Only 17 Minutes!

There was once a man who was going to travel to a dangerous land. He goes
to the house of a man, well known for his honesty. He knocks the door and
tells him:

" I'm giving you $1440 to keep with you as I am traveling to a dangerous
place. When I get back, I only want $17 back."

The honest man stood their perplexed but agreed. The next day, the traveler
comes back to the honest man's house and asks him for $17. The honest man
tells him that he forgot and that he had spent it all. The traveler forgave
him since he knew that this man is honest enough to give it back later.

The next day, the same man travels to the same dangerous place and gives the
same honest man $1440 to keep and at the end of the day, he will take $17
back. The traveler returns from his travels and asks the honest man for his
$17. The honest man replies that he was so engrossed in having a good time
with his friends, that he spent all the money again. Once again, the
traveler forgave him, knowing he didn't do it on purpose.

This same incident starts to happen everyday, whereby the honest man is
given $1440 and is expected to return only $17 but fails to do so. Later
on, his child becomes sick and the doctor who was going to give the
treatment tells the honest man that if he wishes for his child to be looked
after, the fee was $1440. The honest man starts to panic realising he can't
afford $1440. It then struck him that the traveler used to give him that
same amount.

He runs to the traveler's house and asks him in a panic for $1440. The
traveler told him that due to his feeble excuses, he has stopped going to
his house as he has lost faith in his honesty.

The irony is that this story is directly relevant to each and every single
one of us. It is quite remarkable that Allah (swt) gives us 1440 minutes
each day and only specifies 17 minutes of that back in prayer. But due to
ignorance and the whisperings of Shaitaan the accursed, we are blinded
towards the minute scale of what we are giving back, and that also for our
own benefit.

This story points out three things.
1. The importance of Salat and how little we have to give back.
2. The mercy of Allah that he forgives us even after such blunders.
3. The fact that we only realise how important something is (in this case
gift of wealth) until it is gone.

Shaytan escorts a believer to Masjid

A man woke up early in order to pray the Fajr prayer in the masjid. He got
dressed, made his ablution and was on his way to the masjid.

On his way to the masjid, the man fell and his clothes got dirty. He got
up, brushed himself off, and headed home. At home, he changed his clothes,
made his ablution, and was again, on his way to the masjid.

Second time, on his way to the masjid, he fell again and at the same spot!
He, again, got up, brushed himself off and headed home. At home he, once
again, changed his clothes, made his ablution and was on his way to the
masjid.

On his way third time to the masjid, he met a man holding a lamp. He asked
the man of his identity and the man replied "I saw you fall twice on your
way to the masjid, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way."

The first man thanked him profusely and the two where on their way to the
masjid. Once at the masjid, the first man asked the man with the lamp to
come in and pray Fajr with him. The second man refused. The first man asked
him a couple more times and, again, the answer was the same.

The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray. The man
replied "I am Satan." The man was shocked at this reply.

Satan went on to explain, "I saw you on your way to the masjid and it was I
who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on
your way to the masjid, Allah forgave all of your sins. I made you fall a
second time, and even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather,
you went back on your way to the masjid. Because of that, Allah forgave all
the sins of the people of your household. I was afraid if I made you fall
one more time, then Allah will forgive the sins of the people of your
village, so I made sure that you reached the masjid safely."

I regret every missed Salat!

The Ummah of today have abandoned salah but if we knew what it was worth we
would never miss another prayer again, not for any wedding or party. After I
read this I regretted every salaat I ever missed.

Allah Ta'ala said to Musa (a.s.): 'O Musa! For the two rakaats of Fajr
prayer that Ummah of Muhammad (s.a.w.w) will perform, We will forgive all
their sins of the whole day and night and enter them into the fort of Our
security.

O Musa! For each of the four rakaats of Zuhr, which the Ummah of Muhammad
perform, the reward is separate. For the first rakaat, the reward is
forgiveness of sins. For the second rakaat, the reward is that his good
deeds will be made heavy on the Day of Judgment. For the third rakaat, the
reward is the angels making Du'a for their forgiveness and asking My mercy
for them. For the fourth rakaat, the reward is the opening of the doors of
Heaven and the damsels of
Paradise looking at them.

O Musa, when Our last Prophet and his Ummah will pray the four rakaats of
Asr salat, there will be no angel on earth and heaven who will not pray for
their forgiveness. And we will not punish those for whom the angels pray for
forgiveness.

O Musa, when Our last Prophet's Ummah will pray the three rakats at the time
of Maghrib, then the doors of the heavens will be opened, and We will
fulfill whatever they will ask.

O Musa, the four rakaats of Isha are better than all the earth's kingdom and
wealth. After performing this salat, they will be as purified of their sins,
as a new born baby.'