I am happy today, Alhamdulillah. This is because yesterday night, I was still feeling uneasy as I wondered if my repentance (my attempt at solat taubat without knowing how to recite Surah Al-Kafirun) would be accepted by Allah swt. So I researched on how to perform salah tawbah in English. I came across some sites I would like to share with you. After reading them, I felt more at ease as two or more sources stated that there is no particular surah that you need to recite during the 2 raka'a of salah tawbah and that you may recite whichever surah you wish. The important thing is what is in your heart as you pray in repentance to Allah swt, and you vow to Him never to repeat your sin. This part is a challenge for me, but I will certainly pray to Allah for guidance and continuous reminders, of which he has been giving me plentiful of so far - definitely very grateful of that, SubhanAllah.
These are some sites I referred to last night:
- http://www.ummah.com/forum/showthread.php?403437-Salaat-Al-Tawbah-(The-Prayer-of-Repentance)
- http://muslim-academy.com/tawbah-salah-repentance-prayer/
Note: I tend to use my phone a lot when I'm already in bed but not sleepy enough to call it a night, and using the internet to search on halal and beneficial things is definitely a better option than allowing syaitan to whisper evil into my ears and tempting me to use the internet in unlawful ways. Alhamdulillah, I thank Allah swt for His guidance and protection against the whisperings of syaitan and jinn.
In conclusion, I will stick to these 3 duas when I wish to repent:
1. Zikir Taubat Nasuha (https://open.spotify.com/track/7DJsvklhH4Ldxp6e9NuIPz)
2. Al-I'tiraaf (https://open.spotify.com/track/2WZIgDmtn3Y0dKLjtiVHB3)
3. Dhikr - Rabbigh firli watub alayya (https://open.spotify.com/track/6yNa1Y0FZyUTQzo8mGgXHP)
Another site that I stumbled upon was a blog (http://azahlah.blogspot.sg/2013/04/maksud-bacaan-di-dalam-solat.html)
I was actually looking for the meaning of the lyrics for the Zikir Taubat Nasuha that I heard on spotify. Then under that post, I saw this one (linked above) which translates the meanings of doa-doa solat in Malay. I find it very useful indeed.
Before I saw this site though, I actually already have a notebook that I use to write down the prayer duas and their English and Malay transliterations. (I say 'transliterations' instead of 'translations' because the Arab language is very deep and comprehensive. Many a times when it is directly 'translated' into other languages, the deeper meaning behind the text is lost or watered down.)
I would like to present the prayer duas and their transliterations (in English and Malay) in this blog. But I wanna make them really nice and presentable, not just through texts in a post. Something like those quotes you see when you google "Islamic Quotes".
I have this one printed out in poster and pasted on my hallway wall.
It mostly serves as a reminder for me, if anything. I do tend to speak harshly/roughly/sarcastically to my loved ones so that has to stop eventually. I'm working on it slowly. Alhamdulillah there has been some progress. I'm not completely silent or demure yet but it's still progressing, and I'm appreciative of that. :)
Oh yes, before I forget again. I wanted to tell you this earlier but I forgot during my Intro post. Other than the English-translated Quran that my dear friend gave me, another source of my learning about Islam is through watching YouTube syarahans or khutbahs by English-speaking Ustads or Sheikhs. I particularly like:
- Nouman Ali Khan
- Omar Suleiman
- Mufti Ismail Menk
I still don't know the difference between a sheik, an ustad or a mufti. Will google that one day.
All of them have strengths in their own ways and their different lectures or teachings complement each other, in my opinion. Nouman likes to dissect the Quranic texts linguistically and does it in a very systematic and logical scientific process (by scientific, I don't mean the study of worldly processes per se. I mean it by the systematic process of studying something rationally.) I like listening to his lectures cos the way he presents his understanding is similar to how I would want to learn about the text. It's beautiful, really. Alhamdulillah. I am currently listening to his podcasts on Bayyinah Institute's site here: http://podcast.bayyinah.com/
He also teaches how to read Arabic on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZydpIgrtG4
Omar has a different perspective of things and his calm demeanor makes listening to his lectures a serene experience (I hope I'm not describing this too weirdly). I often sense his humility and awe when he talks about stories of our prophets and teachings by his own teachers/mentors.
Mufti Menk has his calm and light-hearted nature that intrigues me when I watch his lectures. I like his lecture when he came to Singapore (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcTIHyTUVBk). He addresses issues close to my heart and I'm sure to a lot of Singaporean muslims as well.
Alhamdulillah for their presence and dedication to their faith that helps others in the ummah to learn and be reminded. Allah has allowed them to help us in extending our knowledge so we may be closer to Him, insyaAllah.
Amin.
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