Wednesday, June 22, 2005

A Sherlock Holmes Type Twist to the 9/11 Murder Mystery

Subject: Re: "A Sherlock Holmes Type Twist to the 9/11 Murder Mystery," by Greg Szymanski

>
> "...It's about whether two jet planes would be sufficient to take down
> three office towers (and quite possibly they could? I really don't know.)"

they would, as what we saw with our own eyes makes clear...

why the hell would anyone need to "pre" dynamite buildings, and then
arrange for commercial airliners to be hijacked in order to....cover for
their explosion?
--


the incredible amount of plotting, planning, conspiring - and smoking
incredible amounts of pot ( that's looking at it in the most positive
way) necessary to hold such theories truly wastes time we'd be better
off devoting to figuring out how to stop the power from destroying
us...rather than imagining how invisible and conspiratorial and
mysterious the power is...

>
> "You seem convinced the official (government) story is true, and quite
> possibly it is?
> I'm sure even the Bush administration can tell the truth occasionally!"

of course, but again, they don't have to tell us what we saw with our
own eyes...


> try this: hiroshima and nagasaki were not destroyed by atomic bombs...
> the cities were wired, before hand, by, um, , uh, palestinian nazis, who
> then set up america to drop those...

Frank, I take your point. No one is questioning the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
or Nagasaki. But try these on for size...


The U.S. wanted a war with Spain, largely to seize the Philippines. Something
happened to sink a ship called the Maine in a harbour in Cuba (the evidence is it was
probably an accident). However the press seized upon this so that whenever
anyone questioned the war, the response would be "Remember the Maine!!"


Or how about this?

Hitler wanted to declare marshall law and seize absolute power, but he needed
an event to cement his intention. Suddenly the Reichstag burnt down -
"it's those damned communists!!", went the cry! - and his moment came.


Or what about this?

President Roosevelt (FDR) provoked the attack on Pearl Harbour, knew about it
in advance and covered up his failure to warn the Hawaiian commanders. Why?
FDR needed the attack to sucker Hitler to declare war, since the public and Congress
were overwhelmingly against entering the war in Europe. It was his backdoor to war.
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/pearl/www.geocities.com/Pentagon/6315/pearl.html



Or what about this?

Japan was virtually materially defeated and had petitioned for surrender, but
the U.S. decided to nuclear bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki anyway - not so much
as the last act of WWII, but more as "the first shot" in the Cold War - to send a
firm message to Russia that she had the bomb and was prepared to use it.
However, the government "justified" this atomic nightmare by saying that it had
little choice and had saved tens of thousands of Allied lives.


Or how about this?

The U.S. wanted a pretext to launch a full-scale war with North Vietnam.
Something suspicious happened in the Gulf of Tonkin, and this pretext was
immediately seized on by those in power to begin a brutal years long war
with a poor nation.



You ask why certain parties would have a vested interest in creating
the events of September 11?

> why the hell would anyone need to "pre" dynamite buildings, and then
> arrange for commercial airliners to be hijacked in order to....cover for
> their explosion?

Try these reasons on for size:

The neocons had long wanted a war with Iraq to finish what the first Bush
government had started - to remove Saddam Hussein and try to create stability
in the region for Israel and oil. But first they had to create a pretext to
garner public support - they did this by making repeated false allegations
about "weapons of mass destruction" and false statements associating Iraq
with September 11 - in other words, as the Downing Street memo tells us,
the "intelligence was being fixed around the policy".

The U.S. government/intelligence agencies had received advance warnings about
a coming attack that could involve planes and buildings - but chose not to
act hoping this would create a "new Pearl Harbour" - a new pretext for endless
war on the world. Whenever anyone questions the wisdom of this war, the
patriotic response is "Remember September 11!!"

If anyone says "We shouldn't go to war with Iraq", the patriotic response
is "Remember September 11!!"

Whenever anyone says "We shouldn't torture people", the patriotic response
is "Remember September 11!!"

Whenever anyone says "The PATRIOT Act is wrong - we shouldn't be removing
personal liberties", the patriotic response is "Remember September 11!!"

Whenever anyone says "The nation is being looted to enrich the military-industrial
complex", the patriotic response is "Remember September 11!!"

And what will happen if the government proposes a draft to get fresh, warm bodies
to fight its "war on terror" (maybe they'll try and draft you, Frank?), and people
have the audacity to resist? Will the patriotic response be "Don't be a traitor!
Don't you remember September 11?"


Oh well, you get my drift. I don't say the official 911 story is false.
Maybe it simply was a couple planes that brought those three buildings down.
But as explained above, I can see plenty of reasons why certain parties
would have a vested interest in creating September 11.


The facts show that the history of government disassembly and coverup is long
and ugly, and often we common people only learn the truth years later. You
can call me ignorant if you like, but the truth is I harbour a healthy
skepticism for ALL who grasp after power over others and their "official" stories -
(especially when they are rich, civilian warmongers and liars like the Bush admin!)


And no, I don't smoke pot :-)


Best regards,

James.

The Model School, Islamic Style

As they learn about the American Dream, these kids wonder if it's theirs to pursue
By MARGUERITE MICHAELS/BRIDGEVIEW

http://www.islamicity.com/m/news_frame.asp?Frame=1&referenceID=21076

The boys, with some affection, call their school "the box." It is an
acknowledgment that their modern, gray concrete building with 36
classrooms and a basketball court is both protection and containment. Outside
the box, says senior Ali Fadhli, there are "problems." He means
temptation — and bigotry. The temptation is sex and the way the culture outside
the box is saturated with it. "That's why Islam has repentance," he
says with a laugh. The bigotry is from fellow American citizens who the
students believe are watching them with suspicion. Since 9/11, "there's
been extra pressure on them," says Hanan Abdallah, their assistant
principal. "Anytime they're out, whatever they say counts 110%. They are
young adults at an earlier age."
The place that's preparing these young Americans for life in their own
country, "from crayons to college," as its slogan promises, is the
Universal School, an Islamic institution teaching 638 students in pre-K
through 12th grades in Bridgeview, Ill. The suburb, 16 miles southwest of
Chicago's downtown Loop, lies in the heart of one of the U.S.'s largest
Arab communities, where an estimated 25,000 Islamic residents pursue an
uneasy assimilation into secular, suburban life. The school's goal is
to give its students such a solid grounding in their religion and
education that they will be able to go forth and succeed in mainstream
American life without compromising their values. "Proud to be Muslim, proud
to be American," says Safaa Zarzour, vice chairman of the school's board
and its former principal.
Universal takes pride in the fact that it is a model Islamic school.
"Being a Muslim is synonymous with excellence in every area," its
parent-and-student handbook says. Day-to-day life as a model student, however,
has been an "edgier" balancing act ever since 9/11, says Zarzour. "Our
acceptance as Americans is on far shakier ground." Last year, after a
student's picture appeared in a local newspaper as the winner of a
regional spelling bee, the school received a series of bomb threats.
Meanwhile, from inside the box looking out, fear and anger have grown among
many students, teachers and parents as the Iraq war and the mistreatment
of Muslim prisoners have provided further reminders of the conflict
between cultures. "We never looked at it as Americans doing something to
Muslims, but rather, how can Americans do something like that to
anybody?" says Abdallah. While the moderate Islamic community's typical
response is to take a low profile, the Universal School gave Time an unusual
degree of access for a look inside a community searching for its
identity. "We're telling our kids they're American," says Farhat Siddiqui,
Universal's principal. "But the doors of opportunity have been shut
since 9/11. What's the password to open them?"
The roots of Universal School go back to the arrival of a wave of new
Muslim residents in the southwest Chicago suburbs during the 1970s and
'80s. Many were Palestinian immigrants who had fled the violence and
lack of economic opportunity in their homeland. Busy pursuing the American
Dream, they assumed Islam could be passed on to their children around
the dinner table. What began to show up at mealtime instead was
dyed-green hair and requests to start dating, like the other kids in the public
schools. The Islamic students faced discrimination as well, to which
they responded with a different but just as American idea: forming gangs.
"Tap boys," they were called, which stood for Tall Arab Posses. "The
parents realized their children were drifting from what was holy and
valuable to them," says Zarzour. "They were getting involved with
everything from drugs to Halloween."
Organized by community leaders and built with donations from Muslims
across the U.S. and a loan from the Islamic Development Bank, Universal
opened its doors in 1990. Since then it has become a fully accredited
institution, with 95% of its graduates going on to college. The growing
sense of harmony was abruptly reversed on the morning of 9/11. After a
frightened parent called the school, a classroom TV was wheeled into
vice chairman Zarzour's office, where he watched the second plane hit the
World Trade Center. "As soon as the terrorism speculation started,"
says Zarzour, "the parents came and took their kids home. The head of the
FBI came out from Chicago. The mayor and police chief of Bridgeview
stopped by. After all the kids had gone, I sent the staff home."
Prompted by anti-Muslim demonstrators marching toward Bridgeview from a
neighboring suburb, local police secured the area around the school and
the mosque next door, manning the barricades for three days. "That day
changed my life," says Zarzour, an immigrant from Syria. "Up until that
time, Arab-American Muslims were the new kids on the block, going
through the same adjustment as the Jews, the Irish and the Hispanics before
us. A little discrimination was part of the process of integration. Now
people don't think there is any such thing as a good Muslim."
What's being taught to children inside the Universal School, however,
is based on a moderate philosophy that puts an emphasis on assimilation
"to prepare them for their future roles in society as responsible
citizens," says the handbook. (Tuition ranges from $4,500 to $4,900.) The
school has a mainstream curriculum and a wholesome range of activities:
school newspaper, science-fair club, volleyball, math league, spelling
bees. The boys'varsity basketball team won the championship trophy in
the Chicago Unity league, an interfaith conference. Students take part in
community-service outings with other private schools, bag food twice a
month for two homeless shelters in Chicago's inner city and work as
volunteer nurse's aides at the local hospital.
Principal Siddiqui, 35, a mother of three whose parents came from
India, contends that the strain of Islam taught at Universal is one that is
free of provincial baggage. Certain features of regional Islam —
arranged marriages, a ban on women driving — are not part of the program
here. "It's a constant battle, separating cultural issues from religious
values," says Siddiqui. The school does teach how to avoid being seduced
by those parts of American culture many parents consider un-Islamic.
"What we're up against in movies, television and music," she says, "is
profanity, sex and violence. The whole teenage phenomenon in the U.S. is
one of personal power — claiming their own voice, their own soul, their
own spirit. We don't want to crush that. We want to guide it."
The first order of business is removing temptation. The codes of dress
and behavior are strict. Students must have regular haircuts ("no
bleaching or 'off' colors are allowed"). Students must wear socks and
closed-toe shoes. Boys cannot wear earrings or have any body piercing.
Students may not wear makeup during school. Through Grade 5, the girls wear
plaid jumpers and leggings, but the head scarf called a hijab is
optional; the boys wear navy dress pants and light blue shirts. Older girls
must wear the hijab (light blue for middle schoolers, gray or white for
high schoolers) and a calf-length navy top that resembles a raincoat.
Wearing the hijab full-time is a big commitment, so some girls take it
off as soon as they leave the building. Freshman Sarah Martini says, "I'm
not ready to wear it yet. It has to come from the heart." Girls are
separated from boys from sixth grade through tenth grade. As juniors and
seniors, they mix again, although the sexes sit separately in the
classroom. Casual conversation between girls and boys is discouraged
at all times. Cell phones and iPods are banned, but the principal is
realistic about it. "If I did a locker check," says Siddiqui, "I know what
I'd find. So I don't. Better cell phones than drugs."
The second order of business is creating what Universal calls an
"Islamic environment." The Koran and the sayings of Muhammad are taught two
days a week, Arabic three days a week. Grades 2 to 12 break for prayer
once a day. Beyond Scripture, a Muslim approach influences the
traditional curriculum as well. When teacher Fuzia Jarad's English class read
Romeo and Juliet, the girls wanted to know, "Is it love at first sight?"
"Yes," the teacher answered. "As Muslims, we don't do that. The
difference is lust versus love; appearance versus knowing. Islam protects you
from mistakes." For assistant principal Abdallah, who is in charge of
discipline, love is a big issue. "I've had students come to me and say,
‘So and so are in love. Everyone is gossiping about the girl. Her
reputation is ruined.'I tell them, ‘If you care, show respect and stop the
discussions.' Sometimes a girl or boy will tell me about a love letter
they've received. It's always a letter. They can't socialize. They don't
want the letter. They don't want to get in trouble. The feelings for
each other are natural. Islam gives us a way to approach those feelings.
Choose your spouse, but don't give your body or soul to someone until
you're married."
What's central to the environment is a sense of Muslim family values.
That's why Mohammad (Mo) Suleiman sent his daughter Samia, 18, to
Universal. "Family means the older have mercy on the younger," says Suleiman,
"and the younger respect the older." The students seem to make an
effort, but cultural isolation is impossible. "My dad will hear the word
love when I play my music, and he'll say that's against our religion,"
says freshman Ryan Ahmad. "So I'll stop for a week. But then one of my
friends will start singing some lyric, and I start up again." When
freshman Gulrana Syed watches TV, she tries to stick with family shows but
gives in to the temptation to watch Fear Factor. "If swearing starts," she
says, "I turn it off and hope God forgives me."
Though the school and the parents want their kids to be successful in
America, the ambivalence of many Islamic parents sends mixed signals.
The pull of their home country is a constant distraction from fitting
into this one. "They are obsessed with foreign politics," says Steve
Landek, who has been mayor of Bridgeview since 1999. "I come to talk to them
about better sidewalks. They want to know how to run for Congress so
they can change America's Israeli policy." Clearly respectful, however,
of the economic and cultural contributions of Muslims to the community,
he regrets to say 9/11 has set them back. "I still hear comments. I'm
not going to repeat them. I'm not going to perpetuate the negative."
Some families have tried to turn back history. Martini's parents are
Syrian, her father a doctor who finished his medical degree in the U.S.
After 9/11, the Martini family went to the United Arab Emirates. "We
weren't welcome here as Muslims," she says. "And my parents wanted my
brother and me to experience an Arab culture." The experiment lasted only a
year. "It was not as Muslim a country as we thought," says Martini.
"There's lots of Western influence. And we missed our relatives here."
The Universal School makes clear its independence from the
controversial institution right next door, the copper-domed Bridgeview mosque.
Built a decade before the school, the mosque was started by moderates but
then saw a power struggle in which hard-liners came out on top. Among
its leaders, said the Chicago Tribune in an investigative report, "are
men who have condemned Western culture ... and encouraged members to view
society in stark terms: Muslims against the world." Last year a member
of the mosque was indicted for allegedly funneling money, before 9/11,
to Hamas, the militant Palestinian group.
The students next door sometimes give voice to the commonplace
resentment that can be found among Muslims the world over. Assigned by his
English teacher to write an essay about his own American Dream, a
15-year-old wrote that the occupied territories should be returned to the
Palestinians and "the Jews should be left to suffer." More often, however,
Universal's students feel resentment about being stereotyped, both in the
media and on the streets. To senior Ali Fadhli, the Fox TV show 24,
which had a plot this season about a Muslim terrorist cell, is
"obnoxious," he says. "America has moved on to a new enemy. We're treated now like
the Russians were during the Cold War." Being teenagers though, perhaps
the worst slight of all is being regarded as outsiders. "The students
are aware," says Dalila Benameur, head of the social studies department,
"that they are perceived as different." Says freshman Gulrana Syed:
"It's kind of impossible to blend in wearing a head scarf." Student Ryan
Ahmad, whose dad is his toughest music critic, admits, "Americans seem
to have more fun. Muslims try to be American, but we don't know how.
The cultures are so different." A sense that U.S. life has its own
contradictions provides some perspective. Senior Muna Zughayer, noting the
use of women as sex objects, says, "I think it's funny people look at us
and say we're oppressed!"
Vice chairman Zarzour has become more hopeful as time has passed since
9/11, believing that "it will be harder and take longer, but
integration is possible. Unless ..." He trails off, reluctant to say what he
fears: unless there is another attack on the U.S. "What will happen to us
and our children?" he asks. "Internment?"

The Danger of the Illiterates

??? ???? ?????? ??????
The danger of the Illiterates 2:78:1
Dear readers, I received abusive responses from both Muslims and Christians about the story of Jesus (PBUH) from the Noble Qur’aan, let us go back to Tafseer, let us save some of us the aggravation of telling stories about the wonderful men of the LORD. The last time we spoke about Ayah 2:77, and today we pick up where we left, starting with Ayah 2:78, let us proceed.
O Allah, every time I am in need I call upon Thee for help no other is worthy of such, please hear my call: “save me from spreading my illiteracy, save me from leading people in the wrong way, and provide us with the wisdom we need to do Jihad with knowledge for Your sake”. We know how dangerous is what we are doing, we need to be so careful in what we say, and we are accountable for everyone we lead astray. Praise your name; praise Thee O mighty Allah, and a lot of thanks for Your kind generous forgiveness.
Allah says:
????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ??? ?????
Let us simple Translate, Allah says here something so dangerous, something I wish all of us can pay enough attention to, and please read so well and listen. Allah says: “From those given the books who know so little from the books, most of what they know are wishful thinking on their part, and what they know is what they think is true while it isn’t”. Very well, we know how Allah is speaking about those who received the books of Allah, and Allah says: “and among those who received the books, some who are illiterates, they do not know what the book teaches, and what they think they know is mere wishful thinking, and what they wish the book may say, what Allah means about this? Well, we have bad news for Muslims, Christians, and Jews, most are illiterates about what books they hang on to, and most are wonderful debaters with their illiteracy, what in Hell they debate and argue about, since they know so little or absolute nothing?
My brothers and sisters, my friends, regardless of what belief you belong to, do not debate what you do not know so well, Allah says:
??? ???? ?? ??? ?? ?? ??? ?? ????? ?????? ??????? ?? ??????? ??? ??? ??????
“Do not try to explain/debate what you have no knowledge of; all of the hearing, the eye sights/insights, and the hearts are under great responsibility and will be questioned”. This is so serious, think about it. If you do not know Qur’aan so well, why argue with those who do, since Jews and Christians do not know their books so well, why they argue and debate with their illiteracy when we bring them the truth even from their books? Please think about this, if your knowledge is so limited or so little closer to nothing, what do you expect to accomplish in debating with someone who knows better than you? I am not saying I am with better knowledge, I am just sharing with you the meaning of the words of the LORD, please listen so well. A Christian preacher asked me: “what are you”, I explained according to their book of Ephesians 4:11, I said: “I am not a prophet, all who claim today to be prophets are false in every respect, I am not a priest, I am not an Imam, I am not a scholar, I am not a preacher, I am the last on the list of where this is mentioned, and I am a simple teacher so please listen”.
Some of us heard their teachers, heard their preachers and heard their Imams, thinking that what they heard is Gospel truth, while Allah says that only the Qur’aan is the Gospel truth, Allah says in Ayah 2:2:
??? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ??? ???????
“This is the Book, no doubt about it; guidance for those who have fear from Allah, and those who have Taqwa”. My friends, my brothers and sisters, we have assurance from Allah about one book, Allah said:
???? ??? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ???????
“We brought you the Qur’aan, and We will protect and keep it intact this time”. Allah did not make similar statements about any other book under the Heavens, Allah did not order the writing of any other book, nor this was ordered by our Imam and prophet Muhammad (PBUH). No matter what fiction of assurance we have that other books were not altered, we cannot trust those assurances, people were able to alter and destroy books from Allah, like the Torah, the Injeil, the Zaboor of David, and they have better easy chances at books apart from the Qur’aan, which were written by men, which has no assurance of being preserved. Non-Muslims are trying until today to destroy Qur’aan, how much less are the books that are less. When we speak of such, we may see angry people, angry because of their lack of knowledge, and because they do not wish to listen. 1400 years since Muhammad’s (PBUH) time, do you know what could happen in this period of time, and what we can change, think about this before you assure us of anything else?
Allah said:
??? ??? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ??? ??? ?? ????
“Is not time yet for those who believe to yield their hearts when Allah is mentioned, and to what truth He gave in the Qur’aan”, how many times we show an Ayah, we see those who say: “but we heard different to this”? Have fear for every time we mention Allah, the Hadeeth of Allah is greater than any other. If you hear/read anything that contradicts the Qur’aan, please do not accept blindly, also do not completely reject because everything apart from the Qur’aan is subject to debates, and let us compare what we hear with the only book that has assurance from Allah to be preserved. Allah says:
???????? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ???????(16:44)
“We gave you the Qur’aan, so that you will explain it to people what was sent to them, and perhaps they will reflect over it”. The duty of the prophet was not only in delivering the message of the Qur’aan, but also to explain what we cannot understand on our own, or the few parts of it that are difficult. Then Muhammad (PBUH) said a lot of Hadeeth, which explained Qur’aan for the parts we could not understand by ourselves, and did not speak things that does not exist when teaching the Revelation, but spoke those during his life for his own, not for us to adopt, let us give an example. When Muhammad (PBUH) swore not to eat what Allah allowed, and made it Haram for himself, Allah said: “how do you make what is Hallah and allowed; you say: “this is Haram and forbidden”?
?????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ????? ???? ????(66:1)
“O prophet, why you make Haram what Allah made Hallal; are you seeking your wives satisfaction, and Allah if the Forgiver, and The Merciful”? Can those who want to follow everything our Imam and prophet said and did, can they follow Muhammad (PBUH) in making Haram what Allah said this Hallal, I do not think so? Then we need to follow the Hadeeth that relates only to the Noble Qur’aan, we need to benefit from what knowledge our Imam got from His LORD for our benefit in understanding the book of Allah.
Please learn how to listen, please do not rush to speak before you are sure what you know is correct, and who you speak to need to be corrected. Please learn as you go, instead of trying to force your own interpretations. If you think what others say is not true, look in the Qur’aan for correction before you face them, when you bring an Ayah, and they do not listen; say as Allah told us:
???? ?????? ???????? ????? ?????
“When spoken to by the ignorant, they say peace be upon thee, and they leave them be”. When you realize some are speaking with their ignorance, have no intention of listening to reason, do as Allah says: “Peace for you, and goodbye”. My friends, let me give you this advice, and I ask Allah to apply myself: “when you listen, you may learn what you did not know without allowing others the chance to know you lack of knowledge, also what you know will not be lost and will be preserved and will flourish with new things”.
Next time we will speak about how Jews and Christians have wishful thinking about their books, not comprehension, as some Muslims are as well.
??? ???? ???? ??????? ????????? ?????? ??? ?? ????????

pride

Narrated Abdullah bin Mas'ud: Allah's Messenger Sallalahu'alaihi wa salaam said, "Whoever has pride in his heart equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant) shall not enter Paradise," A person (amongst the audience) said, "Verily, a person loves that his dress should be beautiful, and his shoes should be beautiful." The Prophet Sallalahu'alihi wa salaam remarked, "Verily, Allaah is the Most Beautiful and He loves beauty.
Pride is to completely disregard the truth, and to scorn
(to look down upon) the people."
(Sahih Muslm, Book of Faith, Vol.1, Hadith No.164)



"Invite all to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching;
And consult with them in ways that are best and most gracious."[16:125]

THE TAUBAH OF A FIRE-WORSHIPPER

I am reminded of an incident"

Hadhrat Musa Alayhis-Salaam saw a person worshipping fire. Hadhrat Musa Alayhis-Salaam went up to him and said, "Tell me, has the time not approached for you to turn to the worship of Allah Ta'ala?"

He replied, "O Musa Alayhis-Salaam! Should I now turn to Him, tell me, will He accept my taubah (repentance)?"

Hadhrat Musa Alayhis-Salaam said, "Definitely! It is His special, noble quality that He is always ready to accept the taubah of those who turn to Him."

The fire-worshipper said, "If that is the case, then you explain Islam to me and I shall become a Muslim now!" Hadhrat MusaAlayhis-Salaam did this and he became a Muslim. He was so overcome that he started wailing and crying uncontrollably, to the extent that he fainted and fell lifeless. When Hadhrat Musa Alayhis-Salaam went up to him and placed his hand on him he found him to have really died!

Hadhrat Musa Alayhis-Salaam was extremely consternated and turned to Allah Ta'ala, saying, "What happened?"

Allah Ta'ala replied, "O Musa! Do you not know that whoever reconciles with Us - whoever turns towards Us in repentance - We become pleased with him? Whoever desires Our nearness (qurb), We grant him nearness. O Musa! I have made him of the muqarrabin (those who have attained closeness to Allah Ta'ala) and have granted him a place in the homes of the muqarrabin."

This is the quality of the Kalimah. If the other Kalimas (of the other Ambiya Alayhimus-Salaam were to have this effect, then what can one say about the effect of our Kalimah.

Source: For Friends - Shaykh Maseehullah Khan Rahmatullahi Alaih

Translated by: Shaykh Dr Ismail Mangera

What is the fault of children born in a kaafir environment?

What is the fault of children born in a kaafir environment?

Question:

People born and raised in different environments and religions naturally develop different temperaments and identities. A person born in a Hindu family becomes a Hindu upon growing up. For him the Hindu religion is perfect. For such a person it is ingrained into his nature from his childhood that he is a Hindu first and last. Supposingly he receives the message of Islam. What are the chances that he will give up his religion, his identity and accept a new one. Isn't it tough for this person to become Muslim as compared to someone born a Muslim. It scares me to think that if I were born into some other faith than Islam where would I be today. So why is it not the law that everyone does have an equal opportunity to experience and accept Islam from the cradle. It this a matter of Allah's will, Sprituality (Hidayah) or Human Psychology. Please respond with references from Quran and hadith.


Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"So set you (O Muhammad) your face towards the religion (of pure Islamic Monotheism) Haneef (worship none but Allaah Alone). Allaah's Fitrah (i.e. Allaah's Islamic Monotheism) with which He has created mankind. No change let there be in Khalqillaah (i.e. the religion of Allaah Islamic Monotheism), that is the straight religion, but most of men know not" [al-Room 30:30]

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: ... (Go here for the rest of the answer http://www.islammuslims.com/islam-qa/Volume_2/Chapter_1.htm#_RWTOC-20)

A QISSAH: THE PRIEST AND THE MUSLIM

Source: For Friends - Shaykh Maseehullah Khan Rahmatullahi Alaih Translated by: Shaykh Dr Ismail Mangera

I am reminded of an incident:
A certain person left home with the intention of going for jihad. En route he lost his way. He climbed a huge mountain. On top of the mountain he came across a gathering of a huge army of the Christians. In the centre of the gathering was placed a big chair. This person asked somebody the reason for them gathering there. One person replied, "Once a year one of our priests comes and gives us a sermon. The chair is for him."

This pious person narrates, "I quickly changed my clothes, dressing like one of them, and sat there. After a short while the priest came and sat on the chair. He cast his searching gaze in all four directions and said, 'O people gathered here! I am not going to ask you to listen to any sermon today. The reason is that there is amongst you an individual of the ummah of Muhammed!' Having said this he again cast his gaze in all four directions and called out in a loud voice, 'I take an oath on my religion! Come forward and stand before all of us so that we may beneficially drink from your radiance and adornment.'

"Hearing these words I could not desist. Reluctantly I stood up and went to stand in front of the priest. The priest addressed me. 'I have a few questions to put to you. Please provide me the answers.'"

THE FIRST QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"'The first question is: I have heard that Jannat has fruit of various colours and differing types. Are there such fruits in this world?'
"I replied, 'Definitely there are such fruits. However, in name and colour they bear a resemblance to the fruit of Jannat, but in pleasurable taste and enjoyment they bear no resemblance.'"

THE SECOND QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"The priest put forward a second question: 'Jannat has no such house or abode that a branch of the Tree of Tىba does not flourish in it. Is there a like example in this world?'
"I replied, 'There is. Just see: when the sun reaches its zenith, as the branches of the Tree of Tىba spreads its branches into all the houses, similarly does the sun spread its rays everywhere.'"

THE THIRD QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"The priest asked a third question: 'Jannat has four rivers. The taste of the contents are dissimilar, yet the source of the rivers - the point of origin of all four - is one. Can one find a similar example in the world?'
"I said, 'Indeed, there is a similar example to be found in this world. Just see: the fluid from the ears is bitter; that of the eyes is salty; that from the nose is smelly; that from the mouth is sweet. These four fluids are dissimilar in their taste and fragrance, yet their source is just one and that is the head.'"

THE FOURTH QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"The fourth question that the priest put to me was, 'I wish to know that in Jannat there is such a large platform that it has a length of five hundred years. That is, if a person travels on it for five hundred years then only will he reach the end of it. When a mu'min wishes to climb on it, it will accommodate him by bowing low before him. When the mu'min rests on it comfortably it will carry him high up into the air. Is there any illustration of this in this world?'
"I replied, 'Why not? Just see: Allah Ta'ala states:
Do they not see how the camel has been created? S.88 a.17

"'This is an eye-witnessed scene that a camel bows its head towards the ground, then takes its passenger and then stands up.'"

THE FIFTH QUESTION AND ITS REPLY
"The priest then said, 'O generous soul! I have only one other question left to ask. It is this: I have heard that the inhabitants of Jannat will be eating a variety of food and will be drinking various types of drinks, but they will neither have the need to urinate nor to defecate. Tell me, is there such an example in this world?'
"I replied, 'Yes, there is an example like it in this world! Just see: as long as an infant is in the mother's womb, whatever the infant desires to eat, Allah Ta'ala places in the mother's heart the desire to eat that item. By the grace of Allah Ta'ala that item gets digested and then reaches the infant. Yet, as long as the child is in the womb of the mother, neither does it defecate nor does it urinate.'
"The priest remained silent."

ONE QUESTION FOR THE PRIEST
"I told him, 'You asked me five questions. I answered each and every one. You accepted the answers. Now I wish to ask you just one question. Hopefully you too will answer me. The question is: You tell me - what is the key to Jannat?'
"The priest turned his attention to his people and said, 'O my people! This person has asked me what the key to Jannat is. So, become alert! Listen with attentive ears! I have read in the previous Heavenly Books that the key to Jannat is "the kalimah..." Saying this the priest became a Muslim and a great number of people also followed and became Muslims."

48.THE CONSOLING FRIEND OF A MUSLIM
This is that Kalimah regarding which Rasulullah(sallallaa hu alaiyhi wasallam) has stated:
"Jibril has informed me that the Kailmah is the companion and consoling friend of a Muslim, at the time when the frightening scene of death presents itself before him, at that time as well when the overwhelming darkness of the grave overtakes him from all four sides and also at that time when he is resurrected from the grave to proceed grief-stricken to the plains of Hashr (Reckoning)."

The provision for Jannat is this Kalimah.
This Kalimah Tayyibah is such that if it is recited with the tongue, even though the heart is inattentive, the person is rewarded with ten nèkies; if the recitation is with an attentive heart - that is, the heart inclines to the hereafter - then the nèkies rewarded are seven hundred; and if at the time of recitation the heart bonds in a special way with Allah Ta'ala, then the nèkies attained are such in number that they will fill the space from east to west!

Totality of Islamic Way of Life

Belief in the hereafter divides people into three distinct categories. First, there are those who do not believe in the hereafter and regard life on this earth as the ultimate. Naturally, they judge good and evil by the results, which manifest themselves in this world. If an action produces beneficial results it is good, and if it brings about harmful results, it is evil. Quite often the same action is regarded as good when the results are good, a bad when its results are bad.

Second, there are people who do not deny the hereafter, but who depend on the intercession or atonement of someone to absolve them to their sins. Among them there are some who regard themselves as Allah’s chosen people, who will receive only nominal punishment, however grave their sins. This deprives them of the moral advantage, which they could have derived from their belief in the hereafter. As a result, they also become very much like the people who deny the hereafter.

Third, there are those who believe in the hereafter in the form in which Islam presents it. They do not delude themselves that they have any special relationship with Allah or that anyone can intercede on their behalf. They know that they alone are responsible for their actions. For them, the belief in the hereafter becomes a great moral force. A person who has the conviction that he is fully accountable for all his actions finds a permanent guard stationed within himself, who cautions him and admonishes him whenever he deviates from the right path. There may be no court to summon him, no policeman to apprehend him, no witness to accuse him, and no public opinion to press him; but the guard within him is ever on the alert, ready to seize him whenever he transgresses. The consciousness of this inner presence makes man fear Allah, even when hi is all by himself.

He discharges his duties honestly, and refrains from doing anything prohibited. Should he succumb to temptation and violate the law of ALLAH, he is ever ready to offer sincere regrets; he is willing to enter into a firm contract with the future that he will not repeat the mistake. There can be no greater instrument of moral reformation nor any better method to help men to develop a sound and stable character. It is the hereafter, which helps men, under all circumstances, to conform to Allah’s scheme of permanent values. It is for this reason that Islam attaches great importance to the belief in the hereafter, and without it even the belief in ALLAH and the Prophet (PBUH) is not sufficient for man’s guidance.

I ASKED ALLAH

I asked Allah why I wasn’t rich.
And He showed me a man with the wealth of a thousand kings, who was lonely and had no one to share it with.

I asked Allah why I wasn’t handsome.
And He showed me a man more handsome than any other, who was ugly because of his vanity.

I asked Allah why he’d allowed me to become old.
And He showed me a boy of 16, who lay dead at a scene of a car accident.

I asked Allah why I didn’t have a bigger house.
And He showed me a family of six, who’d just got evicted from their tiny shack, and were forced, to live on the street.

I asked Allah why I had to work.
And He showed me a man who couldn’t find a job, because he had never learned to read.

I asked Allah why I wasn’t popular.
And he showed me a socialite with a thousand friends, who all left the minute the money and fun were no longer there.

I asked Allah why I wasn’t smarter.
And He showed me a natural born genius, who was serving life in prison for making ill use of his knowledge.

I asked Allah why I have to sacrifice so much in life.
And He showed me His Qur’an and the sacrifices of his beloved Prophet (P.B.U.H.).

Then I understood what sacrifice really meant.

Unilever Cosmetic Products

Unilever manufacture major products like Lynx deodorants, Organics, Ponds, Vaseline Intensive care and so on. As you would expect, we receive many queries about these products. With cosmetic companies, it would be a tall order indeed to investigate the make up of every product and range being so many. From such organisations We accept statements detailing which animal ingredients they use and the sourced. This is so we can determine the suitability.

Unfortunately, we have been unable to bottom the Unilever brands. Unilever Helplines just tell us and the consumer which products contain animal and which do not, not the source of the animal ingredient. They do not know and cannot get this information for us. The consequence is that we don't know if it is suitable or not as not all animal products are impermissible.

We tried very hard to convince Management the importance of divulging such information. However, though the Helplines were very helpful and wanted this issue to be progressed, Management were not so helpful. In short they told us that they would like to tell consumers which products are ok for Muslims and would consult a Muslim body to-do this but it wont be any time soon. They did not want our immediate help and said they would contact us if they needed our assistance. A case of: "Don't call us, we will call you."

At the very least, we would want to know what animal ingredient it is in a product so that one may determine suitability. Insha-Allah Ta'ala. Please read on to see how you can help the Ummah (and yourselves) Jazakakumullah.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
CONTACT Unilever's lscareline.uk@unilever.co.uk and leverfaberge@unileverconsumerlink.co.uk
please copy foodguide-owner@yahoogroups.co.uk
Please do not forward this message but compose a new message. IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN THE UK, EVEN THEN WE URGE YOU TO EMAIL . PLEASE DO COPY FOODGUIDE@GMWA.ORG.UK SO WE KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE RESPOND PLEASE. WHETHER YOU LIVE IN THE UK, MALAYSIA, USA, AFRICA YOU CAN HELP THIS ENDEAVOUR. IT DOES NOT TAKE LONG TO SEND AN EMAIL OFF. REAP THE REWARDS, INSHA'ALLAH.

Ring the Helplines - Check out the Unilever cosmetic products like Lynx, Elina Faberge, BRUT, Organics, Clairol, Vaseline Dermacare and ring the 0800 number on the packaging. Relay your concerns with regards to the use of animal products and then follow up the call with an email. Ringing them would be very useful. In fact, when we contacted the Organics Helplines to get assistance the representative I spoke to told me how she had just spoken to a couple of Muslim women who were insisting on the source of animal in a product.
You could try this number:
0800 585895

WHAT WILL YOU WRITE?
Simply, we want you to ask Unilever to provide the source of the animal ingredients in cosmetics so that Muslims can determine suitability and to liaise with www.foodguide.org.uk Please note: That is it! You may be professional, polite, persuasive or passive but under no circumstances must you be rude. Islam does not condone rude behaviour and it does not help our cause. At the very least you may copy and paste this message in a new message. DONT FORWARD THIS UPDATE AS IT LOOKS TERRIBLY UNPROFESSIONAL!:

Dear customer services,
c.c.foodguide-owner@yahoogroups.co.uk
re: Unilever Cosmetics

For a Muslim, using Halaal is very important part of everyday life.
For Muslims to have a central, authentic location for Halaal updates is most important. I hope that your organisation will comply like scores of major, prominent corporations like Beirsdorf, L'oreal, Boots, Avon and Superdrug.

I am sure that your organisation will work with the GMWA Foodguide UK to help Muslims determine what is Halaal.

Please contact foodguide@gmwa.org.uk www.foodguide.org.uk and let me know what Unilever decides.

Yours sincerely



Why set-up the 'Protest by E-mail' Programme?
We decided to set-up the protest by email venture as it affords the Muslim Community the opportunity to strengthen its consumer power. We calculated 10 seconds (maximum 15 seconds) to post your protest email. It doesn't take much time and all the information is already pre-prepared - not dissimilar to a petition in the Masjid to the local council. We hoped that those out of the UK who receive this Newsletter would also lend a helping hand after all the Muslims are one body and a fraternity unto each other. AlhamdoLillah, we have a wide range of subscribers from all over the globe.

Muslim Consumer Clout a Necessity
Alhumdolillah, it is a great pleasure and privilege for the Foodguide to assist the Muslim Community. However, we need more "Consumer Clout" to assist us to bring you the product lists that you want! Notwithstanding, we have to regretfully report that unless future "protests" are more successful, we will consider discontinuing such a programme. Our limited resources and time just do not justify the time spent. We can either answer questions or manage the sending scores of emails out - not both. We need 15 seconds of your time for the activism part.

Jewish Consumer Power
We Muslims should learn from the success of other communities and give credit to the Jewish Community in particular for their efforts in lobbying and making themselves heard. In the USA, the Jewish community number nearly 5,602,000 and though their population is small they have mustered tremendous pressure for companies to clamour for Kosher certification amongst other things. We in the UK have to be satisfied with the "Suitable for Vegetarians" certification. If we worked together as Muslims companies would seek want Halaal certification too Insha-Allah.

The Choice is yours
Please do take part in the email protests. It will not take no more than 15 seconds of your time and Insha-Allah we would have more leverage over companies. Remember if companies are convinced they might lose Muslim business, they would immediately assist us with our queries. This is the simple fact of the matter. It is up to you. Let us work together on this one.


Please do tell your friends and Ulama about this site.
Allah reward you for using the Foodguide Service. Allah give us tawfique to eat Halaal all the time. Please tell your friends and please pray for us too.

Jazaakumullah and request for Du'aas
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Ten Sicknesses of the Heart...

May this reach you in the best state of health and strongest of Imaan


1. You believe in the existence of Allah (SWT) but you do not fulfill His Commands.

2. You say you love the Prophet Mohammed (SAW) but you do not follow his Sunnah (Way).

3. You read the Holy Qur'an but you do not put it into practice.

4. You enjoy all the benefits from Allah (SWT) but you are not grateful to him.

5. You acknowledge Satan as your enemy but you do not go against him.

6. You want to enter Paradise but you do not work for it.

7. You do not want to be thrown into Hell-Fire but you do not try to run away from it.

8. You believe that every living-thing will face death but you do not prepare for it.

9. You gossip and find faults in others but you forget your own faults and habits.

10. You bury the Dead but you do not take a lesson from it.


"Invite all to the way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching;
And consult with them in ways that are best and most gracious."[16:125]



Our empire stretched between the East and the West. We lead the way for mankind...Then we let go of Islam...and grabbed hold of nationalism.

Nationalism gave birth to many wars.....much killing.....and global devastation!!!

Super-Muslim: In or Out of Home? By Brother Emerick

Keeping the Spirit Alive
I just read a very interesting story. A teacher gave her students the
following assignment: Ask a parent what their dream life was when they were
a teenager, and then write an essay comparing it to your own dreams for
your future right now. Accordingly, a teenager asked her mom about her
aspirations when she was young, and the mother replied, (reflecting her
Sixties hippie roots,) "I wished for a simple life, living on a farm
commune, growing my own vegetables and being happy."

The daughter paused for a moment and stopped writing down her mother’s
words. "What’s wrong?" Her mother asked.

"It’s sort of embarrassing," the teenager replied, "because all I want is
to drive a Lexus and get a good job."

In the first place, this may seem to be a harmless little story to elicit a
chuckle. But it got me thinking. How many Muslim "activists" have I met,
who spent all their free time doing Dawah and promoting Muslim causes, only
to lose their own children and spouses to the kufr lifestyle? It’s pretty
amazing that that would ever be the case. But I’ve seen it first hand and
it isn’t pretty.

Of the activist who is never home, we have no doubt about why he or she may
lose their families. After all, THEY WERE NEVER HOME. We all know at least
one person like this. Is it because it’s easier to be in the Masjid all
day, surrounded by things that are easy to control, at least easier than an
unruly child? Or has the activist become so filled with Islamic romaticism
they live in a dreamland of khalifah, movements and spiritual battles? Only
Allah knows for sure.

But what about the other kind of activist? The one who is so skilled and
full of energy that they can tear through any Dawah task outside the home
and still have plenty of juice left over to "do Dawah" in the home. I’ve
met quite a few of this category also. I’ve even taught the children of
such "Super Da’ees" myself in the various Islamic schools I found myself
in. Here are some interesting observations, but first, an introducing to
the topic of giving Dawah in the home.

Your hear a lot from people, from conventions, speeches, khutbas, etc…about
the family being the number one priority for Dawah. Few speakers, however,
give any realistic ways of doing it. It seems to me that the only method of
"doing Dawah" that most people are familiar with is the challenge them/give
a lecture format. In this format, one person assumes another is completely
wrong. Then he or she proceeds to lecture them endlessly to bring the other
person into enlightenment. Almost every Muslim activist I’ve ever met does
this type of Dawah. Does it work? I’m usually the only convert at most
gatherings I attend (male, at least). You decide.

How does the super Da’ee relate Islam in his or her home? I will describe
for you examples I’ve seen with my own eyes. A father and son come to my
book table. The son is, by all standards, an Americanized teen. The father
is an immigrant, middle-aged, Masjid-going and reasonably well-off
financially. As the son is looking at the videos, the father endlessly
lectures the son about why he should pray. It looks like a well-rehearsed
script. The son’s face darkens in annoyance and he whispers, "You don’t
understand." But the father, who is too busy lecturing on the merits of the
prayer, didn’t hear him. I suspect he has probably never really heard his
own son - ever.

A mother with a loose, see-through head-scarf, precariously, (and
obviously temporarily) perched on her permed hair, wearing the typical
colorful get-up replete with nail polish and Gucci bag, is walking near the
entrance to a Masjid during social gathering. Her teenage daughter is
standing near her, wearing nail polish, make-up, tight, tight jeans, a
short sleeve shirt and no head-covering at all. (Talk about dressed to
attract!) A group of teenage "Muslim" boys walk by shouting and talking
about sports and girls. This girl flirts with them and is about to follow
them when the mother calls her daughter back and gives her a long lecture
about why "Muslim girls shouldn’t hang out with boys alone.

Here’s a favorite of mine: I know of a father who literally terrorizes his
family with endless talk of Islam. To the point where pouring a cup of
water in the home is to invite a lecture on the merits of water in Islam.
Obviously, his children can’t stand Islam because they equate it with their
father’s droning, boring and endlessly running voice.

Each of the three examples has one common denominator: a parent who is
forceful about giving some Islamic teaching, but who then goes about it the
wrong way. The first parent never listened to his son, and instead, was
totally unaware that his son was complete won over by modern, popular teen
culture. If he would have developed a good relationship wit his son, and
been a consistent role-model for him form his earliest memories, his son
would have been praying all along. Lecturing a fifteen year old about
prayer isn’t likely to make him want to start.

The second parent didn’t follow Islamic requirements herself (and who knows
what other Islamic deficiencies there were) and therefore didn’t encourage
any sense of an Islamic identity in her daughter, at least as far as dress
is concerned. Instead, she allowed her daughter to develop a completely
non-Muslim style of fashion that apes the modern "liberated" woman who
dresses only to be seen of men. Most probably her daughter hangs out with
boys in her public high school everyday as well. If the mother allowed
these un-Islamic habits to develop, then what good would all the forceful
lectures do? Her daughter imagines herself to be a scantily clad beauty in
a Madonna music video while her mother envisions her to be an Muslim
princess ready for her marriage after eight years of college.

And finally, one parent took Dawah to the extreme and made his family tired
of Islam by his constant nagging. This is against Islam protocols of giving
Dawah as even the prophet, himself, used to scold those who made people
tired of too much "religious talk." Check out this topic and you’ll find
many examples.

So what’s the best way to give Dawah to your family?

Keeping the Spirit Alive
So what’s the best way to give Dawah to your family? The wrong approaches,
as highlighted before, include: not being open to your family members as
individual people with thoughts and feelings, being insincere or a
hypocrite and finally, going overboard.

The right way to do Dawah in you home is to start with yourself first. You
could literally spend your whole life working on your own faith and actions
without even talking to anyone else! You are the first priority in Dawah.
Are you sincere? Are you being true to yourself. Do you know something is
bad but then do it anyway?
What do you know about Islam? Is it possible that you may harbor feelings
of racism, hypocrisy or un-Islamic cultural traditions from your upbringing?


People know who is real. A popular American novel entitled, ‘The Catcher in
the Rye," has, as its main theme, a disillusioned young boy in a world full
of hypocrites. All he wants is to meet someone who is "genuine" and not a
"phony". Your own children know if you’re real or not. And it’s sad to say,
but it’s almost always true: the manners and attitudes of the child are an
uncamouflaged reflection of what is in the deepest heart of the parents.
Whatever is hidden in the core of your heart will come out loud and clear
in their demeanor and attitudes. If your kids are not so good Islamically,
be afraid of your own soul.

If you’re living as a true Muslim, not a perfect one, but a trying one,
then everyone sees it in your manners, speech and behavior. You’re not yet
saying a word to anyone, but you’re giving Dawah. The best Dawah is not
words- it’s actions, it’s attitude, it’s genuine. Knowledge of Islam is not
to be measured in how many du’as a person knows or surahs memorized. Even
parrots can be taught to say surahs but no one puts kufis or hijabs on
their feathered heads. Islamic knowledge is displayed in what no spoken
word can say. If you’re around a good-hearted person, you can feel it. You
want to be around that person more and to do what they do and to be like them.

Have you ever wondered why everyone wanted to be so close to the blessed
Prophet? Iman, goodness and wisdom emanated from him. Think of people in
your life who had these qualities about them. One student told me his
grandfather was the sweetest Muslim ever. A girl told me her mother was her
Islamic role model. A bunch of kids in a class named the local Arabic
expert as their favorite teacher to be around. What were the qualities in
all three of these individuals? None f them ever lectured anybody. (I’ve
met and known all three.) One was a hafiz, one a homemaker/Islamic activist
and the other a scholar. But when you met them, they often said very little
about Islam directly and they certainly didn’t lecture or come off as
arrogant.
What united all of them was that they were real sincere believers. So it’s
not how many "study-circles" you hold with your family, it’s not how many
surahs you make your children memorize. It’s not even sending your children
to a Sunday school or an Islamic school that is the key. Rather, the key is
you.

If you’re trying, sincere Musilm, you don’t talk too much- about anything-
and you perform good deeds as secretly as possible and you try to be as
peaceful and helpful to others as you can without asking anything in
return. (You also take your pleasure in simple things, not expensive
vacations and lavish living.) You prefer others over yourself and you don’t
display your wealth or worldly success by accumulating the finest cars,
homes and clothes. Anything else is folly and you’ll pay for it one day. A
good guidebook to Islamic humilty is called, "God-Oriented Life" by
Wahiduddin Khan. It contains the most beautiful hadith/Sahaba advice I’ve
ever seen.

Don’t be a Muslim "activist" if all your activity is going to be outside
the home. And don’t be an Islamic "terror" to your family: coming in like a
whirlwind, from time-to-time, upsetting the normal schedule of everyone,
even if you’re enraged by what you see your family doing. Because if your
family is doing things that are not good Islamically, then where were you
all those years when those things were being built up in their minds and
habits. A series of lectures or thrashings on your part won’t change their
attitudes.
Only when others see Islam make a meaningful change in your life will they
be willing to try the same. That is the real Dawah to the family, that is
the only message that they will listen to and the only way to make Islam
survive in your family tree. Think about it.

------------------------------------

Yahiya Emerick has been a prolific author and has written many articles
that have been published in local as well as national magazines, both in
North America and abroad. Amirah Publishing was founded by Yahiya Emerick
in 1992 in order to further his ideal of publishing American-oriented
literature on Islam. Much to his chagrin, Brother Yahiya found that many
traditional Muslims were quite content with the old, outdated books
imported from overseas and could not conceive of the need for literature
specifically designed for the North American environment.

After having written two books, which received wide acclaim in local Muslim
circles, Brother Yahiya looked in vain for a publisher willing to work with
him in this vision. After many promises and vague arrangements, he decided
to form his own company and work for Allah as best he knew how. Today, with
the addition of Reshma Baig, Qasim Najar and Samina Baig to the team,
Amirah Publishing is enjoying rapid growth and recognition among Muslims as
a source for original, as well as improved literature, for use in a
strictly American environment

Monday, June 06, 2005

Conceal the Weaknesses of Others

A very bad and dirty habit to be commonly found is to reveal and make public the fault of other persons. People dont think for a second to comment upon any others fault or weakness. While Avoiding harm to others and concealing the weakness of one's fellow human beings is a prominent theme of the moral teachings of the Quran and the Sunnah. Please have a look at the Few Sayings of our Prophet are as follows:

1 - "If a person conceals the weakness of another in this world, Allah will conceal their weakness in the hereafter" [Al Nawawi, Riyad al Salihin p 135, Hadith no 245; al Ghazali, Kitab Adab p 344]

2 - "Whoever protects the honour of his brother, will have Allah protect his countenance from the fire on the Day of Judgement" [Al Nawawi, Riyad al Salihin p 488, Hadith no 1530]

3 - "Do not harm Muslims, and do not revile them, nor pursue their imperfections. For verily, whosoever pursues the imperfections of his brother shall have his own imperfections pursued by Allah" [Sunan of al Tirmidhi, as quoted in Principles of State and Government in Islam, p 85]

Concealing the faults of, and respecting the privacy of others is again the theme of the following hadith:

"The Muslim who helps another when the latter's honour and dignity are under attack, shall be helped by Allah, Glorious and Sublime is He! - at a time when he would wish for Allah's help. But he who forsakes a Muslim whose dignity is under attack, shall have Allah forsake him at a time when he would wish for Allah's help" [Al Ghazali, Ihyaa Ulum al Din; Kitab Adab al Suhbah p 369]

It is noted that concealment (satr) is recommended only with regard to persons who are not generally known to engage in corrupt and harmful activities. As for those who are notorious, it is recommended that their evil is not concealed and that the matter is reported to the authorities.Those who are committing grave sins and their sins or wrong doings are contaminating other poeple also, who if not checked , would put the entire community into a big problem, They should be brought to book , their faults should be made public so that others can take care and be alert.

Exposing the faults of others by casting aspersions, or spying on them, is particularly reprehensible. Thus according to a hadith, people are warned:

"Beware of suspicion. For suspicion is the most untrue form of speech; and do not spy upon one another and do not revile one another." [Sahih Muslim, Kitab al birr wal silah, Bab al nahy an al tajasus]

Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was once asked about the correct meaning of the following hadith:

"When you hear something form or about your brother, ascribe to it the best interpretation until you can no longer do so"
To this, he replied:"Find an excuse for him by saying, 'Maybe he said this, or maybe he meant such and such'"

It is further reported in another hadith:

"Whoever is offered an apology from a fellow Muslim should accept it unless he knows that the person apologising is being dishonest" [Mishkat al Tabrizi, Vol III Hadith no 5052]


This indeed is the main point of the following Quranic text:"And let not the hatred of a people harm you into being unjust. Be just, for it is closet to piety (taqwa)" [Surah 5: verse 8]

Furthermore, Hasan, the son of Ali is reported to have said:

"If a man abuses me in one ear and then apologises to me in the other, I shall accept his apology" [Al Maqdisi, al Adab, I p 341]

Thus it is evident that silence takes priority over speech when it comes to exposing the faults and weaknesses of others.

I would finish with one quote from Imam Ghazali

'One should not talk about the defects of others even if one is asked about them. One must try to avoid prying and asking personal questions about the private lives of others" [Al Ghazali, Kitab Adab pp 242-43]

In The Name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful

Acceptance

by M. Dennis Paul, Ph.D.

Once the Master was at prayer. The disciples came up to him and requested he teach them how to pray. He responded, "Two men were once walking through a field. Suddenly, they saw a huge bull charging at them. They made for the nearest fence with the bull in hot pursuit. It became very evident that they would not make the fence in time. One shouted to the other, ‘We’ve had it! Nothing will save us. Say a prayer!’. The other shouted back that he had never prayed and could not think of a prayer. The first shouted, ’It doesn’t matter! Anything will do!’ His partner, now panting, recalled what his father used to say at dinner and shouted, ‘For what we are about to receive, dear Lord, make us truly grateful.'"

Acceptance is, perhaps, one of the most difficult concepts for us to understand. For many, it implies that we must agree with something. In a sense, this is quite true. It is not, however, wholly true. We can accept something as it is, yet not agree that it should be so. We accept that taxes exist yet most, I think, do not agree with taxes. Acceptance, to some, implies resignation. This, too, is true, but not entirely true. While we may be resigned to paying taxes, certainly we can work toward eliminating them.

Acceptance is the beginning of a process of growing. It is the beginning of allowing peace into our hearts and happiness into our existence. To begin practicing acceptance, we must look upon those around us, and at the world, without judgment. We must also begin to look at ourselves in the same manner. We do not have to agree with the morals, values, or attitudes of others, nor do we have to agree with any particular event occurring in the world. We can see the beauty in ourselves, others, and the world and still recognize areas we wish to improve.

Acceptance represents freedom from judgmentalism. We begin to see things as they are, yet remain free to prefer change. This does not mean that we must work to change others, however. We do not need to coerce or manipulate. We are free to lovingly discuss our preferences and we are free to seek compromise. We are also free to accept that no change will occur and seek alternative avenues for dealing with a particular reality. We cease to demand that others, and the world, be as we want.

Acceptance represents cessation of resistance to thoughts and events that occur in our lives. We begin to appreciate that events occur as they do and that thoughts and feelings arise as they will. We no longer expend enormous energy repressing our thoughts and feelings and we cease denying what is right before us. Practicing this, we begin to see opportunity to work with what occurs. Recognizing that our thinking creates how we feel, we see opportunity to think, and thus feel differently. Recognizing that how we view a particular circumstance is more important than the circumstance itself, we open ourselves to viewing circumstances more clearly and acting upon them more wisely.

Sometimes, we must accept that we are resisting. It is from this recognition that we begin to move toward greater acceptance.

As the above parable suggests, we may not like what is, or what is about to happen, however, we must accept it and, even more, be grateful that it presents itself to us. We recognize that in every moment, things are just as they should be.

Interesting One

ASTRONOMER:
When you re-arrange the letters: MOON STARER

DESPERATION:
When you re-arrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT

DORMITORY:
When you re-arrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM

THE EYES:
When you re-arrange the letters: THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE:
When you re-arrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES:
When you re-arrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY:
When you re-arrange the letters: IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you re-arrange the letters: LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you re-arrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER (lolz)

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you re-arrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you re-arrange the letters: I M A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you re-arrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you re-arrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE


Hanisha

THE CAUSES OF ANGER AND ITS MEDICINE

From Imam Ghazali's book "Ihyaa Uloom ad Deen"

Know, O dear readers, that the medecine of a disease is to remove the root cause of that disease. Isa (Jesus Christ) -peace be upon him- was once asked: "What thing is difficult?" He said: "God's wrath." Prophet Yahya (John the Baptist) -peace be upon him- then asked: "What thing takes near the wrath of God?" He said:"Anger". Yahya - peace be upon him- asked him:"What thing grows and increases anger?" Isa -peace be upon him- said:"Pride, prestige, hope for honour and haughtiness"

The causes which cause anger to grow are self-conceit, self-praise, jests and ridicule, argument, treachery, too much greed for too much wealth and name and fame. If these evils are united in a person, his conduct becomes bad and he cannot escape anger.
So these things should be removed by their opposites. Self-praise is to be removed by modesty. Pride is to be removed by one's own origin and birth, greed is to be removed by remaining satisfied with necessary things, and miserliness by charity.
The prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "A strong man is not he who defeats his adversary by wrestling, but a strong man is he who controls himself at the time of anger."
We are describing below the medecines of anger after one gets angry. The medecine is a mixture of knowledge and action. The medecine based on knowledge is of six kinds:
(1) The first medecine of knowledge is to think over the rewards of appeasing anger, that have come from the verses of the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh). Your hope for getting rewards of appeasing anger will restrain you from taking revenge.
(2) The second kind of medecine based on knowledge is to fear the punishment of God and to think that the punishment of God upon me is greater than my punishment upon him. If I take revenge upon this man for anger, God will take revenge upon me on the Judgement Day.
(3) The third kind of medecine of anger based on knowledge is to take precaution about punishment of enemity and revenge on himself. You feel joy in having your enemy in your presence in his sorrows, You yourself are not free from that danger. You will fear that your enemy might take revenge against you in this world and in the next.
(4) Another kind of medecine based on knowledge is to think about the ugly face of the angry man, which is just like that of the ferocious beast. He who appeases anger looks like a sober and learned man.
(5) The fifth kind of medecine based on knowledgeis to think that the devil will advise by saying: " You will be weak if you do not get angry!" Do not listen to him!
(6) The sixth reason is to think: " What reason have I got to get angry? What Allah wishes has occured!"
Medecine based on action
When you get angry, say: I seek refuge in God from the accursed evil (A'oudhou billaahi min as shaytaan ir rajeem). The prophet (pbuh) ordered us to say thus.
When Ayesha (RA) got angry, he dragged her by the nose and said: " O dear Ayesha, say: O God, you are the Lord of my prophet Muhammad, forgive my sins and remove the anger from my heart and save me from misguidance."
If anger does not go by this means, you will sit down if you are standing, lie down if you are sitting, and come near to earth, as you have been created of earth. Thus make yourself calm like the earth. The cause of wrath is heat and its opposite is to lie down on the ground and to make the body calm and cool.
The prophet (pbuh) said: Anger is a burning coal. Don't you see your eyebrows wide and eyes reddish? So when one of you feels angry, let him sit down if standing, and lie down if sitting.
If still anger does not stop, make ablution with cold water or take a bath, as fire cannot be extinguished without water.
The prophet (pbuh) said : " When one of you gets angry, let him make ablution with water as anger arises out of fire." In another narration, he said:" Anger comes from the devil and the devil is made of fire."
Hazrat Ali (RA) said:
The prophet did not get angry for any action of the world. When any true matter charmed him, nobody knew it and nobody got up to take revenge for his anger. HE GOT ANGRY ONLY FOR TRUTH.

EXPERIENCE THE JOY OF GIVING

The more freely we give, the more we will have. When we stop giving, we stop receiving. If we have clenched fists, we cannot receive. The moment we open our fists and give. We are also able to receive. This is how the laws of the universe and nature work. In essence, the concepts of rich and poor describe not how much or how little we have, but rather how much or how little we give of ourselves.

There are many ways to give – we can give our time, thoughts, wealth, and guidance. Similarly, there are many levels of giving. Some give because they want recognition or medals or some form of return; it is better to give even with an ulterior motive than not give at all. However, the highest form of giving is selfless and unconditional. Unconditional giving is when we give without any thought of reward, return, or recognition. It is far different from the bartering concept of giving – you scratch my back and I scratch yours – that exists in the material world today.

The best symbol of unconditional giving is that of a flower which gives its perfume, to every passerby. Even when you crush a flower, it still leaves its perfume behind.

There is a Sufi story about a poor starving man who approached a saint and asked him, “What is my destiny?” The saint replied that he did not know the answer but that he would pray to find out. The next day, the saint told the poor man that there was only a bag of rice in his destiny. The man pleaded with the saint to request God to give him his bag of rice as soon as possible as he was starving to death. The saint prayed for his request. The next morning, when the poor man woke up, he found a bag of rice sitting outside his doorstep. Thanking his luck, he cooked the whole bag of rice and called his neighbor and friend to share the rice with him. By duck, the rice was finished.

The next morning, the poor man found two bags of rice outside his doorstep. He continued his ritual by cooking all the rice and inviting more friends and neighbors, and together they ate the rice. By duck, the rice was finished. The next morning, when he woke up, he found three bags of rice at his doorstep. When the saint asked God why the poor man was getting so many bags of rice instead of the one he had predicted. God told him that, because of the poor man’s generosity in his poverty, he had changed and recreated his destiny.

Seven steps to Lasting Happiness

Azim Jamal

The men and women who give charity and make a good loan to Allah will have it increased for them and they will have a generous reward. (57:18)

Give from what We have provided for you before death comes to one of you and he says, ‘My Lord, if only you would give me a little more time so that I can give charity and be one of the righteous!’ (63:10)

(Al-Quran)

Thursday, June 02, 2005

A Logical Explanation

Posted on 2005-05-27
Written By: Aaminah Hernández


Aliya wasn’t supposed to tell anyone her nightmare. The traditions of the Prophet say that one should not share a bad dream with anyone. Instead one was to dry spit to their left side and seek refuge with Allah from the curses of the devil. But she had been so distracted that when Nan asked her what was wrong during science lab, she had blurted out the dream right then and there.

“It’s probably because you knew we were going to be dissecting fetal pigs this week,” Nan suggested.

But being chased by a pig down the school hallways had seemed so real. When Aliya woke from the nightmare, she had not been sure where she was or that it wasn’t still happening. She had heard of that before but had never experienced it and was surprised to discover it to be a true sensation.

“Remember when you got upset when we were dissecting the frog, and you swore that you could still see it twitching? Really, for a girl who wants to be a pediatrician, it is funny how you react to dissecting animals. I can only imagine you at your first autopsy in med school!”

“Thanks for the reminder. But the dream seemed so real, almost like it wasn’t a dream. Besides, you know the symbolism of the pig and its relation to the devil. It is the same in your beliefs, right? I remember it being used in the story of that house in Amityville. Maybe the dream is about the dissections, but maybe it is a warning sign of something else.”

Nan shrugged her shoulders and turned back to the notes she was reviewing. Aliya could sense that Nan had decided there was a logical answer to the question and it wasn’t worth continuing to try to convince her that something might not be so simple to decipher.

Aliya knew that Nan would look for the easy explanation because she had limited belief in the unseen and unscientifically proven. But that didn’t keep her from begging Aliya to ask her grandmother to read their tea-leaves. No matter what Aliya told her about the difference between cultures and what was acceptable in Islam, that was the one thing that Nan couldn’t seem to get out of her head. When Aliya’s grandmother came to visit from Iran, the two American girls listened to her stories about her girlhood and how much she wished she had been able to go to school the way they could.

“So, are you going to freak out when we start the dissecting?”

“No, I’ll be fine. This is an important skill to learn so that I can be the best doctor out there. A lot of important research on children’s illnesses and their cures comes from this kind of work. Dissection and autopsies are an essential part of my education and ability to do the work I want to do. I’ll be okay.”

“You sound like you’re trying a little hard to convince yourself,” Nan said and laughed.

Aliya didn’t respond because for the first time she actually agreed. Maybe she was asking more of herself than she was capable of. Maybe she was trying to do something she wasn’t meant to do. Maybe she didn’t have the right smarts and strength to be a doctor. Her older brother had told her that girls shouldn’t try to take jobs away from men and that she had no business being a doctor. Maybe he was right.

In the past Aliya had always countered Ahmed’s comments by saying that women had a right to work too. She felt it was important for more women to get into fields where they would be serving women and children, because it was better for Muslim women to have another woman to do business with, instead of only men. And she reminded him that the Prophet’s wives had been well-known as business women, scholars, social service workers and even as troop leaders in battle.

Her brother’s response was that women were supposed to stay home and take care of their husbands. After all, didn’t the Qur’an say that men are the maintainers of women? Women should be happy that they didn’t have to work and could live relaxed lives while their men handled everything of importance.

Aliya’s father said there was no basis in Islam for his son’s thinking, and he apologized to Aliya that he had failed to impress a clearer understanding of a woman’s rights on Ahmed’s mind. He was appalled at his son’s misinterpretation of the Qur’an and agreed with Aliya when she argued that while men were supposed to maintain their women, it did not mean that women had to sit back and do nothing. Nor did they agree that women were able to live “relaxed lives”. She was offended that her brother took for granted the hard work her mother did to maintain the home and look after the whole family.

But after the dream and Nan’s comments, Aliya wondered if maybe her brother did have a point when he said that she, as a woman, was not fit to take on the massive responsibility of being a doctor.

The next day when Aliya went to the science lab, she thought she was prepared. That day they would begin the dissection of the fetal pig. She almost wished that Nan wasn’t her lab partner so she wouldn’t have to listen to her teasing, but then she felt guilty because Nan really was a good friend.

“You look refreshed. Did you sleep better last night? No bad dreams?”

“No dreams. I’m ready to get busy.”

“Hey, I saw your brother and some of his friends huddled outside the classroom this morning. What do you think they were up to? Do you think maybe he’s getting ready to ask me out yet?”

“I have no idea what Ahmed is up to, but I’ve told you Muslims don’t date and he is not going to ask you out. Besides, you wouldn’t be able to tolerate his chauvinistic side.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean, but he is so cute.” She set a dissection tray with a fetal pig on the worktable. “Here’s our specimen. What would you like to name this baby?”

“How about if we don’t name it. Here’s your scalpel. Less talk, more cutting.”

“Oh ho ho! Aren’t you mighty serious about this now?”

Aliya flicked water at Nan, laughing to show that she didn’t have to always be serious. The lab door banged open, and Nan let out a half-laugh then became silent. Aliya looked over at the other girls climbing up on tables and screaming and the boys laughing. Aliya could not believe what she was seeing.

A large pig was trotting into the classroom straight towards her. There was her nightmare, all 500 pounds of it, in the flesh. That was when she fainted.

Aliya wasn’t ready to open her eyes, but she could hear Ahmed’s voice.

“Some doctor she’ll make. She can’t even deal with a harmless animal, how is she going to deal with the realities of med school and then a hospital internship?”

She wondered if she was still in a dream, then sat up, eyes wide, looking for the cause of her nightmare. She recognized the nurse’s office and saw Nan sitting in a chair next to her.

“Relax, Aliya. It’s okay. Everything is under control and you are safe.” The concern on Nan’s face made Aliya certain that she wasn’t about to laugh at her this time.

Aliya could hear the principal and science teacher outside the door of the office, really laying into Ahmed.

“Your behavior is reprehensible,” shouted Principal McElheny. “This was really over-the-top and cannot be laughed off. Your father will be here soon.”

A few minutes later her father was standing over her asking how she was.

“I will be okay, Baba. But I don’t understand what happened.”

“Apparently your brother decided to play a prank on you. I am going to meet with the principal and I will get to the bottom of this. Just rest for now, habibi.”

After her father left, Aliya turned to Nan, who answered her unspoken questions.

”Ahmed must have overheard about your dream. He decided to help it come true, so he and some of the guys went to the 4-H Club’s barn and “borrowed” their prize sow. He’s been saying over and over that he had to ‘jar’ you ‘into reality’ about your desire to be a doctor.”

“Oh. Wait, Ahmed thinks that he can scare me away from being a doctor? He should know me better than that.” Aliya was angry now but didn’t know what else to say.

The girls grew quiet and Aliya thought through what all of this could mean for her future. She was certain now that her brother was wrong and she was past doubting her abilities. She needed to conquer her fears and strive toward her goal even harder. She would become the very best pediatrician in her state, and she would take her services to the poor and underserved families in the community. Ahmed should have known that making her angry would only strengthen her resolve, she thought.

“Suspended?” she heard her brother’s loud voice.

Her father’s soft voice answered, “Yes, and you will spend that entire suspension working in your uncle’s store. And you will apologize to your sister, to her entire science class, and write a letter of apology to the school. Maybe you can take this time to reflect on your attitude.”

Aliya felt good about her decision. She would be a doctor because female doctors were needed. She would be an example to her older brother of the strength and abilities of a Muslim woman. She would not back down.

“Gee, Nan, I guess there is a logical explanation this time,” Aliya said.

“What,” Nan asked.

“I had thought the dream was a sign that I couldn’t handle being a doctor, that Ahmed was right about women. But you were right about it being my nerves. It is only logical now for me to overcome all of this and do what I was meant to do – become an excellent doctor.”

“Oh yes. And the men will be flocking to your father’s door to beg for your hand in marriage because they will love your intellect and abilities, tempered by your piety, of course. And Ahmed won’t be able to find a wife who will put up with his silly ideas.” Nan made exaggerated gestures and rolled her eyes.

The girls were laughing when Aliya’s her father came into the room. When Aliya looked at Ahmed standing in the doorway she began to laugh even harder.

“What on earth are you two up to,” her father asked.

“There is a logical explanation, Baba.” But she couldn’t stop laughing to tell him what it was.

“Women. See, I told you they are frivolous and can’t do anything serious,” sneered Ahmed.

“Oh, I disagree. If she can still laugh after what you just did to her, you may want to keep out of her way.” Her father looked at Ahmed with a fierce expression and Ahmed moved quickly out of the way as his father stepped into the hallway, followed by the girls.

“It would be logical,” Aliya added, as Nan put her arm around her and they walked down the hallway after the men, still giggling.

http://illuminationmag.org/menews/menews.php?news_id=25

Too Much Preaching, Too Little Teaching!

Sunday, 29, May, 2005 (20, Rabi` al-Thani, 1426)

Too Much Preaching, Too Little Teaching!
Dr. Khaled Batarfi, kbatarfi@al-madina.com

My favorite classmate at an American university was a Jew who was also a Communist. All my life I have heard only unfavorable things about Jews and Communists. How come my beloved friend is both and I never noticed until he himself told me?

Later, I befriended Jews and Communists and found them friendly, compassionate and trustworthy.

Later on, I came to know wonderful people of other faiths and other sects. Never once have I known a bad person who “hates us and conspires to undermine our faith” as I was taught earlier in my life.

This and similar experience, like befriending Catholic and Protestant priests, a rabbi, and atheists, taught me an important lesson in life. We are all the same species. No matter what is your faith, color or race, you are basically mind, heart and soul. We could connect with a simple package of hello, a smile and a handshake.

At the same time, I felt sorry for all those who are still hostage to preachers of hate, suspicion and superiority. There are plenty of these bad apples in every faith, culture and race. In the heartland of America, Russia, Middle East, Sudan, Japan and Europe, many good people pay hand and leg for being different.

Wars, crusades and civil disturbances ensued throughout history to prove who has the super faith or is the super race. Primitive and dark-aged as it sounds, it still exists today. The conflicts among civilizations are based on fear and mistrust of the other’s intentions, as it is on interests and politics.

In a class I took during my US studies on intercultural dialogue, students discovered that even those with the best intention had deep accumulated biases and ideas that needed to be flushed out. Most discovered that they got these thoughts from family, friends, media, schools, churches, mosques, synagogues and temples.

Almost all biases were explained as reaction to perceived stands of the others. They regard their own prejudice as protective measures. (The world is a dangerous place, and enemies are out to get you. Read History. You can’t be too careful. Stick with your own, and keep a watchful eye on the conspiring others.)

Schools, media and places of worship are the main institutions we need to work on. In our case, we have a lot to do.

Our Ministry of Religious Affairs did review the records and stands of thousands of preachers and imams on its payroll. Circulars went to every imam in the Kingdom on how to deal with issues of interfaith. Many were given training courses on similar subjects.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education took similar steps — all with a view to removing misconceptions about other faiths and promoting interfaith understanding. The Ministry of Information gave Saudi media hints and tips on the subject.

King Abdul Aziz Center for National Dialogue chose the topic of “The Dialogue with the Other” as the subject of the next conference, later this year. Teams of researchers are conducting workshops all over the country to debate the issue on regional bases. The better participants will be chosen to join the national conference.

Is that enough? I would say no. You can’t change a mentality, an attitude or an ideological doctrine overnight. These concepts were made over ages. A whole generation was affected. To fix all that, we need a grand strategy that deal with the roots as well as the symptoms. We need to examine the reference books and doctrines that bred the phenomenon.

The old guards of these texts and concepts must either change their mind, or be changed. Removing parts of books and sermons would help in the short term. Removing the convictions behind them will solve the problem permanently. The new National Dialogue Forum is our chance to formulate such a strategy.

Our schools need to change directions. Instead of focusing on nonpractical, nonscientific subjects, we must concentrate on science and technology. The market is full of preachers, short in teachers, full of talkers, short of workers. The future of this country can only be built on the solid concrete of science not the moving sands of ideologies.

In short, we need more teaching and less, much less preaching.



http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=64519&d=29&m=5&y=2005

7 Tips on Talking to Kids About Homosexuality

“And Lot! (Remember) when he said unto his folk: Will ye commit abomination such as no creature ever did before you?

Lo! ye come with lust unto men instead of women. Nay, but ye are wanton folk.” (Quran: 7:80-81)

It's hard enough trying to explain topics like menstruation and sexual intercourse from the Islamic perspective to kids.But this is not where sex education can end.

Homosexuality has gained greater acceptance as an “alternative lifestyle” in the last 10 to 20 years in North America. Not only has this mentality affected adults-it is now affecting kids' way of looking at the gay lifestyle as well.

Public school sex education, under the rubric of “Family Life Education” generally teaches an acceptance of homosexuality, a respect and/or tolerance for it. As is the case with sex education in general, there is little to no moral guidance on the topic. Just a neutral presentation.

Homosexuality, like others matters pertaining to sexuality, is openly discussed in the Quran and Sunnah. We have no excuse as Muslim parents, teachers, community leaders and individuals not to clearly discuss this issue with our kids.

In view of this, Sound Vision has asked Muslim counselor Shahina Siddiqui, Islamic activist and author Ahmad Sakr, and former Islamic school principal Abdalla Idris Ali how Muslims can discuss the issue of homosexuality from the Islamic perspective. Below are some of their suggestions.

Tip #1: Clearly outline what is homosexual behavior

This can be uncomfortable, but a young Muslim, even one who attends Islamic school, most probably has heard about itfrom television, newspapers, radio, and/or non-Muslim friends.

This is also important because in many Muslim cultures, it is not uncommon to find people of the same sex kissing on the cheeks, hugging, or holding hands. None of these actions are deemed sexual in any way. So this is why a child must not confuse real Halal affection between his brothers or her sisters, versus deviant sexual behavior.

In this regard, it may help to read up on the topic a bit before venturing to explain what it is.

Tip #2: Tell them what Islam says about homosexuality, with wisdom

To just say it is Haram, will not usually satisfy Muslim children, especially those who are used to questioning, discussion, and debate.

One point that has to be emphasized is that since Allah is the Creator of human beings, Who created us out of nothing, He knows best what our true needs and desires are. He also knows what is good and bad for us. He sees everything, knows everything and is the wisest and most Merciful. Therefore, the fact that He is telling us that homosexuality is wrong , just as He tells us consuming alcohol is wrong, for example, means that we must heed His warning.

This can be explained in another way. For instance, if 13-year-old Hassan dreams of having his own car, particularly a cherry red Corvette, one day Insha Allah, you can use his interest in cars to explain homosexuality like this: who knows what makes the Corvette tick, what causes its engine problems or how often it needs to get a tune up? Obviously the people who manufacture the Corvette, and who have provided its instruction manual to guarantee it runs as smoothly as possible, with little to no problems. The manufacturers of the Corvette also know what kinds of things a driver or owner of the car should not do to cause the car damage or destruction.

Similarly, Allah has created us, He is our Maker. He knows what makes us tick. He knows what can improve our bodies and minds and those things that can destroy them. He has provided not just an instruction manual (the Quran), but also a model to follow (The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him). If we trust the people who have manufactured the Corvette, then why can't we trust Allah?

What can also be done is to explain the harms associated with homosexuality. Some of these, says Siddiqui, include diseases like AIDS, the fact that this kind of sexual relationship does nothing to advance human civilization even in terms of population (in other words, homosexuals do not even procreate).

This point is important because one of the main aims of sex is to produce children in order to continue human life. Homosexuality does not yield any children. It is a relationship purely for the sake of pleasure, which is not only unnatural, but leads to disease and death.

As well, provide references from the Quran in your discussion on the Islamic position. Ahmad Sakr gives the following:


7: 80-84
11: 74-83
15: 61-75
21: 74-75

26:160-175
27: 54-58
29: 28-35

37:133-138
54: 33-39
66: 10



Tip #3: Get them to write a paper or do an assignment about it

If Aminah or Saeed are in their teens, get them to research the topic and write a paper on homosexuality, suggests Idris Ali. Provide books that give the Islamic perspective. This is a good way for them to grasp the concept, and who knows, maybe in the course of their research they will find another good reason homosexuality should not be practiced.

Tip #4: Make it clear people are not born that way

“We're born that way, so deal with it,” is the mantra of a number of gays. This is not true.

”They are putting the blame on God,” says Sakr. “If it is true, why in the world does God have to send an earthquake to the people of Lot in [the northern] part of Palestine, because they were the first group of people who started committing homosexuality.”

If people were born to commit homosexual acts, Allah who is most Merciful, would not have destroyed Prophet Lut's community. These people had an opportunity to change. They did not, and Allah destroyed them. This is a test Shaytan puts in our way.

Tip #5: Make the distinction between desires and actions

It should be noted that some people may have the desire to engage in homosexual sex, but that does not mean they have acted on that. In Islam the punishment is for the act, not the feelings.

Allah does not hold us responsible for our bad thoughts as long as we don't act on them.

A Muslim who develops homosexual desires, but does not act on them must fast and seek the sincere help and guidance of Allah to turn away from this lifestyle. S/he must also not dwell on these kinds of thoughts. Which leads to the next point.

Tip #6: Emphasize the importance of Islamic practice in keeping these desires away

The only way we can truly protect ourselves from homosexuality, whether it is in the development of feelings, or in the actual sexual practice of it is to always remember Allah.

This means following the basics: prayers, fasting, Dua, etc. Even the basics done sincerely and regularly can, Insha Allah, provide a fortress against Shaytan.

Sakr says fasting in particular, is useful in controlling lust, and recommends doing so on Mondays and Thursdays.

As well, we can point out that if a person is having these desires, it can be a test from Allah, as well as an example of how Shaytan tries to turn us away from Allah.

In addition, we should advise ourselves and our kids to seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan by saying Aoutho billahi minash Shaytan ir Rajeem (I seek refuge in Allah from Shaytan the accursed) as well as reading Surah al Nas, the last Surah of the Quran, which mentions the whispering of Shaytan.

Tip #7: Emphasize the importance of and maintain Islamic rules of modesty, even with the same sex

How many of us watch television shows replete with sexual foreplay, titillation and innuendo? These types of “innocent” displays of sexuality are dangerous, to say the least. They put wrong ideas into the mind and are Haram for us to watch.

This is where lowering the gaze comes in.

As well, maintaining an Islamic dress code even in front of the same sex, is important. In Islam, for example, a man cannot see the body of another man between the naval and knees.

Contrast this with high school gym classes, where boys will often shower together, usually in complete nudity. The same happens in girls' locker rooms. Parents and Muslim communities must be on guard against these types of situations, which are not only dangerous to a young Muslim's Islamic practice, but can also make them the prey of gays and/or lesbians.

Another practice relating to modesty between brothers and sisters is to have separate beds or bedrooms for brothers and sisters, especially after the age of 10. Care should also be given to respecting the privacy of both the same and opposite gender when changing clothes for example, or in the shower. Permission should be sought before entering a room, where someone may be in a state of undress.

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