Duaa Before Studying

اﻟﻟﻬﻢ انفعنی بما علّمتنی و علّمنی ما ینفعنی

Allahumma anfa’nii bimaa ‘allamtanii wa’allimnii maa yanfa’ unii.
O Allah! Make useful for me what You taught me and teach me knowledge that will be useful to me.

اﻟﻟﻬﻢ انی اسئلک ﻓﻬﻢ النبیین و حفظ المرسلین المقربین

Allahumma inii as’aluka fahman-nabiyyen wa hifzal mursaleen al-muqarrabeen.
O Allah! I ask You for the understanding of the Prophets and the memory
of the Messengers, and those nearest to You..

انک علی ما تشاء قدیر و انت حسبنا اﷲ و نعم الوکیل 

Innaka ‘ala ma-tasha’-u qadeer wa anta hasbun-allahu wa ni’mal wakeel.
(O Allah!) You do whatever You wish, and You are my Availer and
Protector and the best of aid.

Duaa After Studying

اﻟﻟﻬﻢ انی استودعک ما قرات و ما حفظت۔ فردوﻩ علی عند حاجتی اﻟﻴﻪ۔ انک علی ما تشاء قدیر و انت حسبی و نعم الوکیل 

Allahhumma inni astaodeeuka ma qara’tu wama hafiz-tu. Faradduhu ‘allaya inda
haajati elayhi. Innaka ‘ala ma-tasha’-u qadeer wa anta hasbeey wa ni’mal wakeel.
O Allah! I entrust You with what I have read and I have studied. (O Allah!)
Bring it back to me when I am in need of it.
(O Allah!) You do whatever You wish, and You are my Availer and Protector
and the best of aid.

Dua While Studying Something Difficult

اﻟﻟﻬﻢ لا ﺳﻬﻝ الا ما ﺟﻌﻟﺘﻪ ﺳﻬﻼ و انت تجعل الحزن اذا شئت ﺳﻬﻼ

Allahumma la sahla illama ja-‘altahu sahla wa anta taj ‘alu al hazana ezaa shi’ta sahla
O Allah! Nothing is easy except what You have made easy.
If You wish, You can make the difficult easy.

SIGNS OF WEAK IMAAN

1) Committing sins and not feeling any guilt.
2) Having a hard heart and no desire to read the Quran.
3) Feeling too lazy to do good deeds, e.g. being late for salat
4) Neglecting the Sunnah.
5) Having mood swings, for instance being upset about petty things and bothered and irritated most of the time.
6) Not feeling anything when hearing verses from the Quran, for example when Allah warns us of punishments and His promise of glad tidings.
7) Finding difficulty in remembering Allah and making dhikr.
8) Not feeling bad when things are done against the Shariah.
9) Desiring status and wealth.
10) Being mean and miserly, i.e. not wanting to part with wealth.
11) Ordering others to do good deeds when not practising them ourselves.
12) Feeling pleased when things are not progressing for others.
13) Being concerned with whether something is haram or halal only; and not avoiding makrooh (not recommended) things.
14) Making fun of people who do simple good deeds, like cleaning the mosque.
15) Not feeling concerned about the situation of Muslims.
16) Not feeling the responsibility to do something to promote Islam.
17) Being unable to deal with calamities, for instance crying and yelling in funerals.
18) Liking to argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof.
19) Becoming engrossed and very involved with dunya, worldly things, i.e. feeling bad only when losing something in terms of material wealth.
20) Becoming engrossed and obsessive about ourselves.

LISTED BELOW ARE WAYS TO INCREASE OUR IMAAN
1) Recite and ponder on the meanings of the Quran. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become soft. To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Quran; think of which one you find yourself in.
2) Realise the greatness of Allah. Everything is under His control. There are signs in everything  we see that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission. Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock on a black moonless night.
3) Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudhu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah’s names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge.
4) Attend gatherings where Allah is remembered. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels.
5) We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts.
6) We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures.
7) Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell.
8) Make dua, realise that we need Allah. Be humble. Don’t desire material things in this life.
9) Our love for Allah Subhana Wa Ta’Ala must be shown in actions. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day.
10) Realise the effects of sins and disobedience- one’s imaan is increased with good deeds and our imaan is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamity befalls us- it is also from Allah. It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah.

We Need To Have Good Company

For various moral, psychological, and social reasons, people need good company and close
friendship. We often come into contact with people and find that we like their personality enough
to want to make friends with them. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes in a friend and their
own preferences.

However, the type of friends you have often indicate the type of person you are. The Messenger of
Allah (SAW) once advised, “A person moulds his way of life (his deen) according to his friends. So you should be careful about who you make your friend!” The Prophet (SAW) pointed to the value of good company when he said that it is better to be alone than in the company of the wicked, i.e. those who take you away from the real purpose of life as Muslim, and it is better to be in the company of the good than to be alone. (Musnad-e-Ahmed)

The True Friendship
Good company can be a great source of help and support to leading a righteous life, as principled
and morally conscious individuals, while bad company can lead to crime, immorality, irresponsible
behavior, and sin. Let us not admire someone because of their social status, sinful lifestyle, wealth,
their ‘coolness’, or ‘their fashionable clothes’, etc. Nor obey those whose heart Allah has permitted
to neglect His remembrance.

Prophet’s Advice: ‘He Who Helps You Remember’

The Prophet (SAW) has given similar advice in choosing companions and forming friendships. He 
was asked, “What person can be the best friend?” “He who helps you remember God, and he who 
reminds you when you forget Him,” he replied. Then the Prophet (SAW) was asked, “And which friend is 
the worst?” “He who does not help you when you remember God and does not remind you of God 
when you forget,” he replied. The Prophet (SAW) was further asked, “Who is the best among people?” He 
replied, “He who when you look at him, you remember God” (because of his noble character, devo-
tion to God, and concern for others). 
These are the principles that should guide our friendships. Is this the criteria we use in our friend-
ships today? Indeed, there is no blessing greater than a friend who helps us succeed in this life and 
reminds us about the real purpose in this life, only if we realise before it’s too late! It can be very 
difficult to live up to these principles when we have people of the same age urging us on to be “part 
of the posse”, and to be involved in forbidden, illegal, immoral, or Haram fun for “the pomp and 
glitter of this life”.

Difference Between ‘Friendship’ & ‘Acquaintance’

It should be pointed out that there is difference between a “friend” (someone with whom you can
share your values, secrets, and trust), and “acquaintence” (someone to whom you should be nice
and caring, but don’t neccesarily share your values and principles with). Therefore, Quranic verses
should not be used to urge people to isolate themselves from society and hate the people around
them who do not necessarily share the same beliefs and values they do.

In fact, we know from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that this was never the case. The 
authentic biographies of the Prophet are replete with incidences and sayings encouraging Muslims to be kind, generous, and loving towards their neighbours and acquaintances, regardless of their ethnic, religious, or social background. Very often non-Muslim bedouins, neighbors, or travellers would benefit from the generosity and extraordinary concern of the Prophet towards them.

Amal at the time of calamity

1. Qunoot-e-Naazilah: 
Rasulullah (SAW) encouraged the Ummah to read this duaa at the time of 
distress and calamity. Encourage family members to recite this duaa daily; as well as our local ulama to recite in the Fajr salaah;preferably. We may learn or get a copy of the Duaa-e-Naazila 
from our local Ulama; and may recite it; even as a Duaa outside salaah if we are  unable to read it in salaah.

2. Useful Wazeefahs:
One may read these beneficial wazeefahs; 100 times daily during times of calamity and distress:

(i) “Hasbunallaahu wa ni’mal wakeel”:
Allah is sufficient for us and our Guardian.

(ii) “La ilaaha illa anta subhaanaka inni kuntu minaz zaalimeen”:
There is none worthy of worship except You. Certainly I am amongst the wrongdoers.

Hazrat Anas (RA) describes that Rasulullah (SAW) said that Allah Ta’ala says that sometimes, He intends to send a calamity to a land; but the idea is given up; seeing those men who populate  His houses(Masjids) and recite “ISTIGHFAAR” in the late hours of the night; and He witholds the calamity (BAYHAQI)

Hazrat Jabir (RA) and Hazrat Abu Talha (RA) reported that Rasulullah (SAW) has said that whosoever helps a Muslim at the time of loss of honour and humility; receives Help from Allah when he is in need of help.( ABU DAWOOD)