LANALLAH __Islamic BlogZine_

LANALLAH __Islamic BlogZine__

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Modesty the best Policy-top school

From the BBC

Feversham College has high expectations of students .

Some head teachers, had their school been named the best in England, would be falling over themselves to publicise the achievement.
But not Jane Tiller of Feversham College, the Islamic girls' school in Bradford which tops this year's "value added" table.

It shows pupils' academic improvement during their time in secondary education.
Mrs Tiller is reluctant to allow journalists in.

'Clear guidance'

Such "modesty" is deemed vital to the success of the school, which has 454 students aged 11 to 18.
Feversham's website invokes the "clear guidance on modesty and rules of behaviour for all believers" promoted by the Koran.
But the school is keen to bring out the best from its girls.

In a statement, Mrs Tiller said: "Our added value has increased because we monitor student progress and teaching and learning with a rigorous focus on exam preparation.
"Everyone associated with the college has high expectations for exceptional achievement, including the girls themselves.

"This has reaped rewards and we are delighted with the outstanding performance of our school."

Expansion

Feversham has an unusual history. It has been a state school for only four years.
It opened as a private institution in 1984, after Muslims complained of a lack of single-sex education in Bradford.

At first it charged the families of its 24 pupils up to £700 a year and relied heavily on private donations.

The school expanded over the next few years, moving to bigger premises.
By the early 1990s, the governors decided Feversham should become state-funded, providing free single-sex education for Muslim girls.

The government turned down the idea in 1995 but another application, five years later, succeeded.

Feversham is now jointly run by the local authority and the Muslim Association of Bradford.
Its improved performances are testament to the quiet confidence promoted by Mrs Tiller.
In 2002, 53% of pupils gained five or more A* to C grades at GCSE and equivalent vocational exams.

By 2003 it was 61%, and in 2004 it was 70%. The average for England is 53.7%.
Individualism

Feversham focuses strongly on two things - its religion and its single-sex status.
Collective worship and faith-based assemblies are used to "promote and celebrate achievement".

All students, even sixth-formers, wear a uniform. All staff at Feversham are female and it prefers men not to visit. Some might argue that academic success is coming at the expense of a broader social education. However, Mrs Tiller insists she is not looking to produce timid bookworms. "Our students and staff are talented individuals and in the highly supportive college atmosphere everyone is encouraged to grow to their full identity," Feversham's website says.
Of course, league tables cannot measure this aspect of a school.
But in the area that can be measured - academic success - Feversham must be doing something right.

Not that Mrs Tiller would boast about it.

¶ 5:07 PM //

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

WANTED: A Sincere Believer

Job Type: sincere, striving Muslim as an educator and inspirer to him/her self and the world

Certificate Required: minimum basic skills in forbearance, patience, gentleness, veracity, wisdom and obedience to God and His teachings

Salary: Verily those who give (in charity and efforts), men and women, and lend Allah a goodly loan - it shall be increased manifold to their credit! And theirs shall be an honorable, good reward (in this life and the next). Al-Qur'an 57:18

Work Year: 24/7 all year round commitmentFull Time/Part Time: full timeContact: Your Lord for further helpApplication

Deadline: Your death

Comments:
We have doctors, but not physically healthy people
We have psychiatrists, but not mentally healthy people
We have lawyers, but not justice
We have police and armies, but not safety
We have politicians, but not peace
We have entertainers, but not lasting happiness
We have scientists, but not tangible advancement
We have teachers, but not enlightment

This is meant at a general scale, no one can deny their necessity. Yet a flood of doctors or lawyers is not the answer to our problems, as we can see by the overflow of these professionals. We need...we need...

YOU!

Yes, you!We need honest, sincere believers in God who will dedicate their life to spreading the beautiful message of all that is good - Islam.

Some people think this means giving up all that is gay and merry and adopting all that is solemn and austere.Those people are truly ignorant of the commodious nature of Islam. Islam is not a set of grim rules and commandments. It is life as God wants us to live it. It is the answer to true humanity. You can still keep your day job, you can still commit to the Wednesday knit club. Yet, let your limbs embody the message of God:

Keep...your eyes sparkling with kindness
your nose out of people's affairs
your mouth a messenger of honesty and a commander of good and forbidder of evil
your hands on honest grounds
your legs from walking to that which is not pure
Be the embodiment of goodness.

Mothers! You who hold the future of mankind in your arms, give us hope! The job is in demand, so raise for us competent beings who will work to bring success to mankind.

O' Creator of all, make this possible. Ameen.

¶ 9:43 PM //

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Which Way Now?

Are you sitting comfortably? Then let us go for a stroll into the deep chambers of the mind and heart. Hopefully, you will be refreshed so soon after Eid, and this may be the ideal time for such a trip. In fact, it may be long overdue.

Right now, we are standing at the tail end of a particularly blessed part of the year. Ramadhan is over, and Eid is behind us for another year. What now? The same old routine or something different? With the memory of the dynamic and glowing Mosque atmosphere still fresh in our minds, let it be something different.

Let us hope that when we left the packed Mosque building after the Eid prayer, we returned home with something and not empty-handed and empty hearted.

The year ahead stretches before us, as uncertain as the horizon on a misty day at sea. We know little of the future and no body knows how long they have left. The best thing to do then, is to stop worrying about the future, stop groaning or being nostalgic about the past, and, yes, start living in the present.

How do you live in the present? Aren’t we doing that anyway? Valid questions, but the answer is simple. Living in the present means making the best of what we have. That may be time, or health. It may be wealth or youth. Living in the present means seizing the present with all its opportunities and using it to full potential.

So far, so good, but what is it we should be striving to achieve? What should the goal be? Does using opportunity to full potential mean having a good time while you can? Does it mean laying the ground for a good education, then a brilliant career, and then a comfortable retirement? Does using the present in the best way mean something else?

Actually, our destination is hidden from view. It lies around the corner or over the top of the hill. Yes, it lies beyond death itself. Some may say that life begins at fifty, in the hope that this will keep their morale high and help them ignore the reality of death for longer, but our motto is that life begins after death itself.

As you sit, grasping your copy of ‘Subulas Salaam’ in your hands, notice that your heart continues to beat. Rather obvious, you may say, but you have no control over it, and if it were to stop, you could not restart it. The beating of your heart is in somebody else’s control, and He also knows what emotions and states this heart experiences. If there is any goal in life worthy of pursuit, it is to befriend One with such power.

If success is in being wealthy or powerful, then Allah’s friends are both wealthy and powerful. If happiness lies in being with a good friend, Allah is the best friend. If there is an ideal goal, Allah Himself is that goal. If Ramadhan has a purpose, this is the purpose.

“A man is known by the company he keeps”, and those who are closest in company with Allah Ta’ala are the Prophets. From amongst the Prophets, the closest to Allah Ta’ala is our Noble Prophet, Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi wassallam. To develop a strong bond with the Holy Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam is not only the essential part of our faith, it is also the only way to befriend Allah Ta’ala. Without a powerful connection between ourselves and the Holy Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam, there is no way of attaining Divine pleasure.

The first step towards self improvement is a change in attitude. So much is possible and so many improvements are just waiting to be made. Most of what we do wrong can be easily corrected. Most crimes are obviously crimes and you do not need to have a huge amount of knowledge to understand this.

Everybody has the opportunity to make a resolution, and the way to do this is not to sit and think or to take pen and paper, or even to go and read a new book. The best method to get to your destination is to get up and start walking. So what are we waiting for? Together, let us start this journey. Let us begin now. This journey to Allah Ta’ala Himself. A blessed journey indeed.

Be warned though. In the path of devotion and love, there are always difficulties. The challenge is to enjoy such difficulties and consider them to be an honour. If you learn to do this, even fire will not burn you as it did not burn the Prophet Ibrahim Alayhis salam. If it does, it will do so with a promise. The promise of safety after death and Allah’s pleasure.

These are lofty aspirations indeed. May Allah Ta’ala Himself accompany us with His help along the way. Ameen.

http://www.inter-islam.org/Lifestyle/lifestyledex.htm

¶ 10:28 PM //

Friday, March 18, 2005

The Fence

There was a little boy with a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, to hammer a nail in the back fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.

Then it gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

¶ 12:39 AM //

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Don't we all

Author Unknown

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a hobo, street beggar, tramp or vagabond. From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money.

There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't. He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.

After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty car," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm. I said, "thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice.

"Do you need any help?" I asked. He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget.

We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments.

I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me. "Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a hobo in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep, but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help. Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all.

They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. He was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in himself to teach him a lesson. Don't we all?

¶ 10:36 PM //

The Assured Power of Speech

A person asked Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Rahmatullah):
"The scholars say on the day of judgement (Hereafter) the humans' limbs and organs will speak the way as tongue does. The sinners' limbs and organs will give evidence against them and tell Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) that they committed such and such sins with the help of them. Is that true?"

Hazrat Thanvi (Rahmatullah) said:
"Yes, it is."

The questioner:
"How will the limbs and organs speak without tongue?"

Hazrat Thanvi (Rahmatullah) answered:
"Listen to me carefully.Firstly, we must believe in what Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala) and his prophet (Sallalahu Alaihe Wassalam) have said is true, whether we realize the fact or not. Secondly, ability of speech is neither the quality nor a characteristic of the tongue.It is a Allah-Given gift. If that is the case, why do the animal not speak, as they possess tongues. Moreover, among humans, there are some people who possess tongues and yet they can't speak as they are dumb.If someone asks that how will the limbs and organs speak without a tongue, we will answer: When the tongue can speak without tongue, the other limbs and organs can speak too, because the tongue is also a piece of flesh. The lord of the world who has given the tongue speaking faculty, will give the limbs and organs the speaking faculty too.It is obvious that speaking faculty is from Allah (Subhanahu wa ta'ala), it is not the quality of tongue. "

Hazrat Thanvi (Rahmatullah) went further and asked:
"Have you ever seen a radio or tape recorder?"

The questioner responded:
"Why not?"

Hazrat Thanvi (Rahmatullah) asked:
"Do radios and tape recorders have tongues?"

The questioner answered:
"No."

Hazrat Thanvi (Rahmatullah) asked:
"How do the radios and tape recorders speak without tongues?" If that is the case, the human limbs and organs will obviously speak in the hereafter.The questioner was satisfied and, thanked him for clearing the shadows of doubts he had in his mind.

¶ 10:27 PM //

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Signs of Allah in our Senses

Atoms are inanimate beings.

How, then, can inanimate substances such as atoms come together and form animate human beings capable of seeing, hearing, interpreting what they hear, enjoying the music to which they listen, thinking, making decisions, being happy or miserable?

How could man acquire such traits making him totally different from other conglomerates of atoms?

Certainly, inanimate and unconscious atoms cannot give human beings these human qualities. It is clear that Allah creates man with a spirit endowed with such characteristics.

This reminds one of a verse of Allah:
He Who has created all things in the best possible way. He commenced the creation of man from clay; then produced his seed from an extract of base fluid; then formed him and breathed His Spirit into him and gave you hearing, sight, and hearts. What little thanks you show! (Surat as-Sajda: 7-9)

¶ 11:58 PM //

Story of Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great is known as the most powerful military leader and conqueror of the ancient world. Before he turned 30 years old he conquered an empire stretching over 3,000 miles from Greece to India. He was born in 356 BC in Macedonia, known today as northern Greece.

On his sickbed and during his last hour alive, Alexander the Great told his generals "After my death, when you put my body in the casket, let my arms hang over the edges with my palms wide open, so the public can see my empty hands while I am leaving the world."

After he died, many dignitaries came to view the royal funeral and were very surprised to see his arms hanging over the edge of the casket with his palms wide open. They asked questions about this unique scene. A wise man told them “O’ People, Alexander the Great is telling us that when he ruled the world, great treasures of gold, silver and wealth came to be under his possession. Yet, indeed he is leaving the world empty handed."

Source: Partially extracted from the writtings of JC Pinkerton.

Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Three things follow the bier of a dead man, two of them come back and one is left with him: the members of his family, wealth and his good deeds. The members of his family and wealth come back while his deeds alone are left with him.
(Sahih Muslim)

¶ 10:37 PM //

Monday, March 14, 2005

Pick Your Teeth!

It's one of the greatest sins and yet it's something we do day after day. Sometimes we don't even realize it. You're just chatting away with your friends and you begin to talk about somebody else. Our whole lives are based around 'Home and Away' and 'Neighbors', soaps based on lying, backbiting and cheating. But look at what the Prophet (saw) said about it:

The Prophet (saw) was sitting with his companions one day and one of them was speaking badly about someone who wasn't there. As the man got up to leave the Prophet (saw) said to him: "Pick your teeth!" "But I haven't eaten anything", the man protested. "No", the Prophet (saw) said "you have eaten the flesh of your dead brother!"

As Allah tells us in the Qur'an: "Would any of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? No, you would hate it." [al-Qur'an 49:12]

But what if it's true?

The Prophet (saw) told us, "Backbiting is to say something about someone they wouldn't like said about them ... If what bad you said about them is true, then you have backbitten and if it is false then you have slandered them!" [Muslim]

If you're still not convinced of how big a sin backbiting really is, then look at the punishment Allah has in store for the backbiters. The Prophet (saw) described: "On the night of Miraaj (the Prophet's ascension to heaven), I passed by some people who had metal hooks in their hands and were clawing at their faces and their necks with them. I asked Jibraeel 'Who were these people?' He said 'These are the people who eat the flesh of human beings and disgrace them' " [Abu Dawud].

This is how big of a sin backbiting is looked upon and yet we continue to backbite without a second thought, next time you lie, talk about somebody, remember Allah (swt) and the Prophet (saw) and put them in front of you before you speak.

Just having a laugh!

May be we think it's all right to take the mick out of someone so long as we say it to their face. We'll make fun of the way someone talks, walks, or how they look. Allah warns us against such behavior:
"O you who believe, let not some men laugh at others, it may be the that they are better than you. Nor let some women laugh at others it may be that they are better than you. Nor abuse each other, nor be sarcastic to each other by using offensive nicknames..." [al-Qur'an 49:11]
Don't forget that Allah made us the way we are, so how can you even think of making fun of his creation?

Cool to swear?

Listen to yourself and to your friends speaking one day - nearly every sentence will have a swear word in it, thinking it's cool and macho to swear, copying the idols of TV and the cinema. Is it really 'cool' to swear? The Hellfire is far from being cool. People will wish they were cool then rather than being cool in this world. Remember! That every time you speak , an angel writes down what you say, and that one day you will have to answer for every single word you ever uttered. So if you swear at someone then it's written down as a sin against you. You're only harming yourself. The Prophet (saw) said that "abusing a Muslim is a sin and fighting with him is disbelief" [Muslim].

But sometimes you just have to swear!

We've all been there - you're just so angry with somebody and the only way you can express yourself, is to swear at them. The solution? Don't get angry in the first place. A man came to the Prophet (saw) one day and said "Advise me". The Prophet (saw) said "Don't become angry. Don't become angry. Don't become angry... when one of you gets angry while he is standing up, he should sit down. Then anger will leave him, and if not then he should lie down" [Ahmad].

So let us follow this beautiful advice of the Prophet (saw) and remember that anger is from Shaytan. If someone angers you or swears at you then don't harm yourself by doing the same but respond in a better way as Allah says in the Qur'an "Repel evil with what is better. Then he who was your worst enemy will become your best friend." [al-Qur'an 41:33]

It wasn't me who said it!

How often do we say such a phrase or say that "I was only joking". We treat lies as being trivial. However we are told that Allah's messenger did not hate anything more than lying [Ahmed]. The Prophet (saw) was once asked "Can a Muslim be a coward?" He (saw) replied "Yes". He was then asked "Can a Muslim be a miser?" and the reply was "Yes". The Prophet (saw) was again asked "Can a Muslim be a liar?" The Prophet (saw) replied "No! A Muslim can never be a liar".

Furthermore, he said "Truth leads to virtue and virtue leads to paradise... Lying leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the hellfire" [Bukhari]. As we know that one lie leads to another ten lies which lead to bad actions. Remember you can lie and think that you have got away with it but on the day of Judgment your hands, tongue and feet will bear testimony against you and tell the truth.

But it's only words!

One day, one of the Companions asked the Prophet (saw): "O Messenger of Allah, will we be called to account for what we say?" He replied "May you be lost to your mother! People will be thrown, faces down into the hellfire, only on account to what their tongues said!" [Tirmidhi]
Indeed the tongue controls the rest of your body. A well controlled tongue will keep us within Islam but a loose tongue will destroy us. The Prophet (saw) said: "When a person gets up in the morning, all the parts of his body make a plea to his tongue saying 'Fear Allah regarding us, because we follow you. If you are right then we shall also be right , and if you are wrong then we shall also be wrong'." [Tirmidhi]
Instead of swearing, lying and engaging in useless talk we can use our tongues in better ways and what better than telling people about Islam. Allah says: "Who is better in speech than one who calls (people) to Allah and works righteousness and says I am one of those who bow down in Islam" [al-Qur'an 41:33]

Your tongue can save you!

Indeed if you control your tongue and speak good then paradise can be yours. The Prophet (saw) said: "Whoever can guarantee me two things I can guarantee them Paradise". The companions asked "What, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied: "What is between his jaws (his tongue) and his legs (private parts)" [Bukhari].

I must be doomed!

"I have lied, backbitten people, and swear all the time. I must be going to hell!"

No! Allah (swt) tells us in the Qur'an: "O my servants who have wronged themselves, never despair of the mercy of Allah - for truly He forgives all sins. He is the Forgiving, the Merciful." [al-Qur'an 39:53]

So if you really repent and turn back to Allah and promise not to commit the sin again then truly Allah's promise is true and He will forgive you. If you've backbitten someone - go and tell the person whom you backbitten and apologize sincerely and ask them to forgive you. But if you think that the situation will get worse then turn back to Allah sincerely begging for his forgiveness then to make up for what you said, go around and talk good of him.

The best example

As we know that the best person to have ever lived is the Prophet Muhammad (saw) and he is the best of example for mankind. If we follow him we can never go wrong. Aisha (ra), the Prophet's wife, described the Prophet's conduct as follows "He was neither an obscene talker nor a user of bad words. He did not shout nor did he repay evil with evil. He used to forgive people and overlook their sins" [Tirmidhi].

Final word of advice

A beautiful saying of the Prophet (saw) that will ensure the protection of our tongue. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last day, LET HIM EITHER SPEAK GOOD OR KEEP SILENT!" [Agreed upon]

¶ 9:13 PM //

Saturday, March 05, 2005

REPEL EVIL WITH GOOD

"Repel evil with that which is best" Qur'an Verse 23:96.

There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness. A ficticious story with a moral:

Once upon a time when everything could talk, the Wind and the Sun fell into an argument as to which was the stronger.

Finally, they decided to put the matter to a test.

They would see which one could make a certain man, who was walking along the road, throw off his cape.

The Wind tried first.

He blew and he blew.

The harder and colder he blew, the tighter the traveller wrapped his cape about him.

The Wind gave up and the Sun to try.

The Sun began to smile and as it grew warmer and warmer, the traveler was comfortable once more.

But the Sun shone brighter and brighter until the man grew so hot that the sweat poured off his face.

He became weary and, seating himself on a stone, he threw the cape to the ground.
Gentleness had accomplished what force could not.

"Those who patiently persevere, ......; and turn off Evil with Good: for such there is the Final attainment of the (Eternal) home." Qur'an Verse 13:22.

As a poet said: "Use a sweet tongue, courtesy and gentleness, and thou mayest manage to guide an elephant with a hair." Such is the power of gentleness.

Force more often than not is futile because it offers a temporary solution to a permanent problem.

Force is met with resistance, it represses, suppresses and oppresses.

Gentleness addresses the problem, it alleviates, mitigates and obviates the pain of others.

"Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle. If I raise my voice, may it be only in praise. If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer. If I make a demand, may it only be of myself", by Max Lucado.

How do I treat my family? Do I try to force them to comply with my wishes, or does the warmth of my smile encourage them to work with me as a team? How do I handle my co-workers? How do I interact with my neighbours? Am I curt and cold or compassionate and caring?

When we treat others with gentleness, it shows that we value and respect them. They may be upset and speak to us angrily, but our gentle persevering response will soothe their irritability and calm them down.

Respect is earned, just as trust is. Should you abuse either, your reward will be neither.
Isn't it true that only those with faults complain about the faults of others?
So, the fewer faults we have, the greater our gentleness, tolerance and compassion will be.

Gentleness is the mark of the spiritual person, one who sees the commonality of all.
It is the recognition that despite our differences, we are all the same, the offspring of Adam (pbuh), travellers of this voyage called life towards our one and only Creator God the Almighty.
It is easier for older people to be gentle, for their long experience has made them realize they are guilty of every fault they see in others; so, how can they hold it against them?

True, we will not always agree with everyone all the time, but sabr (patience) is the understanding that we can walk hand-in-hand without seeing eye-to-eye.
Let's not wait until we are old to be gentle.

"Teach me to feel another's woe, to hide the fault I see, that mercy I to others show, that mercy show to me."

We climb the highest peak one step at a time and we make a difference in the world one act at a time.

A gentle smile, an encouraging pat on the back, a word of praise, a friendly hand, a warm hug and a tender look are all small acts, which, when added up, have a huge impact on the lives of others.

To become who you want, you must first become who you are.

Gentleness is a way of life.

It is the conduct of love.

It is a balm that lessens the suffering of others.

Blessed are the gentle who give of their time to help the sick, the elderly, the unemployed, the homeless, the needy, the mentally ill and those in prison.

Whether good or bad and whether right or wrong, our actions affect others.

An inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in the roughest weather.

"Nor can Goodness and Evil be equal.
Repel (Evil) with what is better:
Then will he between whom and thee was hatred become as it were they friend and intimate!" Qur'an Verse 41:34.

Patience to faith is like the head to the body. The person who has no patience has no faith. (Ali ibn abi Talib).

¶ 11:34 PM //

A Brother like That

None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself...

Author Unknown

Shuaib received an automobile from his brother as a Eid present. On Eid day when Shuaib came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Uncle?" he asked. Shuaib nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Eid." The boy was astounded.

"You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Shuaib knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Shuaib all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Shuaib looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Uncle, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Shuaib smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Shuaib was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Shuaib heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, uncle, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Eid and it didn't cost him a penny. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Shop windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Shuaib got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride. That Eid, Shuaib learned what the Rasul-Allah meant when he had said: "None of you [truly] believes until he loves for his brother that which he loves for himself." (Bukhari & Muslim)

¶ 11:15 PM //

NOTES ON THE BELOVED PROPHET (SAWS)

Ali ibn Abi Talib was among those nearest to the the Messenger (sallallahu laiyhi wassallam)
of Allah Ta'ala,who knew him best. He described him thus:" He was not course or obscene and did not shout in the market place.He did not return evil for evil,but was glad to forgive and forget.He did not lay his hands on anyone save in JIHAAD and did not strike anybody,neither a servant nor a woman.I never saw him take revenge for any offence so long as it was not violating the honour of Allah."

"When he entered his house,he behaved like other men.He cleaned his own garments,milked his goat,and carried out household chores."

'He never stood up or sat down without the name of Allah being on his lips. Wherever he went, he would sit at the back of the gathering and he instructed others to do the
same. He gave all those who sat with him such attention that they believed that he paid more heed to them than to
anyone else. When sor-neone sat with him, he stayed attentive and patient until it was time for that person to
depart. When someone asked him for help, he would either
give him what he needed or speak kindly to him.

'He was always cheerful and tender-hearted. Everyone regarded him as their father, and he treated everyone as
equals.

'He was the most generous of people, the most truthful, the kindest, and the noblest. Those seeing him for the first time were overawed, but those who knew him well loved him. Someone describing him said, "I did not see his like before him or after him."

Allah endowed His Prophet(sallallaahu alaiyhi wassallam)
with elegance and grace and bestowed on him love and dignity.
Al-Bara' ibn 'Azib described him, saying,'The Messenger(sallallaahu alaiyhi wassallam) of Allah was of medium height. I once saw him wearing a red striped robe and I have never seen anything more beautiful than he.'

Abu Hurayrah(R.A.) described him, saying, 'He was on the tall side of medium, with very white skin. His hair was
black, and he had excellent front teeth. His eyelashes were
long and his shoulders broad.' He went on to say, 'I have
never seen a man like him before or since.'

Anas(R.A.) said, 'I have never touched silk finer or softer
than the palm of the Messenger(sallallaahu alaiyhi wassallam)of Allah's hand; and I have never smelled any scent more fragrant than his natural odour.'

¶ 1:37 AM //

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

A PAUSE TO REFLECT

Do not be sad. If you are poor, then someone else is immersed in debt. If you do not own your own means of transportation, the some else has been deprived of his legs. If you have reason to complain concerning the pains of sickness, then someone else has been bedridden for years. And if you have lost a child, then someone else has lost many children, for instance, in a single car accident. Do not be sad. You are a Muslim who believes in Allah, His Messengers, His angels the Hereafter, and in Preordainment - the good and the bad of it. While you are blessed with this faith, which is the greatest of blessings, others disbelieve in Allah, discredit the Messengers, differ among themselves concerning the Book, deny the Hereafter, and deviate in their understanding of Preordainment and Predestination.

Do not be sad, because if you are, you disturb you soul and heart, and you prevent yourself from sleeping

One of the Arab poets said:
"How often is the young man overcome with despair when afflicted, and with Allah is the way out. The situation becomes unbearable, and when its rope tightens, it snaps, and throughout, he never thought that he would be saved."

Ref:: 'Aaidh bin Abdullah al-Qarnee. Don't be sad. Internation Islamic Publication House. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

¶ 1:13 AM //