Joliet Islamic Center

08/17/2026

08/11/2026

In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ informs us of the honor of this blessed spot, which lies between his house—in which he ﷺ was buried—and his pulpit ﷺ in his mosque, and that it is “a garden from the gardens of Paradise.” A rawḍah is any land possessing vegetation, water, beauty, and freshness.

That is, it is like a garden of Paradise in terms of the descent of mercy and the attainment of happiness through what takes place there of regularly attending gatherings of remembrance and performing prayer in this place, especially during his ﷺ lifetime. Thus, it would be a comparison expressed without an explicit word of comparison.

08/06/2026

In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said:

“Whoever relieves a believer of one of the hardships of this world...”

That is, whoever removes from a believer grief, distress, or hardship—even if it is something small—then the reward is that Allah will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection. Relieving hardship is an act of kindness, so Allah rewards him with a fitting recompense.

“Whoever makes things easy for one who is in difficulty...”

Making things easy for a person in financial hardship may be done in one of two ways:

Giving him more time until he is able to repay his debt.
Forgiving part or all of the debt if he owes one.

If he is not a debtor, then helping him financially until his hardship is removed also falls under this virtue. Both forms carry immense reward. The recompense is that Allah will make matters easy for him in this world and the Hereafter, corresponding to the ease he brought to one of Allah’s servants.

08/06/2026

The Prophet ﷺ mentioned the virtue of praying in his mosque, stating that it is better than one thousand prayers offered in any other mosque, except Al-Masjid al-Haram. This means that a prayer performed in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is greater in reward than one thousand prayers performed in any other mosque, with the exception of Al-Masjid al-Haram, where the reward for prayer is even greater than in his mosque.

The Prophet ﷺ then explained this distinction by saying, “For I am the last of the Prophets.”

He also said, “And my mosque is the last of the mosques,” meaning the last mosque established by the Prophets—not that the Mosque of Madinah is the final mosque ever to be built in this world. It has also been said that it means the last of the three mosques distinguished with special virtue, or that it will remain until the end, outlasting other mosques. The meaning is that just as Allah honored the last of the Prophets, He likewise honored his mosque—the last of the prophets’ mosques—by making a prayer offered there equal in reward to one thousand prayers offered elsewhere, except in Al-Masjid al-Haram.

This hadith demonstrates the great virtue of the Prophet’s Mosque and the immense reward of praying therein.

07/22/2026

“Indeed, Allah does not look at your appearances or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.”

That is, Allah, Glorified and Exalted, does not look at the bodies of His servants—whether they are large or small, healthy or sick—nor does He look at their outward appearances, whether they are beautiful or unattractive. Likewise, He does not look at their wealth, whether it is abundant or scarce. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, neither calls His servants to account nor judges them based on these matters or on the differences among them in such things.

“But He looks at your hearts,” meaning: He looks at what they contain of piety, certainty (yaqīn), truthfulness, sincerity, or, conversely, the intention of showing off (riyā’) and seeking reputation (sum‘ah), as well as all other noble and blameworthy qualities.

“And your deeds,” meaning: He looks at your actions in terms of whether they are righteous or corrupt, and He rewards and recompenses accordingly.

There is no bond between Allah and His creation except through piety (taqwā). Whoever is more God-fearing is nearer to Allah and more honored in His sight. Therefore, a person should never boast of his wealth, beauty, physique, children, palaces, or anything else of this worldly life. Rather, if Allah grants him piety, this is from Allah’s favor upon him, so he should praise Allah for it. But if he is forsaken, let him blame no one but himself.

07/20/2026

In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) tells us that when Allah created mercy, He made it into one hundred parts. He kept ninety-nine parts with Himself to show mercy to His servants on the Day of Judgment. He sent down one part to the world, and through this one part, all creation shows kindness and mercy to one another. Every act of love, compassion, forgiveness, and care that people show comes from this single part of Allah’s mercy. This shows how great Allah’s mercy will be on the Day of Judgment, since He has saved ninety-nine parts for that Day.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said that if a disbeliever knew how great Allah’s mercy is, he would never lose hope of entering Paradise. He would have hope because Allah’s mercy is so vast, even though there is severe punishment. The hadith uses the words “if he knew” to show that he does not actually know this, and this wording also teaches believers not to despair of Allah’s mercy.

Likewise, if a believer knew the full extent of Allah’s punishment, he would never feel completely safe from the Fire. This teaches Muslims not to become proud or overconfident because of their good deeds, thinking they are guaranteed Allah’s mercy. At the same time, they should not lose hope because of their sins or because they have done only a little worship, thinking that Allah will certainly punish them.

This hadith teaches that Allah’s mercy is far greater than people can imagine, and that His mercy in the Hereafter is much greater than the mercy He has shown in this world.

It also teaches that Allah encourages His servants to worship Him by giving both promises of reward and warnings of punishment, so that they live with both hope and fear.

Finally, the hadith calls the disbeliever to think about the Day of Judgment and its warning, hoping that this will soften their heart and lead them to believe in Allah. It also encourages the believer to think about the rewards and blessings of the Hereafter, so that they become more active in worship and increase their obedience to Allah.

04/02/2026

As-Salamu-Alaikum Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Join us every Friday night after Maghreb at Joliet Islamic Center for a beautiful journey through the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H).

Led by Moulana Siraj Ul Hasan, this weekly gathering offers detailed insights, heartfelt reflections, and timeless lessons from the Seerah — perfect for all ages.

✨ Family Friendly
🍽️ Refreshments Available
📖 Beneficial for All Ages

📍 2313 Oak Leaf St., Joliet, IL 60436
🌐 www.JolietMasjid.org
📞 815-341-5541

Let’s come together to learn, reflect, and grow in faith. We’d love to see you there, insha’Allah!