Muslims Step Up Product Boycott Over Danish Cartoons:

http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2006-01/28/article05.shtml

Email of Danish Newspaper Jyllands-Posten :

abonnement@jp.dk

A site dedicated to defending the prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)

http://defendnow.4t.com/

¶ 5:58 PM //

Of all Allah's creations,
He was the most supreme,
And he filled this world with Nur,
The kind we've never seen.

Even history can show no parallel to him,
The most perfect being by far,
He was the Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) ,
And most beloved by Allah.

Never will anyone be able to match up to him,
Even if all of us combined,
Because he was uniquely created,
And sent as a mercy to mankind.

So humble were his actions,
And so justly did he rule,
that even the non-believers embraced Islam,
Oh, how great was our Rasul (Peace Be Upon Him)

For all the years he lived,
He never held a grudge,
He never told a lie,
He was more honest than a judge.

Our Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) even forgave his enemies,
No matter what their actions were,
And he even made Dua for them,
An attribute that is so rare.

For all the favours bestowed upon him,
Our Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) never forgot his Ummah,
And yet how much have we done to repay him,
Do we even practice upon his Sunnah?

Just to be a bit like our Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) ,
Should be something we all desire,
Because his attributes are so many,
It would take more than one lifetime to acquire.

Please practice upon his teachings,
Because they are an important guide,
To reunite us with our savior,
And with him Jannah to reside.

Written by Muhammed Sader

¶ 6:27 PM //

[This sermon was delivered on the Ninth Day of Dhul-Hijjah 10 A.H. in the 'Uranah valley of Mount Arafat' in Mecca.]
After praising and thanking Allah the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today.
O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that he will indeed reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be waived. Your capital is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn 'Abd'al Muttalib [the Prophet's uncle] be waived.
Every right arising out of homicide in pre-islamic days is henceforth waived and the first such right that i waive is that arising from the murder of Rabiah ibn al Harithibn.
O People, the unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calender in order to make permissible that which Allah forbade, and to forbid that which Allah has made permissible. With Allah the months are twelve in number. Four of them are holy, three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumada and Shaban.
Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope of that he will be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right, then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with anyone of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste. O People, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during the month of Ramadhan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has any superiority over a white - except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belogs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer your deeds. So beware: do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.
O People, no prophet or apostle will come after me, and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand my words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qur'an and my Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray.
All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O Allah, that I have conveyed Your message to Your people."

¶ 6:11 PM //

Once upon a time, there was a mouse, which, whilst passing a pond witnessed a frog emerge from the depth of the pond. Astonished by this unusual sight, the mouse began to converse with the frog and through this, a very warm and friendly conversation took place. A very close friendship grew between the two of them, until it developed into a love relationship. By mutual arrangement, they appointed a specific time at which they could meet each other in the mornings daily and converse with each other for a long time.

At these special meetings they use to enlighten each other with their own opinions regarding certain topics or they use to entertain each other with exciting stories regarding their past. Their hearts opened up to each other and were joy filled at the sight of one another.

One day the mouse said to the frog :"You are swimming around in the water while I am left all alone on the dry earth. I suffer the pangs of sorrow over being parted from you. When lonely, I come to the edge of the water to call to you, but while you are in the water, even the voice of a lover cannot be heard. I cannot be at peace by meeting you for such a short time each day.

O beloved frog: I cannot live a moment of my life peacefully without seeing your face. By day, the sight of you is my life: by night the thought of you is my tranquillity and sleep. It will be very courteous on your part that you will permit me the pleasure of meeting you time upon time at every opportunity possible."

The mouse carried on by saying "My respected friend, I am a creature that can live on land alone, whereas you can live on land and in water. But how is it possible for you to know inside the water that I have the desire to meet you?"

For quite a while they pondered upon this and consulted each other until finally, the mouse put an opinion forward. This opinion was that one end of a piece of string is to be tied to the foot of the frog and the other end is to be tied to the foot of the mouse. Thus, when the mouse has a desire to meet the frog he will just need to pull the string and the frog will respond by returning to the surface of the water.

The frog considered the mouse's suggestion to be a bad one and said in his heart, "This evil one, wishes to tie me up and make me live like a prisoner."

Despite disliking the mouse's suggestion, the frog found an inclination within himself to accept to the request. The two of them, by pulling the string were able to meet each other repeatedly each day until destruction struck them one morning....

A vulture seeing it's pray i.e. the mouse, from high above soared down upon the mouse, it also unknowingly, lifted the frog out of the water where until now he was safe and comfortable. This was due to the fact that the string held the mouse and the frog together. Unfortunately, what fate awaited the mouse befell the frog as well. The vulture killed them both and devoured them.

If the frog remained in the water and had not formed a friendship with the evil mouse, nothing would have happened to him and he would not have been the prey of the vulture.

Hadrat Rumi Rahmatullahe alayhi uses this story as an example to draw our attention to the harms and effects of having bad company. It is a very good story with a powerful moral lesson.

Hadrat Rumi Rahmatullahe alayhi says:
In this story we see the soul, the self and the shaytaan.

The self represents the mouse,

the soul represents the frog

and the vulture represents the shaytaan.


The self, in order to satisfy its desires engages the soul in evil practises, endeavours to tie it with a string so that the soul indulges in these evil practises as well.

When the soul reluctantly obeys the desires of the self and befriends the self, it allows the shaytaan to pull it whenever it wishes. In this way the soul is also humiliated because of the contact with the self. Hence, when shaytaan will go to hell, the self, who was in its beak, will also go to hell and so will the soul which was tied to the self.

In this day and age, we live in the midst of bad people and evil company. By befriending these evildoers, we will eventually be affected by their foul doings and will also indulge in these sins. By indulging in things that are wrong, we will only become more and more sinful and we will be dragged with the evildoers into Jahannam, which is the totally the opposite direction to where we should be heading.

Whereas if we are to befriend the pious, we will be affected by their good deeds and we will eventually get in to Jannat.

My dear respected readers, we have been given two choices only, but the big question is, which one will we choose? In this world we are not forced to do anything, we act upon our desires.

May Allah Ta'ala grant us the ability to choose what is right and may he the Almighty grant us protection from one's self and from shaytaan.

Ameen.

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

¶ 6:20 PM //

Allah says in the Holy Quran:

"Do they not see the birds suspended in mid-air up in the sky? Nothing holds them there except Allah. There are certainly Signs in that for people who have faith." (Surat an-Nahl: 79)

A bird uses great energy when it takes flight because it has to lift all its body with its tiny wings. Yet, once it is up in the air, Allah has made it easy for it to remain aloft without expending too much effort. Birds can fly for a long time by allowing themselves to rely on the wind. This way, they hardly tire since they consume very little energy. When the effect produced by the wind diminishes, they begin to flap their wings again. By means of this feature Allah has given birds, they can cover very long distances and migrate to remote destinations.

It is interesting that birds' legs, so slender and little in comparison to their bodies, can carry their entire bodies. It is amazing that so many muscles, veins and nerves can exist in such a slender leg! If birds' legs were thicker and relatively more bulky, it would be more difficult for them to fly.

Almost all birds sleep on one leg. This does not upset their balance since their body weight is concentrated on this one leg. Allah has created birds with the features that enable them to maintain such a delicate balance.

The eyes of water fowl have been created for clear underwater vision. While we can't keep our eyes open underwater for even 45 seconds, water birds can easily catch insects and molluscs in water as they plunge their heads into it. Since this is the only way for them to feed themselves, they must have clear vision underwater. For this reason, Allah has created a special structure in their eyes, which permits seeing underwater.

¶ 10:24 PM //

Author: Stephen Covey

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean?

We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.

How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light., but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example.You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens when the next will be determined by how you react.You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over.

She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work.

You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.

Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is " D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee.How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference?Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.

Why? Because of how you REACTED.You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle.If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off)Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger.
Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.

The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache.We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

It CAN change your life!!!

¶ 12:12 AM //

http://www.jamiat.org.za/isinfo/tsunnats.html

SUNAN -E- THALAASAH

THREE EASY BUT VERY IMPORTANT SUNNATS

It has been proven from experience that by acting upon these three sunnats, which are very easy as far as amal is concerned, but are very important in this respect, that by acting upon them, one shall witness the blessings that will be achieved. Also, a desire to act upon the sunnah will enter ones heart and it will become easy to practice upon the entire sunnah INSHAALLAH!

THE FIRST EASY SUNNAT

Make a lot of Salaam (Muslim Greeting) and be the first to make Salaam -> Make a lot of Salaam means to greet each and every Muslim irrespective of whether you know him or not-> Be the first to make Salaam means we should always make an effort to beat the other person at making Salaam. Normally, most people make this mistake when making Salaam that they do not pronounce the 'HAMZAH' at the beginning i.e. they say 'SALAAM' instead of 'AS - SALAAM' and the second mistake is that they do not pronounce the vowel (harkat) clearly on the meem.

THE SECOND EASY SUNNAT:

Begin every 'good' action from the right and enter every 'good' place with the right similarly, begin every 'bad' action from the left and enter every 'bad' place with the left for eg. a masjid is a 'good' place so we should enter with the right foot - when leaving the masjid we should first take out the left foot - when wearing clothes we should begin from the right and when taking off our clothes we should begin with the left - when entering the toilet, we should enter with the left foot and leave with the right foot.

THE THIRD EASY SUNNAT:

Make a lot of ZIKRULLAH (remembrance of ALLAH TAALA). Immediately after those Fard Salaats in which there are no Sunnats to perform. i.e. FAJR & ASR. And 'AFTER' the Sunnats in the other Fard Salaats i.e. ZUHR, MAGHRIB & ESHA one should recite SUBHAANALLAH 33 times -> ALLHAMDULILLAH 33 times ALLAH - U - AKBAR -> 34 times. During the day recite one tasbeeh of KALIMA TAYIBA - one tasbeeh of ISTIGHFAAR - one tasbeeh of DUROOD SHAREEF with this intention that the love for ALLAH TA'ALA should increase in our hearts and the love for everything else besides ALLAH TA'ALA should come out of our hearts. When walking uphill, upstairs we should recite ALLAH - U - AKBAR --> when walking downhill we should recite SUBHAANALLAH and when walking upon flat ground we should recite LA - ILAAHA - ILLAH - LAH

ENDEAVOUR TO LEARN AND PRACTICE UPON THESE SUNNATS AND TEACH TO OUR CHILDREN

FROM THE TEACHINGS OF HADRAT MOULANA ABRARUL HAQQ DAMAT BARAKA TUHUM (HARDOI)

¶ 6:01 PM //

http://sunnahmarriage.blogspot.com

¶ 10:16 PM //

http://www.jamiat.org.za/isinfo/pqurbaani.html

The Urdu and Persian word "Qurbaani" is derived from the Arabic word 'Qurban'. It means an act performed to seek nearness to Almighty Allah and to seek His good pleasure. Originally, the word 'Qurban' included all acts of charity because the purpose of charity is nothing but to seek Allah's pleasure. But, in precise religious terminology, the word was later confined to the sacrifice of an animal slaughtered for the sake of Allah.

The sacrifice of an animal has always been treated as a recognised form of worship in all religious orders originating from a divine book. Even in pagan societies, the sacrifice of an animal is recognised as a form of worship, but it is done in the name of some idols and not in the name of Allah, a practice totally rejected by Islam.

In the Shariáh of our beloved Prophet (Sallallaahu Álayhi Wasallam) the sacrifice of an animal has been recognised as a form of worship only during three days of the month of Dhul Hijjah, namely the 10th, 11th and 12th of the month. This is to commemorate the unparalleled sacrifice offered by Prophet Sayyidina Ibrahim (Álayhis salaam) when he, in pursuance to a command of Allah conveyed to him in a dream, prepared himself to slaughter his beloved son Sayyidinah Ismail (Álayhis salaam) and actually did so, but Allah Almighty, after testing the ultimate limits of his submission, sent down a sheep and saved his son from the logical fate of slaughter. It is from that time onwards that sacrifice of an animal became an obligatory duty to be performed by every well-to-do Muslim.

Qurbani is a demonstration to Allah and proof of complete obedience to Allah's will or command. When a Muslim offers Qurbani, this exactly what he intends to prove. Thus, the Qurbani offered by a Muslim signifies that he is slave of Allah at his best and that he would not hesitate even for a moment, once he receives an absolute command from his Creator, to surrender before it, to obey it willingly, even it be at the price of his life and possessions. When a true and perfect Muslim receives such a command from Allah, his natural instincts stop him from indulging in the futile search for the reasoning behind the command; nor does he make his obedience dependent upon the command's 'reasonableness' as perceived through his limited understanding. He knows that Allah is All-Knowing, All- Wise and that his own ability to reason cannot encompass the knowledge and wisdom underlying the divine command, even if he cannot find any reason or wisdom behind it.

This is exactly what the Prophet Ibrahim (Álayhis salaam) did. Apparently, there was no reason why a father should slaughter his innocent son. But, when came the command of Allah, he never asked about the reason for that command, nor did he hesitate to obey it. Even his minor son, when asked by his father about the dream he had seen, never questioned the legitimacy of the command, nor did he pine or whine about it, nor did he ask for one good reason why he was being slaughtered. The one only response he made was:

"Father, do what you have been ordered to do. You shall find me, God willing, among the patient".

The present-day Qurbani is offered in memory of this great model of submission set before us by the great father and the great son. Qurbani must be offered in our time emulating the same ideal and attitude of submission.

This then is the true philosophy of Qurbani. With this in mind, one can easily unveil the fallacy of those who raise objections against Qurbani on the basis of economic calculations and lounge statistics and make it out to be a wastage of money, resource and livestock. Unable to see beyond mundane benefits, they cannot understand the spirit Islam wants to implant and nourish among its followers, the spirit of total submission to Allah's will equips man with the most superior qualities so necessary to keep humanity in a state of lasting peace and welfare.

Qurbani is nothing but a powerful symbol of the required human conduct vis-à-vis the divine commands, however, "irrational" or "uneconomic" they may seem to be in their appearance. Thus, the distrustful quest for mundane economic benefits behind Qurbani is, in fact the negation of its real philosophy, and the very spirit underlying it.

No doubt, there are, in every form of worship ordained by Allah, certain worldly benefits too, but they are not the main purpose of these prescribed duties, nor should they be treated as preconditions to submission and obedience. All acts of worship, including Qurbani, must be carried out with the spirit of total submission to Allah, irrespective of their economic, social or political benefits. This is what Ibrahim (Álayhis salaam) did, and this is what every true Muslim is required to do.

WARNING FOR THOSE WHO IGNORE QURBANI

There is a Hadith from Hadhrat Abu Hurayra (Radhiallaahu Ánhu) that Rasulullah (Sallallahu-alayhi-wasallam) said, 'That person who has the means of performing Qurbani but does not do so should not even come near the Eidgah (Place of Eid Salaat).

Mufti Taqi Usmani

¶ 4:02 PM //

http://www.almahmood.org/love.html

Adapted from Shaykh Ibn Qayyim's (rah) Madarij-us-Saalikeen

Shaykh Ibn al-Qayyim (rah) says: “The reason which cause mahabbah (love) of Allaah to develop, are ten:

First: Reciting the Qur’aan, reflecting and understanding its meaning and its intent.

Second: Drawing closer to Allaah – the Most High – through optional deeds, after fulfilling the obligatory duties.

Third: Being continuous in the dhikr (remembrance) of Allaah, with the tongue, the heart and the limbs – under all circumstances. The more continuant the dhikr, the more muhabbah develops and intensifies.

Fourth: Giving precedence to what Allaah loves over personal loves, when being overcome by desires.

Fifth: Contemplating and deliberating over the Names and Attributes of Allaah.

Sixth: Recognizing and remembering the favors and bounties of Allaah – both manifest and hidden.

Seventh: To be humble and submissive before Allaah – and this is the greatest matter.

Eighth: To be in seclusion reciting the Qur’aan, during that time in which Allaah descends to the lowest heaven (which is the last third of every night), finishing this recitation with seeking Allaah’s forgiveness and repenting to Him.

Ninth: To sit in the gatherings of the true and sincere lovers of Allaah, reaping the fruits of their speech, and not to speak except if there is benefit in it and that you know that such talk will increase you in goodness and that it will benefit others as well.

Tenth: To stay clear of all those causes which distances the heart from Allaah – the Mighty and Majestic.

So these are the ten reasons which cause the person to develop true love for Allaah and to reach the rank of al-muhabbah, by which he reaches his Beloved.

¶ 3:57 PM //