Dua Kumayl: A Deeper Look - Mizan Institute

Part 45. Your Rememberence is My Cure

Mizan Institute — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of how each of the names of Allah is a cure to one of the spiritual ailments of the human being.

Part 44. The One Who is Quickly Pleased

Mizan Institute — Sat, 13 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of how Allah forgives the one who disobeyed him for year. He is quickly pleased with him the moment he asks for forgiveness.

Part 43. What it Means to Remember God

Mizan Institute — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of what it means to truly remember Allah and two types of dhikr.

Part 42. Even the Prophet Enters Heaven through God's Mercy

Mizan Institute — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks about the importance of relying on the mercy and grace of Allah and that no matter what we do, we will never be able to worship Allah they way he should be worshipped.

Part 41. Aiming High in Dua

Mizan Institute — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speak of the importance of aiming high when we ask Allah for blessings and to have high aspirations in our lives.

Part 40. The Hidden Blessings of God

Mizan Institute — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of the hidden blessings of Allah. These blessings are difficulties and calamities that would have happened to us if Allah had not protected us from them.

Part 39. What is it mean to fear God?

Mizan Institute — Mon, 08 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains what it means to fear Allah and how this fear is compatible with one's love and affection towards him. He also touches on how to balance fear and hope when it comes to Allah.

Part 38. Building a Connection with Allah

Mizan Institute — Sun, 07 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of why after worshipping Allah for many years, many of us still don't feel like we have built a connection with him and how to fix that.

Part 37. The Body Follows the Willpower of the Mind

Mizan Institute — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains how the body follows the direction, intention and willpower of one's soul. As long as the mind is determined, the body will follow in its footsteps.

Part 36. Complaining to the Master

Mizan Institute — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks about the uniqueness of our relationship with God. He is our master, and at the same time, when we struggle to carry out his commands, we are to complain to no one but him.

Part 35. Taking Advantage of Your Time

Mizan Institute — Thu, 04 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of the importance of taking advantage of the limited time that we are granted in this world, and what happens when our main focus is obeying Allah.

Part 34. Allah Only Accepts the Deeds of the God Weary

Mizan Institute — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of the main determining factor that will lead to the acceptance of our deeds. He also touches on how the concept of tawhid can bring unity to one's actions.

Part 33. What does it mean for an act to be accepted?

Mizan Institute — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains what it means for an act of worship to be accepted compared to it simply being valid from a jurisprudential perspective.

Part 32. Should we repeat some phrases three times in Dua Kumayl

Mizan Institute — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains the teachings of the Ahlul-Bayt relating to changing the details of the duas that have been narrated from them. He also breifly touches on the concept of slavery in Islam and how it differs from that of the modern world.

Part 31. You Need to Repent to Gain Closeness to Allah

Mizan Institute — Sun, 31 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains how dua Kumayl illustrates the concept of repentance being a prerequisite to coming close to Allah, and how while we are engaged in sinning, we cannot come close to him.

Part 30. How Your World Changes After Doing Tawbah

Mizan Institute — Sat, 30 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks on a hadith from the book of al-Kafi that explains how Allah covers the bad deed of his servant when he genuinely repents from it, such that even the angels forget about it.

Part 29. What deeds are hidden from the two angels?

Mizan Institute — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains the verses of the Quran that speak of the body of the human being bearing witness against him and which of the deeds are hidden from the two angels in charge of recording one's deeds.

Part 28. Why create angels when God knows our deeds?

Mizan Institute — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

Part 27. Who witnesses the deeds I commit?

Mizan Institute — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi delves into the different beings and entities who witness the deeds of the human being, and consequently, bear witness to them on the Day of Judgment.

Part 26. Will God differentiate between us?

Mizan Institute — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of the importance of understanding how God will not only differentiate between believers and non-believers, but also between practicing and non-practicing believers.

Part 25: The Effect of Accepting the Truths Presented to Us

Mizan Institute — Mon, 25 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of the categorization mentioned in Dua Kumayl for the servants of God and the implications that this has. He also touches on what is the least one can do to qualify for the mercy of God?

Part 24: Would you not save him?

Mizan Institute — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi speaks of the key question that Imam Ali poses to Allah, would he stand by and watch a servant of his who believes in his oneness and has repented to him remain in the hellfire?

Part 23: What Every Human Yearns For

Mizan Institute — Sat, 23 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains how in reality every human being is searching for God even if they don’t know it themselves. Nothing can satisfy the human being other than God himself

Part 22: I will tell everyone I love you!

Mizan Institute — Fri, 22 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Imam Ali speaks of what he would do if he were to hypothetically end up in hellfire. He will call for the mercy of Allah knowing that Allah will respond to his call.

Part 21: Regretting What Could Have Been

Mizan Institute — Thu, 21 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi touches on the second issue that Imam Ali mentions as a greater punishment than the fire of hereafter, the regret of knowing how close one could have come to Allah. He also touches on the regret people feel for their actions on the Day of Judgment.

Part 20: The Greatest Pleasure in Heaven

Mizan Institute — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains the greatest pleasure one can have in heaven, the satisfaction of God. Similarly, for those who end up in hellfire, the absence of this pleasure is a greater punishment than the blazing fire.

Part 19: The Punishment that this world can't bear

Mizan Institute — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi explains how for some individuals the punishment of the hellfire stems purely from God's wrath. This punishment is the type that the heavens and earth can not bear.

Part 18: A Description of the Hellfire from Imam Ali (as)

Mizan Institute — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Shaykh Mahdi touches on the lines of dua Kumayl in which Imam Ali (as) describes the punishment of the hereafter and explains what makes it so difficult to bear.

Part 17: Everything in This World Sounds Bigger Than It Is

Mizan Institute — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi speaks of how the difficulties of this world remind us of the difficulties in the hereafter, while knowing that in the next world they are far more painful to deal with.

Part 16: Never Taking Blessings for Granted

Mizan Institute — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi explains how Imam Ali does not take God’s forgiveness for granted and always finds servants worthy of punishment if it were not for God’s mercy.

Part 15: Will you abandon the one you nurtured?

Mizan Institute — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Imam Ali asks for God's mercy even though he is not worthy of it, the same way God blessed him before he even knew who God was. He then poses an important question. Would God punish his servant who professed his belief in him and has come to love him?

Part 14: The Sensitivity of My Skin

Mizan Institute — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi explains how the dua invokes the mercy of Allah by drawing attention to the severity of the affliction that the servant has endured, and to the weakness of the human being, the sensitivity of his skin and the frailty of his bones.

Part 13: What Shaytan Didn’t Do: Accepting the Blame

Mizan Institute — Wed, 13 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi speaks of people who enter hellfire while still pointing the finger of blame at one another. He also explains how the actions that we commit, become part of who we are.

Part 12: In the wrong place, at the wrong time

Mizan Institute — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 05:06:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi touches on the difference between a person who commits a sin in a premeditated manner and the one who is tricked by Shaytan in a moment of weakness. He also, speaks to the importance of accepting the blame when repenting and how Shaytan refrained from doing so.

Part 11: Doing Tawbah for Our Good Deeds

Mizan Institute — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi speaks on how nobody can ever purify themselves without the mercy of Allah assisting them in this path. In a famous hadith, the Prophet says: "No one will enter heaven except through God's mercy, even me."

Part 10: Inshallah from tomorrow...

Mizan Institute — Sun, 10 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi touches on the concept of delaying tawbah and how shaytan and his crew use this trick to keep one from turning towards Allah.

Part 9: How God Conceals the Sins of His Servants

Mizan Institute — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi goes through a hadith that explains how God not only forgives the sins of his servants, but also conceals them in this world and in the hereafter, even from the angels appointed to recording their deeds.

Part 8: Audacity that Stems from Ignorance

Mizan Institute — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi speaks about the ignorance that lies at the roots of every sin that a human being commits and how every sinner hurts himself first and foremost.

Part 7: Running from Him to Him

Mizan Institute — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi speaks to the three things that only God can do for his servants, namely forgiving their sins, concealing them from others and transforming them into good deeds.

Part 6: Being Vulnerable with God

Mizan Institute — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi discusses the importance of showing our vulnerability when it comes to supplicating to God. He also touches on being satisfied with what God decides for our lives and the significance of repenting while still young.

Part 5: Forgive those sins of mine which…

Mizan Institute — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 05:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi speaks of the different categories of sins that Imam Ali (as) asks forgiveness for. Not all sins are the same. Some will open the door to others, some will bring out the punishment of God faster than others and some will transform a blessing into a calamity.

Part 4: Every Creature a Manifestation of God's Names

Mizan Institute — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 04:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi explains how every creature manifests certain attributes of God's existence in a limited manner. This completely changes our perspective on this world and transforms all of its beauties into mirrors showing his beauty. He also touches on how God's knowledge encompasses every being and how his knowledge is fundamentally different from that of the human being.

Part 3: The All Encompassing Mercy of God

Mizan Institute — Sun, 03 Jan 2021 04:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi discusses the different layers to God's mercy and how it applies to each person. He also touches on why Dua Kumayl starts out with praising God and how praising him is one of the etiquette of dua.

Part 2: How did dua Kumayl come to be?

Mizan Institute — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 04:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi delves into the history of Dua Kumayl. What is the literal meaning of the word dua, how Dua Kumayl came to be and who Kumayl was.

Part 1: What is the purpose of dua?

Mizan Institute — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 04:00:00 -0600

In this episode, Sheikh Mahdi explores the four most common reasons mentioned for the purpose of reciting duas and supplications. While they are all correct answers to a certain extent, the main reason is one that we normally may not think of.