extend myself condolences. By Your might! This is my commitment for as long as you keep me alive. By Your might! Even if you scold me, I will never leave your door, nor will anything but your generosity and your grace be felt in my heart.
Hafiz Ibn Rajab stated that you spend your days at the doors of the kings, but at night when the King of all the kings calls upon you, you fail to stand for Him and you fail to reach out and respond, even though He calls upon you wanting to provide for you. This duʿā’ combines the conversation that we have with Allah (glorified and exalted is He), with the hope and fear that He has heard our message. Just as our father Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his son called upon Allah (glorified and exalted is He) for acceptance after building the Kaʿbah, so Habibah al-ʿAdawiyah (may Allah have mercy on her) asks Allah (glorified and exalted is He)