Other people may think of us things that are not true and one of the most feared thoughts for those that are often glorified, or someone who is given undue praise, is that because they don’t meet that praise when they meet Allah (glorified and exalted is He) they are held accountable for those things other people say of them of good. The Prophet (peace be upon him) told us of this frightening scenario, that when someone is buried and people start to eulogize about them and say good things, the angels poke at that person and ask them if they were really as they say they were? Was that person really as the people describe them? This is not something that just applies to the great scholar, or to the perceived great scholar or the preacher. It applies to every person who was deemed righteous in the public eye. Just as we hate slander, we hate destructive praise, because it can put us in a state of hypocrisy (may Allah protect us). Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was very aware of that and he used to make it a point to hide his good deeds. Often, other Companions would find Abū Bakr secretly doing good deeds; imagine how many deeds Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) did that we were never aware of, that the books never encompassed, and what he teaches us in this du ʿ ā’ is essential to every person in the public eye. If you look at the first part of this du ʿ ā’ , the word that is used is ẓann because people might think something of Abū Bakr that is untrue and he does not think he is as good as others think he is. Then Abū Bakr asks, ‘forgive me for what they don’t know about me’, meaning that he may have shortcomings and sins of which people are unaware. He even uses different language: ‘Forgive me for that which they don’t know about me that I know about myself,’ and he continues, ‘and do not hold me accountable for the things they say about me.’ If anything, we want Allah to bring about good testimony from people on the Day of Judgement, but we want to make sure it is character testimony that means something. The shahādah, the witnessing of the people on this earth, should mean something of good, and we want to make sure that we’re actually living up to that and it was not all a false portrayal. Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah be pleased with him) , whose prayer we have already covered, said that if people are impressed with you, don’t think that they’re impressed by you. They’re impressed by the beauty of Allah’s cover (hijāb) placed over your sins; it’s not really you, it’s the veil that Allah has provided. You need to be self-aware of that so that you can continue to work on those things and not allow for destructive praise to sedate you or paralyze you from actually living up to the best of yourself. May Allah (glorified and exalted is He) make us better than people think of us, may He forgive us for things people don’t know of us, and may He not hold us accountable for the things that they say about us. Āmīn .

Prayers of the Pious by Omar Suleiman | Goodreads

A lot of times people think of us that which is not true of us. And one of the scariest thoughts for There is a famous du ʿ ā’ where ʿUmar says: ‘O Allah! I ask you to be accepted as a martyr in your path, and let that martyrdom take place in the city of your Prophet’. For ʿUmar to think that he could be killed in Madinah is unusual, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) was obviously settled in Madinah and the Muslims were based in Madinah. So the idea of him being killed in the city of the Prophet (peace be upon him) by a Muslim was very unlikely. Indeed, when he used to make that du ʿ ā’ , his daughter asked him how he could die a martyr in Madinah, to which he replied that if Allah wanted it to happen, it would happen. That this man, who one day went out to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him) and became Muslim, would be killed in the city of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and be buried next to him, shows that you never know the ending of a person. ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) also made this du ʿ ā’ , ‘O Allah, do not let my killing be at the hand of someone who ever prostrated to You, lest he uses that against me on the Day of Judgement’. ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) did not want to be killed by a believer or anyone who had the semblance of righteousness. He didn’t want to be killed by someone shouting Allāhu akbar or lā ilāha illa Allāh. In fact, when ʿUmar was stabbed, he was leading the prayer in the Mosque of the Prophet (peace be upon him) , and the first question he asked was whether the person who stabbed him was a Muslim. When he learned that the killer was not a Muslim, he said Alhamdulillah that his ending didn’t come at the hands of a believer. It’s telling that ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) was so detached from this world and so attached to the gardens of Jannah that he had already included all of this in his supplication. He asked Allah (glorified and exalted is He) that he should die in the city of the Prophet (peace be upon him) , and the Prophet said whoever is sincere and asking for shahādah (martyrdom) could die a martyr even in their bed. So if a person sincerely asks for shahādah in his supplication, they will achieve martyrdom whatever the case and circumstance of their death might be. ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) also asked for shahādah in the Prophet’s city, and the Prophet (peace be upon him) had said, ‘whoever amongst you (the Muslims) can die in Madinah, let him do so’; meaning that spending as much time in Madinah longing for death there was possible because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said he would intercede for the one who has died in Madinah. Finally, in his care and love for this Ummah and his fear of having a believer contest him on the Day of Judgment, he asks Allah (glorified and exalted is He) that the person that kills him not be a believer, and Allah granted him all of those unlikely circumstances. He is buried right next to Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the Prophet (peace be upon him) , so do not underestimate the power of Allah (glorified and exalted is He) , as nothing is impossible for the Most Merciful. O Allah! We ask you the best of this life and the best of the Hereafter and protect us from the Fire of Hell.’ (al-Baqarah 2:201) In a similar vein, Salam ibn Mutiʿ (may Allah be pleased with him) was heard making this du ʿ ā’ : ‘O Allah, if you have granted any righteous servant of Yours a station because of a trial they faced, then grant it to me while sparing me that trial.’ Allah is capable of giving the best of this life and the best of the next, so don’t ask Allah for trials and tests but still seek reward. Be graceful when Allah tests you because it might be the case that we can only reach that station of Allah’s pleasure by going through that trial and test. At the same time, when asking Allah know that you are asking from a merciful Lord, a capable Lord, so ask the best from Him. May Allah (glorified and exalted is He) grant us the best of this life and the best of the Hereafter and protect us from the punishment of Hell. May He grant us the highest station of seekers, and the highest station of the patient, and the highest station of the grateful without putting us through trials that could potentially compromise that patience and allow us to lose out on that reward. Āmīn .Angels in Your Presence: A Guide to Understanding and Working with Angels is a book exploring angels’ role in Islam. It discusses the different types of angels, their powers, and their role in human life. It also guides working with angels to achieve our goals and aspirations. The Prophet of Mercy: The Life and Teachings of Muhammad is a book that provides a comprehensive overview of the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. It is written in a clear and engaging style, and it is sure to interest Muslims and non-Muslims alike. point to hide his good deeds. And a lot of times, you know, we find other companions finding Rebecca

Prayers of the Pious Omar Suleiman Collection 4 Books Set (Prayers of the Pious

Prayers of the Pious provides spiritual gems that serve as valuable wisdom and practical advice for the soul. Allāhumma ijʿal khayra zamānī ākhirahu, wa-khayra ʿamalī khawātimahu, wa-khayra ayyāmī yawma alqāka This book presents a series of Facebook videos he delivered during Ramadan 2018. Many of the videos were watched tens of thousands of times.Omar Suleiman is one of America's most influential Muslims. He has 1.4 MILLION Facebook followers and regularly appears on television and social media arguing for justice. In recent months and years he has been a prominent critic of the separation of migrant children from their families, and a supporter of rights for refugees persecuted minorities.