LANALLAH Islamic BlogZine

2008-10-26T12:55:00.001+02:00

Says who?

by Bint Abdul Khaliq

Brother,You cant grow a beard
You?ll be mocked at and jeered
You?ll be looked at as weird
You?ll be avoided and feared
Says who?

Sister,you cant wear that veil
You?ll look like a whale
Subjugated to the male
In society you will fail
Says who?

Brother, go and talk to her
She has so much to offer
How else will you find a partner?
Quick! Get her number!
Says who?

Sister, keep your gaze high
No need to be shy
You gotta find the perfect guy
With whom your heart will lie
Says who?

Brother,You don?t have to pray
The Masjid is too far away
It?s for the old guys anyway
You?ll get there one day
Says who?

Sister,ignore the azaan
You favourite program is on
So many prayers have already gone
Just forget it and carry on
Says who?

To enter hell he will be the first
Of creation he is the worst
To lead man astray is his thirst
He is shaitaan the cursed
That's who.

ABC of Parenting

2008-01-14T18:00:00.000+02:00

ABC of Parenting

Always trust your children to Allah's care.

Bring them to the Masaajids.

Challenge them to high goals In deen.

Delight in their achievements "Masha`Allah"

Exalt Allah in their presence "Subhaan`Allah"

Frown on evil " Astaghfirullah"

Give them love and understanding

Hear their problems, be there for them.

Ignore not their childish fears, tel them Allah is Always there.

Joyfully accept their apologies, Allah is All Forgiving.

Keep their confidence.

Live a good example before them, Islamic ettiquettes.

Make them your friends.

Never ignore their endless questions!

Open your heart to their love.

Pray for them by name, ...May Allah make them the coolness of your eyes.

Quicken your interest in their spirituality, Dhikrullah (rememberance of Allah)

Remember their needs, show mercy to them

Show them the way of Our Prophet Muhammad and his companions. (peace be upon them All)

Teach them to appreciate every little in life. "Alhamdulillah"

Understand they are still young and Innocent. "Fitrah"

Verify your statements, speak clearly (Repeat it 3 times) like the way Prophet Muhammad {peace be upon him} used to.

Wean them from bad company.

X eXpect them to obey, Allah and their parents,

Yearn for Allah's best for them.

Zealously guide them in the Qur'aan and Sunnah.
Insha'Allah Ameen ya Rabbul `alameen

Courtesy: http://www.everymuslim.net/

A brilliant explanation of “thoughts” by Ibn Qayyim Imam Ibn Qayyim

2007-12-04T09:41:00.000+02:00

Ibn Qayyim (May Allah have mercy upon him) has written a very fine and valuable words on “thoughts”. How correct and appropriate they are! You should ponder over these words of his, try to understand them and memorize them because of their value. I am quoting them for you - despite their lengthiness - with a good hope that you would ponder over them. In them there is good for you in your religious and worldly life.

He says: “You should repulse a thought. If you do not do so, it will develop into a desire. You should therefore wage war against it. If you do not do so, it will become a resolution and firm intention. If you do not repulse this, it will develop into a deed. If you do not make up for it by doing the opposite thereof [the opposite of that evil deed], it will become a habit. It will then be very difficult for you to give it up”

“You should know that the initial stage of every knowledge that is within your choice is your thoughts and notions. These thoughts and notions lead you into fantasies. These fantasies lead towards the will and desire to carry out [those fantasies]. These wills and desires demand the act should be committed. Repeatedly committing these acts cause them to become a habit. So the goodness of these stages lies in the goodness of thoughts and notions, and the wickedness of these thoughts lies in the wickedness of thoughts and notions.” [Al Fawaid, Ibn Qayyim]

In the Sight of ALLAH

2007-11-30T00:02:00.000+02:00

Ml Yunus Patel Saab (D.B)

Sometimes, the poor person who lives in a hut is far superior in the sight of Allah than the one who has millions in his possession. Sometimes the person who has got millions and who possesses assets and properties to tremendous value acquires excellence by Allah.

A person can even be a King, and in the eye of Allah Ta’ala this person is also His Wali. It may well be that that poor person, who is living in a hut, is indulging in zina (adultery), stealing, gambling and other Haraam (forbidden) deeds and therefore, although poor, he is not a Wali of Allah.
The person who is fulfilling the rights of Allah Ta’ala and the rights of His creation, spending in the causes of Deen and earning his livelihood in a Halaal way has much esteem in the eye of Allah.

Allah Ta’ala states in the Qur`aan Sharief :“…Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you...” . [Surah Hujurat 49 : 13]

Allah Ta’ala does not base superiority and esteem on the number of degrees or the amount of wealth or properties a person may have. Neither does beauty, physique or gender contribute to a person’s esteem in the eye of Allah.

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) had said :

“Verily Allah does not look towards your faces, or towards your riches; but He sees (the sincerity of) your hearts, and the nature of your deeds.”

The criterion which Allah Ta’ala goes by is how much of submission and obedience is to be found in a person’s life and how much of love for Allah and Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam) is to be found in his heart. The discrimination is based on Taqwa.

It will only be on the Day of Qiyaamah that we will find out as to who was afdhal (most virtuous).

There will be many people, who in this world were recognized as pious and righteous but in the eye of Allah, they held no esteem. Why? Sometimes this is due to insincerity, or perhaps due to kibr (pride), ujub (vanity) and riyaa (show) or perhaps the person carried out his duties in an ignorant manner. Due to this, his actions do not find favour and acceptance with Allah Ta’ala. (May Allah Ta’ala protect us from all such weaknesses.)

Maulana Sayed Sulaiman Nadvi (Rahmatullah ‘alaih) used to say:

Whether we live like this

Or live like that,

What is left to be seen

Is how our stay there will be.

No matter what people call us in this world, we still have to await the Day of Qiyaamah to know our worth by ALLAH.

Why would Allah forgive a big sinner like me?

2007-11-13T18:12:00.000+02:00

Why would Allah forgive a big sinner like me?

lt is reported by a trustworthy man of the past that as he was passing through a street he saw the door of a house open. A woman came out with a child who was crying and pleading while she was pushing him out. She left him outside the house and slammed the door shut in his face. The child left the door and walked a distance. Then he stopped, looked about, began to think, and not finding any other place but his own house where he could take shelter nor anyone who would care for him as his mother would, he returned to his house dejected, sad. He found the door shut. He sat at the sill, put his cheek on the threshold and slept with tear marks on his cheeks. He was in this state when the mother opened the door. When she saw him in this state she could not control herself. She bent down, grabbed him to her bosom, began to kiss him and say in tears: "Oh my boy! My dear child! My very soul! Where were you? Didn't I tell you not to disobey me? Do my bidding, and don't force me to punish you, while I hate to do that." Then she carried the child back and closed the door behind her.

That is the story of a mother and a child: the story of disobedience, punishment, return, forgiveness and unbound love. But the Prophet, salla Allah u alihi wa sallam, has told us that: "Allah loves His creation more than a woman does her child." In fact, there is no comparison between the love of a mother for her child and that of Allah whose Mercy encompasses everything. Allah, azza wa jall, is immensely pleased with a man when he repents and turns to Him. And we shall never be deprived of anything by a Lord who is more pleased with the repenting man, than that man..

"..who was traveling through an arid land. He dismounted and took shelter under a tree seeking some rest. He lay there with his beast, loaded with food and water, at his side. But when he awoke, lo! The beast was gone! He began to search for it frantically. He climbed a hill but couldn't see a trace of it. He climbed another hill and still no trace of it. Finally, when hunger and thirst overtook him, he said, 'Let me go back to the tree, and lay down there until death overtakes me.' So he went back to the tree, and lay there with eyes closed - in total despair. And lo! As he opened his eyes and raised his head, there the beast was, right before his very eyes, with all the food and water loaded on it intact! He rushed to it and picked up its halter. (Can you imagine his happiness) But lo! Allah is happier with a man when he turns to Him seeking His forgiveness, than the man who found his beast when he had lost all hopes."

Know it, my dear brother, that true repentance of every sin also brings with it humility and devotion to Allah, and that pleading of a penitent is very dear to Allah. So that what follows after repentance is obedience of a greater degree to the extent that sometimes Satan regrets that he enticed him into that sin at all. That is why you will see that those who repent become very much changed personalities.

Allah does not abandon a man who comes to Him a penitent. Compare the situation with that of a father who used to look after his son with great love and care, providing him with the best of clothing, food and toys. Then one day the father sent him on an errand. But, as the boy was walking an enemy took hold of him, tied him and carried him away to the land of the enemies. There his master treated him exactly in the opposite manner. So that whenever the boy remembered his father and his treatment, his eyes swelled with tears, and the heart with pain. He was in this condition of ill-treatment at the hands of his enemies, when their caravan happened to pass by his father's place again. As he looked around he found his father standing nearby. He ran to him and threw himself at him crying "My father! My very father!". His master followed him and was trying to pull him away, but the boy clung to his father, refusing to let him go. What do you think of this father? Do you think he will abandon him to the enemy, refusing to take back the child? If not, then what is your opinion of the Lord whose love of His creation is greater than the love of a father for his child? When a slave of His runs away from his enemies, and throws himself at the threshold of His door, rolling down in dust before him, saying: "O my Lord! Have mercy upon him who has no one to show Mercy save You, no Helper save you, no refuge save You, no Savior save You, I am Your slave, in Your need, dependent on You, beggar at Your door, You are the refuge, with You is the shelter, there is refuge but with You, nor escape from You except to You" then surely the Lord is not going to turn him back empty handed.

Come along then. On to the good deeds, to virtuous living, in the company of the righteous, steering yourself safe from deviations after the right direction, and misguidance after guidance. And Allah is with you.

Going with the FLOW

2007-11-07T10:26:00.000+02:00

A story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. "I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived."

People's reactions to this story:

"You have to accommodate yourself to life and get used to dealing with your problems as they come. You must learn to cooperate."

"We must adapt to nature. Nature cannot change for us. If you try to fight the natural forces, they will overcome you. Because we are made primarily of water, it is easy to become a part of it."

"Because nature is so much more powerful than we are, we must become one with it in order to survive."
"Humans are not the almighty conquerors that they think they are. We can learn a lot from nature. Nature is wonderful and does not intend to harm. It is humans that are harmful."

"Work with what life gives you and you will survive." "Put your life into Allah's hands and you will be OK."

"Although you may not be able to control your destiny, you always have the ability to think and reason about your situation. This will help you come out on top."

11 pieces of advice to help in winning hearts

2007-10-24T11:09:00.000+02:00

Smile:

Smiling is a virtuous action and is regarded as and alms-giving as is mentioned in a hadith “Smiling at your brother’s face is as charity (Sadaqa)”. Abdullah ibn al Harith tells us about the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying that he had never seen someone smile at the other’s face as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to do.

Be always the one who initiates greetings:

The needed skills are the hearty smile, the warm shaking of hands and the friendly welcoming to the other. Being successfully achieved, such kinds of skills are going to be rewarded, referring to the hadith: “In greetings, the better is he who initiates greeting the other”.

Umar al Nadi tells us that he went out once with Umar ibn al Khattab’s son. While walking, he found him saluting all whom he met, whether being old or young. Al Hasan al-Basri also said “Shaking hands strengthens brotherhood feelings”. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said “Do not ever waste your good deeds, even by meeting your brother with a frowning face.” He said also “Shaking hands removes hatred and exchanging presents enhances love and ends enmity”.

The Presents:

It has a strange charming affection that captivates all senses. Hence, exchanging presents and gifts in different occasions is a pleasant habit however gifts should be within one’s tolerable expenses. Ibrahim al Zahri tells us about his father saying “ My father got a sum of money as a reward , in due , he asked me to send donations to his family members and friends . As we were about to finish, he asked me “Have we missed any one?” I answered “No!” He said “I think that we did.” He continued ”We have missed someone whose welcome to me was really warm. Would you please send him this sum of money?” Look how he loved the man and wished to reward him for his warm welcome.

Be silent….speak in what benefits.

Loud voice and chattering are bad merits. You have to be sweet-worded, tender in expressing yourself. Concerning this merit, The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “The good word is a charity (is a Sadaqa).” If the good word has its own magic in winning the hearts of your enemies how powerfully it would work then with your brothers’ hearts!!

Be a good listener:

It is to listen patiently and never interrupt the speaker, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) never interrupted a speaker till he ended his speech. And he who fights for this merit gains others love and admiration, whilst on the contrary is the one who chatters and interrupts the other. Atta` tells us about how he behaves concerning this merit and says “When someone speaks to me , I listen to him as if it is the first time I have heard this subject, though I have heard it thousands of times before.

Appearance and dressing:

You have to be careful with your appearance so as to be neat, well –dressed and sweet smelling as well. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says that Allah loves beauty to be in every thing. Umar Ibn Al Khattab said also “I like the young man who is sweetly perfumed and cleanly dressed.” Abdullah Ibn Ahmad Ibn Hanbal tells us about his father saying “ I’ve never seen some one who is as caring to the cleanliness of his dress , his hair , his moustache and other undesirable body hair as Ahmad Ibn Hanbal used to do”

Being in others favor and helping them:

Good treatment classifies you as an obedient, beloved slave of Allah as the Prophet (peace be upon him) Muhammad says “The more you are in favor of others, the more you are beloved by Allah” as Allah says in the Quran “And spend of your substance in the cause of Allah, and make not your own hands contribute to (your) destruction; but do good; for Allah loveth those who do good” (Al-Baqarah: 195)

Being Generous:

Offering money is the key for most of the closed doors that hinder you from reaching others hearts, especially in these days. Now I will tell you a story about the magic of the merit of generosity.

In the conquest of Makkah, there was a man called “Safwan Ibn Umia”. That man ran away after making all possible means in keeping the people of Islam and after making conspiracies to kill the Prophet (peace be upon him). Later on, the Prophet (peace be upon him) forgave him and he came back asking the Prophet (peace be upon him) to give him the time of two months to think about Islam and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said “You can take four months, not just two”. In spite of being an atheist, he accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the Hunain and Al Ta’if conquests.

In Al Ta`if, while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was dividing the booties of the war, he noticed that man looking longingly to a vast land in which a large number of cattle were flocking. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked him “Do you like it?” The man eagerly answered “Yes.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “It is for you then.” Safwan said “Only a prophet could behave as generously as you have to me. I believe that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His prophet.”

Notice how the Prophet (peace be upon him) found the missing key and succeeded in moving his heart. Some people behave stingily as if they see the ghost of poverty waiting to attack them once they think about being generous in offering money.
To have a good opinion of others andto give them an excuse :

Keeping an eye on others behavior is a bad merit that blocks your way to their hearts. On the contrary is to have a good opinion of them. So, try hard to give your brothers the excuse as much as you can. Concerning this merit, Ibn Al Mubarak says also “The believer is he who gives his brothers the excuse , and the hypocrite is he who seeks their slips.”

Express your feelings… instantly:

If you loved someone, or felt good feelings about him, don’t wait, just tell him at once. Regarding this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said “ If you felt the brotherly love of Islam towards any ,you should immediately go and tell him about your feelings.” He added “It is the way relations are to be strongly indicated”.

Such love is to be blessed by Allah if it is for Allah’s sake, not for any other personal affairs such as seeking high position, money, fame etc…. Unless this love is for Allah’s sake, it is a fruitless kind of brotherhood then. When they meet each other on the Day of Judgement, they are not brothers any more but enemies, as Allah says in the Quran “ Friends on that Day will be foes, one to another; except the Righteous.” (Az-Zukhruf: 67)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) says “A man is in the company of whom he loved.” By this he means that on the Day of Judgment, a person will be with whom he loved. So, we have to choose then between two kinds of societies, one is in enmity and the other is a kind brotherly one. Hence, we find that the Prophet (peace be upon him) associated the Makkan immigrants and the Medinan followers as brothers.

It was a rare kind of brotherhood that even two brothers were to be buried together in one grave after being martyred in the conquests. Means of brotherhood was always being indicated by the Prophet (peace be upon him) as he says “You are not allowed to enter heaven till you believe in Allah and you will not be true believers unless you love each other. Shall I tell you something to do that indicates love between you? It is to spread salutation of Peace among you.”

The pity is that people are always either cruelly and harshly treating each other or extremely tender that they adore each other. Actually, it is a matter of striking a balance between heart and mind, something that differs according to the difference of characters and circumstances. It is absolutely a blessing given by Allah.

Sociability:

It is the art of being social. Here, a kind of misconception could exist between sociability and hypocrisy. Could you differentiate between the two meanings?
The Prophet (peace be upon him)’s wife, Aisha said “A man came to visit us, but to my surprise, once the Prophet (peace be upon him) saw him, he said “O…that ill- mannered man”, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) changed completely once he sat with him. He welcomed the man warmly, smiling in his face. When the man left, I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about what had surprised me; how he considered this man as being bad, and how he talked to him in such warmth? The Prophet (peace be upon him) answered “Have you ever seen me behaving as a hypocrite?”

He added “In the Day of Judgement, the worst degrees are for those whom people deserted for being mistreated by them.”
Al Qurtubi differentiates between hypocrisy and sociability, regarding sociability as a desirable legal behavior, saying that sociability means sacrificing the worldly affairs for the sake of improving either life on earth or religion, or so as to improve both, while hypocrisy aims at sacrificing religion for the sake of the worldly affairs.
Hence, being sociable for ill-mannered people is aiming to achieve two purposes:
Firstly, to avoid being mistreated by them.
Secondly, being good to them could be guidance for them to step the right way. To be sociable, means to be tender, smiling, praising to the other, intending in the meantime a legal benefit. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says “Being sociable, is as alms-giving.”

Compiled edited and adapted by Khalid Latif

Courtesy: www.everymuslim.net

The Month of Sha'ban: A Preparation for Ramadaan

2007-08-21T21:17:00.000+01:00

Adapted from an article by Mufti Taqi Uthmani Sahib (DB)

Usamah ibn Zaid reports that he asked Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): "Messenger of Allah, I have seen you fasting in the month of Sha'ban so frequently that I have never seen you fasting in any other month." Prophet Muhammad, replied: "That (Sha'ban) is a month between Rajab and Ramadan which is neglected by many people. And it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the universe, so, I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting."

We have just entered in to the eighth Islamic month i.e. Sha'ban, a meritorious month for which we find particular instructions in the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

FASTING IN THIS MONTH

It is reported in authentic ahadith that Prophet Muhammad used to fast during most of the days of the month of Sha'ban. A few ahadith are cited here regarding fasting in the month of Sha’ban:

1. Anas reports that Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked, "Which fast is the most meritorious after the fasts of Ramadan?" He replied, "Fasts of Sha’ban in honour of Ramadan." 2. Ummul Mu'mineen 'Aishah says: "Prophet Muhammad used to fast the whole of Sha'ban. I said to him, 'Messenger of Allah, is Sha'ban your most favourite month for fasting?' He said, 'In this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year. Therefore, I like that my death comes when I am in a state of fasting." 3. In another tradition, she says: "Prophet Muhammad would sometimes begin to fast continuously until we thought he would not stop fasting, and sometimes he used to stop fasting until we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah fasting a complete month, except the month of Ramadan, and I have never seen him fasting in a month more frequently than he did in Sha'ban."

These reports indicate that fasting in the month of Sha'ban, though not obligatory, is so meritorious that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not like to miss them.

In our context, it will not cause undue difficulty on most of us if we were to observe only a few fasts in Sha’ban so as to get accustomed to the idea of fasting after a whole year. In Ramadaan, everyone finds observing the first few fasts difficult, but if we are accustomed to it already, we will be able to embrace Ramadaan better.

LIST OF BIRTHS AND DEATHS, ETC PRESCRIBED

The Ahaadeeth mentioned above also make mention that “in this month Allah prescribes the list of the persons dying this year”. Some scholars hold that this takes place on the night of the 15th Sha`ban. Scholars also mention that together with the list of the dead, lists of births and other events are also prescribed.

DEEDS PRESENTED TO ALLAH

The Ahaadeeth also mention that “it is a month in which an account of the deeds (of human beings) is presented before the Lord of the universe, so, I wish that my deeds be presented at a time when I am in a state of fasting”

THE NIGHT OF BARA'AH

Another significant feature of the month of Sha'ban is that it contains a night which is termed as "Laylatul Bara'ah" (The night of freedom from Fire). This is the night occurring between 14th and 15th day of Sha'ban. There are certain traditions of Prophet Muhammad, (peace be upon him) to prove that it is a meritorious night in which the people of the earth are attended by Divine mercy:

1. Ummul Mu'mineen 'Aishah is reported to have said, "Once Prophet Muhammad performed the tahajjud salah and made a very long sajdah until I feared that he had passed away. When I saw this, I rose (from my bed) and moved his thumb (to ascertain whether he is alive). The thumb moved, and I returned (to my place). Then I heard him saying in sajdah: 'I seek refuge in Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and I seek refuge of Your pleasure from Your annoyance, and I seek Your refuge from Yourself. I cannot praise You as fully as You deserve. You are exactly as You have defined Yourself.' Thereafter, when he raised his head from sajdah and finished his salah, he said to me: 'Aishah, did you think that the Prophet has betrayed you?' I said, 'No, O Prophet of Allah, but I was afraid that your soul has been taken away because your sajdah was very long.' He asked me, 'Do you know which night is this?' I said, 'Allah and His Messenger know best.' He said, 'This is the night of the half of Sha'ban. Allah Almighty looks upon His slaves in this night and forgives those who seek forgiveness and bestows His mercy upon those who pray for mercy but keeps those who have malice (against a Muslim) as they were before, (and does not forgive them unless they relieve themselves from malice).'

2. In another Tradition Aishah has reported Prophet Muhammad to have said, "This is the middle Night of Sha'ban. Allah frees in it a large number of the people from Fire, more than the number of the hair growing on the sheep of the tribe, Kalb. …" Kalb was a huge tribe the members of which had a very large number of sheep. Therefore, the last sentence of the hadith indicates the big number of the people who are forgiven in this night by Allah Almighty.

3. Mu'adh ibn Jabal reports that Prophet Muhammad said: "Allah Almighty looks upon all those created by Him in the middle Night of Sha'ban and forgives all those created by Him, except the one who associates partners with Him or the one who has malice in his heart (against a Muslim)".

WHAT SHOULD BE DONE IN THIS NIGHT?

In order to achieve the blessings of the Night of Bara'ah, one should remain awake as much as one can. If it is possible, one should spend the whole night in worship. However, if one cannot do so, one can select a considerable portion of the night, preferably the second half of it, and perform the following acts of worship:(a) Salaah (b) Tilawah. (c) Dhikr & Durood. (d) Du‘a. (e) Those Muslims who cannot perform any additional worship should at least perform the Maghrib, 'Isha' and Fajr in congregation in the Masjid.

Ramadaan: Save the Changes

2007-08-08T20:14:00.001+01:00

-->by Ml Imran Khamissa

Nearly everyone in this age of modern technology has at some stage worked with a P.C. We have used it to draft documents, amend these documents,copied and pasted onto documents, used the 'undo' icon, edited documents, just to mention a few of the time saving operations that we find on this device.

After opening a document that we have worked upon previously and made the necessary changes and improvements a little box appears on the screen asking the question: Do you want to save the changes you have made to thisdocument? You are then given the option of selecting the YES tab or the NO tab. Selecting the YES tab will give you the desired results while selecting the NO tab literally takes you back to square one. All the effort made in editing, improving and shaping the document becomes an exercise in futility.

Don't we all find ourselves in a similar predicament when the blessed month of Ramadaan passes us? Just think of your book of deeds like a document on your P.C. During the month of Ramadaan we have done amongst other things the following:

• Increased our ibaadah and acts of charity

• Taken control of our feelings and emotion

• Responded with compassion and sensitivity to the needs of others

• Multiplied our good deeds

At the same time we have spent many hours on the Musallah begging forAllah's forgiveness for our sins, errors and transgressions.

The vital question that needs to be asked is: Do we want to save thechanges that we have made in the month of Ramadaan?, Are we going to press the YES tab or the No tab? Pressing the YES tab will leave us with a new, improved version. A version of heightened spirituality, a version ofrighteousness, a version that is pleasing to our Creator. Pressing the NO tab will take us back to square one; back to our old habits before Ramadaan, back to the life of sin and immorality, back to a life of heedlessness And back to a life subjecting ourselves to the wrath of the Almighty.

How do we improve on this document; the document of our lives, the document of our deeds, the document that we are going to present to Allah theAlmighty on the Day of Reckoning.

Here are some hints:

• Copy and Paste from the life of our illustrious master Muhammad (Sallallahu alayhi wasallam).

• Use the 'undo' icon by making taubah immediately after any transgression as the Hadith states "The one who repents from sin is like one who has committed no sin at all."

• There may not be a need to do a "spell check" but there is certainly a need to do a "sincerity check" and a "shari'ah check" Are we complying?

• There may be files and folders that we want to keep while there could be some others we would not even want others to know exist. Many of us begged Allah to "delete" our sins and dark deeds .We cried before Allah, shed tears of remorse and vowed not to commit those sins in future. Going back to the sins that we have asked Allah's forgiveness for would be like making a visit to the "recycle bin".

• What about viruses? P.C. users are also very wary about e-mails they receive and the sites that they visit, fearing the admission of a virus that may pollute their system and cause it to malfunction. Why do we then subject our minds and thoughts to immoral sites and dens of vice which would pollute our moral system and cause us to malfunction? What anti-virus software have we installed to ward off the variety of fitnahs that confront us everyday?

Fortunate is the person who has saved the changes. Even more unfortunate isthe person who has made no changes as he /she has nothing to save.

The Smart Husband, The Angry Wife, The Fast Hand And The Ferrero Rocher.

2007-08-05T12:15:00.000+01:00

By Hadrat Mufti Ebrahim Salejee.

No two people are identical. In the close and regular interaction between husband and wife disagreements are bound to occur. When a wife is angry, the smart husband gets a Ferrero Rocher and places it expertly into her mouth when she stops in her tirade for a gasp of breath for her next round. This is a highly effective ta`weez which will immediately defuse a potentially explosive situation. She will least expect it and she won't know whether to laugh or cry.

Unfortunately, we also find the small hearted husband. He cannot allow anyone, especially his wife, robbing him of his 'self respect'. He needs to show his wife that she is wrong and he is right. How is he to win?This strategy is doomed to fail!!!

This consideration for Deeni reasons only, without any thought of worldly gain, is allowed and is commendable. It is our loss that we do not appreciate the importance of this in Islaam. In some cases, we unfortunately do not even consider this to be part of Deen.

This is what Islaam teaches and what our Auliya-e-Kiraam have demonstrated. They are a people with great levels of understanding of Deen. These are the people whose example we need to follow. The ability to reconcile conflicting demands is a gift that Allah confers on His accepted servants on account of their sincerity.

May Allah (swt) grant us this unique ability...Aameen.

THE STORY OF THE REPENTANCE OF HAZRAT NASOOH

2007-01-17T12:06:00.000+02:00

There was once a man called Nasooh. Although a man, but his outward form and voice was like that of a woman. In the King's palaces, he was appointed to wash the ladies and daughters of the King and to cleanse them. He always used to dress in woman's clothing and was accepted as a maid servant and worker.

Because he was a man and had all the lustful passions of a man, he used, to enjoy all these passions and desires while massaging and washing the ladies of the King's household. On various occasions he repented of his acts and lifestyle, but soon after, his 'self' used to coerce him into breaking his towbah. One day he heard that a certain holy man had arrived and he also went to meet him. He went into the presence of the holy man and asked him to also remember him in his prayers. The saintly man made duah.

"The duah of the holy man reached above the seven heavens. And through that Nasooh was successful. The Lord of Glory and Honour created a means for his salvation"

It so happened that Nasooh and all the other female servants had to be searched. In the female section of the King's palace, a very precious and costly pearl was lost. The door to the female section of the house was closed and the search began. When the pearl was not found, an announcement was made:

"That all the maid servants should become undressed, Whether they were young maidens or old women ".

As he heard this announcement, Nasooh started trembling, as he was in actual fact a man, who for a long time had been acting as a woman, with no one knowing about it. The thought went through his mind: "Today I am going to be disgraced. The King will surely out of his sense of honour and shame, take revenge upon me. That means he will punish me with death. My crime is a very serious one.

Out of fear, Nasooh went into privacy.
His face became pale, his lips turned blue from fear.
Nasooh saw death in front of his eyesAnd shaking like a leaf, he fell down into prostration.

He said:

" O Lord, many times have I chosen the wrong path.
Many times did I repent and many times did I break my repentance.
O Lord, do that which is suitable for Your High Rank.
For from every hole, snakes are biting me.
If the search for the pearl passes the servants and reaches me, Then how great will be the calamity that will befall me?
This time cover me up O! Allah. I seek forgiveness and repent From every improper act of mine.

Nasooh was talking to Allah thus and said:

"O, my Lord, in my heart numerous flames of sorrow are burning And You see the blood of my liver in my supplication to You. And see in which state of destitution and pain I pray to You".

Nasooh was busy crying before Allah in this manner when he heard a voice saying to him: "All have been searched. O Nasooh, come forward and undress, that we may search you ".

As Nasooh heard this announcement he realised, by becoming undressed his secret will be exposed. He was so struck by fear that he fell down unconscious and his soul started flying about in the celestial regions. His soul went near to Allah while he was unconscious. At that time the mercy of Allah started boiling and through the command of Allah the pearl was found, before Nasooh could be searched. This saved Nasooh from any humiliation and disgrace.

Nasooh regained consciousness and his eyes appeared much more enlightened than before. In other words, while he was unconscious, the mercy of Allah caused his soul to experience the nearness of Allah and the light shining in his eyes was from that experience.

The ladies of the King's household came to him and apologised to him and in soft terms begged his pardon for having had suspicions about him. They said: "Pardon our suspicions. We are sorry for having caused you so much trouble. We had a wrong suspicion about you and have in our conversation back-bited you. Pardon us".

Nasooh replied:"This is the grace of God upon me, O0 my benefactors. Whatever was said about me, I am worse than that".

Thereafter one of the King's daughters asked him to bath her. Nasooh had repented and promised to lead a life of righteousness. He had during his unconscious state reached a high place of nearness with Allah. How could he after such contact with Allah and after attaining such Yaqeen in Allah, return to the darkness of sin. He realised that darkness after light was deplorable. He told the King's daughter:

"O daughter, now the strength of my hand has gone,And I have become indisposed."

In this manner, he saved himself from further sin.Thereafter he said to himself:

"My crime and fault has proceeded beyond the limit.How can the fear and sorrow ever leave my heart?I have made true repentance to my Lord, which I will never breakEven though my life should separate from my body".

Lesson from this Story

From this story the following points of advise are extracted:

1. One should never lose hope over his evil deeds. The Mercy of Allah is powerful enough to bring about rectification in all cases.

2. One should also seek the duahs of the saintly ones, just as Nasooh did. He was successful in his request.

3. In this story there is a great lesson in how at the time of extreme emergency, Nasooh turned to Allah and how he cried lamentfully before Him in dire circumstances.

4. We also see how Nasooh spent a large part of his life in sin. This was a very dangerous situation but Allah in His Mercy, arranged a way out for him, by creating a way towards guidance and granted him the ability to make true and sincere towbah. Then the rank of his towbah, which appears in the last couplet, contains a great lesson for repenters. Nasooh promised that even if it should mean his death, he will not break his towbah.

Subhaanallah! What a great promise from Allah's sincere servant, that even if life should be removed from his body, yet he will not in future break his towbah. This is something which points to great rank, great courage and great ambitious nature. May Allah grant us all such towbah and may He guide us to that which He loves and to what pleases Him.

http://yunuspatel.co.za/books-Ma-aarif-E-Mathnavi-41.php

FORGIVENESS

2007-01-16T22:18:00.000+02:00

by Ml S Ravat--

There are many rights of Islamic brotherhood. One of them is forgiveness.

Allah Ta’aala describes the Muttaqin as those who have 4 distinct qualities:Those who spend in ease and adversity.Those who suppress their anger.Those who forgive people.

Not only are we required to forgive one another to be classified as Muttaqin we are further required to react to evil with kindness.

That’s why Allah further says in the verse “and Allah loves those who do good.” Nabi (S.A.W) has mentioned: “Join ties with he who breaks ties. Forgive the one who oppressed you and do good to the one who has done evil to you.

When we respond to evil with goodness it strengthens our brotherhood. That’s why Allah Ta’aala mentions: “Resist with that which is best. The one between yourself and whom there was enmity will instantly become your bosom friend.

Undoubtedly some of our brothers have caused us harm. They have hurt us deeply, but let us look at the Sunnah of Nabi (SAW) in this regard.

For 13 years he was on the receiving end of the persecutions of the Quraysh. When the Muslims were banished to Shïb Abi Talib and the food supply was cut off, the children’s screams of hunger could be heard in Makkah Mukarramah. Imagine seeing your young ones suffer like that, yet when Nabi (SAW) returned in a position of power as a conqueror, his Mubarak (blessed) head was lowered in humility to such an extent that it almost touched his chest. This was the perfect moment to avenge years of persecution and suffering, yet Nabi (SAW) chose to forgive without any conditions, echoing the statement of Yusuf (AS) to his brothers, “there shall be no blame on you today.”

With regards to this incident even the famous Historian Haykal was left astounded. He wrote regarding the conquest of Makkah “The army was ready to wipe out the people of Makkah on his command, God had given him power over his enemy, but Muhammad SAW chose to forgive, thereby giving to humankind and all generations the most perfect example of goodness truthfulness nobility and magnanimity.

Nabi SAW said to the Quraysh “no blame shall be on you today i.e. I have already forgiven you, now I won’t even blame you. Subhanallah!

Yusuf (AS) was separated from his father at a young age due to the actions of his brothers, he was accused of Zina and had to spend many years in jail. Yet, look at his forgiveness, not withstanding the fact that he was now in a position of authority. When he met his father he didn’t complain of his years of difficulty, he rather spoke about the favours of Allah upon him “He had truly been kind to me when he removed me from prison and brought you from the countryside after Shaytaan had caused trouble between my brothers and me.” Subhanallah! What humility he didn’t even mention the incident of the well. He didn’t want his brothers to feel embarrassed. None of us can claim to have suffered to such an extent. If these Ambiya could forgive then who are we?

Allah says “Pardon and forgive, do you not like Allah to forgive you?” Forgive and Seek forgiveness for the pleasure of Allah. Whether the opposite party appreciates or reciprocates is immaterial, you are exonerated in the court of Allah. “He who forgives and makes amends his reward is with Allah.”

Let’s settle our differences today. Let us forgive and seek forgiveness before the end of the day, irrespective of who is right, be the better person. Nabi SAW has said: It is not lawful for a Muslim to stop talking to another Muslim beyond 3 nights. When they meet, the one turns one way and the other one the other way. The better of the two is the one who greets the other first (Bukhari Muslim)

If we want acceptance in the court of Allah, let us reconcile our differences. If want forgiveness in the court of Allah lets forgive one another, otherwise our forgiveness is suspended in the court of Allah as Allah says to the Malaikah “Leave the affairs of these two people until they reconcile.”

Are you a BACKBITER????

2007-01-15T11:13:00.000+02:00

It is narrated by The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) :

"Backbiting is talking about somebody which if he/she heard, would grieve him/her."

Hence, it is not allowed to talk about somebody in his absence, even if what was narrated was true. If it was not true, then it would be a bigger sin and it is called BUHTAN. (false accusation).

It is important to note that to find other's faults or to talk sarcastically or to defame a person is called 'LUMZ'.

In the Qur'aan, Allah states in Surah Al-Hujuraat:

"Do not defame one another."

It means that when you find faults in others, they will turn around and find faults in you.

The beauty of this wording of the Qur'aan is that it says that finding faults in others is like finding faults in you. Just like Allah states: "Do not kill yourself."
Hence, if you kill others, they will try to kill you.

Allah also says in the Qur'aan (Surah Al-Humazah):

"Woe to every slanderer and back-biter!"

In the twelfth verse of Surah Al-Hujurat, Allah made it clear that defaming another Muslim in his absence is like eating the flesh of your dead brother, which obviously, everybody abhors. Hence, it is the most horrible sin. Note that if the person is present, he may have a chance to defend himself, although everybody does not have the courage to defend themselves in these circumstances. If, however, he is defamed in his absence, the damage is deep and somewhat permanent.

Backbiting is not done by the tongue alone, it can also be done with the eyes, hands and other movements. For example, copying somebody who is limping, in order to insult him.

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said:

" Backbiting is a worse sin than adultery."

It is further explained in a saying of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) , narrated by Abu Sa'eed and Jubair in Bayhaqi:

"Allah may forgive a person if he repents after committing adultery. HOWEVER, Allah will not forgive the one who backbites, till his victim forgives him."

One time, the Messenger of Allah pointed towards two graves and said to his companions that both of these people are being punished in their graves. One of them used to backbite people and the other was not careful about spilling drops of urine on his clothes and body whilst urinating.

During Me’raj, the Prophet saw some people who had nails made of red copper. They were tearing apart their faces and chests with these nails. The Holy Prophet asked the Angel Jibrail a.s about them,

He said,

“They are being punished because they used to eat people’s flesh in their lives, "i.e. used to backbite and defame others.

Abu Huraira narrates that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam)said,

“The killing of a Muslim by another unjustly, usurping others’ wealth or defaming other Muslims is totally forbidden (or Haram).” (Muslim)

NOTE: Listening to backbiting is the same as backbiting somebody. It is better to walk away from such individuals.

Backbiting violates the rights of Allah and the rights of people simultaneously. Hence, it is necessary to ask for forgiveness from the victim first, since Allah will not forgive until the victim forgives. If the victim has died or is untraceable, then ransom has to be paid.

Anas narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said, :

“The ransom for backbiting is to pray to Allah for forgiveness by saying, “ O Allah! Forgive my sins and his too.”

When backbiting, the person does not think about how the other person would feel if he knew what was said about him, he doesn't think as to how he would feel if the positions were reversed. We like backbiting but hate to be backbitten about.

The Hadith says,

“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”

Everyone would hate to be backbitten about so why do they backbite? We should bring into our hearts the fear of Allah to save us from this grave sin and all other sins.

Backbiting to save a Muslim from harm is permitted, but the best thing is not to talk unnecessarily about anyone in a good way as well because the devil will entice you into mentioning his faults. For example, “He's a good person but he has these habits……….”

To save ourselves from this sin and many others, one should act upon this Hadith which deserves to be written in gold.

The Hadith states, “Whoever stayed quiet saved himself.”

This very sin which Muslims consider right is the sin which could send many to hell.

The Prophet (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) said,

“The tongue is what will cause people to be flung face down into hell.”

May Allah Taa'la save us from the hell fire and all sins that we have committed and may we not be deprived of the goodness of our deeds on the day of Qiyamah, due to a few minutes of carelessness of our tongue.Ameen!

REMOVE THOSE OLD–STAINS OF SINS WITH SALAATUT TASBEEH

2006-10-09T01:09:00.000+02:00

Compiled by a student of Mufti Ebrahim Desai (db)

THE VIRTUES OF SALAATUT TASBEEH

Salaatut Tasbeeh is a very important form of salaah, as is evident from several ahaadith, wherein Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) as a matter of great kindness and favour has stressed on its importance. As such, the Ulamaa, Jurists, Muhadditheen, and Sufis throughout the centuries have been particular in offering this Salaah. Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Abbaas (radiyallahu anhuma) has narrated that he was once informed by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayi wa sallam) "O Abbaas, Should I not present to you, should I not confer to you, should I not inform you of such an act, which if you practice, Allah will forgive all your sins, whether old or new, intentional or unintentional, minor or major, open or secret." After describing the method of performing this salaah Nabi (sallallahu alayi wa sallam) stated, "If possible, you should offer this salaah once everyday, and if you cannot perform it daily, then offer it on every Friday (weekly), or once a month, or once a year or at least once in your lifetime." [Abu Daawud]

THE STATUS AND IMPORTANCE OF SALAATUT TASBEEH

Imaam Al-Haakim (rah) who is an authority on hadith, has written, "The authenticity of this hadeeth (of salaatut tasbeeh) is supported by the fact that, since the second generation after the Sahabah (until our times), all the great teachers of religion have been offering this salaah with constancy and have been advising the people to do so, among them was Imaam Abdullah Ibn Mubaarak (rah)." [He was the teacher of the teachers of Imaam Bukhari (rah).] [Al Mustadrak Haakim – vol.1, pg.318]

Imaam Al-Baihaqi (rah) has stated that, even before Ibn Mubaarak (rah), Imaam Abul Jauzaa (rah), a Taabi'ee (one who had seen the Sahabah), and whose narrations are considered to be reliable, used to be very particular in offering this salaah daily. As soon as he heard the azaan for the Zuhr Salaah, he would go to the masjid and would complete this Salaah before the Zuhr Salaah.

Imaam Abdul Aziz Ibn Abi Rawwaad (rah) who was the teacher of Ibn Mubaarak (rah) and who was a great devotee, saint and pious man, has stated, "One who desires to attain Jannah should be constant in offering Salaatut Tasbeeh.

"Allamah Taqi Ud-Deen Al-Subki (rah) stated, "This salaah is very important, and one should not get misled if some people happen to deny its importance. The one who ignores it even after learning about its reward, is negligent in religious matters, fails to act like virtuous people, and should not be considered as a reliable person." It is stated in Mirqaat that Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Abbaas (radiyallahu anhu) used to offer this Salaah every Friday. [Fadhaail A'amaal, Virtues of Zikr – Pg.244] This salaah is preferable to be performed on all those auspicious nights where extra ibaadat (worship) are encouraged e.g. The 15th Night of Shabaan, The nights of Ramadhaan etc.

[NOTE: The Authenticity of Salaatut Tasbeeh has been affirmed by the muhadditheen. Many of them have written detailed articles on this matter. Allaamah al-Suyyuti (RA) has enumerated up to 20 great muhadditheen who have accepted its authenticity.] [Al-Laalil Masnoo'ah-vol.2, pg.40]. According to the principles of hadeeth, this hadith falls at least in the category of Hasan Ahadith.

THE METHOD OF PERFORMING SALAATUT TASBEEH

Imaam Abdullah Ibn Mubaarak (rah) and many other ulama narrate the following method of offering this salaah. (This method is also reported from Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and is the preferred method of performing this salaah.) "After reciting thanaa and before reciting Surah Faatihah repeat these words (the third Kalimah) 'Subhaanallaahi Walhamdulillaahi, Wa laa ilaaha illallaahu Wallaahu Akbar' fifteen times. Then start with 'a'oodhu' and 'Bismillaah' and after completing Surah Faatihah and another surah, the third Kalimah should be repeated ten times before the ruku, ten times during the ruku, ten times after standing up from the ruku, ten times in each sajdah and ten times while sitting between the two sajdahs. All four rakaats should be performed in this manner, thus completing seventy five times (tasbeehs) in each rakaat and 300 times (tasbeehs) in four rakaats." [Sunan Tirmizi – vol.2, pg.348]

TABLE OF PERFORMING SALAATUT TASBEEH ACCORDING TO ABDULLAH IBN MUBARAK (RAH)

After Thanaa / Before Surah Fatihah: 15 Times
Before Ruku: 10 Times
During Ruku: 10 Times
After Rising from Ruku (While Standing): 10 Times
In the First Sajdah: 10 Times
Between Both Sajdahs (While Sitting): 10 Times
In the Second Sajdah: 10 Times
Total per Rakaat: 75 Times
Total in 4 Rakaats: 300 Times

There are no particular surahs specified for this salaah. Any surah may be recited. However Sayyiduna Ibn Abbaas (radiyallu anhuma) was once asked, "Are there any particular surahs to be recited in this salaah?" He replied, "At takaathur (S.102), Al Asr (S.103), Al Kaafiroon (S.109) and Al Ikhlaas (S.112)." Some Ulamaa have also stated, "The most virtuous surahs (to be recited in this salaah) are Al Hadeed (S.57), Al Hashar (S.59), As Saff (S.61) and At Taghaabun (S.64)." [Raddul Muhtaar – vol.2, pg.461]

SOME IMPORTANT POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND

1. Counting should not be done verbally as this act nullifies the salaah. The best way is that the fingers should be kept in their position, but should be pressed one by one for counting. [Raddul Muhtaar – vol.2, pg.236; Fadhaail A'amaal, Virtues of Zikr – Pg.244]
2. This Salaah can be offered at any time of the day or night besides the three forbidden times. However, the more appropriate times, in order of preference, are: After midday, any time during the day, and any time during the night. [Fadhaail A'amaal, Virtues of Zikr – Pg.245]
3. According to some ahaadith, the third Kalimah should also be followed by 'Laa hawla walaa quwwata illaa billaahil aliyyil adheem' It is therefore better to recite it sometimes in addition to the third Kalimah. [Ihyaa Ulummuddeen – vol.2, pg.267]
4. In the ruku, 'subhaana rabbiyal adheem' and in the sajdah, 'subhaana rabbiyal a'alaa' should be recited before reciting the third kalimah. [At Tarsheeh, Libayaani Salaatit Tasbeeh – pg.22]
5. If one missed out all the tasbeehaat or some tasbeehaat in any posture, he should not make up for that deficiency in qaumah (after ruku in the standing posture) or in jalsah (after the first sajdah before the second sajdah).

Don't Say You're Not Important

2006-10-07T20:39:00.000+02:00

It simply isn't true,
The fact that you were born,
Is proof, Allah has a plan for you.

The path may seem unclear right now,
But one day you will see,
That all that came before,
Was truly meant to be.

Allah wrote the book that is your life,
That's all you need to know.
Each day that you are living,
Was written long ago.

Allah only writes best sellers,
So be proud of who you are,
Your character is important,
In this book you are the Star.

Enjoy the novel as it reads,
It will stand throughout the ages,
Savor each chapter as you go,
Taking time to turn the pages

Courtesy: Brother Ghulam Ali

A Smile...

2006-06-06T21:46:00.000+01:00

A SMILE

It costs nothing, but creates much.
It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give.
It happens in a flash and the memory of it lasts forever.
None are so rich they can get along without it and none so poor but are richer for its benefits.
It creates happiness in the home, fosters good will in a business, and is the countersign of friends.
It is rest to the weary, daylight to the discouraged, sunshine to the sad, and nature's best antidote for trouble.
Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good to anybody till it is given away!
If someone is to tired to give you a smile, leave one of yours.
For, nobody needs a smile so much as those who have none to give.

-----Anonymous

SMILING

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu.
When someone smiled at me today
I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner,
and someone saw my grin.

When he smiled I realized,I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth.
A single smile just like mine,
could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,

don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,

and get the world infected!

The Flower and The Pearl

2006-05-28T18:24:00.000+01:00

One day, a brilliantly beautiful and fragrant flower with attractive colors met a pearl that lives far in the bottom of the sea and has none of these characteristics. Both got acquainted with each other.

The flower said: "Our family is large; roses and daisies are members of the family. And there are many other species that are various and countless,each has a distinctive scent, appearance ...etc."Suddenly, a tinge of distress appeared on the flower.

"Nothing accounts for sorrow in your talk; so why are u depressed?" The pearl asked.

Human beings deal with us carelessly; they slight us. They don't grow us for our sake but to get pleasure from our fragrance and beautiful appearance. They throw us on the street or in the garbage can after we are dispossessed of the most valuable properties; brilliance and fragrance" The flower sighed. And then the flower said to the pearl: "Speak to me about your life! How do you live? How do you feel it? You are buried in the bottom of the sea.”

The pearl answered: "Although I have none of your distinctive colors and sweet scents, humans think I am precious. They do the impossible to procure me. They go on long journeys, dive deep in the seas searching for me. You might be astounded to know that the further I lay, the more beautiful and brilliant I become. That's what upraises my value in their thought. I live in a thick shell isolated in the dark seas. However, I'm happy and proud to be in a safe zone far from wanton and mischievous hands and still the humans consider me highly valuable"

Do you know what the flower and the pearl symbolize? The flower is the unveiled woman ( who shows her charms) and the pearl is the veiled woman (who conceals her beauties).

Think about it!

Tawakkultu 'Alallah

2006-05-27T14:15:00.000+01:00

by Amatullah

covered by incomprehensible confusion,
stifled by angst,
worried,scared,apprehensive,anxious,guilty,depressed...BREATHE!
just BREATHE!

just wanna go back
and do things differently.
reality is obscured,
i don't have the answers
to the questions
that shatter my peace of mind.
i don't have the courage
to change,
i am
lost
where am i?
who am i?

where can i turn?

please someone,
help me.
just change the inner turmoil to peace,
who is there to help me?

from deep down inside
a spark
a voice
reaches out,
urging me to do
what i KNOW i must do.

i bow my head in shame.
How could i have turned elsewhere?
How could i have forgotten HIM?
HE, who has all the answers,
HE, who did not desert me
even though i deserted HIM,
HE, who has been waiting for me.

i pour out my soul's grief
from the porcelain jug of my heart.
i lay it all at HIS open door,
i leave it all in HIS outstretched hands,
TAWAKKALTU 'ALALLAH!

Now there's a beat in my heart
I hadn't noticed it before,
The beat...
Of incomprehensible hope,
Of unending light,
Of Divine forgiveness,
Of ALLAH'S LOVE...

Now life is transformed.
HIS beautiful qualities
Tranquilize my life,
Just as the rainbow
Colours the pure sky
After the hurricane.

I have rediscovered my
TRUE
Purpose in life.
And though I still don't know all the answers,
It all makes sense now.
Allahu Akbar!

HE has all the answers,
HE will see me through,
HE will give me strength.
For HIS eternal promise:
HE will NEVER give me,
Has NEVER given me,
A burden I cannot bear.

Oh ALLAH, the Creator of Honesty and Justice,
You are The Most Wise, The Most Merciful.
TAWAKKALTU 'ALALLAH!
Oh ALLAH, forgive me!
Oh ALLAH, I love Thee!

Jahangir and the Queen

2006-05-25T19:59:00.000+01:00

Courtesy: Al-Haadi Volume 13 Number 2
http://www.alhaadi.org.za

Jahangir and the Queen

Jahangir was one of the famous kings of India. The love of Jahangir for his queen NurJahan was very famous. The king was also well known for his justice. His sense of justice is portrayed in the following incident related by Allamah Shibli (R.A.):
"NurJahan was one day sitting on the roof terrace. Suddenly a wayfarer who had trespassed onto the palace grounds caught sight of her. Her self esteem and beauty could not tolerate a stranger setting eyes on her. She immediately grabbed a pistol and shot at the wayfarer, killing him instantly.

BEHEADED

When the news reached Jahangir, he first verified whether it was true. NurJahan, proud and confident due to her position in the eyes of the king, confessed to killing the man. Jahangir immediately asked a Mufti for the Shar`i ruling in this case. The Mufti replied that the killer should be beheaded.
The next instant Jahangir had issued the order that his wife be arrested and put into chains. He then instructed the swordsman to execute her. Gone were her beauty and the special position she enjoyed in the eyes of the king. NurJahan quickly sent a note to the king stating that the payment of blood money is also an option. Jahangir once again sought a Fatwa on this matter. He was told that blood money could be paid only if the immediate relatives agree to accept it in lieu of the execution. NurJahan thus sent 100 000 dirhams (silver coins) to the family of the deceased. However, they did not accept the money but in turn forgave her and requested the king to withdraw the order to execute her."

LESSONS

There are many lessons to be learnt from this incident. The Qur'an demands that one should uphold justice even if it be against one's own kith and kin. Often in such a situation, due to emotions one forgets justice. Hence the near and dear are supported even if they are wrong. Despite Jahangir's love for his wife, he upheld the cause of justice.

WHAT IS BEST FOR A WOMAN

Another lesson is the deep self-respect that NurJahan possessed. Although her instant reaction of killing the man was incorrect, it was triggered by the very deep sense of self esteem which could not tolerate any stranger setting eyes on her. She certainly possessed some degree of the spirit of Hazrath Fatima (R.A.). Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) once asked the Sahaba (R.A): "What is best for a woman?" The answer which delighted Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) came from non other than his beloved daughter Sayyidah Fatima (R.A), who said: " She does not see any (non-mahram) man and nor does any man get to see her (Kanzul Ummaal vol.16; pg. 206)."

Funny???

2006-05-24T21:26:00.000+01:00

Courtesy:
http://www.a2youth.com/multimedia/poems/thought/text-11.html
___________________________________

Funny how a $100 "looks" so big when you take it to masjid,
but so small when you take it to the mall.

Funny how long it takes to pray jumma for an hour,
but how quickly a team plays 60 minutes of basketball.

Funny how long a couple of hours spent at masjid are,
but how short they are when watching a movie.

Funny how we can't think of anything to say when we pray,
but don't have difficulty thinking of things to talk about to a friend.

Funny how we get thrilled when a baseball game goes into extra innings,
but we complain when a Khutba is longer than the regular time.

Funny how hard it is to read a chapter in the Quran,
but how easy it is to read 100 pages of a best selling novel.

Funny how people want to get a front seat at any game or concert,
but scramble to sit in the back row in the musjid.

Funny how we need 2 or 3 weeks advance notice to fit a Islamic event into our schedule,
but can adjust our schedule for other events at the last moment.

Funny how hard it is for people to learn a simple Hadith well enough to tell others,
but how simple it is for the same people to understand and repeat gossip.

Funny how we believe what the newspaper say,
but question what the Quran says.

Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, or think, or say, or do anything.

Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Allah, people think twice about sharing.

FUNNY, ISN'T IT?

Are you laughing?

Are you thinking?

1st Annual International Poetry Competition in Praise of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam)

2006-05-23T16:07:00.000+01:00

Apologies for the lack of updates as the administrators were on Umrah, Alhumdulillah. Insha Allah the blog will henceforth be updated regularly. Request for Duas.
LanAllah Team

**************************************************

1st Annual International Praise the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) Poetry Competition

http://praisetheprophet.islamicpoetry.org/

Please spread the word and participate for the Pleasure of Allah , insha Allah

Never Give Up...

2006-04-03T21:00:00.000+01:00

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village though.
He will not see me stopping here,
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer,
To stop without a farmhouse near,
Between the woods and frozen lake,
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake,
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep,
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

-- Robert Frost

The Al Hejab ( The Veil ) Lyrics

2006-04-01T23:22:00.000+02:00

-Lyrics to the nasheed Al Hejab (The Veil) by Ahmed Bukhatir

(playing at the moment)

Let them say about my veil

That it’s killing my youth

Let them exaggerate in blaming me

I belong to Religion

No, I swear I would never care

My firm will is like the mountain

What is meant by beauty

If it is easy to get

They tried to deceive me

I shouted at them to leave me

I will remain in my decency

I will never accept impudence

They will never affect my pride

I am the symbol of purity

I walk in the light of piety

Behind the best Prophet(Muhammed [Peace Be Upon Him])

I have a proud soul

That rejects lowliness

In my path, brother

Somaya is the ideal

I am guided by Religion

Our source is pure, sister

Our path is a path of chastity

Follow it without fears

Our Religion is symbol of virtue

It never accepts vice

You are the respectable daughter of Religion

You are the descendant of notables

By my veil and decency

I impose my self-respect

I will go ahead

And never care about blames

FEELING DESPONDENT - LETTER

2006-03-31T19:22:00.000+02:00

From the pen of Faqihul Ummah , HADRAT MUFTI MAHMUD SAHEB (R.A)

Bismihi Ta'ala

Respected Mufti Saheb Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullah

... I am in a terrible state. It seems as if some darkness has engulfed my heart. Daily I recite the kalimah 100 times in the morning and evening but yet I find no effect upon me. I am punctual with my salaah, but it is without life and soul. I think I am the worst of all people. As a result I feel absolutely despondent...Please make dua for me that I should be granted death on Imaan. ...
SUMMARY OF REPLY:

Bismihi Ta'ala

Respected Brother Assalamu Alaikum Warahmatullah

...Do not ever become despondent due to your present circumstances. ...It is the grace of Allah Ta'ala that he has opened up the reality in front of you. You have not been left in the misconception that afflicts many people that they regard themselves as great and as being people of high status whereas in reality they are nothing. May Allah Ta'ala save us from this malady.

Remember this well that a person will only gain salvation due to the mercy of Allah Ta'ala. No person will gain salvation on the basis of his actions. Sometimes a person does numerous good deeds, but then suddenly pride develops within him. Due to his numerous good deeds he regards himself as worthy of Jannah. However, due to the evil of his pride he becomes deprived of all the good actions and eventually becomes worthy of punishment. Allah Ta'ala has saved you from this serious malady. For that you should be grateful to Him. Sometimes a person who has spent 70 years of his life upon kufr,. is finally granted Imaan and thus he goes to Jannah. It also happens that a person spends 70 years of his life on Imaan but then due to pride he is deprived of this great wealth and ends up in Jahannam. Hence no person can ever be proud of his actions and rely upon them while becoming totally unconcerned about the punishment of Allah Ta'ala. To the extent that one regards himself as lowly and worthless, to that extent will one become worthy of the forgiveness and mercy of Allah Ta'ala.

Ponder in solitude over this that Allah Ta'ala has created you as a human being, not as some snake or scorpion, etc. He has saved you from kufr and shirk. He grants you the ability to take His name daily. He permits you to stand in His presence and perform salaah. Insha-Allah He will protect you in the Hereafter as well. It is incorrect to despair of His mercy.. May Allah Ta'ala help you.

(Maktoobaat, vol.1: pg.80)

http://www.alhaadi.org.za/Faqihul_Ummah/Letters_Index/letters_index.html

THE SATAN

2006-03-17T21:09:00.000+02:00

A man woke up early in order to pray the Fajr prayer in the
masjid (mosque). 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.

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 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 profusively and the two were 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."

Missing Thoughts...

2006-03-17T20:44:00.000+02:00

In the quietness of my thoughts
I reached out
and found nothing.
Patient tears flowed upon an endless crevice
burning the current's path into a deeper emotion-
Visions of material success, possessions and fame
built empty dreams upon weak ideals.
In a self-created world, my self-created world, I was surrounded
by frustration, denial and an image of who I'd become.
Recollection of parties,
of school
of life
of awards
of moments that were drawn up to reflect "living" and "achievement"
-drawn by a girl who thought she was the artist-
Are nothing more than pieces that remain dead to the conscience of my heart. Memories of times when I thought I should be happy
I stood shuddering in shameful loneliness
letting the bitter wind of reality consume me
and yet I don't know why. . .
Feelings I see in my patchwork of faded existence seem to reveal that
Something was missing,
Is still missing
Was always missing.
I quiet myself further and try and find out why the tears
burn with shame and the Noor has disappeared from my face.
Perhaps it was never there
Perhaps I never let it into my heart
Perhaps I thought I was strong enough on my own.
"Oh Allah (swt) please forgive me,
I need You, I need Your guidance, Your forgiveness,
Your mercy. I am nothing when I fail to remember You,
I am nothing without You
. . . I am nothing at all"

Author Unknown

How Crystal Became Muslim

2006-03-05T19:18:00.000+02:00

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5653194852866385170&q=islam

Site on the Prophets in Islam by Ibn Kathir

2006-03-05T19:12:00.000+02:00

http://www.islamawareness.net/Prophets/

Turning Muslim in Texas

2006-03-05T16:07:00.000+02:00

Documentary: Turning Muslim in Texas: people reverting to Islam in Texas

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9184353144432289069&q=islam

Interview: Robert Fisk on the Middle East

2006-03-05T13:43:00.000+02:00

http://www.seekersdigest.org/interview-robert-fisk-on-the-middle-east.html

DON'T BE DUPED!

2006-03-04T18:23:00.000+02:00

If I told you someone was going to climb through your bedroom window at 1:17am, grab your wallet, your watch and your cell phone, would you get your guard up?

You probably wouldn't think I was serious, say "yeah right,and snuggle into your warm comfortable bed for a good night's sleep.

What if it did happen? What if you woke up and found that your wallet, your watch and your cell were gone?

If it did happen, you'd be duped. That's what.

Duped: conned, deceived, jerked around, fooled, played, tricked.
While these other words kind of give an idea of duped, they miss one important thing: to be duped is to see it coming, yet get hit.

-----------

If I told you I got news that someone was after you, that someone wanted to destroy you, that someone wanted to drag you into the depths of hell and was going to use all the resources available to do it, would you believe me?

What if Allah told you, would you believe Him?

What if that someone himself said it, would you believe it?

Check it out,

Satan said: "I will make things on earth seem attractive to them (mankind) and lead all of them to error, except those of Your servants whom You have singled out for Yourself." (Quran 15:39-40)

Satan has explained it clear enough: we, mankind, have a sworn enemy. So what do we do about it? Well for one, DON'T BE DUPED! ...

The Defense - 5 Things to Realize

1. We Choose, the Power is Ours!

Satan tries to convince us that we are just pawns in a plan that will play itself out. Allah is the Creator of all things, including men, women and their actions. We are the 'doers' of our actions, i.e. we choose to do certain things and not to do certain things.

"We showed him the way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will)." (Quran 76:3)
While Allah has the power to control our actions, He has given us guidance and left it up to us to follow it. Once we realize that we choose our actions, it only makes sense that we are accountable for what we do.

2. Dupe Check

With Satan constantly attacking us, we need to check our choices so we please Allah and make it to paradise. How do we know if we are on track or headed for a wreck? We should always keep ourselves in check.

But as the saying goes, "no one can be their own best critic". That's why it's important to receive critiques from others with an open mind. No one likes to hear they�re doing something wrong, but we should take every opportunity we can to hold ourselves to account before we are held accountable by the All Seeing, All Hearing and All Knowing God.

3. The Ultimate Reinforcement

Satan admits he can't win over those people who follow in the path of Allah. When we feel Satan's whisper loosen our grip on what's real and what really matters, we call for back-up:

"O my Lord, I seek refuge with you from the evil ones. And I seek refuge with you, O my Lord, lest they should come near me."(Quran 23:97-98)

No matter how hard Satan hits, Allah's got our back!

4. Been Duped? Undupe!

People aren't perfect: we will make mistakes. Satan dupes us by making us think that minor sins aren't important. So we might think, "What's the big deal if I tell a 'white lie'?" The fact is, lies are lies and sins are sins, and as the Prophet said, even minor sins, "if a person is called to account for them, will destroy him." [Ahmad]

So how do we repent for what we do wrong, whether minor or major?

*Recognize what's wrong and stop doing it right away.
*Hate the action and regret that we ever did it.
*Be determined never to do the action again.
*If someone's rights were violated by the action we should seek their forgiveness and set things right.

While we may end up falling into the same trap again, we can always repent and get back on the straight path. Only those people who give up and continue to follow Satan are duped and truly losers.

5. Mission Not Impossible

With tough talk like, "then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left" (Quran 7:17), Satan can seem intimidating. But we know from the Quran, on the Day of Judgment Satan will back down and double-cross those he duped:

"It was Allah Who gave you a promise of Truth: I too promised, but I failed in my promise to you. I had no authority over you except to call you but you listened to me: then reproach not me, but reproach your own souls." (Quran 14:22)

Even now, while Satan thinks he's all that, we can and have beat him. Just look at what the Prophet said to Umar Al-Khattab!

"Never does Satan find you going on a way, but he takes another way other than yours." [Bukhari and Muslim]

With these 5 points in heart and mind, we've stacked our defense:

It's time to take the offense!

The Offense - Stay on track and fight the attack!

1. The Best Offense is a Good Defense

We can never pray enough for Allah's help; the five daily prayers, a night of bonding in voluntary prayers or simply ask Allah for protection from Satan and dupedom.

2. Get the Guide

Read, understand, absorb and live the Quran. It guides us with examples of how people in the past dealt with Satan, it consoles us in our struggle and it lights hope with the promise of paradise. [See, Quran: Your Gateway to a New World ]

3. Follow the Leader

While Satan strives to lead us astray, we should remember the example of the Prophet who was sent to guide us to the right way. If we practice like the Prophet, we too can defeat dupedom!

4. Get Stacked

Don't bear the brunt of the battle alone; you need the help of your friends. As the Prophet Muhammad said, "A person is likely to follow the faith of his friend, so look (carefully) whom you choose to befriend." [Ahmad] A group of dummies are destined to be duped so find friends that feel the way you do about faith. [Check out Cool or Fool ]

5. Never Stop

Satan is relentless. He won't stop until he has us on a one-way trip to hell. We need to be just as persistent in the resistance, always purifying our hearts and filling our minds with the remembrance of Allah.

Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves: If You don't forgive us and bestow Your mercy upon us, we will certainly be lost.

Courtesy: www.youngmuslims.ca

Mankinds debt to Rasulullah (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam)

2006-03-01T21:16:00.000+02:00

http://www.alinaam.org.za/library/rasul/mdebt.htm

2006-02-27T19:24:00.000+02:00

Vote NOW on Sky News against the publication of Insulting cartoons of Our Beloved Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) in the media

http://www.sky.com/skynews/polls/displayresults/1,,91153-1003326,00.html

Please can I have one more chance ?

2006-02-25T15:23:00.000+02:00

There you are standing before Allah Taa’la, the whole of mankind in anticipation. Hell to your left and Paradise your right. From the first man until the last, everybody is present. What is to be of them on this Day?

Not a word is spoken. Everybody is naked but unusually today, no one actually cares about anybody else. There’s only one question running through everyone’s mind, what will be their eternal abode?

The Qur’an states:

“And they will be set before your Lord in (lines as) rows, (and Allah will say): “Now indeed you have come to us as We created you first. Nay, but you thought that We had appointed no meeting for you (with us).” (Surah 18, Verse 48)

You stand there very frightened. As a Muslim, you hardly prayed your Salaah. In Ramadhan, you didn’t feel like keeping fasts. Zakaat was never on your mind. Even though you had enough money for Hajj, a trip to the Caribbean always seemed much more appealing.

You look down and wish that this silence continues forever and ever. Then suddenly, very unexpectedly, your name is called. Abdullah! Son of Adam, your heart begins to beat faster and faster. You are now trembling. Your turn has now come.

It is time for the truth; did you live in this world as a true believer? Did you believe in the oneness of Allah and follow the teachings of our Holy Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wassallam? If so, then there is no doubt that Paradise is your eternal abode, but for those who ascribed partners with Allah and neglected the teachings of our Holy Prophet , then, Hell is their only dwelling. There will be no injustice on this day.

Slowly, tears begin to role down your face. Even before you receive the book of deeds, you know you have no chance. You had so many chances to revive yourself in the world, but you continued to commit sins, one after another. Many signs were brought before you clearly proving the oneness of Allah, but you rejected each sign, one after another. How is Allah going to give you another chance? Chances were given in the world. You continued sinning but were not punished; now you must face punishment for those unpunished sins committed. Then, the book (of deeds) is given to you in your left hand. You may have passed all the exams in school, but you now have failed the most important one, Life.

The Qur’an states:

“And We have fastened every mans deeds to his neck, and on the Day of Resurrection, We shall bring out for him a book which he will find wide open.” “(It will be said to him): “Read your book.” (Surah 17, Verses 13,14)

Allah Taa’la states:
“And the Book (ones record) will be placed (in the right hand for a believer in the Oneness of Allah, and in the left hand for a disbeliever in the oneness of Allah), and you will see the ‘Mujrimun (sinners), fearful of that which is (recorded) therein. They will say: Woe to us! What sort of Book is this that leaves neither a small thing nor a big thing, but has recorded it with numbers!” And they will find all that they did, placed before them, and Your Lord treats no one with injustice.” (Surah 18, Verse 49)

You bend down on your knees and beg for mercy. “Please Allah! Only one more chance, only one more chance! You open the Book which had been placed in your left hand. You are shaking as you open the book knowing full well that it has recorded every single deed and every sin. You know full well that no injustice has been done by Allah.

You open the book and every detail is inside. As soon as your eyes glance upon the first sin on the page you have opened, you begin to cry. You close the book and start to regret. But this is no time to regret. Your chance has now gone. You shout once more, “ALLAH! CAN I HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE!!!??”

The Qur’an states regarding the misguided:

When those who were followed will disown those who were following and they will see the punishment and all ties with them will be cut

And those people who were following will say if only there was a returning for us we would disown them just as they disowned us in this way Allah will show them their actions as a source of remorse against themselves and they will not be coming out of the fire of hell. (Surah 2, Verse 166-167)

The heat of the fire of Hell is burning in your mind. How will you be punished? How long will you be punished for? Every time you wanted to do good in the world, Shaytaan took you away from the straight path and you were deceived very easily. You can blame no one but yourself.

Allah Taa’la states:

And Satan will say when the matter has been decided: “Verily, Allah promised you a promise of Truth. And I too promised you, but I betrayed you. I had no authority over you except that I called you, so you responded to me. So blame me not, but blame yourselves. I cannot help you, nor can you help me.” (Surah 14, Verse 22)

How deceiving Shaytaan was? How powerful were his whispers and how weak was your Imaan?

Whatever he whispered into your ears, you immediately followed him. You disobeyed Allah and followed what you thought was the right path, but you were truly on the wrong path, treading upon the path that would lead you to inevitable destruction, the path that will lead you into Hell fire on this day. You thought arrogantly and lived as though you would live in the world forever. You ignored the fact that everybody to enter the world would eventually die one day and be judged.

Allah Taa’la states in the Qur’an:

“Everyone is going to taste death.” (Surah 21, Verse 33)

Only seconds remain. The Hell fire is waiting. Your time has now come, but all you think of is that one more chance. With that one more chance, you would go back in the world and never commit another sin again. Chances, many chances were only given in the world but now it’s too late. You are thrown into the scorching fire.

My dear respected readers, do you want to end up like brother Abdullah? Does his life sound familiar compared to yours? Is obeying Allah, Praying Salaah and pleasing Him not in our daily schedule? Here in this life is our only chance and time to change. Remember, no chance will be given once you pass away. Repenting will be of no avail on that day.

The Prophet mentions in one Hadith:

“The one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin.” (Ibn Majah)

There is an extremely wretched place for those who disobey Allah and the Prophet . However, those who are pious and are on the Sirat-e-Mustaqeem (right path) will be the ones that will be triumphant on that day and these are the people that will earn a great reward.

Allah Taa’la states in the Qur’an:

“Verily, the Muttaqun (pious and righteous persons) who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden), and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained) will be in the midst of Gardens and Rivers (Paradise).” (Surah 54, Verse 54)

From all the hard work that you do in this world dear readers, Allah Taa’la will never let that work go to waste. Instead, gardens and rivers will be awaiting that person and the book of deeds will be placed in the believer’s right hand. As for those who do not believe,

Allah Taa’la says:

“The Day they will be dragged in the Fire on their faces (it will be said to them): “Taste you the touch of Hell.” (Surah 54, Verse 48)

May Allah Taa’la give us all the ability to avoid or discard the path of the Shaytaan and follow the right path shown by our Holy Prophet . Ameen

Courtesy: www.inter-islam.org

Two Hungry Wolves

2006-02-24T22:36:00.000+02:00

Source: Al-Haadi Volume 1 Number 9

http://www.alhaadi.org.za/Articles/

Ka'ab bin Maalik (R.A.) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

" Two hungry wolves let loose upon a flock of sheep can not inflict as much harm as the destruction greed for wealth and position can inflict upon the Deen of a person."

(Tirmizi � Faizul Qadeer V.5 pg. 445)
This Hadith makes it evident that greed and lust for wealth and position are not two hungry wolves� they are far more dangerous and destructive than hungry wolves.

The greed for wealth and position would lead one to aquire the world by any means whatsoever, even if such means are prohibited by the Sustainer and Nourisher - Allah Ta'ala. This insatiable desire for the glitter and glamour of this temporary abode would cause a "respectable" person to lie, hide the fault of the merchandise, commit fraud and a host of other HARAAM acts. This greed would make a wealthy person invoke the curse of Allah Ta'ala upon himself by involving himself in such transactions wherein the taking OR giving of interest occurs. This he would do merely so that he also could live like a millionaire. It is only the sand of the grave that will fill this hunger and arrest it in its tracks.

However, it will then be too late to make amends. Let us sit for a moment and ponder whether or not these cancers are within us. If they are there, immediate steps must be taken to treat and eventually eradicate these deadly diseases. May Allah Ta'ala purify us from them.

Robert Fisk: Don't be fooled, this isn't an issue of Islam versus secularism

2006-02-24T22:11:00.000+02:00

By Robert Fisk

"So now it's cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed with a bomb-shaped turban. Ambassadors are withdrawn from Denmark, Gulf nations clear their shelves of Danish produce, Gaza gunmen threaten the European Union. In Denmark, Fleming Rose, the "culture" editor of the pip-squeak newspaper which published these silly cartoons - last September, for heaven's sake - announces that we are witnessing a "clash of civilizations" between secular Western democracies and Islamic societies. This does prove, I suppose, that Danish journalists follow in the tradition of Hans Christian Anderson. Oh lordy, lordy. What we're witnessing is the childishness of civilizations.

So let's start off with the Department of Home Truths. This is not an issue of secularism versus Islam. For Muslims, the Prophet is the man who received divine words directly from God. We see our prophets as faintly historical figures, at odds with our high-tech human rights, almost caricatures of themselves. The fact is that Muslims live their religion. We do not. They have kept their faith through innumerable historical vicissitudes. We have lost our faith ever since Matthew Arnold wrote about the sea's "long, withdrawing roar". That's why we talk about "the West versus Islam" rather than "Christians versus Islam" - because there aren't an awful lot of Christians left in Europe. There is no way we can get round this by setting up all the other world religions and asking why we are not allowed to make fun of Mohamed.

Besides, we can exercise our own hypocrisy over religious feelings. I happen to remember how, more than a decade ago, a film called The Last Temptation of Christ showed Jesus making love to a woman. In Paris, someone set fire to the cinema showing the movie, killing a young man. I also happen to remember a US university which invited me to give a lecture three years ago. I did. It was entitled "September 11, 2001: ask who did it but, for God's sake, don't ask why". When I arrived, I found that the university had deleted the phrase "for God's sake" because "we didn't want to offend certain sensibilities". Ah-ha, so we have "sensibilities" too.

In other words, while we claim that Muslims must be good secularists when it comes to free speech - or cheap cartoons - we can worry about adherents to our own precious religion just as much. I also enjoyed the pompous claims of European statesmen that they cannot control free speech or newspapers. This is also nonsense. Had that cartoon of the Prophet shown instead a chief rabbi with a bomb-shaped hat, we would have had "anti-Semitism" screamed into our ears - and rightly so - just as we often hear the Israelis complain about anti-Semitic cartoons in Egyptian newspapers.

Furthermore, in some European nations - France is one, Germany and Austria are among the others - it is forbidden by law to deny acts of genocide. In France, for example, it is illegal to say that the Jewish Holocaust or the Armenian Holocaust did not happen. So it is, in fact, impermissable to make certain statements in European nations. I'm still uncertain whether these laws attain their objectives; however much you may prescribe Holocaust denial, anti-Semites will always try to find a way round. We can hardly exercise our political restraints to prevent Holocaust deniers and then start screaming about secularism when we find that Muslims object to our provocative and insulting image of the Prophet.

For many Muslims, the "Islamic" reaction to this affair is an embarrassment. There is good reason to believe that Muslims would like to see some element of reform introduced to their religion. If this cartoon had advanced the cause of those who want to debate this issue, no-one would have minded. But it was clearly intended to be provocative. It was so outrageous that it only caused reaction.

And this is not a great time to heat up the old Samuel Huntingdon garbage about a "clash of civilizations". Iran now has a clerical government again. So, to all intents and purposes, does Iraq (which was not supposed to end up with a democratically elected clerical administration, but that's what happens when you topple dictators). In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood won 20 per cent of the seats in the recent parliamentary elections. Now we have Hamas in charge of "Palestine". There's a message here, isn't there? That America's policies - "regime change" in the Middle East - are not achieving their ends. These millions of voters were preferring Islam to the corrupt regimes which we imposed on them.

For the Danish cartoon to be dumped on top of this fire is dangerous indeed.

So what is the big hype all about?

The problem is that these cartoons portrayed Mohamed as a bin Laden-type image of violence. They portrayed Islam as a violent religion. It is not. Or do we want to make it so?"

Question on Love Of Rasulullah (sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam)

2006-02-16T22:52:00.000+02:00

Question

The love for my dear Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him)is decreasing .. Sometimes my innerself says bad things and thoughts about him...I really dont know why this is happening...what is happening..Am I cursed ??

Answer

The fact that you are in pain because of the bad thoughts you have is proof enough of your love for Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]. Had you not had love for Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam], you would not have such pain. Nevertheless, you should ignore the thoughts as they are involuntary and beyond your control. They are whispers of the Shaytaan. Do not entertain such evil thoughts as they will then find its roots deep in your heart. That is what Shaytaan desires. Ignore such thoughts and simply recite, �Laa hawla walaa quwwata illaa billaah�.

You should obtain some reliable literature about the Seerah and character of Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] and read that as much as possible. That information will fill that vacuum which is occupied by evil thoughts. It is advisable to read Ahaadith and incidents about the miracles (Mu�jizaat) performed by Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]. Ponder upon scientific developments and after so much of research, some people can only go to the moon and that too for a few days with so much of fear and apprehension. 1400 years ago, Rasulullah [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] surpassed all of that and went right to Allah above the seven heavens within a short period of the night. There is so much more. Ponder upon his beautiful face, beautiful smiling eyes, beautiful beard, beautiful walk, beautiful character and ponder the day we will meet him and he will present us with the water of Hawse-Kawthar on the plains of Hashr when the sun will be just above us and we will be extremely thirsty. That is the extent of his love for us. Ponder when he will bow down by the Arsh of Allah and beg Allah to forgive us and he will save us from Hell. How loving is our Nabi Muhammad [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam]? Why did he wake up in the middle of the night and cry �Yaa Ummati� (O my Ummah, O my Ummah).

He had the choice to live like a king, why he chose to live like a slave?

1. Why did his feet swell up due to excessive worship?

2. Why should he allow himself to be hit and tortured in Taaif with his Mubaarak blood flowing from his body?

3. Why should his family suffer just because he called the people to the Oneness of Allah?

4. Why should his daughters marriages break because he propagated the Oneness of Allah?

The honesty and sincerity of our beloved Rasul [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] was witnessed by His Sahaaba [radhiallaahu anhu] who were prepared to give their lives for him. Ah! How fortunate are the Sahaaba [radhiallaahu anhu]. No joy can overcome such joy of witnessing the Habib of Allah. Ah! Could I get that beautiful vision in this world? Oh Allah, aameen.

So great is my Habib, that Allah and His angels send Durood and salawaat upon him. There are 70,000 angels at every time by his Rawza who send Durood and Salaam upon him. Angels are appointed all around the world to carry a single durood to him. How fortunate we are to have our Durood carried by an angel and presented with our name to our beloved Habi. That brings much joy to him.

Oh Allah, send special Duroods and salawaat to Habib [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] from Ebrahim ibn Yusuf Desai and make Habib [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] happy on behalf of the Ummah especially at this time, Aameen Yaa Rabbal Aalameen.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

2006-02-12T17:33:00.000+02:00

Extracts from Mercy for the Worlds:
by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad(db)
Read entire article or Download the PDF here

A Recipe for Anger

A person is naturally very angry when he begins thinking about revenge, and the Messenger of Allah has given great guidance on how to conquer such anger. It is transmitted in the hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim that at one time the Messenger of Allah said, �The strongest man is not the one who can overcome people with his strength, but one who controls himself when in a fit of rage.�

It is transmitted in another fascinating hadith that the Messenger of Allah said, �Allah loves the person who controls his anger.� This is something that Muslims need to pay close attention to and understand within the depths of their hearts. Whenever angry, one should reflect on whether it is better to carry through with one�s anger or to forgive and calm down, as a result of which Allah will love him. It is one thing to love Allah, but a totally different thing to be loved by Allah and become His beloved.

The Holy Quran instructs the Messenger of Allah to tell the people, �If you profess to love Allah then follow me, and Allah will love you.� Indeed such is the grandiose example and teaching of our Prophet, that we will become the beloved of Allah if we follow his sunnah.

Forgiveness for Enemies

The beautiful examples from the Prophet�s glorious life are too numerous for one discussion. It is one matter to forgive peoples� small mistakes, but quite another to forgive a sworn enemy.

Hadith literature tells us that once the Messenger of Allah and his Companions (Sahabah) were outside Madinah where they stopped to rest in the early afternoon. The Sahabah suggested that the Messenger of Allah rest under a tree that offered cool shade against the sweltering heat. The rest of the Sahabah dispersed to rest and nap under other trees.

Meanwhile, an unbeliever happened to be traveling past this place and noticed the Prophet of the Muslims lying under a tree with his sword hanging by one of the branches. He was overjoyed at this unique opportunity and seized the sword, determined to strike down the Prophet of Islam. The Messenger of Allah woke up at that exact moment and the unbeliever said, �Who can save you from me now O Muhammad []?�

To this the Messenger of Allah said �Allah!� with such devotion and power that terror seized the unbeliever. He started trembling and dropped the sword. The Messenger of Allah picked up his sword and said, �Now tell me who will save you from me?�

At this the unbeliever started begging for his life, highlighting the Prophet�s mercy toward the people. Listening to his pleas the Messenger of Allah immediately forgave this sworn enemy who would have himself spared no time in murdering the Prophet. The Prophet of Islam said, �Go, for I have forgiven you� and therefore laid a shining principle for all mankind to follow because he was sent as a mercy to all creation.

The unbeliever was astonished that the Messenger of Allah would forgive such an unforgivable action, and the Prophet�s merciful words touched his heart. He said, �O Messenger of Allah, you have forgiven me; now please make me a Muslim so that Allah may forgive me also.� Thus this person accepted Islam at that moment. This is such one glorious example of mercy that we find in the life of the Messenger of Allah.

Amama bin Athal was an idolater who would ponder and reflect on killing the Messenger of Allah. One day he was captured by the Sahabah, who brought him into the Mosque of the Prophet and tied him to one of the pillars. The Messenger of Allah had heard of his plotting and now saw him when he entered the mosque. Coming close, the Messenger of Allah asked, �What were you plotting and what should we do with you?�

Amama bin Athal said, �If you kill me that is your right, but I have heard a great deal about your mercy and am confident that you will show forgiveness.� The Prophet�s exemplary character was so renown that sworn enemies would not lose hope of his mercy even when in chains and with no chance of escape. Hence even in that state Amama bin Athal was confident that his life would be spared.

The Messenger of Allah smiled and said to the Sahabah, �Forgive and release him.� The Sahabah were stunned by this but were compelled to obey, and so untied Amama�s ropes. He was now free, but the Prophet�s words and spiritual attention had impacted Amama�s heart. He said, �You have untied these physical ropes, and now please connect my spiritual rope to my Allah and make me Muslim so I may repent from all my previous sins.� Saying this he accepted Islam.

The people in Hadrat Amama�s home village were very receptive towards Islam when he returned and started preaching, and were shocked to learn that the Quraish would persecute such a noble man as the Messenger of Allah. Since the town was a large wheat exporter, the people decided to stop exporting their crop to the Quraish. This served as a shock for the Quraish since it signaled the beginnings of rebellion from tribes previously subjugated by them. The leaders of Makkah now realized that if Islam could influence people in their own backyard as it were, then someday it would span the globe. The Messenger of Allah and the Sahabah have left beautiful and fascinating examples of character for us.

Advent of the Messenger and Liberation of Makkah

The Messenger of Allah came into such an atmosphere and prohibited vengeance toward another man if that vengeance were to be driven solely by selfish desire.

A famous story is one of Hadrat Ali in which he had overpowered an enemy on the battlefield and was about to deliver the final blow. At that moment the enemy spat at him in hatred. In the heat and emotion of battle Hadrat Ali immediately stepped back. His enemy was dumbfounded as to why, and asked, �Why have you pulled back from killing me?�

Hadrat Ali answered, �I was previously fighting you for the Cause of Allah and would have killed you for His sake. However, because you have spat at me I cannot be sure whether my personal anger has tainted my sincerity towards killing you solely for Allah. I have stepped back because I might have to account for this on the Day of Judgment.�

Can we even begin to comprehend the level of self control in these people? Can we even begin to comprehend their magnanimity? The Prophet�s beautiful example was a beacon for them and hence they would forgive the worst of enemies.

When the Messenger of Allah and the Muslims set off from Madinah during the march leading to the conquest of Makkah, various tribes also joined them along the way. At that time it was custom for an army to cook at just one or two central locations and distribute the food to all, but the night that they stopped outside Makkah the Messenger of Allah instructed everyone to prepare their own food. The Sahabah did not understand his reasoning but dispersed in groups of two and three and prepared their own food. The result was that the whole valley became bright with the light of hundreds of individual bonfires.

The Quraish of Makkah had heard that the Muslims were advancing on Makkah and so Abu Sufyan was dispatched as a scout. He was terrified at the sight of so many bonfires and realized that no one in Makkah would survive if such a large army started towards the city. In the morning he arranged a meeting with Hadrat Abu Bakr who brought him to the Messenger of Allah. Amazed at the thousands of people whose hearts had been blessed with the wealth of Islam, Abu Sufyan also entered the fold of Islam and became Hadrat Abu Sufyan. The Messenger of Allah was pleased that one of the leaders of Quraish had finally accepted the truth.

Hadrat Abu Bakr was an extremely wise and intelligent man, and so when the army got underway the next morning he stood with Hadrat Abu Sufyan at a location from which the latter could see each platoon as it passed by. Hadrat Abu Bakr wanted Hadrat Abu Sufyan l to clearly see the strength of the Muslim forces. Hadrat Abu Sufyan was amazed because almost every second or third man he saw had been an unbeliever at one time.

Having seen the strength of the Muslims, Hadrat Abu Sufyan mounted his horse and reached Makkah before the Muslim army. There he convened a meeting with the other leaders of Quraish and advised them that their only hope was to surrender otherwise the massive Muslim force would massacre them if they chose to resist. The Quraish leaders hence decided that they would not resist the advancing army.

Hadith states that the road to Makkah was desolate in front of the Muslim army. Before the Migration (Hijra) to Madinah, the Prophet had pleaded with Allah clutching the cloth of the Kaa�ba that he did not want to leave. In reply Allah had promised:

He Who hath given thee the Quran for a law will surely bring thee home again [28:85]

The Messenger of Allah had been thrown out of this city years previously, and now he was at the head of an army of his loving Sahabah. The stage was set to enter Makkah as a victorious army enters a conquered city in pomp and glamour. However, the Messenger of Allah was beyond such behavior and taught another important lesson to the Muslim nation at this occasion.

The Messenger of Allah was astride his camel and advancing before the main troops with tears of joy streaming down his face. Hadith states that his head was bowed so low in humility it would at times touch the camel�s neck. He was reciting various praises and supplications: �There is no god save Allah: He has no partner and His is all sovereignty. All praise is due to Him, and He is powerful over everything. There is no god save Allah alone, Who fulfilled His promise, helped his servant, and alone routed the confederates.� The Messenger of Allah entered Makkah in this state of humility and gratitude.

As the army entered Makkah the Quraish were terrified at the prospect of facing the people whom they had tortured and ridiculed for over thirteen years. Today those same people whose relatives were killed by the Quraish, who were made to endure countless and unimaginable hardship and torture, were returning to their home city as victors. Today the tide was turned and the swords were in the other hands, and the once proud Quraish were trembling in fear that they would be torn to pieces and their women shamed and dishonored.

Upon entering the Grand Mosque approaching the Kaa�ba the Messenger of Allah announced, �Today whoever stays in his house will be safe.� This announcement alone is staggering and monumental when we reflect upon how savagely the conquered are usually treated by their conquerors. At this time Hadrat Abu Bakr requested that Hadrat Abu Sufyan�s residence be declared a safe house since he was a leader and had since accepted Islam. Hence the Prophet added that whoever took shelter in Hadrat Abu Sufyan�s a house would also be safe.

When the Messenger of Allah came in front of the Kaa�ba one of the first among the Quraish to venture forward was Hinda, Hadrat Abu Sufyan�s wife. This was the same Hinda who had had the Prophet�s dear and noble uncle martyred. She had then disemboweled the body and arranged the organs in a necklace around her neck. At that time she had been deluding herself that she had defeated Hadrat Hamza, but was unaware that she was the one who would be defeated.

Hinda came forward and repented because she was now very ashamed. The Messenger of Allah was so merciful to all that he even forgave this woman who had committed such evil. Wahshi was the man who had martyred Hadrat Hamza at Uhud, and knew that if captured he would surely be killed. He thus crept up carefully through the back streets and in this way confronted the Messenger of Allah, wishing to repent for his crimes. Allah had given His Messenger such remarkable character and fortitude that he even forgave Wahshi of the murder of his beloved uncle and accepted him into the fold of Islam.

The rest of the Quraish leaders then came forward, and the Messenger of Allah asked, �What do you think we should do with you now?� The Quraish were masters at diplomacy and said, �We are family, and so you should treat us as a brother would treat his brothers.� Hadrat Sa�ad bin Ubada was seated nearby and said, �Today is the Day of War and the day that we cleanse the Kaa�ba of your false gods.�

The Quraish grew frightened at hearing this and feared once again for their lives. Hadrat Abu Sufyan approached the Messenger of Allah and told him what this Companion (Sahabi) had said. Hadrat Sa�ad bin Ubada had been carrying the banner of Islam, and the Messenger of Allah took it from him and handed it to Hadrat Sa�ad�s son as a reprimand for having made such a statement.

The Messenger of Allah then got up and announced, �Today is a blessed day: a Day of Mercy in which we shall honor the Kaa�ba!� He again turned to the Quraish and asked what should be done with them. This time they answered, �We are your brothers, and if you choose to kill us that is your right. However, if you forgive us then you will find us ever desirous of your mercy.�

The Messenger of Allah replied, �Yes you are indeed my brothers, but have treated me the same way that Hadrat Yusuf�s e brothers treated him. Today I reply to you the same way that Hadrat Yusuf e replied to them.�

This day let no reproach be (cast) on you: Allah will forgive you and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy.� [12:92]

Hence all of Makkah was granted full amnesty that day; the Quraish were astounded and could not believe what they had heard. They returned to their homes uncertain whether they could trust such an amnesty and remained apprehensive of any retaliation. Hence both men and women of the Quraish stayed awake that following night worrying that the Muslims might enter anytime to rape and kill them. However, these people were used to living in another time in which they knew nothing else but such violence and were unfamiliar with the magnificence of Islam.

The Messenger of Allah also retired home after finishing the day�s business and the Quraish thought that the Muslims would now pounce upon them in the dead of night. They stayed awake in worry and terror but a good portion of the night passed and everything was silent. The streets of Makkah were empty and there was not as much as a knock on the door.

The Makkans were surprised and so some of them worked up enough courage to venture out of their homes into the streets to see where the Muslims were and what they might be doing. Searching thus they reached the Kaa�ba and were even more surprised at what they saw.

Some of the Muslims were standing in prayer to their Lord while some were kissing the cloth of the Kaa�ba and supplicating. Others still were lost in reading of the Holy Quran while others were weeping in prostration. The Quraish were stunned by this display because they had never seen conquerors that would cry with such humility to anyone. However, they knew nothing of the Muslims who had spent all night in worshipping the true Lord of Kaa�ba. These people who had been thrown out of their homes, never to be able to see the Kaa�ba again and now they were weeping in gratitude at having been allowed to worship there again.

The next morning the Quraish admitted to themselves that the Muslims were truly the people on the Straight Path, for being conquerors they never laid a hand on the vanquished but only spread their hands out in gratitude and repentance to Allah. Hence that day the inhabitants of Makkah started coming forward in large numbers to accept Islam at the hand of the Messenger of Allah.

Mercy for the Worlds by Sheikh Zulfiqar Ahmad (db)

2006-02-11T22:36:00.000+02:00

http://www.tasawwuf.org/writings/sermons/mercy_worlds.htm

Biography of The Beloved Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him)

2006-02-07T20:46:00.000+02:00

Oh Reader ! Break free from the chains of ignorance and learn about the greatest man to have ever walked the surface of this earth -Muhammed (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam)

The Biography of the Last Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) is presented at two levels: Level 1 is a simple summary of events, Level 2 has more detail than Level 1 and is a general account of events. Link below:

http://www.inter-islam.org/Seerah/seerahdex.htm

Why has a cartoon turned into a crisis? (Toronto Star)

2006-02-05T22:11:00.000+02:00

Why has a cartoon turned into a crisis?
History and geo-politics are feeding fear and mutual hostility, says Haroon Siddiqui
Toronto Star

HAROON SIDDIQUI

W e like making sweeping declarations about freedom of speech but that right is fettered by laws of libel and hate, and other factors.

In newspapers, cartoons are routinely rejected for reasons of taste or because they may be unfair or unnecessarily hurtful. A good editor errs on the side of pushing the limits of freedom. But on occasion, she says no.

The artist may not like the call but must live with it. The drawing is his but the space in which it is to run is the newspaper's.

The Star's legendary cartoonist Dunc Macpherson once argued that I was misguided to have axed his day's work on the basis that his premise was all wrong. "Artists are not bound by facts," he growled. But the paper is, I said.

The Danish paper that invoked freedom of speech to justify caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad is, thus, only half right. But let's say that it did have an absolute right. Equally, though, Muslims had a right to be offended. Defenders of the first principle have had difficulty acknowledging the second.

"Why the fuss? These are only cartoons," many said of the Arab boycott of Danish products.
The peaceful consumer revolt was a legitimate response (until overtaken by gun-toting hotheads issuing dire warnings).

Yet many Europeans derided the boycott, with the unmistakable underlying message: "We can treat you the way we want and thou shall shut up."

Those days are gone. Still, why do Muslims react so strongly?

By now, readers know that Islam forbids depictions of the Prophet. Non-Muslims can no more mock that than Muslims can deride some aspect of the Christian or Jewish faith.
Imagery was not the only problem with the Danish cartoons. They were insulting, which is, of course, the point of a cartoon. But they also portrayed the Prophet as a terrorist and, by extension, all Muslims, thereby engendering hate against them.

The drawings were hurtful to a people who are, arguably, more attached to their prophet than others may be to theirs.

Each time they say his name, Muslims invoke "peace and blessings" on Muhammad. Nearly 4 million visit his grave in Saudi Arabia every year.

But more than religion, it is geo-politics, past and present, that hangs over the controversy.

When Muhammad appeared 600 years after Christ, Europe saw him as an impostor and a false prophet. Pope Innocent III called him the Antichrist. Dante consigned him to the ninth of the 10 ditches of the Inferno. Voltaire, Gibbon, Bacon and others demonized him as the Prince of Darkness or the Beast of the Apocalypse or Mahound.

Such characterizations were used in more muted forms by European colonialists occupying Muslim lands. The bigoted imagery had begun to subside during our contemporary era, only to be resurrected after 9/11.

Go to any bookstore in a European city and you will see anti-Muslim tracts selling well.

Europe's 20 million Muslims have borne the brunt of this Islamophobia, from rightwing anti-immigrant parties and conservative media. Here's a sample from the Danish People's Party: "Muslims who come here reject our culture. Muslim immigration is a way for Muslims to conquer us, just as they have done for the past 1,400 years."

Add to all this some contemporary realities affecting Muslims.

Iraq was illegally and unjustly invaded and remains occupied, with contemptuous disregard for Iraqi lives. Palestinians have just been warned they may be starved because they dared to elect Hamas. Iran is being isolated over its nuclear intentions, even though it has not violated the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty it has signed, while non-signatories Israel and India enjoy full American backing.

The arguments for and against those policies aside, there's no doubt that they have left Arabs/Muslims feeling under siege.

They see double standards in the Danish affair as well.

A cartoon Thursday in the al-Quds newspaper showed an artist at work at Jyllands-Posten. In the first panel, he rejects a grotesque drawing of a black person: "This is racism." He rejects the second, which equated the Cross of David with the swastika: "This is anti-Semitism." He keeps the longer third panel, of the Prophet's cartoons: "This is freedom of speech."

Conversely, the criticism from Arabs/Muslims has sounded hypocritical, given their own intolerance and an ongoing anti-Israeli polemic. Much of that is encouraged by unelected, despotic governments keen on diverting domestic anger abroad.

This context shows there is a great deal of mutual ignorance. However, it does not prove any inherent incompatibility between Muslims and non-Muslims, as extremists on both sides would have us believe.

Haroon Siddiqui writes Thursday and Sunday. hsiddiq@thestar.ca.

Islam and doesn't condone aggressive or violent protests

2006-02-05T00:22:00.000+02:00

It is totally wrong for Muslims to act in a violent or aggressive manner, even though the matter at hand is deeply emotional and touches a strong cord in the heart of every Muslim believer.Definately if the Prophet (peace Be Upon Him) was alive he would never condone such acts. Even in his lifetime people mocked and jeered at him, yet he delt with them in such a beautiful manner of tolerance and forgiveness that they eventually became Muslim. He was never one for revenge and even prayed for his enemeies. All out there - read up about this wonderful personality and perhaps an understanding can be gained as to why +/- 1 billion Muslims hold him so dear to their hearts.Indeed he was a mercy unto mankind and he practically displayed that. Please don't judge him or Islam by some ignorant followers who have let their emotions get the best of them - Islam does not condone that at all.Islam means peace, it's not a terrorist religion and Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him)is not a terrorist - He was the epitome of perfection and a moral reformer. We his followers should follow his way and not our base desires.

The West can't understand the big hoo-haa of the whole situation but perhaps if it's understood that Islam is not merely a religion -it's a way of life.Islam's moral and ethical code is very strict and in a world where morals and ethics are fast becomming 'outdated'freedom of speech is being taken out of context.Basically the western 'religion' is based on the following the base desires and whatever materialistic pursuits one wishes. In this context freedom of speech is unlimited...but how can that be?A line has to be drawn.God forbid what if it becomes acceptable for daily newspapers to publish pornographic material because of the deterioation of western values...would that fall under freedom of speech because it's 'socially accepted' behaviour?? The whole freedom of speech issue all boils down to values,ethics and morals which is undeniably being eroded in today's society.Islam's moral code is extremely high, it cuts off problems from the root instead of waiting for the problem to occur and then applying damage control.Th clash lies here...

A True Muslim believer loves the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) even more than he/she loves himself/herself. We believe that He (Peace Be Upon HIm) is the Best of Creation.Don't ridicule our Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) and don't ridicule our Religion...A true Muslim takes religion very very seriously.And why not?Religion is a very serious thing.
__________________________________________________________
Abu Hurayra reported that the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said, "The person who is strong is not strong because he can knock people down. The person who is strong is the one who controls himself when he is angry."

Ibn 'Abbas reports that the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) said, "...'When you are angry, be silent,' twice."

Aslam said that Umar [one of the revered companions of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) ] said, "'Do not let your love be a total infatuation. Do not let your anger be destruction.' I asked, 'How is that?' He replied, 'When you love, you are infatuated like a child. When you hate, you desire destruction for your companion.'"

courtesy www.the-pod.blogspot.com

You Must Know This Man - Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him)

2006-02-04T18:54:00.000+02:00

You Must Know This Man - Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him)

You may be an antheist or an agnostic; or you may belong to any of the religious denominations that exist in the world today. You may be a communist or a believer in democracy and freedom. No matter what you are, and no matter what your ideological and political beliefs, personal and social habits happen to be --

YOU MUST STILL KNOW THIS MAN.

ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA confirms:
"....a mass of detail in the early sources show that he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were like-wise honest and upright men." (Vol. 12)

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW said about him:
"He must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness." (THE GENUINE ISLAM, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936)

He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.
"HIS NAME IS MUHAMMAD" May Peace of God Be Upon Him (pbuh)

He was born in Arabia in the year 570 C.E. (common era), started his mission of preaching the religion of Truth, Islam (submission to One God) at the age of forty and departed from this world at the age of sixty-three.

During this short period of 23 years of his Prophethood, he changed the complete Arabian peninsula from paganism and idolatry to worship of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never known such a complete transformation of a people or a place before or since - and IMAGINE all these unbelievable wonders in JUST OVER TWO DECADES.

LAMARTINE, the renowned historian speaking on the essentials of human greatness wonders:
"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls....his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was two-fold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.
"Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is MUHAMMAD. As regards all the standards by which Human Greatness may be measured, we may well ask, IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?" (Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp 276-277)

The world has had its share of great personalities. But these were one-sided figures who distinguished themselves in but one or two fields, such as religious thought or military leadership. The lives and teachings of these great personalities of the world are shrouded in the mist of time.
There is so much speculation about the time and place of their birth, the mode and style of their life, the nature and detail of their teachings and the degree and measure of their success or failure that it is impossible for humanity to reconstruct accurately the lives and teachings of these men.

Not so this man. Muhammad (pbuh) accomplished so much in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior in the fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of his private life and public utterances has been accurately documented and faithfully preserved to our day. The authenticity of the record so preserved are vouched for not only by the faithful followers but even by his prejudiced critics.
Muhammad (pbuh) was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, an administrative colossus, a faithful friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a loving father - all in one. No other man in history ever excelled or equaled him in any of these different aspects of life - but it was only for the selfless personality of Muhammad (pbuh) to achieve such incredible perfections.

MAHATMA GANDHI, speaking on the character of Muhammad, (pbuh) says in YOUNG INDIA:
"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind....I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission.
"These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."

THOMAS CALYLE in his HEROES AND HERO WORSHIP, was simply amazed as to:

"how one man single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades."

DIWAN CHAND SHARMA wrote:
"Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him." (D.C. Sharma, THE PROPHETS OF THE EAST, Calcutta, 1935, pp. 12)

EDWARD GIBBON and SIMON OCKLEY speaking on the profession of ISLAM write:
"'I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, AND MAHOMET, AN APOSTLE OF GOD' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honor of the Prophet has never transgressed the measure of human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." (HISTORY OF THE SARACEN EMPIRES, London, 1870, p. 54)

Muhammad (pbuh) was nothing more or less than a human being. But he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach them the way to honest and upright living based on the commands of God. He always described himself as, 'A Servant and Messenger of God,' and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to be.

Speaking on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, the famous poetess of India, SAROJINI NAIDU says:
"It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: 'God Alone is Great'... I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother." (S. Naidu, IDEALS OF ISLAM, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169)

In the words of PROF. HURGRONJE:
"The league of nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity and human brotherhood on such universal foundations as to show candle to other nations." He continues: "The fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of the League of Nations."

The world has not hesitated to raise to divinity, individuals whose lives and missions have been lost in legend. Historically speaking, none of these legends achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad (pbuh) accomplished. And all his striving was for the sole purpose of uniting mankind for the worship of One God on the codes of moral excellence. Muhammad (pbuh) or his followers never at any time claimed that he was a Son of God or the God-incarnate or a man with divinity - but he always was and is even today considered as only a Messenger chosen by God.

MICHAEL H. HART in his recently published book on ratings of men who contributed towards the benefit and upliftment of mankind writes:
"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels." (M.H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York, 1978, p. 33)

K. S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO, an Indian Professor of Philosophy in his booklet, "Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam," calls him the "PERFECT MODEL FOR HUMAN LIFE." Prof. Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying:
"The personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad, the Prophet. There is Muhammad, the Warrior; Muhammad, the Businessman; Muhammad, the Statesman; Muhammad, the Orator; Muhammad, the Reformer; Muhammad, the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammad, the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad, the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad, the Judge; Muhammad, the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is alike a hero."

Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of MUHAMMAD (pbuh) have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of Muhammad's (pbuh) followers but also the inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased history.

The least YOU could do as a thinking and concerned human being is to stop for a moment and ask yourself: Could these statements sounding so extraordinary and revolutionary be really true? And supposing they really are true and you did not know this man MUHAMMAD (pbuh) or hear about him, isn't it time you responded to this tremendous challenge and put in some effort to know him?
It will cost you nothing but it may prove to be the beginning of a completely new era in your life.

We invite you to make a discovery of this wonderful man, MUHAMMAD (pbuh), the like of whom never walked on the face of this earth.

Danish Cartoons: Islam vs. Freedom of Expression?

2006-02-03T22:52:00.000+02:00

Sikander Ziad Hashmi, sunniforum.com

Cartoons are doing what so many couldn�t: Unifying Muslims across the globe.

On the other hand, a growing number of brave freedom-fighters, led by journalists, are standing up to �reaffirm the principle of free expression.� And non-Muslims are wondering why this unified outrage is a no-show when it comes to seemingly more important issues such as beheadings, honour killings, and suicide bombings.

As a Muslim journalist, that puts me in a tough spot, doesn�t it?

Well, not really.

Let�s get the facts straight. What exactly is the issue?

The Danish paper Jyllands-Posten printed a total of 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad last September, one showing him wearing a headdress shaped like a bomb with the kalimah inscribed on it, while another had him saying that paradise is running short of virgins for suicide bombers. A Norwegian publication reprinted the caricatures in January and publications in at least four other countries jumped on the bandwagon in the last couple of days to express their support for the principle of free expression.

Muslim outrage has spurred protests, kidnapping and death threats, boycotts of Danish products, and diplomatic spats. Danish dairy firm Arla Foods has announced 125 layoffs as a result of the boycott; national leaders have jumped into the foray, and even U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has issued a statement in an attempt to cool the growing crisis. Editors have been sacked in what�s seen to be an attack on editorial independence.

Media reports are quick to point out that Islamic traditions ban depictions of the Prophet. Thus, the understanding is that the outrage has been caused by the seemingly blatant disregard for this �Islamic taboo� by the publications in question, which is why Reporters Without Borders and other journalists and non-journalists alike are resisting, if not fighting, this wave of rage.

I�m pretty sure many outraged Muslims will also point to that as the source of their outrage.

But I ask: Would Muslims express an equal amount of outrage had the Prophet been shown in a positive light based on his teachings, perhaps instructing a would-be terrorist not to kill innocents?

Probably not. Yes, there might have been some disappointment over the depiction of the Prophet, but it wouldn�t be anywhere near what we�re seeing now.

Thus, the main issue here isn�t the depiction of the Prophet, but rather, the depiction of the Prophet in an incorrect and dishonest manner.

As a journalist, I truly value our freedom of expression and as my colleagues on this message board know, I attempt to stand by that principle whenever possible.

We all know that the right to free speech is an integral element of a democratic society. Those of us living in democratic societies enjoy that right on a daily basis.

However, no right is absolute. There are always limitations and exceptions.

I can express myself by screaming, for as long as I wish, but not to the detriment of my neighbours. Similarly, I can publish whatever I want, as long as I don�t tarnish anyone�s reputation by spreading lies or promote hatred against anyone.

I can even publicly express damaging, unflattering comments about someone, as long as they�re in the public interest and I don�t do it with malice.

The cartoons of the Prophet , especially the one with his headdress shaped like a bomb, can be given three general interpretations in today�s context:

a) He was a terrorist.
b) He supported terrorism.
c) Islam is a religion of terrorism, since he symbolizes the religion

Anyone who is familiar with the life and the teachings of the Prophet knows that he was not a terrorist. There is no such thing as a terrorist Prophet and if there was, it would mean he and his followers would live to terrorize others, which we know is certainly not the case.

Yes, he did lead and fight in battles. But since when did fighting wars become terrorism? If that�s the case, any leader that takes his nation to war should be considered a terrorist.

As for the second interpretation, once again, anyone who is familiar with the teachings of the Prophet knows that he did not support terrorism. He forbade the killing of innocents and even ordered his followers not to kill birds and other living creatures unnecessarily. And even though the Makkans had terrorized him and his followers, he did not retort with the same when he conquered Makkah later on, nor did he let any of the followers terrorize anyone either, even as victors.

As for the last possible interpretation, once again, if anyone studies the teachings of Allah and the Prophet Mohammad in their entirety, they will know that Islam is not a religion of terrorism. It�s just not true. Yes, there are groups and individuals who attempt to justify acts of terrorism through Islam, but that does not mean that Islam is a religion of terrorism. If it was a religion of terrorism, Muslims throughout history would have been terrorists, which just isn�t the case.

Therefore, we can conclude that if the cartoons are interpreted as a) and b), they are slanderous and libelous, or if they�re interpreted as c), they promote hate by branding all followers of Islam as terrorists, and since no one likes terrorists, people will naturally be led to hate Muslims.

This issue is not about Muslims hating freedom of expression. Rather, it is about the abuse of the freedom to spread hate and fuel stereotypes.

There is no doubt that the cartoons were originally published with malice and spite, to spread stereotypes and provoke a group that has already been victimized as a whole for the actions of a few.

But that’s not the only reason for the outrage.

The level of love and sentimental attachment many Muslims have for and with Mohammad is unparalleled, and may in fact be very difficult to comprehend for non-Muslims.

Think of your dead parents or grandparents that you loved dearly. If someone were to slander them publicly and make a mockery of them, how would you feel? Would you not react angrily and defend them?

You probably would, except the chances of anyone paying attention may be slim, since you would be alone, or perhaps have the support of a dozen or two people.

For Muslims, their beloved prophet has been slandered and mocked. He is not here to defend himself, so his followers have taken on the task, out of their love and devotion to him.

What we see now is the result of compounded anger, which isn’t always expressed in the wisest manner, especially when emotions are running high.

The issue of incorrect attribution is an important one. If Osama bin Laden was the subject of the cartoons, hardly anyone would complain.

Thus, it must be understood that Muslims are not attacking freedom of expression. Rather, they are reacting to hateful, mean-spirited distortions.

As for the question about why Muslims are so sensitive about cartoons while they don’t speak out against other seemingly important issues, the fact is that these cartoons of the Prophet have struck a common, emotional nerve across the Muslim world, while unfortunately, there is no unanimous agreement on the other issues, with which some Muslims obviously do not have a problem since they take part in or support those actions, such as beheadings, honour killings and suicide bombings. It doesn’t make it right, but that’s the reason behind the muted or disjointed response.

Some have complained about the boycotts in response to the cartoons. What’s wrong with Muslims exercising their freedom of choice? Boycotting is a common tactic for expressing displeasure, even if it doesn't directly affect those at the root of the displeasure.

In fact, in 2004, a group of Americans residing across the border from the Canadian town of Nelson, British Columbia threatened to boycott the town if it went ahead with the construction of a monument to U.S. Vietnam War draft dodgers. The construction of the monument was a form of expression, yet the town was threatened with severe economic repercussions if it had gone ahead with the construction of the monument. It didn’t.

Publishing and protesting are both forms of expression, and they must both be exercised within reasonable limits.

Muslims deserve an apology. And they seriously need to learn how to contain their emotions and express their displeasure using non-violent means.

But as long as the incorrect analysis of the issue as a “freedom of expression vs. Islamic stigma” battle remains, I'm afraid the vicious cycle of publications and protests, and more protests and more publications, will continue.

Allah is the GREATEST!

2006-02-03T19:11:00.000+02:00

If we have Allah in our lives we have everything, if we don't have HIM in our lives we have NOTHING...even though we might have all the material things of this world.

True contentment is found only in the obedience of Allah and following of the Sunnah of our Beloved prophet (Peace Be Upon Him).

The sinful soul is forever anxious and restless...to acquire true peace within ourselves we need to turn to the One who created peace, the source of all peace -ALLAH!

Comment and info on the disturbing slanders of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) in the form of insulting cartoons to follow soon insha Allah. Make Dua and let's bring the Sunnah in our lives.

Danish Newspaper insults the Beloved Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)!oppose this religious intolerance and insult now!

2006-01-30T17:58:00.000+02:00

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/

The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)

2006-01-27T18:27:00.000+02:00

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

2006-01-27T18:11:00.000+02:00

[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."

Poor Frog!

2006-01-23T18:20:00.000+02:00

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

Signs of Allah in Birds

2006-01-18T22:24:00.000+02:00

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.

The 90/10 Principle

2006-01-15T00:12:00.000+02:00

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!!!

3 VERY IMPORTANT SUNNATS

2006-01-12T18:01:00.000+02:00

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)

Sunnah Marriage Movement...

2006-01-10T22:16:00.000+02:00

http://sunnahmarriage.blogspot.com

PHILOSOPHY OF QURBAANI

2006-01-08T16:02:00.000+02:00

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

10 ways of developing love for Allah

2006-01-08T15:57:00.000+02:00

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.

Who does not have problems?

2005-12-27T19:37:00.000+02:00

Coping with Personal Problems

Sheikh Salman al-Oadah

Problems are a part of life. If it were not for distance and separation, people would never know the joy of meeting and reunion. If it were not for poverty, people would not know wealth. And if it were not for sorrow, people would not know joy.

In this manner, Allah has permitted the world to be a place of passage, where pleasure is accompanied by pain and laughter by tears, a world where the degree and severity of suffering is commensurate to the degree of happiness a person feels when that suffering goes away.

Every home has its problems, as does every office, corporation, and country. Every soul is afflicted with its own inner problems. When a person knows that his own self does not comply with what he wants from it and does not fulfill his expectations, and that it often shames him and disappoints him unbearably, then what can he possibly expect from others?

What can he hope to expect from the difficulties that arise from social interactions, whether they occur within a family setting, or among neighbors, or between colleagues and business partners, or with those who he meets on the road?

In spite of all this, the goodness, companionship, and human welfare that social interactions bring about can never be attained by a person who lives in isolation. The evils brought about by seclusion are far greater than the discomfort that comes from dealing with others.

How many people have tried to solve their problems by cutting off their dealings with others and going into seclusion? They seek to treat their ailments with something that is a sickness itself. They wind up longing to return to the very circumstances that they had so much detested before.

A woman feels that she can not stand to live with her husband's behavior any more and sees divorce as the only solution. Then when she gets what she wants, she feels like she is going to die of loneliness and starts to think of a way to undo what she had done.

An employee feels he can not bear his job any longer so he quits his job. After a while, though, he starts looking for people to intercede on his behalf as he repeatedly tries to get his job back.

This is why it is not sensible to hastily resort to severing ties, thinking that this is going to get to the root of the problem and make it just go away. This course of action can possibly cause much more suffering than before.

Specialists in problem management have set down the following practical steps for dealing with one's problems. These steps can be summarized as follows:
1. Perceiving and recognizing the problem.
2. Defining the problem correctly.
3. Research, examination, and fact finding, with a focus on pinpointing causes.
4. Setting down alternatives and options, then evaluating them and weighing their pros and cons.
5. Determining the option that will provide the best solution to the problem.

These steps can only be put into practice by a person who can approach his problems with a calm, level head. Reactions that are spontaneous and overemotional only serve to cloud a person's judgment, making it seem that the only solution is to completely divorce oneself from the source of the problem and with everything that in any way relates to it.

The problem could actually come from the deep within a person's character or personal history and cannot be simply shrugged off. It could also come from unavoidable circumstances outside of that person's control.

Often we besiege ourselves with problems and difficulties. This is not to say that those problems are not real. They definitely are. But we often have many good ways of getting around them. We do not have to dwell on them. We need to seek the help of Allah and cling hard to the firm handhold that He provides, repeating the words: "You alone we worship and You alone we beseech for help."

One of the supplications that the Prophets of old used to make goes as follows: "O Allah! Yours is the praise. You are the one whose help we seek. You are the one on whom we rely. Yours is the aid that we seek. There is no might and no strength except with Allah, the High and Mighty."

We can look at our problems as they really are and strive to get rid of them or at least minimize them, without letting them suffocate us or hold us back. Our problems must not make us stop working and living productive lives. We can also defer some problems that we cannot solve at the present time and wait for Allah, in whose hands rest all affairs, to relieve us of them

It is related from Ibn Mas`�d that Allah's Messenger said: "The best form of worship is to wait for relief." [Sunan al-Tirmidh� (3571), al-Bazz�r (Majma` al-Zaw�'id 10/147), and al-Bayhaq� in Shu`ab al-Im�n (7/204)] This narration, though, is weak. (1)

At the same time, there can be no doubt that expecting relief from Allah is a form of worship, since it is part of being patient. This brings to our attention an important yet often overlooked fact - that many problems can be solved, but not by jumping ahead of things. They must be approached one step at a time. Haste can lead to making our problems more deeply entrenched than they were before. Sometimes the best solution is to postpone action and be patient until the right opportunity comes along for a solution to be sought.

Patience, then, is necessary in all cases. Therefore, we have been encouraged - actually commanded - to be patient. The word patience, in all of its morphological forms, comes in the Qur'�n about 103 times. Without patience to beautify our deeds, our efforts come to nothing. This is what `Umar meant when he said: "We found the best of our lives in patience." [Al-Bukh�r� (6104)]

We can solve some problems with Allah's help, and we can minimize others. As for those problems for which we cannot find a solution, we can do our best to accommodate them. If a person were to take a small square, no bigger than the palm of his hand, and place it right in front of his eye, that small square would completely block his vision. The same thing can be said of problems when we make them larger than they actually are and give over to them a good share of our lives, thoughts, and feelings so they become a serious impediment to our moving forward and living productively. The classical Arabian poet Mutanabbih writes:

The eye of a small person makes small things look large
And the eye of a great person makes great calamities look small.

And

When a man grows accustomed to dwelling in the fear of death
Its arrival becomes the easiest possible event.

Without the least doubt, a person is going to face difficulties from his family, sometimes because they are worried about him, and sometimes because they are angry with him for violating their norms and customs, and sometimes because they love him, as love can bring about its own stresses.

He is going to face difficulties from society, from his school or university, from his job, and from the people he chooses to interact with.

Moreover, he is going to have to deal with difficulties emanating from within himself. Within him will be tendencies pulling him to do good and others pulling him to do evil. It will be as if his own inner condition is saying to him: "Why is it that I call you to salvation, yet you call me to the Fire?"

At the same time, this person, by way of supplication, devotion in prayer, and humility, will find Allah's help and support, and Allah will bless him the strength of will that he needs. He will also find help and support from his believing brethren who follow the same path.

Even when a problem springs from the inner depths of our being, we still must not let it bring us down. We must start afresh, take an assessment of our injuries, and bring our scattered wishes together. Then we must keep our eyes on the future instead of always looking back.

Is not Allah the one who is Oft Forgiving and accepts our repentance? Are not we human beings all prone to error? Our hearts can be cleansed with the knowledge that Allah is forgiving and by keeping hope before us. We must leave our vanities and base passions aside so they will not kill our souls. A believer takes refuge in his Lord and keeps the company of people who will help him overcome the obstacles along the way and help him to strengthen his resolve and his commitment. If he pulls himself up every time he stumbles, he will surely arrive.

(1) It is related by al-Bazz�r from Anas with a weak chain of transmission that contains an unknown narrator. Ibn al-Jawz� in al-`Ilal (2/864) and al-Fayd (2/44) declares the narration to be unauthentic.

Book Review: Remotely Controlled : How Television is damaging our lives and what we van do about it

2005-12-17T22:11:00.000+02:00

Remotely Controlledby Aric Sigman

INTRO AND EXTRACT:
http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/minisites/RemotelyControlled/

Review by Independent on Sunday

The figures are frightening: Britons currently spend an average of four hours a day watching television – that’s more than a 24-hour day per week. Television has become our national obsession: it is our main source of common experience; it affects the way we think and act and, according to psychologist and broadcaster Dr Aric Sigman, its hold over our lives is so significant that in some families, the television has greater influence over children than parents do.

In this insightful and shockingly perceptive assessment of our nation’s relationship with the small screen, Dr Aric Sigman reveals for the first time the alarming reality of what television is actually doing to us physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially. He provides evidence as to how television contributes to the rising global obesity rate by actually slowing our metabolic rate; stunts our children’s brain development; and is responsible for over half of all rapes and murders in the industrialised world. Yet Remotely Controlled is much more than an indictment of the dangers of watching television. Sigman aims to draw our awareness to the glaring imbalance in our lives and show us how we can re-establish control away from the remote control. He explores how exposure to greenery can counter the harmful effects of the screen and how replacing TV time with family and friend time will lead to happier, fuller and above all healthier lives. This book is a compelling read which will cause us all to take a step back and reassess our viewing habits.

AN EMAIL FOR YOUNG MUSLIMS

2005-12-10T20:16:00.000+02:00

O servants of Allah
Young Muslims of today
You wait impatiently everyday

For e-mail messages of the day
You log on several times a day
It makes you feel good

Then you hear "you got mail"
You cannot wait to read it
Some messages are good

From your friends and relatives
But most are plain junk
That waste your time
You delete them fast

Did you know 1400 years ago
Allah sent you a long e-mail
Through Angel Gabriel of course
Revealed upon the holy Prophet(p)

Did you open that e-mail?
Subj: Quran: the guide
Did you down load that file?
And book marked in your heart?

Had you opened that e-mail
You had read in it all
The stories of the prophets sent
The stories of nations destroyed
There are warning to the mankind
And guidance for your daily life

Good news and hope for the future
To bring you closer to Allah
e-mail for the young Muslim

Now,every morning when you wake up
Read this e-mail first
Saved in Quran,al-Furqan
Memorize and act upon
Dear young Muslims
The future of Islam

`~EID MUBARAK! ~`

2005-11-01T23:28:00.000+02:00

In the Name of Almighty Allah Most Beneficent, Most Merciful

Assalamualayqum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

Al Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil 'Aalameen was Salaatu was
Salaamu 'alaa Ashrafil Anbiyaa'e wal Mursaleen

"And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity;
and whatever good you sent forth for your souls
before you, you shall find it with Allah; for Allah
sees well all that you do."

[Surah Al-Baqara verse 110].

Wa Ba'd:
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Laa ilaaha illallah, wallahu Akbar.
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahi-l hamd.

The celebration of Eid ul-Fitr culminates a month of fasting wherein the faithful have spent their time praying and beseeching Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala for forgiveness and mercy. For many, the most glorious month of Ramadan was not just an abstention from food and drink. Rather, it was an exercise in patience and discipline. Eid-ul-Fitr is the celebration for those who fasted and obeyed Almighty Allah's rules and teachings. It is for those who spent the most wonderful and month of caring and sharing, the month of patience and the month of of constant Ibadah in complete devotion to Almighty Allah Rabbul Ala'meen. Eid is a time when the entire Muslim community comes together to share in each others joys and blessings and also to lessen the burden of those who are suffering.

It is preceded by people shopping and looking around for gifts for their near and dear ones. It is a time when the bright lights from homes and shops illuminates our life. We use this day and the following days to spread happiness and social harmony by visiting our friends and relatives and offering our Duahs to all those who have departed from the Doonya. Gifts are exchanged during Eid by young and old alike. We also visit the elderly and the sick. Eid is a time where all kinds or festivities prevail. Many of us gormandize to make up for "lost food" during the month of Ramadan.

However, with all the going around we some times forget our lesser privileged brethren. We forget that there are many out there who have nothing to celebrate. There are those among our brothers and sisters for whom Eid day is just another ordinary day. There are those who open their cupboards on Eid day and find them bare. There are those in hospitals who will go through a bleak and lonely day with no one visiting them. Friendless, deprived of company, they will have no one to offer solace or comfort. Let us therefore see to it that our deprived brethren welcome the day of Eid-ul-Fitr with warmth and hope. This, after all, is a day of caring and sharing and bringing joy and happiness to those who are less fortunate. This is the essence and message of this most wonderful day of reward.

As we buy gifts and clothes for our children, let us earmark a special sum for those who cannot afford to buy. We should also instill in our children a sense of compassion so that when they buy something they will also think of their unfortunate brethren. Let us teach them the art of giving, the art of caring and sharing. The desire of wishing for others what we would wish for ourselves. We should let them know that there are millions of children in war torn areas of Afghanistan, Palestine, Kashmir, Iraq and Chechnya, Bosnia, the Philippines and the Caucasus region, the poor and downtrodden areas of Africa, Asia and South America, and even in the forgotten ghettos of Europe and North America who do not have the basic necessities to make this day a different day - a day of joy and happiness, a day of rejoicing and thanksgiving.

This is a day for praying and remembering our unfortunate brothers and sisters who had survived the devastating earthquake in Pakistan and Kashmir. They need our help and as true Muslims we must do whatever is necessary to assist them in rebuilding their lives. We cannot divest ourselves from the misery of others. We cannot shrug it off saying that it does not concern us. To do this would be an injustice to humanity and to our Imaan. The Most Holy and Glorious Quran reminds us in verse 8 of Surah Al Ma'idah: "Be just: that is next to piety: and fear Allah for Allah is well acquainted with all that you do." Many of us donate money to charity and fulfill our religious duty. However, if we actually meet the recipients of our charity the perception of charity changes. There is a feeling of belonging when the recipients and givers meet.

Islamic ideology teaches us to be kind and compassionate. Our Beloved Nabee Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam said: "I and the provider of the orphan will be together." And what greater prize is there for anyone of us than to be around our beloved Nabee - Rahmatul Liel Ala'meen? All we need for that is Muhabbat, compassion, sincerity and a feeling of brotherhood and understanding. And that will decide the quality of our life on earth and the hereafter.

From the first moment that the light of Allah-wariness shines into the heart of a human being possessing faith, he or she becomes conscious of its worth and significance. Humility, modesty and kindness are proper only before Almighty Allah, Who created all the existents and the world of being with His Will, and human beings are His real servants. Basically, humility in front of the Most Exalted Creator of the heavens and the earth is itself the greatest source of human honour and dignity.

As Muslims we must remember that the vital force that lies within a pious person keeps him or her aware of the realities of life and he or she never gets swallowed up by the deep and shoreless sea of mundane things for the sake of enjoying life. That is because our intellect and souls are infused with the Truths of the Din of Haqq and we view everything in the perspective of an Islamic world view. Islam attaches so much value to the affairs of the faithful that their station of honour is mentioned along with the Majesty of Almighty Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala and His Beloved Nabee Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam in [part of] verse 8 of Surah Al Munafiqun:

"But honour belongs to Allah and His
Messenger and to the Believers."

O Ummatul Muslimeen! This is the humble Message of Eid to you, the believers of the Din of Haqq. Cure the ills of the world with the panacea you possess. The world will then know that this radical cure is possible only with the elixir still preserved in its pristine purity by the Ummah of Almighty Allah's Beloved - Nabee Muhammed al-Mustapha Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam. This is the essence and message of Eid-ul-Fitr - the day the Mala'eeka in heaven call it the Day of Youm-ul-Fa'iza - the day of Great Reward.

And Almighty Allah knows best.

Baarak Allaahu Feekum wa-sal Allaahu wa-Sallam 'alaa
Nabiyyinaa Muhammad Sallallahoo Alayhi Wasallam.

Was Salamualaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuhu

Sunnat No.4 Using the Miswaak

2005-10-21T18:58:00.002+02:00

Using the Miswak is a rewarding and beneficial Sunnah.

http://www.miraclebrush.com

Sunnat No.2 + 3

2005-10-13T20:56:00.000+02:00

Sunnat No. 2

It is recommended to break our fast with dates , as our Beloved Prophet ( Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) used to do.

"Break your fast by eating dates as it is purifying" (Narrated by Ahmed)

Characteristics and Benefits of dates:

http://www.islam-online.net/English/Science/2000/7/article5.shtml

Sunnat No.3

Reciting Qur'aan before sleeping

Sayyidina Shaddad Ibn Aws (Radiallahu 'anhu) Narrates that Nabi (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) said, " Allah Ta'ala appoints an angel to protect the person who recites any Surah of the Qur'aan Majid before going to bed. This angel protects the person till he awakens." - Ad-Dua, Page 275 / Fathul Bari, Vol. 11, Page 125

Reward for Helping Others

2005-10-03T21:04:00.000+02:00

Ibn Abbas narrated, Once I was in a state of itikaaf in the Prophet's Mosque (Medina). A certain person came to me and sat down. I said to him, 'O so and so, you look sad'. He said, 'Yes of course, o fraternal brother of the Prophet. So-and-so has his due on me, and by the one who lies in eternal peace in the grave (i.e. Prophet Muhammad), I am not able to pay the debt' I said, 'Should I not talk to him about your debt?' He said, 'You can do so if you like' There upon I put my shoes on and went out of the mosque. The person asked him, 'Have you forgotten the state you were in (i.e. itikaaf)?' I replied, 'Not at all, but I have heard from the one who lies in eternal peace in the grave [saying this his eyes became filled with tears], said:

"One who moves to fulfill any need of his brother, and makes effort for it, will find it better than itikaaf of ten years; and one who performs itikaaf for one day for the pleasure of Allah, he will create a distance of three ditches between him and the hell - and each ditch has a width which lies between East and West, or between the heaven and earth."

Source: Al Targhib Vol II p 272.

By the blessings of Allah, we are approaching another Ramadan. For most of us, we feel a little taste of hunger during this month only. But there are billions for whom it is a matter of daily life. Let us get immense rewards by helping our needy brothers and sisters around the world during this month of generosity.

Courtesy: Islamcan.com

Some Health Guidelines for Ramadhaan

2005-10-03T20:25:00.000+02:00

How fortunate we are to be the Ummat of Rasulullah, Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallum. One of the miracles handed down to us is the month of Ramadhaan. Our Allah Subahanahu Watha'ala, who created us, has granted us a way in which we can cleanse ourselves, physically as well as spiritually. This extra ordinary month will only be of benefit to those of us who take advantage of it. Allah Subahanahu Watha'ala has promised us rewards during this month beyond our expectations, only limited by his generosity and mercy. And we know that Allah Subahanahu Watha'ala is most generous and most merciful.

Here is some useful advice on how to avoid common problems that occur during
Ramadhaan. If followed, it would enable one to fast comfortably and enjoy fully the spiritual benefits of Ramadhaan. Ramadhaan is a time of Ibadat. Hunger and thirst can cause us to lose the purpose of Ramadhaan.

Detox yourself

If you are in the habit of drinking many cups of tea or coffee or caffeine -containing drinks during the day, please start reducing over a period of 1-2 weeks before Ramadhaan.
Tea and coffee contain caffeine, an addictive substance that causes severe headaches on withdrawal.
If you are a smoker, please start reducing 1-2 weeks before Ramadhaan. Ramadhaan is an ideal month to stop smoking completely.

The foods we eat

During Ramadhaan, our diet should not differ very much from our normal diet and should be as simple as possible. The diet should be such that we maintain our normal weight, neither losing nor gaining. However, if one is over-weight, Ramadhaan is an ideal time to normalize one's weight. In view of the long hours of fasting, we should consume slow digesting foods including fibre foods rather than fast-digesting foods. Slow digesting foods last between 8-12 hours, while fast digesting foods last for only 2-4 hours.

Slow-digesting foods are foods that contain grains and seeds like barley,
wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, etc; whole meal flour; whole meal
pasta; unpolished rice; etc (called complex carbohydrates).

Fast-digesting foods are foods that contain sugar, white flour, white rice,
white pasta, etc. (called refined carbohydrates).

Fibre-containing foods are bran-containing foods, like cereals; whole wheat or whole meal flour; grains and seeds, like beans and lentils; vegetables like green beans, peas, sem (papry), marrow, mealies, spinach, methie, leaves of beetroot (iron rich), etc.; fruit with skin, dried fruit especially dried apricots, figs, prunes, etc.; and nuts like almonds; etc.
The foods should be well-balanced, containing foods from each food group, i.e.,
fruits, vegetables, meat/chicken/fish, bread/cereals and dairy products. Foods from each food group should be eaten daily.

Fried foods are unhealthy and should be limited. They cause indigestion, heart burn, weight problems and blocking of arteries especially in the heart and brain.

AVOID

fried and fatty foods.
Spicy foods and sauces.
Foods containing too much sugar and refined carbohydrates.
Over-eating at Sehrie (Suhur) and Iftaar.
Caffiene-containing drinks like tea, coffee, colas, etc. Tea makes you pass
more urine taking with it valuable mineral salts that your body would need
during the long day of fasting.
Smoking.

EAT

· Complex Carbohydrates at Sehri (Suhur) so that the food lasts longer making
you less hungry. (Muesli, bran-containing cereals, whole meal or brown
bread, beans, lentils,etc.)
· Haleem, a soup made from barley and wheat is an excellent source of slowburning
food and protein.
· Dates are an excellent source of sugar, fibre, carbohydrates, potassium and
magnesium.
· Almonds are rich in protein and fibre with less fat. Ground almonds and milk
make a healthy drink.
· Bananas are a good source of carbohydrates, potassium and magnesium.
· Eat oven-grilled samoosas rather than fried samoosas.

DRINK

Drink as much water, sports drinks, containing potassium or fruit juices as possible
between Iftaar and bedtime so that your body may adjust fluid levels for the next day.

Some Problems

Constipation

Constipation can cause piles (haemorrhoids), fissures (painful cracks in anal canal) and indigestion with a bloated feeling.

Causes: Too much refined carbohydrates, too little water and not enough fibre in
the diet.

Remedy: Increase fibre intake and complex carbohydrates, increase water intake,use bran for baking, use brown flour when making bread (roti).

Indigestion and "Wind"

Causes: Over-eating. Too much fried and fatty foods, spicy foods and foods that
produce wind, e.g., eggs, cabbage, lentils, beans, carbonated drinks, etc.

Remedy: Do not over-eat, drink adequate amounts of water and fruit juices. Avoid fried and fatty foods. Add tymol or celery seeds (ajmor) to lentils and beans to lessen wind production.

Lethargy ("Low blood pressure")

Weakness, tiredness, lack of energy, dizziness especially on getting up from a lying or sitting position, pale appearance and feeling faint, are symptoms associated with low blood pressure. This tends to occur at the end of the day when Ibadah is so important.

Causes: Too little fluid intake, decreased salt intake, not eating enough at Sehri and Iftaar.

Remedy: Increase fluid and salt intake. Eat enough to sustain you through the next day. Drink at least 1 litre of sports drinks between Iftaar and bedtime.

Caution: Low blood pressure should be confirmed by taking a reading when symptoms are present. Persons with high blood pressure may need their medication adjusted for the month of Ramadhaan. Diuretics should be avoided.

Headaches

Causes: Caffiene and tobacco withdrawal, doing too much during the day, lack of sleep, hunger (usually occurs at the end of the day), stress, etc.

Remedy: Cut down or stop caffeine containing drinks 1-2 weeks before Ramadhaan. Herbal teas and caffeine-free coffee may be substituted. Re-organise your schedule so as to have adequate time to do the necessary things and to have adequate rest and sleep.

Low Blood Sugar

Weakness, dizziness, tiredness, poor concentration, feeling shaky (tremor), unable to do physical activities, headache, palpitations are symptoms of low blood sugar.

Causes: Consuming too much sugar-containing foods, i.e., refined
carbohydrates especially at sehri (suhur).

Remedy: Limit sugar-containing foods and drinks at sehri (suhur). Eat more
complex carbohydrates. This applies to non-diabetics. Diabetics will need to adjust their medications during Ramadhaan. Please consult your doctor.

Muscle Cramps

Causes: Inadequate intake of calcium or magnesium-containing foods.

Remedy: Eat foods rich in above minerals, e.g., fruit and vegetables, dairy products, meat dried fruit and dates.

Caution: Those on high blood pressure medication or those prone to kidney stones should consult their doctor.

Heartburn, Gastritis, Hiatus Hernia and "Peptic Ulcers"

Causes: Increased acid levels in an empty stomach during Ramadhaan can
aggravate the above conditions. It presents as a burning pain in the
stomach area and under the ribs radiating up the chest to the throat.
Spicy foods, especially sauces, coffee and Cola drinks, fatty and fried
foods.

Remedy: Avoid all the above foods. Do not over-eat. Have small meals rather than one big meal, e.g., small Iftaar and a snack after Taraweeh salaah.
Medications are available (PPIs) to control acid levels in the stomach.
These should be taken daily for the whole month of Ramadhaan.

Kidney Stones

Kidney stones may not present themselves for months to years after they are formed.

Causes: Some people have a tendency to produce stones in the kidney. Other
causes include not drinking enough liquids to flush out the kidneys.

Remedy: Drink excessive amounts of liquid between Iftaar and bedtime. Those
prone to kidney stones must also decrease their calcium intake, e.g., dairy
products.

Joint Pains

Causes: During Ramadhaan, when extra salaah are performed, the pressure on the knee joints increases. In the elderly, and those with arthritis, this may
result in pain, stiffness, swelling and discomfort.

Remedy: Lose weight so that the knees do not have to carry extra loads. Exercise the lower limbs before Ramadhaan (walking 30-45 minutes 3 times a week) so that they can be prepared for the additional strain. Being physically fit
allows greater fulfillment of physical obligations thereby enabling one to
be able to perform salaah with ease.

Dr. Farouk Haffejee
drh@rrmc.co.za for further information.
Islamic Medical Association of South Africa
P O Box 48786,
Qualbert,
Durban, 4078
SOUTH AFRICA
031 - 207 2250 Fax: 031 - 207 2260

Sunnat No.1 Upon Awakening...

2005-09-28T22:52:00.000+02:00

As salaamu alaikum Warahmatullah

Insha Allah, every week we will be posting up a simple Sunnat that we can easily implement in our lives . Lets make a concerted intention and effort to practise on them and enhance our lives by practically displaying our love for our Beloved Prophet Muhammed (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam). May Allah Ta'ala grant us the ability to be steadfast on the Holy Qur'aan and Sunnah, ameen.

1) Sunnat Upon Awakening:

Immediately upon awakening, rub the face and eyes with both hands to remove the effects of sleep. (Shamaa'il Tirmidhi)

Dua when Ramadhaan Approaches

2005-09-26T20:54:00.000+02:00

It is reported from Hadhrat Ubadah bin Samit(radhiyallahu anhu) that: Sayyidina Rasulullah(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) used to teach us these words (dua) when Ramadhaan approached:

Allahumma sal-limni li-ramadhaana wa-sal-lim ramadhaana li wa-sal-limhu li muta-qab-bala

" O Allah! Protect me (from such sicknesses, diseases, etc. that will prevent me from observing the fast of Ramadhaan, make the month of Ramadhaan clear for me (let not the crescent be obscure in the beginning and end of Ramadhaan for fear that a doubt may arise in the observance and omission of fasting) and save me from sins in the month of Ramadhaan so that my acts of worship are accepted and not nullified."

[Hayatus Sahabah Vol. 3 Pg. 275]

Courtesy: http://www.everymuslim.com/

Ramadan Fever

2005-09-22T18:48:00.000+02:00

by: Abu Sumaiya

The heat is on!

Once a year a dramatic change occurs in the Muslim community. Once a year Icky baby and the Sam' becomes Iqbal and Sameera. Off come the baggy jeans, the Nike 180's and the Raiders cap. On come the yellow Shalwar Kameez (clothes most Pakistanis wear), the brylcreamed hairstyle which glues on that terribly uncool Towpee (cap) and in comes the miswak in the top pocket, making you look like something like "Karachi cops".

It's during this HOLY month of Ramadan that we ditch the daytime raves and the frequent visit to the library (and we don't mean for the reference section) and begin to act it out. Icky baby becomes temporarily religious.

It's a sort of spooky feeling. The Mosques are full and your feel good. Good cos' you've done your bit for the year. One by one you scratch the days from your Ramadan timetable that your dad brought back from the Mosque-and then-thank crunchie it's Eid.

Eid Mubarak!

The Mosques again becomes museums for the old and for those deprived "ACHA BACHA" - a good baby. The crease-free shalwar kameez comes off and comes the baggy jeans, whilst the libraries reopen for "business as usual". Just 11 more months of "freedom" to go before the smelly breath season come back with vengeance.

Year after year it goes on, almost as a ritual. You know it's rough. Yet Allah (swt) is Al-Rahman and Al-Raheem as we are told by our parents (who probably also have gone through this). And anyway religion is for the old men in the mosques - with smelly breaths, and beards that sweep the floor everytime they walk from one end of the mosque to the other.

Religion is for those "fundies"(fundamentalists) at school/college, the "weirdoes" who only talk to the opposite sex about the benefits of the Khilafah ruling system or the fallacies of Western ideology such as Capitalism and Marxist Philosophy. (i.e. try saying that in one breath!).

The Game

So you go around playing this game. It's like an endless spiral. You think you're a rebel or tough - yet you're just one of the pack - a zombie, conforming to master-plan, when you turn 40 you grow your beard and take your seat in front row of the mosque, invest in a miswak, pack your bags for Hajj, and then everything is gonna be safe! - well no! It doesn't quite work like that. The million dollar question is will you ever turn 40?

Game Over

Suppose you die. Just suppose you snuff it before you turn 40? What then? It could severely damage that master-plan of yours. Alright, the chances may look slim yet the stakes are high. Nobody knows when he or she is going to die. Just suppose you're locked up in a room and there's no way out. Just suppose there's a time bomb - ticket away in this room. Now if this bomb has "6 days" on it you would probably turn "fundy" and spend all six days reading namaz (salah). Just suppose the bomb had a "?" on it? What then? That's exactly how life is!!! A ticking bomb with a "?" on it, you never know when it's gonna blow-up.

Wherever you are, death will find you. Even if you are in tower built up strong and high!" (Translation of the meaning of the Qu'ran)

30 days or a lifetime?

And anyway, even if you do go along with this "dodgy" game, don't you think your Creator will know your intention? Many people have sussed out Islam as a blind faith or and emotional/spiritual/spooky belief which leaves you a contemplating rationally about the meanings of life.

Where did you come from? Why are we here? Or the question that puts a dampner on all raves, "what's going to happen to us when we die?" Islam asks us to answer these vital questions and come to a conclusion, the correct one.

Islam doesn't rely on the dodgy culture we are brought up with either from our parents or from the Molvi-Saab (imam). Islam is far from being a "religion" as it is often coined in the media. Islam is a complete system of life - with solutions to all our problems be it for Muslims or non-Muslims.

Check out Islam for yourself and free yourself from this shallow zombie-like culture. Before your credits run out! Word out!

Remember there is no Life or Dignity without Islam.

"O you who believe answer the call of Allah(swt) and His Messenger to that which gives you Life." (8:24)

A Quick Checklist For Ramadan

2005-09-22T17:56:00.000+02:00

Just a few resolutions we could make for this Ramadan insha Allah .By no means comprehensive and in no particular order...

� Make a resolve to win the maximum favour of Allah: perform extra voluntary prayers (Nawaafil), make frequent Du'a and increase remembrance (Dhikr).

� Try to recite some Quran after every Prayer. In fact if you read 3-4 pages after every Prayer you can easily finish the entire Quran in Ramadan! Study the Quranic Tafseer (commentary) every morning.

*Revive as many Sunnahs as possible in this Glorious Month and continue with this the effort after Ramadan.

� Seek the rare and oft-neglected rewards of 'the night better than a 1000 months', Laylatul-Qadr.

� Weep in private for the forgiveness of your sins: It is the month of forgiveness and Allah's Mercy! It's never too late.

� Learn to control your tongue and lower your gaze. Remember the Prophet's warning that lying, backbiting, and a lustful gaze all violate the fast! Abandon foul language forever.

� Encourage others to enjoin and love goodness, and to abandon everything evil. Play the role of a Da'ee (one who invites to Allah) with passion and sympathy.

� Experience the joy of Tahajjud prayers late at night and devote yourself purely and fully to Allah in the I'tikaf retreat during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
� Invite a person you are not very close with to your home for Iftar, at least once a week. You will notice the blessings in your relationships!

� Bring life to your family! Everyday, try to spend some quality time with your family and to understand each other better.

� Give gifts to at least 5 people: 2 to your family members, 2 to your good friends, and 1 to a person whom you love purely for the sake of Allah.

� Commit to an Islamic study circle to enhance your Islamic knowledge and practice. Plan to complete reading a book on Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam)'s life in these 30 days.

� Donate generously to the masajid, Islamic organizations, and any where people are in need. "This is a month of sharing!"

� Share Ramadan and its teachings of love & patience with your neighbours. Learn how at: http://www.soundvision.com/info/ramadan/

� Initiate a project to promote or revive a 'forgotten' social cause in the Muslim and non-Muslim community: fight against racism, AIDS, drugs, cancer, smoking etc.

� Did you know, our society, which constitutes only 20% of world's population, actually consumes 80% of world's resources! Volunteer at food bank or Anti-Poverty campaign, while fasting!

Slightly edited version of the original article from www.soundvision.com

A TRUE FRIEND!!!!

2005-09-13T21:16:00.000+02:00

Our Beloved Nabi (Sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam) has said something to the effect that a heart that holds no portion of the Qur'aan is like a deserted house.

...think... spooky...think ...abandonement...think...loneliness......think scary...think unhappiness

To Attain TRUE happiness and contentment, RECITE Al-Qur'aan Al Kareem!!!

TRY IT! Depressed? Down? Recite AL QUR'AANUL KAREEM and let the Nur of the Beautiful Words of your Creator permeate every cell of your body and purify your mind and soul.

Allow yourself to experience ecstacy like never before...RECITE Al-QUR'AANUL KAREEM!!!

Ramadhaan is around the bend, let's increase recitation in the run-up to Ramadhaan...insha Allah let us make the intention that " THIS RAMADHAAN I am going to exert myself in the way of the Holy Qur'aan, in a way that I haven't before. THIS RAMADHAAN I am going to become close to the Qur'aan cleanse my rusty heart.THIS RAMADHAAN I will become a close friend of the Qur'aan!"

A friend in need, is a friend indeed>>>>>>>>Become a friend of the Qur'aan and it will help you when YOU really need it. It will help you in THIS WORLD. It will help you in your GRAVE.IT will help you the THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT. This friend won't let you down! This friend is Truthful and Dedicated...THIS is YOUR TRUE FRIEND...OUR TRUE FRIEND!!!!!! It's up to us...Will we accept this friendship or reject it?...Let us think carefully...

... PONDER...REFLECT...INTROSPECT...

Let us be true to ourselves....Let us befriend the Holy Qur'aan. Let us remember ALLAH Doesn't need us to recite the Qur'aan...We need the Qur'aan to guide US!

Quran: Witness the Miracle

2005-09-11T16:05:00.000+02:00

By Khalid Baig

Night after night in Ramadan, the believers witness a unique spectacle at mosques around the world. They stand in special Taraveeh prayers in which the prayer leader will recite the entire Quran from memory. Those who have accomplished this extraordinary feat of memorizing all of the 6246 verses are not a handful of devotees but there are hundreds of thousands of them. Most, just like most Muslims in the world today, do not speak Arabic. Yet they have painstakingly learnt to pronounce each and every word of the Quran correctly. The phenomenon is not a result of some religious resurgence that would pass. From the very first day that the Quran was revealed, it was memorized. And the number of those who have memorized it has been increasing ever since. Memorization of Quran has been going on all through the centuries, all over the globe wherever Muslims are.

There are other religions that claim to possess the Word of God. There are none that can show a book that has commanded anything remotely comparable to this level of devotion. Quran is the most read and the only completely memorized book in the whole world. It is also the most studied book in the world.
It has stimulated development of entire disciplines of knowledge dealing with its reading, writing, and interpretation.

Miraculous as it is, this is not the only unique aspect of the Quran.

Quran was the first book in the Arabic language. Yet fourteen centuries later, its language is as alive as it was when it was revealed. And there is no other example when the very first book in a language became any masterpiece let alone the eternal masterpiece that Quran is.

This Book is meant to command and guide humanity until the end of time. That the passage of fourteen centuries has not made the slightest dent in its language or literary beauty is only one evidence of that unique role; its contents have also been unassailable by the passage of time. It makes statements of scientific facts that science would discover centuries later but none that science could ever refute. It tells about ancient history, like the civilization of the 'Aad people in the Empty Quarter of the Arabian desert that no other historical sources, then or since, contain any information about. Yet, its veracity has only recently been verified by scientific discoveries. Above all, it provides a system of beliefs and a code of conduct for life which is as relevant, illuminating, and true today as it was fourteen centuries earlier and during all the centuries in between.

The believers know that this Book had to be above space and time because this is the Word of the Creator of space and time. And He has promised that it will always be above space and time. But those who are looking from the outside and are just curious may consider these additional facts:

· Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, did not go to any school, study from any teacher, or even learn how to read and write. He even had no interest in poetry, which was one of the most prized disciplines of his time. Yet suddenly at age forty, he began to recite this marvelous revelation.

· The style of Quran is very distinct from the words of the Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, himself, which also have been preserved in Hadith collections. His own sayings are embodiments of eloquence, but they have a different style. Moreover, they clearly are the words of a human being. Although never deviating from the truth, they do show human emotions and the effects of the circumstances in which they were said. Quran, on the other hand, never shows the slightest trace of these effects. It always speaks from above.

· It was revealed over a twenty-three year period and covers a very wide range of subjects yet it shows neither a gradual development of style nor any self- contradictions in the voluminous text. · The twenty-three years of Prophetic life was not a period spent in isolation. He did not retire to a cave to produce this miraculous work. The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, did spend long periods of time in quiet meditation in Cave Hira before becoming a Prophet. But after Prophethood was conferred upon him, his life was one of constant struggle with the pagans, and later the Jews, of Arabia who spared no effort to stop and persecute him. It was during this period of persecution, wars, campaigns, and solving problems associated with the bringing about of greatest civilizational revolution of all times --- an extremely busy and challenging period --- that Quranic Revelation was also received and compiled.

· The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, himself was most deeply moved by the Book. He used to stand for hours in solitary midnight prayers reciting from the Book until his feet used to get swollen. How preposterous that one should attempt to attribute the Book to him. Has there ever been another example of somebody getting so moved by his own words?

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the evidence that proves Quran to be the Word of God. Scholars have written books expounding the miracle of miracles that Quran is. But even this small sampler may propel an inquiring mind to go and read the Book himself.

To read this Book with an open mind is to believe in it. Those who sincerely seek guidance will find their questions answered, their confusions removed, their problems solved in its pages. From the beginning until the end, every word in the Quran tells the reader that it is the Word of Allah. And those who ignore it do so at their own peril.

"And if you are in doubt as to what We have revealed to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (if there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true. But if you cannot - and of a surety you cannot - then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones which is prepared for those who reject Faith." [Al-Baqarah 2:23-24]

Fleeing from De@th..

2005-09-09T22:47:00.000+02:00

One day before noon a noble man arrived and ran into Sulayman's hall of justice, for Sulayman (AS) was famed far and wide for his ability as a judge. The man's face was pale with anxiety and fear and his lips were blue.

Sulayman (AS) said, "What is the matter?"

He replied, "Azra'il, the angel of death, gave me such a look, full of anger and hatred."

Sulayman (AS) said,"What do you desire of me? Ask me right away."The noble man said,"Tell the wind to carry me from here to India.. Maybe, in this way I can save my life."

Sulayman (AS) had great power, and he recommanded the wind to carry the man to India. Now, Sulayman (AS) was a great prophet, and would often meet and sit with the Angel of Death. The very next day, he asked Azra'il,

"Did you look at that Muslim with an expession of anger and hatred in order to drive him into exile from his home?"

Azra'il said,"When did I look at him angrily? I saw him as I passed by and looked at him in astonishment, because Allah had told me, "Today you will take his spirit in India." I said to myself in amazement, "Even if he had a hundred wings, it is a long way for him to be India today."
So look at all the affairs of the world and open your eyes and see! From whom shall we run away? From ourselves? How absurd! From whom shall we take ourselves away? From Allah? What a crime!

The Thirty-Second Quiz

2005-09-04T10:30:00.002+02:00

Author Unknown

Don't bother getting a pen and paper... just read... If you can't answer them, just keep going.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Olympics.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.

5. Name five entrants in the Guinness Book of Records.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They're the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Now here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. Name three teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worth while.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson?

The people who make a difference in your life aren't the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They're the ones who care.

(Wishing you a BEAUTIFUL day!)

~I cannot go forward for I have much to regret~

2005-08-28T20:33:00.000+01:00

by Sister Ameera

Every single one of us human beings today is well accustomed to such a state of being or feeling. It strikes us, unfortunately, often, in our lives, careful as we might be in avoiding situations that give rise to it. It strikes us when we least expect it – one minute we are sure that whatever we are doing, or whatever we have done, was perfect. And then, out of the blue, something goes wrong and regret clutches our throat and we sink into despair.

Oh, why did I have to do it that way? Why didn’t I think? If only I had…

Such thoughts are common to us all. When we reach the end of the road and look back to find nothing but blackness, we are overcome with regret and remorse. Oh, if time would only turn back and everything could be done all over again. But time and tide wait for none, as the saying goes, and those who have lost something in this wave cannot regain it by any humanly means. I am talking of such things that often are not material… but abstract.

I cannot say confidently whether I regret many decisions and situations in my life, so far. Alhamdolillah, there have not been many such occasions. However, I have come to realize that regret is terrible and it brings along so much despair and sorrow that one must take utmost care to avoid it. This is, of course, obvious, you may say – who would like to face regret? But this is exactly what brings me to my point.

If regret is so painful for us today in our daily lives, concerning – often – material possessions or wishes, then what would it be like on the Day of Judgment? Can a day of this present world and time be comparable with the time – or rather no time at all – on the Day of Judgment?

This seems like small talk but deep meanings are hidden within it, as I very recently came to realize myself.

We have been told of the scenario on the Day of Judgment by many people and consequently, a picture has formed in my mind as well. Try and imagine this…

I can’t say anything… it is as if my mouth is dry inside and all voice has died within me. There are multitudes of people all around me, pouring in from all directions, looking around at this place… Their mouths are open too, like mine, but I can hear no words. But oh! Where is all this painful noise coming from? This horrible screeching sound… This place… we were warned about this, I think…Oh… oh! The mountains… they are dissolving – oh! This is terrible… oh, what is going on? It is so hot here… there is no shade, nothing as far as my numb eyes can see! My heart is beating in my throat. The ground is heaving beneath me! Help me, please! Somebody, please shelter me from this darkness and despair! Oh Allah, save us… what is this place… I never dreamed of something like this, ever. I can’t bear this shock, this horror…

Nobody is looking at me. Where is my family? My mother? My father? My Sisters and brothers? My children? Why has everyone deserted me? Am I alone? Then is this really the Day of Judgment?

As soon as this truth hits me, I can move no further. I drop to my knees and stare open-mouthed at the confusion all round me. I was trying to deny the existence of this Day until now. But it is here, surely… Allah’s promises in the Quran were all true! Oh, how soon this day has come! And new thoughts now come to my mind… In the middle of all this confusion, I hear voices in my head, my own voice coming from different directions…
‘Why did you not say the truth that day?’
‘Why had you engaged in back-biting about that person?’
‘Why did you read that American/Western fiction novel? Why didn’t you read the Quran during that time?’
‘Why did you delay your Salat for the sake of that T.V. drama or movie?’
‘Why did you change the T.V. channel when an Islamic program came on air?’
‘Why did you turn away the beggar when your purse was full of money you were going to spend on your material wishes and whims?’
‘Why did you ridicule the person who avoided the use of obscenities while you yourself used them in normal conversation?’
‘Why did you chose to dress up, for meager pleasure, the way that Allah disliked?’
‘Why did you idolize singers, actors, actresses and spend a major part of your life proving yourself as the true ‘fan’ and turn away from what was most important – the Quran, and Sunnah of the Prophet?’
‘Why did you spend all your time dreaming of going to America, England or Canada while this time could have been used in remembering Allah?’

Why? Why? Why?

The questions did not end there. I tried to pacify myself to some extent, argued with my conscience that I had offered Salat, kept fasts, performed Umrah, Hajj, paid Zakat… wasn’t that helpful?

Why, then, did I regret? Why did I regret doing so many things in my life… things so meaningless now, so useless… so immaterial?

And now, I am being handed the Statement of my Deeds and being ordered to come forward for the final judgment. Oh, would the earth swallow me up… would I cease to exist right now… I cannot go forward for I have much to regret.

It is often the ‘small things’ that we do in our day-to-day life that, unfortunately, will be a cause of regret to us on the Day of Judgment. Who shall care on that Day that This Famous movie actress was born on so-and-so date or she married so-and-so times? Who will care that the T.V. serial you had been following for seven years had finally ended just as you had thought it would? Who would care that you saw the movie, Titanic, five – or even twenty – times? Who would care that you had met so-and-so movie star and got his autograph? Who would care that you had read so-and-so novel so many times that the pages had been reduced to tatters?

You, yourself, would hardly care. However, you would realize suddenly that in the Sight of Allah, it was all worthless… and that is when regret shall be born.

‘All that time and energy could have been spent – should have been spent – in the Way of Allah.’

I have come to reply on one simple means to reduce the chances of facing regret on the Day of Judgment and I pray to Allah turn my efforts into successes (Ameen). I am sharing this with you:Whenever you begin any work or any activity, pause for a while and ask yourself,‘Am I about to do something which I will regret on the Day of Judgment?’

Do not engage yourself completely in the world so that in the Hereafter you have much to regret.

May Allah guide us towards the Path that He loves most and shower His Mercy and Beneficence upon all of us on the Day of Judgment. Ameen.

FARSHID TURAAB

2005-08-27T19:42:00.000+01:00

A beautiful nasheed entitled Fashid Turab:

http://saaid.net/flash/Frshy_eTurab.swf

The translation :

Dust is my bed, embraces me and it’s my cover now
The sand surrounds me even behind my back
And the grave tells a dankness of my affliction
And the brightness draws a line……………
Where is my family’s love? They sold my loyalty!
And where is my group of friends? They left my brotherhood!
Where is the bliss of money? It’s behind my back now
And my name (reputation) where is it shine between praises
This is my end and this is my bed
And love farewells its longing and my elegizing cried
And the tears went dry after crying
And the universe became narrow and so is my space
And the grave became my ground and sky
This is my end and this is my bed
Fear fills my estrangement and sadness is my illness
I expect firmness and I swear it’s my cure
And for Allah i pray faithfully, you are my hope
Allah! I desire heaven, to find bliss in it
And for Allah i pray faithfully, you are my hope
Allah! I desire heaven, to find bliss in it

THE ARABIC:

فرشي التراب يضمني وهو غطائي
حولي الرمال تلفني بل من ورائي
واللحد يحكي ظلمة فيها ابتلائي
والنور خط كتابه أنسى لقائي
والأهل اين حنانهم باعوا وفائي
والصحب اين جموعهم تركوا اخائي
والمال اين هناءه صار ورائي
والاسم اين بريقه بين الثناءِ
هذي نهاية حالي فرشي الترابِ
والحب ودّع شوقه وبكى رثائي
والدمع جف مسيره بعد البكاء
والكون ضاق بوسعه ضاقت فضائي
فاللحد صار بجثتي أرضي سمائي
هذي نهاية حالي فرشي الترابِ
والخوف يملأ غربتي والحزن دائي
أرجو الثبات وإنه قسما دوائي
والرب أدعو مخلصا أنت رجائي
أبغي إلهي جنة فيها هنائي

Courtesy: www.islam.forumwise.com

Ayyub (A.S): An Example of Faith and Patience

2005-08-25T17:43:00.000+01:00

The story of Ayyub (Job) gives consolation to all those who are ill
or deprived of wealth or children.

The angels were discussing the conditions of mankind, their
obedience and disobedience. One of them said that Ayyub was the best
man on earth. He was an obedient believer, always praying to Allah.
Allah blessed Ayyub to be wealthy for eighty years. During this time
he never forgot to worship or thank Allah. He shared his wealth with the poor and clothed the naked.

Satan could not believe that there was a servant as sincere as
Ayyub. Satan thought that his wealth was the reason for his
sincerity, so he asked Allah for power to take away Ayyub's wealth
with the intentions to mislead him. He reacted to his lost by saying
that the wealth belongs to Allah and I thank him for what he has
granted me and I thank .him for what he has taken. He then kneeled
down in prayer. This made Satan angry.

Satan tried twice to mislead Ayyub after losing his wealth by asking
Allah for power to take away his children and health. Allah
(subhanahu wa ta'ala) said I will give you power over his body, but
I warn you against approaching his soul, tongue, and heart, because
in them lies the secret of Faith. Ayyub acted in the same manner as
when his wealth was taken away from him.

Satan realized that he couldn't misguide Ayyub, so he went to his
wife to mislead her, by reminding her of their previous life style.
Satan was successful in misleading his wife. This led to her
complaining to Ayyub about their present state. This caused Ayyub to
become upset with her and he vowed that he would beat her 100 times
if Allah gave him back his health.

Satan was not successful in misguiding Ayyub. Allah then restored
him with all that he had lost. Ayyub now had to fulfill his vow of
striking his wife.

Allah ordered him to strike his wife once with a 100 pieces of good
smelling grass, out of mercy for her. Indeed Allah is the most
merciful.

The story of Ayyub should be a constant reminder for us all. We
should read this story often just to remind ourselves. Many of us
complain about the little things in life. Allah tested Ayyub in ways
that we can really relate to. His faith and patience is something
that we as true believing Muslims should try and implement in our
lives, when Allah tests us in these situations. In the Quraan Allah
says,

"Truly! We found him patient. How excellent (a) slave! Verily, he
was ever oft returning in repentance (to us)." [Quran:38:4].

During these times we must remember Allah more, pray harder, and be
more thankful instead of being dissatisfied with our condition. We
should praise and thank Allah for every condition that he tests us
with. As we know these are the times when Satan tries to work on us
the most by playing with our minds, emotions, and weaknesses. Allah
would never forget to reward a servant for such a great task.

"And (remember) Ayyub when he cried to his Lord: Verily, distress
has seized me and you are the Most Merciful of all who show mercy."
[Quraan:21:83]

"So We answered his call, and We removed the distress that was on
him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost), and the
like thereof along with them, as a mercy from Ourselves and a
Reminder for all those who worship us." [Quraan:21:84]

May Allah give us the faith and the patience when we are tested.
Ameen.

think on it...

2005-08-21T22:19:00.000+01:00

by Binte Abdul Khaliq
Hidayaonline.com

How 'cool' is 'cool'

before you're so cold

that you care not

of what's being told?

That the Qur'an and Sunnah so beautiful and adored

is not important anymore

just blatantly ignored?

How 'hot' is 'hot'

before you get burnt

don't play with fire

haven't you learnt?

The flames of immodesty

burn away shame

And faith is sacrificed

for excuses so lame

How 'in' would be 'in

'before you fall into sin

before deen is compromised

and dunya is prioritised?

Before pleasing people

is your ultimate aim

And Allah's pleasure

is sacrificed for fame?

How 'open minded' is 'open minded'

before your conscience falls out

and the things that you do

and those that suit you?

Before the laws of Allah

you hold in contempt,

considering inadequate

that which was Divinely sent?

Where do we draw the line?

Where is the boundry?

These labels we crave

yet evil it paves

Let's aspire for the title

that certainly will be enviable

on a day that will capture

every soul with fear

A smile will he wear

such a sight will be rare

His status will be raised

His name will be praised

He will have succeeded

as the warnings he had heeded

No grief shall he be in

He who strived to be a 'Mu'min'

RoTTeN Pot@toes

2005-08-17T17:23:00.000+01:00

A teacher has decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few cooked potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3 while some up to 5 potatoes.

The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week. Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1 week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week?"

The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.

The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of the hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go.

If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime???"

Moral of the story: Throw away any hatred for anyone from your heart so that you will not carry it for a life time. Forgiving others is the best attitude to take Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love & to be loved is the greatest happiness. Fate determines who comes into our lives. The heart determines who stays...

One Way ticket to the Underground

2005-08-07T08:32:00.000+01:00

(Written by Mohamed Chetty)
First written in French in 1989

When we are leaving this world for the next one, it shall be like a trip to another country.

Where details of that country won’t be found in glamourous travel brochures but in the Holy Qur’aan and the Ahadith.

Where our plane won’t be British Airways, Gulf Air or American Airlines but Air Janazah.

Where our luggage won’t be the allowed 23 kgs but our deeds no matter how heavy they weigh.
You don’t pay for excess luggage.

They are carried free of charge. With your Creator’s compliment.

Where our dress won’t be a Pierre Cardin suit or the like but the white cotton shroud

Where our perfume won’t be Chanel, Paco Rabane, but the camphor and attar.

Where our passports won’t be British, French or American but Al Islam

Where our visa won’t be the 6 months leave to stay or else but the "La Illaha Illallah.."

Where the airhostess won’t be gorgeous females but Isra’iil and its like.

Where the in-flight services won’t be 1st class or economy but a piece of beautifully scented or foul smelling cloth.

Where our place of destination won’t be Heathrow Terminal 1 or Jeddah International Terminal but the Qabarastaan.

Where our waiting lounge won’t be nice carpeted and air-conditioned rooms but the 6 feet deep gloomy Qabar.

Where the Immigration Officer won’t be Her Majesty’s officers but Munkir and Nakir.

They only check out whether you deserve the place you yearn to go.

Where there is no need for Customs Officers or detectors.

Where the transit airport will be Al Barzaakh.

Where our final place of destination will be either the Garden under which rivers flow or the Hell Fire.

This trip does not come with a price tag. It is free of charge. So your savings would not come handy.

This flight can never be hijacked so do not worry about terrorists.

Food won’t be served on this flight so do not worry about your allergies or whether the food is Halal.

Do not worry about legroom; you won’t need it, as your legs will become things of the past.

Do not worry about delays. This flight is always punctual. It arrives and leaves on time.

Do not worry about the in-flight entertainment programme because you would have lost all your sense of joy.

Do not worry about booking this trip, it has already been booked the day you became a foetus in your mother’s womb.

Ah! Atlast good news! Do not worry about who will be sitting next to you.

You will have the luxury of being the only passenger.

So enjoy it while you can. If only you can!

One small snag though, this trip comes with no warning. Are you prepared ?

************************
Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar(R.A.) reported that someone asked the Prophet(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) who was the wisest. The Prophet(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) said that, the one who remembers death often and is ever engaged in making preperation for it. These are the men who have become masters of the honour of this world and the next. (Tibraani)
Hazrat Bara' bin Azib says that he attended a funeral along with the Prophet(sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam), who sat near the grave and wept so bitterly that the earth became wet with his tears. Then he addressed us saying : " O Bretheren, make preperation for this day." (Ibn Majah)

Courtesy: www.everymuslim.com

The Pearls

2005-08-05T19:58:00.000+01:00

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.

"Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.

"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Aisha got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbour and asked Aunty Jamshed if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace. Aisha loved her pearls.

They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday madressa classes, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green. Aisha had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story from the Quraan.

One night as he finished the story, he asked Aisha , "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favourite."

"That's okay, Aisha, daddy loves you. Allah-hafez." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Aisha's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. May Allah bless you & protect you, Aisha. Daddy loves you."

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Aisha was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Aisha? What's the matter?"

Aisha didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace.

With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here, daddy, this is for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Aisha's daddy reached out with one hand to take the cheap necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Aisha.

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is with our Allah Almighty. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures. Isn't Allah great?

Are you holding onto things that Allah wants you to let go of? Are you holding on to harmful or unnecessary partners, relationships, habits and activities that you have come so attached to that it seems impossible to let go? Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand but do believe this one thing Allah will never take away something without giving you something better in its place. The greatest gifts happen when you share love and touch others' hearts!

Whispers of the Night

2005-08-03T17:28:00.000+01:00

by Sh. Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq

I pounded on the door of mercy as the world slept
And humbling myself before my Creator I wept

Hands raised high and head bowed I knelt
And dejectedly began to lament what I felt

With a torn heart I gave a torn heart to my woes and fears And in great anguish and sorrow I let flow my tears

With poignant emotions raging in me so fierce
I hoped that my prayers would the heavens pierce

Oh Maker of my destiny, Master of my fate I cried
Thou art the only refuge and succour for one so tried

'Tis before Thee alone that I bemoan
Sufferings of mine only to Thee known

Pains and torments that I can no longer bear
Hopes and wishes I can entrust only to Thy care

For 'Tis only the ocean of Thine infinite bounty that sustains all
And only Thy forgiveness that restores those that fall

'Tis to Thee alone Oh Benevolent that I extend my hands in plea
To whom besides Thee can this wretched soul flee

Forgive my sins and grant me my desires Oh Almighty
Reject me not, for nothing can redeem me save Thy mercy

REMEMBER...

2005-07-29T18:17:00.000+01:00

When becoming humiliated, remember the Prophet (Peace be upon him)in Ta'if.

When being starved, remember the Prophet (Peace be upon him) tying two stones to his stomach in the battle of Khandaq.

When becoming angry, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) control of anger on the martyrdom of his beloved Uncle Hamza.

When losing a tooth, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) tooth in the battle of Uhud.

When bleeding from any part of the body, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) body covered in blood on his return from Ta'if.

When feeling lonely, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) seclusion in Mount Hira .

When feeling tired in Salaat, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) blessed feet in Tahajjud.

When being prickled with thorns, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) pain from Abu Lahab's wife.

When being troubled by neighbours, remember the old woman who would empty rubbish on the Prophet (Peace be upon him) .

When losing a child, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) son, Ibrahim.

When beginning a long journey, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) long journey to Madinah.

When going against a Sunnah, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) intercession, (Ummati, Ummati, Ummati) (My Ummah).

When sacrificing an animal, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) sacrifice of 63 animals for his Ummah.

Before shaving your beard, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) face rejecting the two beardless Iranians.

When falling into an argument with your wife, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) encounter with Aisha and Hafsa.

When experiencing less food in the house, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) days of poverty.

When experiencing poverty, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) advice to Ashaab-e-Suffa (People of Suffa).

When losing a family member, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) departure from this world.

When becoming an orphan, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) age at six When sponsoring an orphan, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) sponsor for Zaid ibn Haritha.

When fearing an enemy, remember the Prophet's (Peace be upon him) saying to Abu Bakr in Mount Thour.

Whatever situation you may find yourself in, remember your role model, the best of creation: Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

Whatever situation you may find yourself in, remember your role model, the best of creation: Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him).

The Triple Filter Test

2005-07-26T21:49:00.000+01:00

The Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said, "Ghibah is worse than zina (adultery)."

During the golden Abbasid period, one of the scholars in Baghdad, the capital of Muslim caliphate at that time, was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.

One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"

The Scholar replied, "Hold on a minute, before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

The Man questioned, "Triple Filter Test?"

The Scholar replying said, "That's right, before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say." He continued, "That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

The Man answered in the negative," No, actually I just heard about it and..."

"All right, so you don't really know if it's true or not." Interrupted the scholar, "Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"

The Man answered, "No, on the contrary..."

The Scholar interrupting again, "So, you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left. The filter of Usefulness is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"

The Man thinking for a moment, gave an answer, "No, not really."

The Scholar then questioned his companion, "Well, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

"O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful. (Chapter 49, Verse 12)

Sisters! Free Make Up for All Occasions!

2005-07-22T22:16:00.000+01:00

Sisters to be more attractive and beautiful I advise you to use the following:

*For your eyes let lowering your gaze be your Kohl.

*Put some touches of truth on your lips and they will be more beautiful.

*As for your cheek powder or blush use the brand of shyness that is only sold in the shops of Iman and Faith .

*Now to remove any unwanted blemishes or spots of sins or mistakes you suspect just use the soap of Tawbah.

*And to protect your hair from falling and breaking and getting weak protect it by hijab, it's a blessing from Allah on you ,and it also protects you from the poisonous looks of men.

*Now we must look at your accessories :

1-As for your ears,put on the earrings of cheerfulness,for it's suitable for all occasions.

2-And for your neck of course we must have something special,which will be the necklace of Shukr which is vivid ,rare and will glitter around your neck like a sparkling star on a dark clear night.

3-For your wrist use the bracelet of humbleness.

4-And your ring should be made of forgiveness.

Those accessories and the make up brands I mentioned are available only at the great Islam bazaar, don't worry which shop to visit because once you start you will never stop.

Take care ,and be sure to shop for those brands I guarantee you 100% their success ,and one thing ladies-no refund.

THANK YOU OH! ALLAH...

2005-07-22T20:31:00.000+01:00

Even though I clutch my blanket and growl when the alarm rings,
Thank you, Allah, that I can hear. There are many who are deaf.

Even though I keep my eyes closed against the morning light as long as possible,
Thank you, Allah, that I can see. Many are blind.

Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising,
Thank you O Allah,that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.

Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost,toast is burned and tempers are short, my children are so loud;

Thank you,Allah, for my family. There are many who are lonely.

Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times balanced,

Thank you, Allah, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.

Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous,
Thank you,Allah, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.

Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest,

Thank you, Allah, for life.

LANALLAH __Islamic BlogZine__