These days companies are using increasingly intrusive techniques to get hold of your details and snoop on your surfing habits. We show you how to hit back.
Chris Cain, Computeract!ve, 27 May 2004
How would you feel if a group of strangers started to follow you around, taking note of what you did, where you went, who you spoke to and what you said? Aside from being more than a little freaked out, most of us would be pretty annoyed. But similar things could be happening when you use the internet, thanks to software known as spyware.
Sometimes referred to as advertising-supported software or adware, spyware snoops on your surfing habits. The information it gathers is then used by companies to target you with tailored advertising, interrupt your online experience with annoying pop-up windows and bombard you with unwanted emails promoting products and services.
While most of us wouldn't worry too much about something that tracks the websites we use, other software spies can record far more personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers. This is far more worrying, especially for anyone who likes to shop or bank online.
What is spyware?
Spyware can roughly be defined as software that gathers information about a user, usually without their knowledge or informed consent, and then passes this data to others. As with computer viruses it comes in various forms but, in contrast, much of what is commonly referred to as spyware is currently perfectly legal.
Perhaps the most basic type of tracking device is a web page cookie (a snippet of data held in a file on your PC) designed simply to alert its employers or serve up an ad whenever you visit a particular site or click on a certain link. Most internet sites use cookies to provide a more personal service. Some can't even function properly without placing at least a small marker on your machine.
Cookies are also used to store site passwords or subscription data, saving you from having to type in your name or email address every time you visit. There's no denying that this can be convenient, but a cookie that remembers your login details can give someone else access to your PC when you are away from your desk.
Other trackers are much more devious, recording personal information, such as your email address, as well as tracking your online activities. The kind of data collected may be information you wouldn't think twice about revealing in an online survey, but the fact that this software can install itself on your PC without your permission or knowledge is very annoying.
Interestingly, PC security expert Robert Schifreen at SecuritySavvy.com says users often unwittingly agree to this type of surveillance. "Most spyware is installed with permission because it's in the small print of the licence agreement that most people just click 'Yes' to without actually reading through all the text."
The data sent back to HQ doesn't always stop at the name of sites you visit or even email addresses and passwords. Some spies are so cheeky they log everything you type. By far the most famous of these so-called keyloggers is Magic Lantern, allegedly developed by the FBI to sniff out passwords as they are typed in.
Others may note the technical specification of your computer and even take screenshots of the applications being used on the host PC. In extreme cases, there are even 'voiceloggers' that can use your sound card to record what's going on around your PC if a microphone is attached. You might think the chances of this are slim but many notebooks have microphones built in.
A particularly nasty form of spyware is known as malware. Deliberately malicious, malware attempts to alter your system by installing other software, opening security loopholes, emailing messages to any address in your Outlook contacts book or uninstalling spyware-detection utilities. Some of these can bypass or configure a firewall so the software can hook up to the internet at any time.
Secret service
Aside from cookies that automatically install themselves on your PC when you visit a particular site, most spyware arrives on your machine either as an email attachment or hidden inside freeware and shareware packages. It can also come as part of a web browser plug-in, or even a commercial application.
Not everything that can be classed as spyware is up to no good though. Some of it is genuinely useful. For example, Microsoft Word remembers a list of the documents you've recently opened, while Internet Explorer keeps a history of the websites you visit to help you get back to them easily, and the Google browser plug-in keeps a record of searches. While these are obviously tracking your movements, this software serves a useful purpose and isn't something you need worry about unless you specifically want to cover your tracks.
Among the most common cookie-based adware is DoubleClick, which serves up adverts in your browser based on information gleaned from your surfing habits. The people behind DoubleClick claim their software doesn't use your name, email address or phone number when performing any of its duties. However, its attempts to pop up with ads for products or services that may interest you can still be incredibly annoying. And while the products advertised by DoubleClick are likely to be inoffensive, it's just as easy to pick up advertising cookies from seedier sites.
Typical carriers of adware include peer-to-peer file-sharing utilities such as Kazaa Media Desktop. Kazaa features software called Cydoor and GAIN (also known as Gator), which deliver ads to you based on the type of sites you visit. To be fair, Kazaa does mention this in its privacy policy and you can buy adware-free versions of many of the popular file-sharing tools. However, we suspect more people will simply download the free version without reading any of the small print.
Other utilities known to incorporate spyware extras include versions of the download utility Go!Zilla, the cursor graphic program CometCursor and the popular MP3 tool AudioGalaxy. In fact, one version of the latter allegedly contains nine different pieces of tracking software. While AudioGalaxy's privacy policy admits to recording information such as your IP address, browser type, cookie and page information, it also states that: "Some advertisers and affiliates may collect personally identifiable information when you access their links."
On a not-unrelated note, one application causing controversy at the moment is the online address book Plaxo. The brainchild of Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster, it allows its users to share their Outlook address books online. While many have fallen in love with the system and its ability to keep your contacts up to date, there's a debate over whether this kind of information gathering can be considered spyware. There's also some concern as to whether passing on other people's details may conflict with European data privacy laws. It will be interesting to see what happens with this one.
Blowing their cover
Given these threats to your privacy, how can you tell if there are spies on your system? Fortunately, there are some tell-tale signs. By far the most common complaint is a general system slowdown, especially when online, due to numerous spy programs running behind the scenes. Other indications include visiting a site and then receiving junk email or pop-ups about a seemingly related subject shortly afterwards, or your browser's home page suddenly changing.
One quick way to check for a tracking cookie, such as DoubleClick, is to look for it in your Cookies folder. If you're using Windows XP, you can locate this by double-clicking on the My Computer icon on your Desktop, double-clicking on the Local Disk (C:) icon and then double-clicking on the Documents and Folders folder. Open the folder labelled with your user name and there should be a folder called Cookies inside. If the DoubleClick cookie is there and you want to delete it, you can simply drag it into the Recycle Bin as you would any other file.
Of course, it's only possible to find and extract cookies manually if you know exactly what you're looking for. A far better way to detect spies is to use software designed to sniff them out, in much the same way as an antivirus package.
Prevention and cure
As with most ailments, prevention is better than cure. One way to stop cookie-based trackers from snooping on you is to manually opt-out of their services. Just as you might tick the box on a subscription form to say 'Don't email me about future promotions', you can choose to stop unwanted advertisements popping up in your browser. In the case of DoubleClick, this means visiting its Ad-Serving Cookie Opt-Out page and clicking on the 'Ad Cookie Opt-out' button. Doing this places an opt-out version of the cookie on your machine.
Finding the home of every ad-serving cookie would be a long and tedious task, but the good news is there is software that can help you. One such utility is Spybot Search and Destroy, which provides the web and email addresses you need to visit or send a message to in order to rid yourself of some of the major players. The list doesn't cover every service but it's somewhere to start.
Another way to minimise the risk is to familiarise yourself with the security settings in your browser, to make sure that only cookies for sites you trust are let onto your system. For example, in Internet Explorer you need to select Internet Options from the Tools menu and select the Privacy tab. From here you can set the level of privacy you want for your browser. In most cases the medium setting is fine, but those who want to block more types of cookie can select a higher level.
You can take things even further by choosing to allow or disable the cookies from individual sites. Be aware, though, that some sites won't function if you choose to block their cookies. Other software packages such as Norton Internet Security also offer privacy tools.
Perhaps the best way to stop spies infiltrating your system and track down any already installed is to use one of the previously mentioned spyware killers. There are plenty of them available and they are often free to download. Some are designed just to wipe out any intruders, while others have the ability to clear your PC and then immunise Windows against further attacks by setting what Microsoft refers to as 'kill bits' within the Registry. These bits prevent spies from latching on to your system.
For your eyes only
While good antivirus software and a firewall are essential items for regular internet users, it's clear that we should all take some further steps to protect our privacy online.
Advertising cookies that track the websites we visit aren't a concern for most of us, but anything that goes beyond this and allows personal data like Pins and passwords to be accessible is clearly a danger and must be avoided.
Even if there is a change in the law to make all these information gatherers illegal, in real terms it would be difficult to enforce, unlikely to stop their use, and potentially damaging to internet businesses and the way some popular - often free - packages work.
By following the guidelines we've outlined here and regularly sweeping your system for spies you can make sure you keep one step ahead and keep your PC private.
Spyware and the law
While many find the very idea of spyware offensive, its legal status is a grey and complex area.
Adware cookies that track your path across the web are perfectly legal, provided the companies that use them inform you of their purpose and give you the option to refuse them. That said, they don't have to do this before downloading the file to your machine.
When it comes to more personal data, such as email addresses, users must agree to it being captured. In addition, according to IT law specialist Struan Robertson of out-law.com: "It's unlawful to collect email addresses that identify a living individual for one purpose and then to use them for another, undisclosed purpose - such as selling an email list to spammers."
With IP addresses, the position is less clear. These can be used for some purposes without falling foul of the Data Protection Act. However, Robertson says: "Most spyware attempts to build a profile of an individual, and using the IP address for building that profile - whether it be shopping preferences or favoured news sites or whatever - will likely breach a key principle of the Act, where the business is established in the UK."
More devious devices, such as keyloggers and voiceloggers, are likely to fall foul of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.
Spyware enjoys much more freedom in the US. However, the state of Utah has just caused controversy by voting in the Spyware Control Act. Under this, any software that reports your online actions, sends personal data to others, or serves ads without permission is prohibited. Microsoft, AOL, Google, Amazon, Yahoo and others have all complained that the definition used is too broad and could seriously restrict services and programs, including security and antivirus packages.
Spy catchers
As with viruses, spyware has caused such controversy that a number of software programmers have developed utilities to eliminate it. Such is the feeling surrounding the issue that many of these are either shareware or completely free.
Perhaps the most complete freeware tool is Spybot Search and Destroy. This not only sniffs out and removes any hidden fiends, it can also immunise your system against over 400 different spies. Regularly updated data files help keep you protected, and the package even supports over 30 languages.
Another favourite spy scanner is Ad-aware from LavaSoft, which you can download here. Now on version 6, this utility comes in both commercial and freeware versions. As with Spybot, Ad-aware can scan your system and remove a number of software sneaks including tracking cookies and spies lurking inside other programs. Other popular spy catchers to try out are X-Cleaner and SpyBlaster.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Spring clean your PC: Part 1 - Software
From the hard disk to the keyboard, every PC needs a clean-up now and then. In part one of our feature we look at keeping all your software squeaky clean.
Tim Nott & Kelvyn Taylor, Personal Computer World, 24 Feb 2004
The average Windows installation is modelled on the second law of thermodynamics. Over time, digital entropy takes its toll. Files become fragmented, junk accumulates, things cease to work properly. Temporary files take up permanent residence and programs you have uninstalled still appear in the 'Add/Remove' list.
The traditional solution is to start again from scratch, formatting the partition containing Windows and installing the operating system anew. This is no small undertaking involving much backing up before and much reinstallation of applications, drivers, updates and settings afterwards.
So here are some comparatively painless ways of spring-cleaning your PC. First we'll remove the malicious: even the savviest users can fall victim to malware which can slow a system to a crawl as well as compromise privacy.
Next we'll eliminate the useless, and regain hundreds of megabytes of disk space. In Part 2 we'll be looking at getting rid of the useless stuff that runs at start-up and eliminating junk in the Registry. We'll take a look at some applications that offer to do all your spring-cleaning for you, and finally we'll look at the physical side of cleaning your PC.
Who's spying on you?
Let's start by getting rid of uninvited guests. We're going to assume that you have a virus checker and that you keep it up to date - if not there's little point in doing any further cleaning. But there are a host of other nasties, which, while not classified as viruses, can clog up your disk; hijack your processor cycles and bandwidth; and slow your browser to crawling pace.
Adware, on the surface, is perfectly straightforward. You download some 'free' software which comes with banner advertisements. This is a business model we're well used to seeing in the broadcasting and free newspaper sectors.
However, it isn't quite like that. For a start you'll notice that the adverts change - and you're paying the connect time to download each new batch. Second, adware is often spyware as well - the adverts you click on are logged, and that information is sent to the originators.
Foistware inserts its own adverts on web pages served up by your browser, so that they appear to have been placed by the site's webmaster. Hijackware welds itself into your browser in such a way as to usurp your customary search engines. Diallers hijack your internet connection, diverting dial-up calls from your regular ISP to their own - very expensive - dial-up connection.
Even the most careful surfer can get infected, but fortunately there are some 'good guys' around to help you get rid of malware. Lavasoft's Ad-aware is free for personal use, and will scan memory, the Registry and drives for parasites. It is easy to use and safe in that you can 'quarantine' rather than delete suspect items.
The Plus version, which is not free, adds realtime protection against known parasites installing themselves. Both versions include an automatic updater.
Spybot - Search and Destroy, by lone spyware ranger Patrick Kolla, is also free and includes a few other useful items, such as a secure shredder for deleting files beyond recovery, an immunisationfunction to prevent further re-infection and a rather neat trick of opening Explorer or the Registry editor to show the location of offending items.
Comparing the two we found Spybot rather more aggressive than Ad-aware, with a few possible false positives. However, as with Ad-aware, all changes to the Registry or file system can be undone.
Dead wood stage
Having cleaned out the harmful, let's now turn to the useless. Although we'd encourage you to defrag your hard disk(s) regularly, there's little point in defragging crud. Whole chunks of your hard disk are probably filled with useless files, hogging space like abandoned cars in a city street.
In Windows 98 and later, the first port of call is provided for you by Windows Disk Cleanup. You'll find this from the button of the General tab of each drive's Properties dialogue box.
There's nothing here you can't do elsewhere, but it's convenient to have it all in the same place. Windows 98 users can empty the Recycle Bin, delete Temporary internet Files, delete files in the Temp folder and delete 'Downloaded Program Files' - these last are things such as Java Applets and ActiveX controls that have been downloaded from websites to run on your PC.
Windows Cleanup is fairly conservative: it won't, for example remove temporary files that are less than a week old. And sometimes files get stuck in the Temp folder, with Cleanup apparently unable to see or remove them.
Although some temporary files - such as those related to an installation - may be needed at the next reboot, it's very unlikely that anything else not created in the current session will be needed, so it's worth checking the Temp folder independently after a restart. As an extra safety precaution, Windows won't let you delete any temporary files that are in use.
Windows ME Cleanup has three more items. Two of these, Temporary Health files and Application Debugging information appear in the main list, but the third lies on the 'More Options' tab. As with other Windows versions this contains links to Control Panel to remove applications or Windows components - both of which are self-explanatory.
Windows ME also has a link to the File System subsection of System Properties which lets you change the space allocated to System Restore. A typical ME installation may have 10 or more restore points dating back over several weeks. By default, Windows allocates 12 per cent of a partition to System Restore.
Restricting the space - the minimum is 200MB - will free the corresponding disk space and remove the oldest restore points. Windows XP has a few more items in the main list - such as indexing files and old chkdsk items - but there's a radical difference on the 'More Options' tab. Here the System Restore option is far more draconian as it will delete all except the last restore point.
If you want to change the overall size allocated to System Restore, then you can do this from the 'Settings' link in the System Restore window itself.
Under the carpet
As we saw earlier, Windows Cleanup sometimes just doesn't do its job. Another under-achiever is the internet Explorer option to delete Temporary internet Files, which often leaves files behind.
One tip that is always worth a try is to tick the 'Delete offline content' box (assuming you don't have any offline content you want to preserve) as this can often shift 'orphaned' temporary files. There's also a lot that Cleanup won't find, so to do a thorough springclean you're going to have to hit the file system the hard way.
First, it's essential to level the playing field - make sure you can see all files and folders on your disk. Go to the Explorer Tools or View menu (depending on version) and open Folder Options. On the View tab check that Windows will show system and hidden files and folders as well as file extensions. Next you need a way of seeing files and folders stripped of the 'magic' that Windows uses.
With Windows ME, NT, 98 and 95 you have the old-style File Manager. You can summon this by typing 'Winfile.exe' in the Start, Run box. Except for the NT version this won't show long file or folder names, so 'Program Files' for example will appear as 'Progra~1'.
This shouldn't stop you navigating around, but if you do find this limitation irksome there's a shareware add-on with the snappy name of FmLfns that enables long file names in File Manager.
Windows XP and 2000 don't come with Winfile - but if you can get your hands on a copy of the NT version, this will work. Alternatively - and for all versions of Windows - there are shareware and freeware alternatives.
One regular favourite is Treesize Pro which gives you a variety of ways of seeing the contents of your hard disks or folders therein, including pie charts, bar charts, lists by size, list by percentage and more. It's a must for the seriously obsessive, but registration will cost you €35 (£25).
What both Winfile and Treesize Pro do is show what's really in your folders. If you look, for example, at the Temporary internet Files (TIF) folder in Explorer, you'll probably see a load of cookies and other files. If you look with Winfile, you'll see that the cookies are actually located elsewhere, and that there are layers of subfolders in the TIF folder - these terminate in four (or more) folders with 'nonsense' names that contain the actual cached files.
If you see files here even though you've emptied the TIF folder, then you can delete them. However, this is usually an indication of other problems - such as a corrupt Index.dat file. So a better plan is to delete the entire TIF folder - Windows will create a new one on the next boot.
It's also worth looking at what other temporary files exist on your hard disk. Try a search for files or folders with 'temp' as all or part of the file name, and 'folder' as type of file. You'll get a few false positives such as 'Templates' but you'll doubtless find more real temporary folders.
We found 47 on a Windows XP installation with four user profiles, which is not unusual, and many of these contained junk such as remnants of failed installations.
Another waste of disk space is huge files whose origins have been lost in the mists of time, such as 'go back' files to a previous version of Windows. Again, the Windows Search or Find File comes in useful - leave the file name and contents blank and under the advanced options set a size of 'at least' 10,000KB, for example. You'll be surprised with what this turns up.
Treesize Pro is also useful for showing what's taking up disk space, but for a more original approach try Sequoiaview - freeware from Eindhoven University. Folders and files are shown as nested rectangles, or to use the technical term, Squarified Cushion Treemaps, so whatever level you are viewing a drive or folder, you are immediately aware of the space-hogs. Mousing over a rectangle highlights the limits of the containing folder and shows the file details on the status bar.
Earlier we mentioned old chkdsk items. When you run Scandisk (or when Windows runs it automatically after a bad shutdown) it may recover file fragments, aka 'lost clusters' and save them as files with the.chk extension.
Although you might find lost text in one of these following a crash, they don't have any other useful function - they'll usually be dumped in the root of the C: drive. XP creates separate 'Found' folders for these but, as we saw earlier, also provides for their removal in Cleanup. In any event it's a good idea to search and delete.chk files.
Duplicate files can also waste space and it's all too easy to copy a file when you intended to move it. There are plenty of utilities to hunt out duplicated files on your system, but these should be used with caution, as many system files may be duplicated for a good reason. XP, for example, maintains a DLLcache folder which contains backup copies of crucial system files as well as a Lastgood folder which can help you recover from disasters - both of these will contain duplicates which should be left alone.
Zero-length files sound like an oxymoron but they do exist and can cause problems. On the level of 'mostly harmless but annoying' the Machine Debug Manager can leave hundreds of zero-length files in the Windows folder, each name starting 'fff ...'
Unless you really need the Debug Manager (it comes with the Office 2000 script editor and is named mdm.exe) then you can turn it off from MSConfig, Startup. You'll also need to go to internet Properties, Advanced and check that 'Disable script debugging' is ticked. You can then delete all the 'fff ...' files. More of a nuisance are zero-length oem*.inf files in the Windows\Inf folder.
These can run into thousands, can prevent software or drivers from being installed and are caused, according to Microsoft, by 'Windows Update, internet Explorer Setup ... if a disk utility program currently has a volume lock on the drive'. You can and should delete such files.
After this, further cleaning up of the file system is largely a matter of common sense and individual preference - you may want to uninstall programs or Windows components that you never use, weed out the fonts folder and so on.
One thing we would point out is that there is a knack to tidying up your Outlook Express mail folders. First delete messages you no longer want from your in and out boxes. This sends them to the Deleted Items folder. Right-click on the latter and choose 'Empty'. This will - and you'll get a warning - permanently delete the messages.
However, you won't get the disk space back until you go to File, Folder, Compact All Folders.
Start up
Another area of Windows that benefits from a thorough inspection is the list of programs that run on start-up, many of which are unnecessary and can interfere with things such as CD-burning.
These can come from a variety of locations in the file system and Registry, but Windows 98 and later has the very useful System Configuration Utility. If you Start, Run, Msconfig.exe and turn to the Startup tab you'll see a list of everything loaded at start-up, and you can disable items without permanently removing them from the list.
Some applications can be very persistent about adding themselves or their associates to Start-up, but if you dig deep enough into the options you can often find a way to disable these. Two common offenders are Windows (or MSN) Messenger and Real One or Real Player.
If you go to the Tools menu of Outlook Express you'll see there's a Windows Messenger, Options ... dialogue buried in there. On the Preferences tab there's an option to 'Run this program when Windows starts' which you can untick.
Having done that go to the Tools menu again and choose Options. On the General tab, untick the 'Automatically log on to Windows Messenger' item. For Real One Player, go to Tools, Preferences (you may have to click on the double-chevron in the menu bar to see the Tools menu). You'll see a range of items under 'Automatic Services' that you can, if you wish, disable.
For other persistent items you may like to use Startupmonitor: this asks permission before items are added to Startup. Although this is an excellent protection against some malware it needs to be used with discretion - if you are installing or removing software then there is often a program that needs to run after a restart to finish the installation or cleaning up.
Tim Nott & Kelvyn Taylor, Personal Computer World, 24 Feb 2004
The average Windows installation is modelled on the second law of thermodynamics. Over time, digital entropy takes its toll. Files become fragmented, junk accumulates, things cease to work properly. Temporary files take up permanent residence and programs you have uninstalled still appear in the 'Add/Remove' list.
The traditional solution is to start again from scratch, formatting the partition containing Windows and installing the operating system anew. This is no small undertaking involving much backing up before and much reinstallation of applications, drivers, updates and settings afterwards.
So here are some comparatively painless ways of spring-cleaning your PC. First we'll remove the malicious: even the savviest users can fall victim to malware which can slow a system to a crawl as well as compromise privacy.
Next we'll eliminate the useless, and regain hundreds of megabytes of disk space. In Part 2 we'll be looking at getting rid of the useless stuff that runs at start-up and eliminating junk in the Registry. We'll take a look at some applications that offer to do all your spring-cleaning for you, and finally we'll look at the physical side of cleaning your PC.
Who's spying on you?
Let's start by getting rid of uninvited guests. We're going to assume that you have a virus checker and that you keep it up to date - if not there's little point in doing any further cleaning. But there are a host of other nasties, which, while not classified as viruses, can clog up your disk; hijack your processor cycles and bandwidth; and slow your browser to crawling pace.
Adware, on the surface, is perfectly straightforward. You download some 'free' software which comes with banner advertisements. This is a business model we're well used to seeing in the broadcasting and free newspaper sectors.
However, it isn't quite like that. For a start you'll notice that the adverts change - and you're paying the connect time to download each new batch. Second, adware is often spyware as well - the adverts you click on are logged, and that information is sent to the originators.
Foistware inserts its own adverts on web pages served up by your browser, so that they appear to have been placed by the site's webmaster. Hijackware welds itself into your browser in such a way as to usurp your customary search engines. Diallers hijack your internet connection, diverting dial-up calls from your regular ISP to their own - very expensive - dial-up connection.
Even the most careful surfer can get infected, but fortunately there are some 'good guys' around to help you get rid of malware. Lavasoft's Ad-aware is free for personal use, and will scan memory, the Registry and drives for parasites. It is easy to use and safe in that you can 'quarantine' rather than delete suspect items.
The Plus version, which is not free, adds realtime protection against known parasites installing themselves. Both versions include an automatic updater.
Spybot - Search and Destroy, by lone spyware ranger Patrick Kolla, is also free and includes a few other useful items, such as a secure shredder for deleting files beyond recovery, an immunisationfunction to prevent further re-infection and a rather neat trick of opening Explorer or the Registry editor to show the location of offending items.
Comparing the two we found Spybot rather more aggressive than Ad-aware, with a few possible false positives. However, as with Ad-aware, all changes to the Registry or file system can be undone.
Dead wood stage
Having cleaned out the harmful, let's now turn to the useless. Although we'd encourage you to defrag your hard disk(s) regularly, there's little point in defragging crud. Whole chunks of your hard disk are probably filled with useless files, hogging space like abandoned cars in a city street.
In Windows 98 and later, the first port of call is provided for you by Windows Disk Cleanup. You'll find this from the button of the General tab of each drive's Properties dialogue box.
There's nothing here you can't do elsewhere, but it's convenient to have it all in the same place. Windows 98 users can empty the Recycle Bin, delete Temporary internet Files, delete files in the Temp folder and delete 'Downloaded Program Files' - these last are things such as Java Applets and ActiveX controls that have been downloaded from websites to run on your PC.
Windows Cleanup is fairly conservative: it won't, for example remove temporary files that are less than a week old. And sometimes files get stuck in the Temp folder, with Cleanup apparently unable to see or remove them.
Although some temporary files - such as those related to an installation - may be needed at the next reboot, it's very unlikely that anything else not created in the current session will be needed, so it's worth checking the Temp folder independently after a restart. As an extra safety precaution, Windows won't let you delete any temporary files that are in use.
Windows ME Cleanup has three more items. Two of these, Temporary Health files and Application Debugging information appear in the main list, but the third lies on the 'More Options' tab. As with other Windows versions this contains links to Control Panel to remove applications or Windows components - both of which are self-explanatory.
Windows ME also has a link to the File System subsection of System Properties which lets you change the space allocated to System Restore. A typical ME installation may have 10 or more restore points dating back over several weeks. By default, Windows allocates 12 per cent of a partition to System Restore.
Restricting the space - the minimum is 200MB - will free the corresponding disk space and remove the oldest restore points. Windows XP has a few more items in the main list - such as indexing files and old chkdsk items - but there's a radical difference on the 'More Options' tab. Here the System Restore option is far more draconian as it will delete all except the last restore point.
If you want to change the overall size allocated to System Restore, then you can do this from the 'Settings' link in the System Restore window itself.
Under the carpet
As we saw earlier, Windows Cleanup sometimes just doesn't do its job. Another under-achiever is the internet Explorer option to delete Temporary internet Files, which often leaves files behind.
One tip that is always worth a try is to tick the 'Delete offline content' box (assuming you don't have any offline content you want to preserve) as this can often shift 'orphaned' temporary files. There's also a lot that Cleanup won't find, so to do a thorough springclean you're going to have to hit the file system the hard way.
First, it's essential to level the playing field - make sure you can see all files and folders on your disk. Go to the Explorer Tools or View menu (depending on version) and open Folder Options. On the View tab check that Windows will show system and hidden files and folders as well as file extensions. Next you need a way of seeing files and folders stripped of the 'magic' that Windows uses.
With Windows ME, NT, 98 and 95 you have the old-style File Manager. You can summon this by typing 'Winfile.exe' in the Start, Run box. Except for the NT version this won't show long file or folder names, so 'Program Files' for example will appear as 'Progra~1'.
This shouldn't stop you navigating around, but if you do find this limitation irksome there's a shareware add-on with the snappy name of FmLfns that enables long file names in File Manager.
Windows XP and 2000 don't come with Winfile - but if you can get your hands on a copy of the NT version, this will work. Alternatively - and for all versions of Windows - there are shareware and freeware alternatives.
One regular favourite is Treesize Pro which gives you a variety of ways of seeing the contents of your hard disks or folders therein, including pie charts, bar charts, lists by size, list by percentage and more. It's a must for the seriously obsessive, but registration will cost you €35 (£25).
What both Winfile and Treesize Pro do is show what's really in your folders. If you look, for example, at the Temporary internet Files (TIF) folder in Explorer, you'll probably see a load of cookies and other files. If you look with Winfile, you'll see that the cookies are actually located elsewhere, and that there are layers of subfolders in the TIF folder - these terminate in four (or more) folders with 'nonsense' names that contain the actual cached files.
If you see files here even though you've emptied the TIF folder, then you can delete them. However, this is usually an indication of other problems - such as a corrupt Index.dat file. So a better plan is to delete the entire TIF folder - Windows will create a new one on the next boot.
It's also worth looking at what other temporary files exist on your hard disk. Try a search for files or folders with 'temp' as all or part of the file name, and 'folder' as type of file. You'll get a few false positives such as 'Templates' but you'll doubtless find more real temporary folders.
We found 47 on a Windows XP installation with four user profiles, which is not unusual, and many of these contained junk such as remnants of failed installations.
Another waste of disk space is huge files whose origins have been lost in the mists of time, such as 'go back' files to a previous version of Windows. Again, the Windows Search or Find File comes in useful - leave the file name and contents blank and under the advanced options set a size of 'at least' 10,000KB, for example. You'll be surprised with what this turns up.
Treesize Pro is also useful for showing what's taking up disk space, but for a more original approach try Sequoiaview - freeware from Eindhoven University. Folders and files are shown as nested rectangles, or to use the technical term, Squarified Cushion Treemaps, so whatever level you are viewing a drive or folder, you are immediately aware of the space-hogs. Mousing over a rectangle highlights the limits of the containing folder and shows the file details on the status bar.
Earlier we mentioned old chkdsk items. When you run Scandisk (or when Windows runs it automatically after a bad shutdown) it may recover file fragments, aka 'lost clusters' and save them as files with the.chk extension.
Although you might find lost text in one of these following a crash, they don't have any other useful function - they'll usually be dumped in the root of the C: drive. XP creates separate 'Found' folders for these but, as we saw earlier, also provides for their removal in Cleanup. In any event it's a good idea to search and delete.chk files.
Duplicate files can also waste space and it's all too easy to copy a file when you intended to move it. There are plenty of utilities to hunt out duplicated files on your system, but these should be used with caution, as many system files may be duplicated for a good reason. XP, for example, maintains a DLLcache folder which contains backup copies of crucial system files as well as a Lastgood folder which can help you recover from disasters - both of these will contain duplicates which should be left alone.
Zero-length files sound like an oxymoron but they do exist and can cause problems. On the level of 'mostly harmless but annoying' the Machine Debug Manager can leave hundreds of zero-length files in the Windows folder, each name starting 'fff ...'
Unless you really need the Debug Manager (it comes with the Office 2000 script editor and is named mdm.exe) then you can turn it off from MSConfig, Startup. You'll also need to go to internet Properties, Advanced and check that 'Disable script debugging' is ticked. You can then delete all the 'fff ...' files. More of a nuisance are zero-length oem*.inf files in the Windows\Inf folder.
These can run into thousands, can prevent software or drivers from being installed and are caused, according to Microsoft, by 'Windows Update, internet Explorer Setup ... if a disk utility program currently has a volume lock on the drive'. You can and should delete such files.
After this, further cleaning up of the file system is largely a matter of common sense and individual preference - you may want to uninstall programs or Windows components that you never use, weed out the fonts folder and so on.
One thing we would point out is that there is a knack to tidying up your Outlook Express mail folders. First delete messages you no longer want from your in and out boxes. This sends them to the Deleted Items folder. Right-click on the latter and choose 'Empty'. This will - and you'll get a warning - permanently delete the messages.
However, you won't get the disk space back until you go to File, Folder, Compact All Folders.
Start up
Another area of Windows that benefits from a thorough inspection is the list of programs that run on start-up, many of which are unnecessary and can interfere with things such as CD-burning.
These can come from a variety of locations in the file system and Registry, but Windows 98 and later has the very useful System Configuration Utility. If you Start, Run, Msconfig.exe and turn to the Startup tab you'll see a list of everything loaded at start-up, and you can disable items without permanently removing them from the list.
Some applications can be very persistent about adding themselves or their associates to Start-up, but if you dig deep enough into the options you can often find a way to disable these. Two common offenders are Windows (or MSN) Messenger and Real One or Real Player.
If you go to the Tools menu of Outlook Express you'll see there's a Windows Messenger, Options ... dialogue buried in there. On the Preferences tab there's an option to 'Run this program when Windows starts' which you can untick.
Having done that go to the Tools menu again and choose Options. On the General tab, untick the 'Automatically log on to Windows Messenger' item. For Real One Player, go to Tools, Preferences (you may have to click on the double-chevron in the menu bar to see the Tools menu). You'll see a range of items under 'Automatic Services' that you can, if you wish, disable.
For other persistent items you may like to use Startupmonitor: this asks permission before items are added to Startup. Although this is an excellent protection against some malware it needs to be used with discretion - if you are installing or removing software then there is often a program that needs to run after a restart to finish the installation or cleaning up.
Spring clean your PC: Part 2 - The Registry
In the second part of our feature on spring cleaning your PC, we look at cutting out the clutter from your Windows Registry.
Tim Nott & Kelvyn Taylor, Personal Computer World, 25 Feb 2004
The Windows Registry is another infamous repository for clutter and can contain references to uninstalled programs, deleted files, non-existent file types and more.
Microsoft released a tool to deal with this - Regclean - as a free download for Windows 95 and NT, but it hasn't updated it since 1997. It's no longer available from Microsoft, and the company warns of conflicts with Office and Media Player.
However there is no shortage of third-party cleaners. Although these usually include 'Undo' or 'Restore' features, we would advise you to create your own Registry backup with the Windows 98 Registry Checker or System Restore in ME or XP.
One well-known cleaner is Jouni Vuorio's Regcleaner. This is freeware, and can still be found from a web search, but the author has since produced an updated commercial version called Macecraft Regsupreme, which is available as a 30-day free trial. On our test XP PC it found more than 700 erroneous entries, and gave an explanation of each one. Regseeker, another well-known cleaner, found 987 errors.
So is this a sign of a totally deranged Registry? We would say that the derangement was less severe than it appeared. For a start many errors relate to files that have been deleted or moved but still appear in Windows and application recently used lists. Any system is bound to have some of these - or even several hundred.
They shouldn't really have much impact on performance but they will rapidly build up again unless you regularly use a utility such as MRUBlaster. Unless you are prepared to take the findings on absolute trust, you're going to have to go through the error list to see for yourself, which is going to take some time. The golden rule here is in case of doubt: don't delete.
Having cleaned the Registry, you may also want to compact it. This is the equivalent of defragging your hard disk - it gets rid of the empty space left in the Registry files by cleaning. There's a handy tool to do this for XP/2000/NT users called Registry Optimizer. It does not, however, defrag the Registry files on disk, and nor does the standard Windows defragmenter: you can do this with a tool called Pagedefrag.
Other stuff
Icon rot is a familiar feature of Windows 98, ME and 2000 - it's especially noticeable on the Quick Launch toolbar, where shortcuts appear with the wrong icon. One way of rectifying this is to change the icon size in System Properties, apply the change, then change it back. A more elegant solution is to use Tweak UI to repair icons - you'll also find other problems that can be fixed from the Repair tab.
If the problem recurs then run Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer . Create a new String Value, and name it 'Max Cached Icons'. Double-click on this and give it a value of 2048. This should cure the problem: if it recurs you can change the value again, up to a maximum of 4096.
Once you've finished cleaning up it's time to defrag. One hint here is to restart in Safe Mode first, which will stop things such as start-up programs and screensavers interrupting the process. Safe mode is also useful for deleting files that may be 'in use' in normal mode.
To help keep malware at bay, and to lessen less web irritation, install a pop-up stopper such as the Google Toolbar. If your version of Windows supports it, consider using the NTFS file system, which, among other advantages, is less prone to fragmentation and recovers far more quickly from a bad shutdown.
In Windows XP you can convert an existing FAT32 partition to NTFS from a command prompt - you'll find full details if you look up 'Convert NTFS' in Help and Support. This conversion is non-destructive of files (though we'd certainly recommend you back up important data first) but is one-way - you can't go back to FAT32 without reformatting.
Use folders strategically; don't put too many files in one folder or it can take ages for Explorer to list them. Split them up into sub-folders and don't store any of your own data files in the root directory of a partition.
All in one
If you'd rather not get too involved, there are many applications that offer 'one-stop' cleaning. Again, we'd advise caution, particularly in the case of the Registry and duplicate files, but if you're prepared to put all your eggs in one basket JV16 Power Tools, from the same stable as Regsupreme, claims to find and remove unneeded files, such as temp files, unused shared system component files and broken shortcuts, as well as cleaning the Registry.
Ace Utilities, which like JV16 Power Tools is available as a 30-day trial, will clean the Registry, junk files, duplicates, invalid shortcuts and more. It earned credit by creating a System Restore point when started, and in 'expert' mode offers a load of options of what to scan and what to leave alone - by default, for example, it doesn't look for duplicate files in the Windows folder and below. It also made a good job of finding junk such as leftover Word temporary files.
Finally, System Mechanic offers a similar comprehensive list of cleaning utilities, a defragger, a 'Tweak' tool and various utilities for 'optimising' Windows and your internet connection - including a pop-up stopper. Again, caution is advised.
Tim Nott & Kelvyn Taylor, Personal Computer World, 25 Feb 2004
The Windows Registry is another infamous repository for clutter and can contain references to uninstalled programs, deleted files, non-existent file types and more.
Microsoft released a tool to deal with this - Regclean - as a free download for Windows 95 and NT, but it hasn't updated it since 1997. It's no longer available from Microsoft, and the company warns of conflicts with Office and Media Player.
However there is no shortage of third-party cleaners. Although these usually include 'Undo' or 'Restore' features, we would advise you to create your own Registry backup with the Windows 98 Registry Checker or System Restore in ME or XP.
One well-known cleaner is Jouni Vuorio's Regcleaner. This is freeware, and can still be found from a web search, but the author has since produced an updated commercial version called Macecraft Regsupreme, which is available as a 30-day free trial. On our test XP PC it found more than 700 erroneous entries, and gave an explanation of each one. Regseeker, another well-known cleaner, found 987 errors.
So is this a sign of a totally deranged Registry? We would say that the derangement was less severe than it appeared. For a start many errors relate to files that have been deleted or moved but still appear in Windows and application recently used lists. Any system is bound to have some of these - or even several hundred.
They shouldn't really have much impact on performance but they will rapidly build up again unless you regularly use a utility such as MRUBlaster. Unless you are prepared to take the findings on absolute trust, you're going to have to go through the error list to see for yourself, which is going to take some time. The golden rule here is in case of doubt: don't delete.
Having cleaned the Registry, you may also want to compact it. This is the equivalent of defragging your hard disk - it gets rid of the empty space left in the Registry files by cleaning. There's a handy tool to do this for XP/2000/NT users called Registry Optimizer. It does not, however, defrag the Registry files on disk, and nor does the standard Windows defragmenter: you can do this with a tool called Pagedefrag.
Other stuff
Icon rot is a familiar feature of Windows 98, ME and 2000 - it's especially noticeable on the Quick Launch toolbar, where shortcuts appear with the wrong icon. One way of rectifying this is to change the icon size in System Properties, apply the change, then change it back. A more elegant solution is to use Tweak UI to repair icons - you'll also find other problems that can be fixed from the Repair tab.
If the problem recurs then run Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer . Create a new String Value, and name it 'Max Cached Icons'. Double-click on this and give it a value of 2048. This should cure the problem: if it recurs you can change the value again, up to a maximum of 4096.
Once you've finished cleaning up it's time to defrag. One hint here is to restart in Safe Mode first, which will stop things such as start-up programs and screensavers interrupting the process. Safe mode is also useful for deleting files that may be 'in use' in normal mode.
To help keep malware at bay, and to lessen less web irritation, install a pop-up stopper such as the Google Toolbar. If your version of Windows supports it, consider using the NTFS file system, which, among other advantages, is less prone to fragmentation and recovers far more quickly from a bad shutdown.
In Windows XP you can convert an existing FAT32 partition to NTFS from a command prompt - you'll find full details if you look up 'Convert NTFS' in Help and Support. This conversion is non-destructive of files (though we'd certainly recommend you back up important data first) but is one-way - you can't go back to FAT32 without reformatting.
Use folders strategically; don't put too many files in one folder or it can take ages for Explorer to list them. Split them up into sub-folders and don't store any of your own data files in the root directory of a partition.
All in one
If you'd rather not get too involved, there are many applications that offer 'one-stop' cleaning. Again, we'd advise caution, particularly in the case of the Registry and duplicate files, but if you're prepared to put all your eggs in one basket JV16 Power Tools, from the same stable as Regsupreme, claims to find and remove unneeded files, such as temp files, unused shared system component files and broken shortcuts, as well as cleaning the Registry.
Ace Utilities, which like JV16 Power Tools is available as a 30-day trial, will clean the Registry, junk files, duplicates, invalid shortcuts and more. It earned credit by creating a System Restore point when started, and in 'expert' mode offers a load of options of what to scan and what to leave alone - by default, for example, it doesn't look for duplicate files in the Windows folder and below. It also made a good job of finding junk such as leftover Word temporary files.
Finally, System Mechanic offers a similar comprehensive list of cleaning utilities, a defragger, a 'Tweak' tool and various utilities for 'optimising' Windows and your internet connection - including a pop-up stopper. Again, caution is advised.
Spring clean your PC: Part 3 - Hardware
The third and final part of our guide to sprucing up your computer looks at ways of making your hardware more presentable.
Tim Nott & Kelvyn Taylor, Personal Computer World, 27 Feb 2004
It's amazing how quickly the inside of a PC can become clogged up with dust. The 'before' photos on the next page are of a system that was cleaned only about six months ago. Dirt reduces the airflow through the case, leading to heat build-up and possible premature failure of components. In extreme cases it can also be a fire hazard.
PC cleaning toolkit
Before you start ripping your PC apart, make sure you've got the right tools for the job. While basic cleaning can be done using some common household items, if you want to do a really good job it's worth investing a couple of pounds on some kit that will make your life a lot easier. We'd suggest you stay clear of low priced 'all-in-one' PC cleaning kits, as they don't normally contain very many really useful items.
Mini vacuum cleaner
Small handheld battery-powered vacuum cleaners cost around £5 but don't have much suction power - those designed for car use are better. And don't forget a dust mask as there'll be a lot of unpleasant dust inside your system.
Brushes
A small oil-painting brush is great for loosening dirt, as are 12mm or 25mm emulsion brushes from your local DIY store. A flat pastry brush is also very useful for cleaning keyboards.
Cleaning cloths
Old cotton tea towels are ideal - avoid man-made fibres as they can generate too much static electricity.
Air duster
Probably the most useful purchase you can make. These are simply cans of compressed air that you can use to blow away dirt. They come in several sizes and normally have a tube extension for getting into inaccessible areas.
Cleaning fluids
Avoid solvents, foam cleaners and the like wherever possible - they're expensive and don't really offer many advantages. For cleaning plastic and metal cases, a cloth damped in warm water and a small amount of soap powder or mild detergent is preferable.
Disk cleaning kits
A floppy disk drive cleaner and a CD lens cleaner are all you need - these devices shouldn't be cleaned any other way apart from an external wipe with a dry cloth.
Other tools
You'll need a selection of crosshead screwdrivers and possibly a set of jeweller's screwdrivers. Needle-nose pliers and miniature sidecutters (for cable ties) will also come in handy. Don't use magnetised screwdrivers if possible. Finally, don't forget containers for all the screws and clips - get several plastic beakers and label them. You might also need an assortment of small cable ties to replace any you have to remove.
System unit and motherboard
Although you shouldn't need to be reminded, completely disconnect your PC from the mains before starting, and unplug all ancillary cables. Give the system an hour or so to cool down if it's been running.
Organise a clean workspace on the kitchen table or wherever you prefer - and don't use a heavily patterned tablecloth or you may never find half the screws that drop out! And if you've never seen the insides of your PC before, spend time to get familiar with everything before starting work. If you haven't a clue what any of the bits are, put the lid back on and find a more knowledgeable friend to help you.
It's best to start from the outside in, so before you disassemble the case, give it a good vacuum and wipe it down externally with a damp cloth.
Don't use abrasives or solvents. Remove the relevant panels (plus the fascia if it's obvious how to remove it) and put them to one side for cleaning individually.
Although you can do a lot of useful cleaning without removing any components, to do a proper job it's best to strip down the whole system. It's a very wise idea to draw a diagram of the location of all internal components, cables and connectors, particularly if it's not a self-built PC or you haven't looked inside it for some time.
With an air duster, get rid of as much loose dirt as you can before disassembling anything. Don't be tempted to use a damp cloth or any liquids inside the PC - you'll regret it. With loose dirt removed, inspect all the components to see where to start.
First pay particular attention to cooling fans and heatsinks on the system chassis, CPU, graphics card and power supply. The best way to clean fans is with a coarse bristle pastry brush or small emulsion brush - poke the brush into the blades and gently turn the blades round with the brush.
Alternatively, an air duster will make short work of this task. Don't be tempted to try and take any fans apart, it won't do you any good. If fan bearings appear to be sticking or worn, buy a replacement fan as trying to service them is a waste of time.
Cleaning chassis fans is easiest if you unscrew them from the chassis, but CPU and graphics cards fans are not usually removable from the underlying heatsink - you'll need to clean these in situ. Remember the orientation of any fans you remove - there are usually arrows on the casing to indicate rotation and airflow directions.
We don't recommend taking power supplies apart, but the fans in these do get very dirty. Clean the fan from the outside using a brush (there's sometimes a fan guard you can remove to get better access), then blow through the entire PSU from the air intake side with an air duster to remove dust from the interior - dust and fluff in a PSU is a real fire risk.
Heatsinks are best cleaned with the air duster or a long soft brush. If you remove the CPU heatsink/fan combination, remember to put a smear of new thermal grease on the base of the heatsink before you replace it.
Don't try and remove heatsinks from graphics cards or chipsets (and some CPUs) - they're usually bonded in place and you could irrevocably damage your card or motherboard. If it doesn't lift off with gentle pressure, leave it.
Add-in cards should be removed and air-dusted clean - if there's any sign of corrosion or dirt on the gold contact edges, use a clean white eraser to gently rub them clean. The same applies to memory modules. Also, don't forget to clean out the external I/O ports on the cards with an air duster.
Don't be tempted to use anything apart from an air duster on the motherboard - even wiping it could bend or damage components. DVD/CD and floppy drives are worth removing for an external wipe down, but that's all apart from a clean with suitable proprietary cleaning disks - these are inexpensive, but avoid the ones that use cleaning liquids. While you've got the drives out, get rid of dust in and around the drive bays.
And consider replacing your standard EIDE ribbon cables with rounded ones, which help improve airflow in the PC and are a lot tidier. Once you've done all this, give the inside of the case a good wipe down and vacuum before you reassemble everything according to the diagram you drew at the start.
Keyboard and mouse
Your keyboard is directly in the firing line of some of the worst grime you can throw at a PC - coffee, biscuits, chocolate, sandwiches, soft drinks and worse. Sticking or dead keys are usually the first symptom that something's amiss.
Fortunately keyboards are fairly simple, if fiddly, to clean. There are many different types of construction, so we'll stick to general rules. First, remember that a keyboard is an electronic component and hates liquids.
Forget the stories you've seen about soaking it in a bath and drying it out - it won't work. If you've spilled coffee or other liquid into it, you're better off buying a new one - and think yourself lucky if it hasn't already fried your motherboard.
Thankfully, surface grime is easily removed. First, use a stiff narrow brush to remove loose dirt from between the keys - a mini vacuum or air duster will take care of loose debris. Wipe the keycaps gently with a barely damp cloth. Usually these two procedures will take care of most problems.
For basket cases, be prepared to sacrifice your keyboard before you go any further. Take out all the screws in the base and gently prise apart the two halves. It should be fairly apparent how it's constructed at this stage: one type is a dimpled rubber membrane sheet under the keys that sits on a plastic circuit board, an alternative is rubber caps fixed under each key.
However, there are many variations ranging from the simple to the impossibly complicated. Generally speaking, the older the keyboard, the more complicated it will be.
The only real advantage to taking the keyboard apart is that you can clean the keys with less danger of getting damp into the electronics (as long as you dry out the top thoroughly). However, unless you're feeling particularly brave, don't take off all the keycaps; they're extremely fiddly to replace, particularly the larger keys with support hinges underneath, and you stand a good chance of breaking some.
With a small stiff brush and some damp cotton swabs you can achieve a pretty good result, it just takes time.
For ball mice, remove the ball, wash it and clean the small rollers inside the empty cavity - a damp cotton swab will normally do the trick. Also clean the plastic friction surfaces on the mouse base with a damp cloth - these rapidly accumulate dirt. For optical mice, restrict yourself to cleaning the friction pads - there's nothing else to maintain.
Final touches
We're not going to go into cleaning peripherals here as monitors and printers usually have specific cleaning instructions in the user manual and you should strictly adhere to their guidelines. In particular, monitor screens may be coated with a variety of anti-static or anti-reflective coatings and under no circumstances should be cleaned with domestic glass-cleaning products. Normally a damp clean cloth is all that's recommended.
Similarly with the exterior of such devices, clean, dry cloths are your friends. By now your PC should be much cleaner, quieter and cooler. As an example, the PC shown in the photos here was running with a CPU temperature at idle of 46-48 degC, and a system temperature of 30 deg. After cleaning these dropped to 40-42 deg and 26-27 deg respectively. Regular inspection and cleaning every two or three months will prolong your PC's life and save you money in the long run.
Cleaning supplies
www.mrpcclean.co.uk - A great range of cleaning materials
www.kleanit.co.uk - Limited range, but some useful items including scented air dusters
General PC maintenance and troubleshooting
www.pcguide.com - A little old, but still very useful
www.pcw.co.uk/Features/1145405 - Gordon Laing's guide to building a PC
www.buildyourown.org.uk - Multimedia guide to building your own PC
PC cooling accessories
www.overclock.co.uk - Good selection of replacement fans, heatsinks, cables
www.coolcasemods.com - Lots of accessories for customising and repair
Tim Nott & Kelvyn Taylor, Personal Computer World, 27 Feb 2004
It's amazing how quickly the inside of a PC can become clogged up with dust. The 'before' photos on the next page are of a system that was cleaned only about six months ago. Dirt reduces the airflow through the case, leading to heat build-up and possible premature failure of components. In extreme cases it can also be a fire hazard.
PC cleaning toolkit
Before you start ripping your PC apart, make sure you've got the right tools for the job. While basic cleaning can be done using some common household items, if you want to do a really good job it's worth investing a couple of pounds on some kit that will make your life a lot easier. We'd suggest you stay clear of low priced 'all-in-one' PC cleaning kits, as they don't normally contain very many really useful items.
Mini vacuum cleaner
Small handheld battery-powered vacuum cleaners cost around £5 but don't have much suction power - those designed for car use are better. And don't forget a dust mask as there'll be a lot of unpleasant dust inside your system.
Brushes
A small oil-painting brush is great for loosening dirt, as are 12mm or 25mm emulsion brushes from your local DIY store. A flat pastry brush is also very useful for cleaning keyboards.
Cleaning cloths
Old cotton tea towels are ideal - avoid man-made fibres as they can generate too much static electricity.
Air duster
Probably the most useful purchase you can make. These are simply cans of compressed air that you can use to blow away dirt. They come in several sizes and normally have a tube extension for getting into inaccessible areas.
Cleaning fluids
Avoid solvents, foam cleaners and the like wherever possible - they're expensive and don't really offer many advantages. For cleaning plastic and metal cases, a cloth damped in warm water and a small amount of soap powder or mild detergent is preferable.
Disk cleaning kits
A floppy disk drive cleaner and a CD lens cleaner are all you need - these devices shouldn't be cleaned any other way apart from an external wipe with a dry cloth.
Other tools
You'll need a selection of crosshead screwdrivers and possibly a set of jeweller's screwdrivers. Needle-nose pliers and miniature sidecutters (for cable ties) will also come in handy. Don't use magnetised screwdrivers if possible. Finally, don't forget containers for all the screws and clips - get several plastic beakers and label them. You might also need an assortment of small cable ties to replace any you have to remove.
System unit and motherboard
Although you shouldn't need to be reminded, completely disconnect your PC from the mains before starting, and unplug all ancillary cables. Give the system an hour or so to cool down if it's been running.
Organise a clean workspace on the kitchen table or wherever you prefer - and don't use a heavily patterned tablecloth or you may never find half the screws that drop out! And if you've never seen the insides of your PC before, spend time to get familiar with everything before starting work. If you haven't a clue what any of the bits are, put the lid back on and find a more knowledgeable friend to help you.
It's best to start from the outside in, so before you disassemble the case, give it a good vacuum and wipe it down externally with a damp cloth.
Don't use abrasives or solvents. Remove the relevant panels (plus the fascia if it's obvious how to remove it) and put them to one side for cleaning individually.
Although you can do a lot of useful cleaning without removing any components, to do a proper job it's best to strip down the whole system. It's a very wise idea to draw a diagram of the location of all internal components, cables and connectors, particularly if it's not a self-built PC or you haven't looked inside it for some time.
With an air duster, get rid of as much loose dirt as you can before disassembling anything. Don't be tempted to use a damp cloth or any liquids inside the PC - you'll regret it. With loose dirt removed, inspect all the components to see where to start.
First pay particular attention to cooling fans and heatsinks on the system chassis, CPU, graphics card and power supply. The best way to clean fans is with a coarse bristle pastry brush or small emulsion brush - poke the brush into the blades and gently turn the blades round with the brush.
Alternatively, an air duster will make short work of this task. Don't be tempted to try and take any fans apart, it won't do you any good. If fan bearings appear to be sticking or worn, buy a replacement fan as trying to service them is a waste of time.
Cleaning chassis fans is easiest if you unscrew them from the chassis, but CPU and graphics cards fans are not usually removable from the underlying heatsink - you'll need to clean these in situ. Remember the orientation of any fans you remove - there are usually arrows on the casing to indicate rotation and airflow directions.
We don't recommend taking power supplies apart, but the fans in these do get very dirty. Clean the fan from the outside using a brush (there's sometimes a fan guard you can remove to get better access), then blow through the entire PSU from the air intake side with an air duster to remove dust from the interior - dust and fluff in a PSU is a real fire risk.
Heatsinks are best cleaned with the air duster or a long soft brush. If you remove the CPU heatsink/fan combination, remember to put a smear of new thermal grease on the base of the heatsink before you replace it.
Don't try and remove heatsinks from graphics cards or chipsets (and some CPUs) - they're usually bonded in place and you could irrevocably damage your card or motherboard. If it doesn't lift off with gentle pressure, leave it.
Add-in cards should be removed and air-dusted clean - if there's any sign of corrosion or dirt on the gold contact edges, use a clean white eraser to gently rub them clean. The same applies to memory modules. Also, don't forget to clean out the external I/O ports on the cards with an air duster.
Don't be tempted to use anything apart from an air duster on the motherboard - even wiping it could bend or damage components. DVD/CD and floppy drives are worth removing for an external wipe down, but that's all apart from a clean with suitable proprietary cleaning disks - these are inexpensive, but avoid the ones that use cleaning liquids. While you've got the drives out, get rid of dust in and around the drive bays.
And consider replacing your standard EIDE ribbon cables with rounded ones, which help improve airflow in the PC and are a lot tidier. Once you've done all this, give the inside of the case a good wipe down and vacuum before you reassemble everything according to the diagram you drew at the start.
Keyboard and mouse
Your keyboard is directly in the firing line of some of the worst grime you can throw at a PC - coffee, biscuits, chocolate, sandwiches, soft drinks and worse. Sticking or dead keys are usually the first symptom that something's amiss.
Fortunately keyboards are fairly simple, if fiddly, to clean. There are many different types of construction, so we'll stick to general rules. First, remember that a keyboard is an electronic component and hates liquids.
Forget the stories you've seen about soaking it in a bath and drying it out - it won't work. If you've spilled coffee or other liquid into it, you're better off buying a new one - and think yourself lucky if it hasn't already fried your motherboard.
Thankfully, surface grime is easily removed. First, use a stiff narrow brush to remove loose dirt from between the keys - a mini vacuum or air duster will take care of loose debris. Wipe the keycaps gently with a barely damp cloth. Usually these two procedures will take care of most problems.
For basket cases, be prepared to sacrifice your keyboard before you go any further. Take out all the screws in the base and gently prise apart the two halves. It should be fairly apparent how it's constructed at this stage: one type is a dimpled rubber membrane sheet under the keys that sits on a plastic circuit board, an alternative is rubber caps fixed under each key.
However, there are many variations ranging from the simple to the impossibly complicated. Generally speaking, the older the keyboard, the more complicated it will be.
The only real advantage to taking the keyboard apart is that you can clean the keys with less danger of getting damp into the electronics (as long as you dry out the top thoroughly). However, unless you're feeling particularly brave, don't take off all the keycaps; they're extremely fiddly to replace, particularly the larger keys with support hinges underneath, and you stand a good chance of breaking some.
With a small stiff brush and some damp cotton swabs you can achieve a pretty good result, it just takes time.
For ball mice, remove the ball, wash it and clean the small rollers inside the empty cavity - a damp cotton swab will normally do the trick. Also clean the plastic friction surfaces on the mouse base with a damp cloth - these rapidly accumulate dirt. For optical mice, restrict yourself to cleaning the friction pads - there's nothing else to maintain.
Final touches
We're not going to go into cleaning peripherals here as monitors and printers usually have specific cleaning instructions in the user manual and you should strictly adhere to their guidelines. In particular, monitor screens may be coated with a variety of anti-static or anti-reflective coatings and under no circumstances should be cleaned with domestic glass-cleaning products. Normally a damp clean cloth is all that's recommended.
Similarly with the exterior of such devices, clean, dry cloths are your friends. By now your PC should be much cleaner, quieter and cooler. As an example, the PC shown in the photos here was running with a CPU temperature at idle of 46-48 degC, and a system temperature of 30 deg. After cleaning these dropped to 40-42 deg and 26-27 deg respectively. Regular inspection and cleaning every two or three months will prolong your PC's life and save you money in the long run.
Cleaning supplies
www.mrpcclean.co.uk - A great range of cleaning materials
www.kleanit.co.uk - Limited range, but some useful items including scented air dusters
General PC maintenance and troubleshooting
www.pcguide.com - A little old, but still very useful
www.pcw.co.uk/Features/1145405 - Gordon Laing's guide to building a PC
www.buildyourown.org.uk - Multimedia guide to building your own PC
PC cooling accessories
www.overclock.co.uk - Good selection of replacement fans, heatsinks, cables
www.coolcasemods.com - Lots of accessories for customising and repair
Friday, July 28, 2006
Arrogance, Enmity, and Envy
Arrogance and having enmity for and envy of Muslims are all sins of the heart. These are bad attributes of which many people are unaware, because they do not know what they are or how to avoid them.
1. Arrogance: It is to reject the truth and to look down on people.
The Prophet, may God raise his rank, said:
Al-kibru batarul-haqqi wa ghamtun-nas.
Which means: “Arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on others.” (Related by Muslim).
What is understood from this hadith is that arrogance is rejecting what one knows is right, because the person saying it is young, poor, a student, or weak. Looking down on people is like being arrogant with a poor person, because he is poor. Thus, the arrogant refuses to speak with him or talks to him in a haughty way.
2. Enmity: It is to hate a Muslim, to accept this feeling, and to act in accordance with this feeling.
The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:
Man arada ay yuzahzaha ^anin-Nari wa yudkhalal-Jannata, falta’tihi maniyyatuhu wa huwa yu’minu billahi wal yawmil-akhiri, wal ya’ti ilan-nasi bima yuhibbu ay yu’ta ilayh.
Which means: “He who wishes to be moved away from Hellfire, and be admitted into Paradise, let him die believing in Allah and the Day of Judgment, and let him treat people in the way which he would like to be treated.” (Related by Ibn Hibban and al-Bayhaqiyy.(
3. Envy: It is to hate and feel bitter about the endowment of Allah on a Muslim, whether it be worldly or religious, and to wish that it would be taken from that Muslim and would be bestowed upon oneself.
This is a sin only if one does not hate this feeling and if one acts in accordance with it. If one hates the envy one feels, and does not act accordingly, then it is not a sin.
REMEMBER:
1. What is arrogance?
2. State a hadith from the Prophet that urges us to avoid arrogance. Who related it?
3. What does looking down on people mean?
4. What does having enmity mean?
5. Give a hadith that urges us to treat people well.
6. What is envy? When is it considered a sin?
We ask Allah to protect us from such illnesses. ameen.
1. Arrogance: It is to reject the truth and to look down on people.
The Prophet, may God raise his rank, said:
Al-kibru batarul-haqqi wa ghamtun-nas.
Which means: “Arrogance is rejecting the truth and looking down on others.” (Related by Muslim).
What is understood from this hadith is that arrogance is rejecting what one knows is right, because the person saying it is young, poor, a student, or weak. Looking down on people is like being arrogant with a poor person, because he is poor. Thus, the arrogant refuses to speak with him or talks to him in a haughty way.
2. Enmity: It is to hate a Muslim, to accept this feeling, and to act in accordance with this feeling.
The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:
Man arada ay yuzahzaha ^anin-Nari wa yudkhalal-Jannata, falta’tihi maniyyatuhu wa huwa yu’minu billahi wal yawmil-akhiri, wal ya’ti ilan-nasi bima yuhibbu ay yu’ta ilayh.
Which means: “He who wishes to be moved away from Hellfire, and be admitted into Paradise, let him die believing in Allah and the Day of Judgment, and let him treat people in the way which he would like to be treated.” (Related by Ibn Hibban and al-Bayhaqiyy.(
3. Envy: It is to hate and feel bitter about the endowment of Allah on a Muslim, whether it be worldly or religious, and to wish that it would be taken from that Muslim and would be bestowed upon oneself.
This is a sin only if one does not hate this feeling and if one acts in accordance with it. If one hates the envy one feels, and does not act accordingly, then it is not a sin.
REMEMBER:
1. What is arrogance?
2. State a hadith from the Prophet that urges us to avoid arrogance. Who related it?
3. What does looking down on people mean?
4. What does having enmity mean?
5. Give a hadith that urges us to treat people well.
6. What is envy? When is it considered a sin?
We ask Allah to protect us from such illnesses. ameen.
Loving Allah and His Messenger
Love and hate are among the actions of the heart. It is obligatory upon the pubescent person to use these two emotions in accordance with the rules of the Religion. One must love Allah and what is in accordance with the rules of Islam. Also, one must hate the devil and what he whispers of sinful matters.
1. Loving Allah and His Messenger, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam: The pubescent person is obligated to love Allah, His Qur’an, and His Prophet. This is done by following the orders of Islam and avoiding its unlawful matters.
Allah, ta^ala said:
Qul in kuntum tuhibbun-allaha fattabi^uni yuhbibkum-ullah.
Ayah 31 of Suratu Al ^Imran means: {Say (O Muhammad): If you love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you.{
This is an essential part of believing in Allah, what He revealed, and believing in the Prophet and what he brought. The doubt in Allah, on the other hand, His Qur’an, or His Messenger is among the sins of the heart. In fact it is blasphemy, which takes one out of the Religion of Islam.
2. Loving the companions, relatives (Al) of the Prophet, and the pious Muslims: Among the obligations of the heart is loving the Companions, relatives (Al) of the Prophet and the pious Muslims. Failing to love them is one of the sins of the heart. Mocking or cursing them is among the sins of the tongue.
The Companions: They are the Companions of the Prophet. They supported the Religion of Allah and spread it, especially the earlier ones who immigrated with the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and those who received him in Madinah. The Companions are the people who met the Prophet during his life and believed in him, whether they knew him for a long or a short time, as long as they died on the correct belief.
The Relatives (Al) of the Prophet: This term is given to the wives of the Prophet such as Khadijah and ^A’ishah. It also refers to his Muslim relatives, like Hamzah, al-^Abbas, ^Aliyy, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and their mother Fatimah (may Allah raise all their ranks).
Loving the Al of the Prophet is an obligation because of the merit they have. If one means by the term “Al” the God-fearing pious people, which is one of its meanings, then loving them is an obligation, because they are beloved to Allah due to their ideal behavior in obeying Allah.
The Pious Muslims: They are the ones who have performed all the obligations and avoided all the sins. Among these categories are the scholars, and the highly righteous Muslims.
3. Hating the Devil and Sins: Among what is also obligatory on the heart is hating the devil and the sins. Also, one must regret performing the sins.
Things we should remember:
1. List some of what a Muslim is obligated to love.
2. State from the Qur’an the proof that an indication of a Muslim’s love of Allah is his rightly following the Prophet.
3. Who are the Companions? Why is it obligatory to love them?
4. Who are the Al? Why is it obligatory to love them?
5. Who are the pious Muslims?
6. List some of what a Muslim is obligated to hate?
We ask Allah to strengthen our love to Allah and His Prophet and increase as we live.
Allah knows best.
1. Loving Allah and His Messenger, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam: The pubescent person is obligated to love Allah, His Qur’an, and His Prophet. This is done by following the orders of Islam and avoiding its unlawful matters.
Allah, ta^ala said:
Qul in kuntum tuhibbun-allaha fattabi^uni yuhbibkum-ullah.
Ayah 31 of Suratu Al ^Imran means: {Say (O Muhammad): If you love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you.{
This is an essential part of believing in Allah, what He revealed, and believing in the Prophet and what he brought. The doubt in Allah, on the other hand, His Qur’an, or His Messenger is among the sins of the heart. In fact it is blasphemy, which takes one out of the Religion of Islam.
2. Loving the companions, relatives (Al) of the Prophet, and the pious Muslims: Among the obligations of the heart is loving the Companions, relatives (Al) of the Prophet and the pious Muslims. Failing to love them is one of the sins of the heart. Mocking or cursing them is among the sins of the tongue.
The Companions: They are the Companions of the Prophet. They supported the Religion of Allah and spread it, especially the earlier ones who immigrated with the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and those who received him in Madinah. The Companions are the people who met the Prophet during his life and believed in him, whether they knew him for a long or a short time, as long as they died on the correct belief.
The Relatives (Al) of the Prophet: This term is given to the wives of the Prophet such as Khadijah and ^A’ishah. It also refers to his Muslim relatives, like Hamzah, al-^Abbas, ^Aliyy, al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and their mother Fatimah (may Allah raise all their ranks).
Loving the Al of the Prophet is an obligation because of the merit they have. If one means by the term “Al” the God-fearing pious people, which is one of its meanings, then loving them is an obligation, because they are beloved to Allah due to their ideal behavior in obeying Allah.
The Pious Muslims: They are the ones who have performed all the obligations and avoided all the sins. Among these categories are the scholars, and the highly righteous Muslims.
3. Hating the Devil and Sins: Among what is also obligatory on the heart is hating the devil and the sins. Also, one must regret performing the sins.
Things we should remember:
1. List some of what a Muslim is obligated to love.
2. State from the Qur’an the proof that an indication of a Muslim’s love of Allah is his rightly following the Prophet.
3. Who are the Companions? Why is it obligatory to love them?
4. Who are the Al? Why is it obligatory to love them?
5. Who are the pious Muslims?
6. List some of what a Muslim is obligated to hate?
We ask Allah to strengthen our love to Allah and His Prophet and increase as we live.
Allah knows best.
Patience and Subjugating Oneself to Allah
Allah, ta^ala, said in the Qur’an
Ista^inu bis-sabri was-Salati innallaha ma^as-sabirin.
Ayah 153 of Suratul-Baqarah means: {Strengthen yourselves by patience and prayer, and know that God supports the patient people{
Patience is among the obligations of the heart. It is of three kinds:
1. Patience in performing what Allah made obligatory.
2. Patience in avoiding what Allah made unlawful.
3. Patience with hardships and calamities.
Patience in performing the obligations: is forcing oneself to perform the obligations like praying on time, fasting the month of Ramadan, attending the circles of knowledge to learn the Islamic obligatory knowledge, and other obligations, even if one feels lazy to do them.
Patience in avoiding what Allah made unlawful: is restraining oneself from committing the sins. It takes a lot of effort to stop oneself from committing the unlawful, like leaving out the prayer, drinking alcohol, stealing, and other unlawful matters. It is one’s nature to lean towards laziness and easy coming pleasures, even if they are unlawful.
Patience with hardships and calamities: is being patient—seeking the reward from God—with what bothers one, such as pain, hardship, poverty, sadness, or other afflictions that befall the person in this life, because this world is a place of calamities, tests, and a workplace, while the Hereafter is the place for judgment. For this type of patience to take place, one needs not to act or talk in a way that reflects one’s impatience.
The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:
Innallaha ^azza wa jalla yaqul: idha-btalaytu ^abdiya bihabibatayhi fasabara ^awwadtuhu minhumal-Jannah.
Which means: “If Allah inflicts on someone the calamity of losing one’s sight and one is patient with it, then the reward of one’s patience will be Paradise.” (Narrated by al-Bukhariyy.)
Subjugating oneself to Allah: It is obligatory upon the pubescent person to refrain from objecting to Allah and to be content with Allah's Decree and Will. Subjugating oneself to Allah is among the obligations of the heart. Objecting to Allah is a blasphemous act. Many people fall into blasphemy because they do not subjugate themselves to Allah, rather, they object to Him.
The Muslim should be patient and should make an effort to train oneself in patience to get used to it. One should also rely on Allah in all one’s matters.
Things you should have learnt:
1. State an ayah from the Qur’an that points to the merit of patience.
2. Which type of obligation is patience?
3. List the types of patience.
4. What does it mean to be patient with performing the obligations?
5. What does it mean to be patient with avoiding what Allah made unlawful?
6. What does it mean to be patient with hardships and calamities?
7. Give a hadith that shows the reward of the one who lost his sight.
8. Among the obligations of the heart is subjugating oneself to Allah. What does this mean?
Allah knows best.
I ask Allah to grant us Patience and to accept our good deeds.
Ista^inu bis-sabri was-Salati innallaha ma^as-sabirin.
Ayah 153 of Suratul-Baqarah means: {Strengthen yourselves by patience and prayer, and know that God supports the patient people{
Patience is among the obligations of the heart. It is of three kinds:
1. Patience in performing what Allah made obligatory.
2. Patience in avoiding what Allah made unlawful.
3. Patience with hardships and calamities.
Patience in performing the obligations: is forcing oneself to perform the obligations like praying on time, fasting the month of Ramadan, attending the circles of knowledge to learn the Islamic obligatory knowledge, and other obligations, even if one feels lazy to do them.
Patience in avoiding what Allah made unlawful: is restraining oneself from committing the sins. It takes a lot of effort to stop oneself from committing the unlawful, like leaving out the prayer, drinking alcohol, stealing, and other unlawful matters. It is one’s nature to lean towards laziness and easy coming pleasures, even if they are unlawful.
Patience with hardships and calamities: is being patient—seeking the reward from God—with what bothers one, such as pain, hardship, poverty, sadness, or other afflictions that befall the person in this life, because this world is a place of calamities, tests, and a workplace, while the Hereafter is the place for judgment. For this type of patience to take place, one needs not to act or talk in a way that reflects one’s impatience.
The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:
Innallaha ^azza wa jalla yaqul: idha-btalaytu ^abdiya bihabibatayhi fasabara ^awwadtuhu minhumal-Jannah.
Which means: “If Allah inflicts on someone the calamity of losing one’s sight and one is patient with it, then the reward of one’s patience will be Paradise.” (Narrated by al-Bukhariyy.)
Subjugating oneself to Allah: It is obligatory upon the pubescent person to refrain from objecting to Allah and to be content with Allah's Decree and Will. Subjugating oneself to Allah is among the obligations of the heart. Objecting to Allah is a blasphemous act. Many people fall into blasphemy because they do not subjugate themselves to Allah, rather, they object to Him.
The Muslim should be patient and should make an effort to train oneself in patience to get used to it. One should also rely on Allah in all one’s matters.
Things you should have learnt:
1. State an ayah from the Qur’an that points to the merit of patience.
2. Which type of obligation is patience?
3. List the types of patience.
4. What does it mean to be patient with performing the obligations?
5. What does it mean to be patient with avoiding what Allah made unlawful?
6. What does it mean to be patient with hardships and calamities?
7. Give a hadith that shows the reward of the one who lost his sight.
8. Among the obligations of the heart is subjugating oneself to Allah. What does this mean?
Allah knows best.
I ask Allah to grant us Patience and to accept our good deeds.
Sincerity in Obedience
Insincerity in Performing the Good Deeds,and Priding Oneself in Obeying Allah
Sincerity (Ikhlas): Sincerity in obeying Allah is among the obligations of the heart. It is also one of the good characteristics.
Sincerity in obeying Allah is doing the good deeds for the sake of Allah only. It is not doing them seeking the praise and respect of people. Allah made sincerity a condition for the acceptance of the good deeds. Allah, ta^ala, said in the Qur’an:
Faman kana yarju liqa’a Rabbihi falya^mal ^amalan salihaw wa la yushrik bi^ibadati Rabbihi ahada.
Ayah 110 of Suratul-Kahf means: {Let the one who believes in the Day of Judgment do good deeds without seeking the praise of the people by doing so{.
The sincere person is the one who performs the good deeds—be it praying, fasting, Hajj, Zakah, or reciting Qur’an—seeking the reward from Allah, and not for the sake of people praising and mentioning him. The one who is praying should be performing obedience for the sake of Allah only, not so that the people will say: “So and so prays, he does not miss any obligation.” Also the one who is fasting should be fasting for the sake of Allah only. The same applies to, the case of the one who is giving Zakah, sadaqah, reciting the Qur’an, or anyone who is performing a good deed. The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:
Innallaha yuhibbu ahadakum idha ^amila ^amalan ay yutqinah. Someone said: “Wa ma itqanuhu ya Rasulallah.” The Prophet said: “Yukhlisuhu minar-riya’i wal-bid^ah.”
Which means: “Certainly, Allah loves for one of you when performing a deed to perform it properly.” Someone said: “How is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “One does it only for the sake of God and according to the rules of the Religion.” (Narrated by As-Suyutiyy.)
Riya' (Insincerity): Is the opposite of sincerity. It is doing the good deeds, such as fasting, for the praise of the people and their admiration.
Insincerity nullifies the reward of the deed. The performer of any deed that is done with insincerity receives no reward, whether it was done for the praise of people only or coupled with seeking the reward. Moreover, such a person commits an enormous sin.
Priding oneself for obeying Allah: After performing certain types of obedience, some people feel conceitedly proud of these actions. They feel they have a high status because of performing these actions, forgetting that Allah is the One Who inspired and enabled them to do these good deeds.
Insincerity and priding oneself for obeying Allah are two sins of the heart. They are also two bad characteristics that the pubescent person must avoid. One should be sincere while obeying Allah to earn the reward from Allah.
Things you should Remember!
1. What is meant by sincerity in obeying Allah?
2. What is the proof from the Qur’an that sincerity is a condition for the acceptance of the good deeds?
3. Who is the sincere person?
4. State a hadith that encourages sincerity and leaving out insincerity in the obedience?
5. What is meant by insincerity? Will one receive reward for a deed he does seeking both the reward from Allah and the praise of the people?
6. What does priding oneself for obeying Allah mean?
Allah knows best.
Sincerity (Ikhlas): Sincerity in obeying Allah is among the obligations of the heart. It is also one of the good characteristics.
Sincerity in obeying Allah is doing the good deeds for the sake of Allah only. It is not doing them seeking the praise and respect of people. Allah made sincerity a condition for the acceptance of the good deeds. Allah, ta^ala, said in the Qur’an:
Faman kana yarju liqa’a Rabbihi falya^mal ^amalan salihaw wa la yushrik bi^ibadati Rabbihi ahada.
Ayah 110 of Suratul-Kahf means: {Let the one who believes in the Day of Judgment do good deeds without seeking the praise of the people by doing so{.
The sincere person is the one who performs the good deeds—be it praying, fasting, Hajj, Zakah, or reciting Qur’an—seeking the reward from Allah, and not for the sake of people praising and mentioning him. The one who is praying should be performing obedience for the sake of Allah only, not so that the people will say: “So and so prays, he does not miss any obligation.” Also the one who is fasting should be fasting for the sake of Allah only. The same applies to, the case of the one who is giving Zakah, sadaqah, reciting the Qur’an, or anyone who is performing a good deed. The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said:
Innallaha yuhibbu ahadakum idha ^amila ^amalan ay yutqinah. Someone said: “Wa ma itqanuhu ya Rasulallah.” The Prophet said: “Yukhlisuhu minar-riya’i wal-bid^ah.”
Which means: “Certainly, Allah loves for one of you when performing a deed to perform it properly.” Someone said: “How is that, O Messenger of Allah?” He replied: “One does it only for the sake of God and according to the rules of the Religion.” (Narrated by As-Suyutiyy.)
Riya' (Insincerity): Is the opposite of sincerity. It is doing the good deeds, such as fasting, for the praise of the people and their admiration.
Insincerity nullifies the reward of the deed. The performer of any deed that is done with insincerity receives no reward, whether it was done for the praise of people only or coupled with seeking the reward. Moreover, such a person commits an enormous sin.
Priding oneself for obeying Allah: After performing certain types of obedience, some people feel conceitedly proud of these actions. They feel they have a high status because of performing these actions, forgetting that Allah is the One Who inspired and enabled them to do these good deeds.
Insincerity and priding oneself for obeying Allah are two sins of the heart. They are also two bad characteristics that the pubescent person must avoid. One should be sincere while obeying Allah to earn the reward from Allah.
Things you should Remember!
1. What is meant by sincerity in obeying Allah?
2. What is the proof from the Qur’an that sincerity is a condition for the acceptance of the good deeds?
3. Who is the sincere person?
4. State a hadith that encourages sincerity and leaving out insincerity in the obedience?
5. What is meant by insincerity? Will one receive reward for a deed he does seeking both the reward from Allah and the praise of the people?
6. What does priding oneself for obeying Allah mean?
Allah knows best.
Brother Munazzih of safeena.org wrote :
{Adhere to the true Religion of Allah and do not disunite. Recall the endowment of Allah upon you?? that you were enemies and Allah mended your hearts together.} Surat Al-^Imran, Ayah 103.
Hence, they became one nation which did not regard disunity. The lack of adhering to the true Religion of Allah causes disunity. Moreover, adhering to the true Religion of Allah requires one to be knowledgeable about it.
Solidarity, cooperation, and standing by one another are important and basic elements for constructing a sound, united Islamic society. If the sincere Muslim was to take a brief look at the situations of Muslims at large throughout different parts of the world, it would be enough to make him active in establishing unity among Muslims. However now a days, Many people have
Moreover, a quick glance at the situation prior to and after the renewal of the call to Islam by Prophet Muhammad would shed bright light on the sound foundation for unity among Muslims.
The last prophet before Prophet Muhammad was Prophet ^Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him. The followers of Prophet ^Isa who adhered to the Religion of Islam started diminishing in numbers after Prophet ^Isa was raised to the sky, and ignorance started to become more evident among the people. Before Prophet Muhammad renewed the call to Islam, the people were living in an era of ignorance. It was a period of time when widespread ignorance prevailed. During that time, the Arabs in the Arabian peninsula were scattered tribes, dispersed throughout the land, fighting and robbing one another. The intensity of the wars that took place among them drove some people to bury their daughters alive--to escape the scandal should their daughters be captured by warring tribes.
The strong did injustice to the weak. Women were considered worthless just because they were female. Drinking alcohol was prevalent. Men could have tens of wives under them. The people unrightfully worshipped many stones and idols. Some even worshipped idols made from dates, and when they would get hungry, they would eat them!! Many people buried their children out of fear of poverty. Prostitution became widespread. Unjust tribal solidarity prevailed. This was the situation that prevailed before the Prophet came with his Message. The people were living in dungeons of ignorance and darkness.
When the Prophet received the Revelation of Prophethood, he began to call the people to Islam. The Prophet made reference to the state of ignorance prevalent at that time in a hadith related by Muslim and others.
At first the people felt the Religion was strange due to the rampant state of ignorance in which they were living. They were used to ignorantly and unrightfully worshiping many idols at the time the Prophet came to tell them to worship one and only one God--Who does not resemble the creation. They felt this was so strange because of the ignorance in which they were drowning.
In this same hadith the Prophet established that this Religion would again become strange to many people?-because ignorance would again prevail. He also established when that time comes, there would be people who would stand up and correct the misconceptions in the minds of others; those who would again teach the people what the Prophet came with, and who would warn against those who contravene his laws.
What was the result when the Prophet established his call? The people united and their hearts and hands joined together. Those who immigrated from Makkah to al?Madinah were graciously received by the Ansar (the people of al-Madinah.) The bonds of brotherhood were established to such an extent that a member of the Ansar would offer to split his wealth and his belongings with a Muslim brother from Makkah. They united together; and they sacrificed their money, wealth, and efforts. They accepted many hardships for the purpose of raising the banner of Islam--the message the Prophet brought to them. Within a few years they had become one body expressing solidarity. As a result, they became united in the Arabian peninsula; they opened Makkah; and they went far beyond the Arabian peninsula teaching about Islam.
I ask Allah to make us from those who follow the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad, and to grant us unity...(F)
{Adhere to the true Religion of Allah and do not disunite. Recall the endowment of Allah upon you?? that you were enemies and Allah mended your hearts together.} Surat Al-^Imran, Ayah 103.
Hence, they became one nation which did not regard disunity. The lack of adhering to the true Religion of Allah causes disunity. Moreover, adhering to the true Religion of Allah requires one to be knowledgeable about it.
Solidarity, cooperation, and standing by one another are important and basic elements for constructing a sound, united Islamic society. If the sincere Muslim was to take a brief look at the situations of Muslims at large throughout different parts of the world, it would be enough to make him active in establishing unity among Muslims. However now a days, Many people have
Moreover, a quick glance at the situation prior to and after the renewal of the call to Islam by Prophet Muhammad would shed bright light on the sound foundation for unity among Muslims.
The last prophet before Prophet Muhammad was Prophet ^Isa (Jesus), peace be upon him. The followers of Prophet ^Isa who adhered to the Religion of Islam started diminishing in numbers after Prophet ^Isa was raised to the sky, and ignorance started to become more evident among the people. Before Prophet Muhammad renewed the call to Islam, the people were living in an era of ignorance. It was a period of time when widespread ignorance prevailed. During that time, the Arabs in the Arabian peninsula were scattered tribes, dispersed throughout the land, fighting and robbing one another. The intensity of the wars that took place among them drove some people to bury their daughters alive--to escape the scandal should their daughters be captured by warring tribes.
The strong did injustice to the weak. Women were considered worthless just because they were female. Drinking alcohol was prevalent. Men could have tens of wives under them. The people unrightfully worshipped many stones and idols. Some even worshipped idols made from dates, and when they would get hungry, they would eat them!! Many people buried their children out of fear of poverty. Prostitution became widespread. Unjust tribal solidarity prevailed. This was the situation that prevailed before the Prophet came with his Message. The people were living in dungeons of ignorance and darkness.
When the Prophet received the Revelation of Prophethood, he began to call the people to Islam. The Prophet made reference to the state of ignorance prevalent at that time in a hadith related by Muslim and others.
At first the people felt the Religion was strange due to the rampant state of ignorance in which they were living. They were used to ignorantly and unrightfully worshiping many idols at the time the Prophet came to tell them to worship one and only one God--Who does not resemble the creation. They felt this was so strange because of the ignorance in which they were drowning.
In this same hadith the Prophet established that this Religion would again become strange to many people?-because ignorance would again prevail. He also established when that time comes, there would be people who would stand up and correct the misconceptions in the minds of others; those who would again teach the people what the Prophet came with, and who would warn against those who contravene his laws.
What was the result when the Prophet established his call? The people united and their hearts and hands joined together. Those who immigrated from Makkah to al?Madinah were graciously received by the Ansar (the people of al-Madinah.) The bonds of brotherhood were established to such an extent that a member of the Ansar would offer to split his wealth and his belongings with a Muslim brother from Makkah. They united together; and they sacrificed their money, wealth, and efforts. They accepted many hardships for the purpose of raising the banner of Islam--the message the Prophet brought to them. Within a few years they had become one body expressing solidarity. As a result, they became united in the Arabian peninsula; they opened Makkah; and they went far beyond the Arabian peninsula teaching about Islam.
I ask Allah to make us from those who follow the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad, and to grant us unity...(F)
church of Satan compared to Islam
Followers of Satan existed long before Christ. Modern Satanists however, bear little resemblance to the myths of the early Satan worshipers, they and their philosophies are closer kin to pagans and atheists than they are to the baby-mutilating goblins of popular lore.
Satanism as a modern organized religion did not exist before 1966. In that year, Anton LaVey and several of his associates organized a religion based on the principles expressed in the many stories of Satan, God's nemesis. In 1967 LaVey published a book, The Satanic Bible, and the Church of Satan was born.
Modern Satanism is a somewhat broad term used to describe all of the sects of Satanism. In reality, Satanism is a religion made up of many different churches and philosophies. The Church of Satan and the Temple of Set are the two largest branches. Many of these churches or orders are at odds with one another over differences in belief and practice.
Their main beliefs are outlined in the "Nine Satanic Statements" from The Satanic Bible, and the "Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth" which through the combined teachings of Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Jesus, we will dispel these "Satanic rules".
We will begin with the Nine Satanic Statements which open The Satanic Bible and govern a Satanist;
1.Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence.
In reality, there are nearly the same amount of restrictions for a Satanist as there is for a non-Satanist. As God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, Satanists too have 9 Commandments they are to obey with various implications and also the Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth which are expanded on in the Bible of Satan.
2.Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams.
This statement only confirms what was written in the Bible One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty Four years before the first Church of Satan, which is;
"And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." (Job 1:7)
We see the Bible which was sent by God, confirms that Satan is on the earth, dwelling among us, long before the Church of Satan ever acknowledged this common fact.
This is the first instance where {Spirituality} on this Satanic Statement, is demonized while common pre-known knowledge is exemplified. The Bible and the Final Testament {The Holy Qur'an} both acknowledge Satan because God does not fear Satan, on the other hand, the Church of Satan calls God 'pipe dreams' because Satan fears God, Satan does not want you to know God while God openly confirms the Devil on Earth.
3.Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit.
A wise person does not play with fire. You are not deceiving your self by confessing that you have a Creator, all of life whispers the truth of a Divine Creator, a Creator who fills our days with Light, and makes our bodies rest, in the dark:
" It is Allah Who has made the Night for you, that ye may rest therein, and the days as that which helps (you) to see. Verily Allah is full of Grace and Bounty to men: yet most men give no thanks." {Holy Qur'an 40:61}
yet on the other hand, Satan would prefer that we live in Darkness all the time, that the blue flowers have no light to make them grow, that there is no Sun, but Satan is living in self deceit because there is a Sun, and there is Light, and Satan must stop trying to blind people to the obvious.
4.Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates.
We are all God's children and we all initially deserve kindness as confirmed in Islam:
"... for Allah loveth those who are kind." {Holy Qur'an 5:13}
"Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness (to others), and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed." {Holy Qur'an 16:90}
Secondly, Satan is now being the hypocrite, he claims to be preaching kindness, yet is the root of the Hate that causes hostility.
5.Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.
Kindness and Vengeance do not mix, unless your only kind to yourself, because everyone intentionally or un- intentionally wrongs you, so Satan is advocating revenge on everyone while Islam completed the teaching of Jesus by clarifying that when you are being attacked, it is best to have patience and forgiveness against the attacker, But then if the attacks continue, than we are given the permission to retaliate only with the equal amount of force that was used against us.
" And if you take your turn, then retaliate with the like of that with which you were afflicted; But if ye endure patiently, verily it is better for the patient." {Holy Qur'an 16:126}
This also supercedes the code of Satan because Satan promotes a merciless vengeance while Islam teaches to only attack with the same amount you were attacked with, for example, you don't kill someone for scratching your hand.
6.Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires.
Actually Satan represents letting go of obligations and responsibilities, Satan commands death upon those who annoy a Satanist, by murdering someone, you are placing yourself in a position where you are likely to be incarcerated and therefore forfeiting your life in society, which may include your obligations to your family and friends.
7.Satan represents man as just another animal -- sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours -- who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development," has become the most vicious animal of all.
Satan is again hypocritically demonizing viciousness while in the same breath preaching unrestrained vengefulness.
This is also Satan's second attack on Spirituality. Satan may see humans as another animal, but Islam, almost One Thousand, Four hundred years before the Church of Satan, God took it a step further and stated that humans evolved from water:
".....We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?" (Holy Qur'an 21:30)
The Qur'an also confirms that we are animals (Holy Qur'an 20:111) and (Holy Qur'an 4:28)
8.Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.
Sins in general, lead to pain and torment, for example, stealing leaves the innocent victim to suffer, while Satan claimed to be kind to those who deserved it.
9.Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years.
The Church unfortunately is a business which collects a lot of money, 10% of your entire income is commanded to go directly to the Church, but this is a complaint that Satan can not point towards Islam, fore we are to give about 3% of our money directly to the Poor, unless Satan objects to being kind to the poor ?
" But if at the time of division other relatives, or orphans or poor, are present, feed them out of the (property), and speak to them words of kindness and justice." {Holy Qur'an 4:8}
Unfortunately, both the Christian Church and the Church of Satan demand money upon membership;
Please enroll me as a Registered Member of The Church of Satan. Enclosed is $100.00 in U.S. cash, check or M.O. CHURCH OF SATAN Post Office Box 210666 San Francisco, CA 94121 U.S.A.
'The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth' are the other commandments of Satan.
1.Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
I agree
2.Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
Psychologically this is self destructive, keeping quite causes a lot of pain to be bottled up, it is a confirmed fact by many psychiatrists that expressing yourself and telling others about your problems is very mentally healthy.
3.When in another's lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
This is another rule which existed many centuries before the Church of Satan ever wrote these so-called rules:
'One asks permission three times. If you are given permission, then enter. If not, go away.' " (Hadith; Malik's Muwatta)
The extent that Prophet Muhammad demonstrated how we are to be polite to others is too numerous to list here, it would honestly fill up many books, there are over 9 volumes on this subject.
To briefly mention a few, the Prophet Muhammad always made sure his neighbors were not hungry, and would make sure they ate before he did, would sit on the floor to eat because he was too humble to sit at a table, would remove his shoes at the door if they were dirty, etc..
4.If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
To annoy means;
"To cause slight irritation to (another) by troublesome, often repeated acts." [American Heritage Dictionary]
Satan is saying in other words, if someone at your dinner table is chewing to loud, this person should be killed.
Compare that with:
"And verily whoso is patient and forgiveth - lo! that, verily, is (of) the steadfast heart of things." {Holy Qur'an 42:43}
"Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want, and those who have left their homes in Allah's cause: let them forgive and overlook, do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." {Holy Qur'an 24:22}
" And if you take your turn, then retaliate with the like of that with which you were afflicted; But if ye endure patiently, verily it is better for the patient." {Holy Qur'an 16:126}
5.Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
I agree, but is this a list aimed towards women or men? Is Satan a sexist? If this rule is intended for both men and women, then neither one would ever procreate.
6.Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved.
I agree, so does Scripture:
" ... Thou shalt not steal" (Matthew 19:18)
7.Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
"If" it is obtained, you must have complete faith otherwise it won't work again ? Sounds like chance. Anyone can summon spirits because they are already here as confirmed in Scripture, yet to this date, no {{Real}} power has been demonstrated by a Satanist, the Sun is still here.
8.Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
I agree
9.Do not harm little children.
The Second warning from God (The Gospel) states;
" whoso shall offend one of these little ones (children) which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)
"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10)
"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14)
Islam teaches Jesus was a Muslim.
10.Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
Prophet Muhammad not only preached to the people to show kindness to each other but also to all living souls.
He forbade the practice of cutting tails and manes of horses, of branding animals at any soft spot, and of keeping horses saddled unnecessarily (Hadith; Sahih Muslim).
If he saw any animal over-loaded or ill-fed he would pull up the owner and say, "Fear Allah in your treatment of animals." (Hadith; Abu Dawud, Kitab Jihad).
A companion came to him with the young ones of a bird in his sheet and said that the mother bird had hovered over them all along. He was directed to replace her offspring in the same bush (Hadith; Mishkat, Abu Dawud)
During a journey, somebody picked up some birds eggs. The bird's painful note and fluttering attracted the attention of the Prophet (pbuh), who asked the man to replace the eggs (Hadith; Bukhari, Sahih Bukhari).
As his army marched towards Makkah to conquer it, they passed a female dog with puppies. The Prophet (pbuh) not only gave orders that they should not be disturbed, but posted a man to see that this was done. He stated, "Verily, there is heavenly reward for every act of kindness done to a living animal." (Hadith; Yusuf al-Qaradawi)
The Prophet (peace be on him) related to his Companions the story of a man who found a dog panting with thirst. The man went down into a well, filled his shoes with water which he gave to the dog, and continued to do so until the dog's thirst was quenched. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "Then Allah was grateful to him and forgave him his sins." The Companions asked, "Is there a reward for us in relation to animals, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "There is a reward in (relation to) every living creature." (Hadith; Sahih al-Bukhari)
Regarding the goat, they are like cows, they give milk like cows, they give yogurt like cows, the male goats have horns like male cows, they have hooves like cows, they go maa similar to cows, Satanism permits killing animals for food, there is no difference between a cow and a goat except for size. Goat's meat is served in restaurants all over America. Furthermore, in Satanism, the he goat is a satanic symbol began as Azazel, said to be "carrying the sins of the people,".
According to the Bible of Satan (Chapter '; On The Choice of A Human Sacrifice' 3rd Paragraph)
The "white" magician, wary of the consequences involved in the killing of a human being, naturally utilizes birds, or other "lower" creatures in his ceremonies. (i.e. goats)
Therefore, animal sacrifices are a large part of the Church of Satan, even though some members may tell you otherwise, the Bible of Satan, their Sacred Text, plainly states that without the sacrifices, the they will not reap the benefits of Satanism.
On the other hand, sacrificing a goat in Islam is optional and is only to celebrate Abraham's son being saved by God.
We can reap the benefits of Islam without any sacrifices, unlike Satanism.
11.When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
To bother no one in public is covered under the order to be kind to others, which we have seen the Satanists fall short in this category.
Also to destroy the person who bothers you has also been examined to reveal the barbaric and irresponsible nature of such an act.
Peace
Satanism as a modern organized religion did not exist before 1966. In that year, Anton LaVey and several of his associates organized a religion based on the principles expressed in the many stories of Satan, God's nemesis. In 1967 LaVey published a book, The Satanic Bible, and the Church of Satan was born.
Modern Satanism is a somewhat broad term used to describe all of the sects of Satanism. In reality, Satanism is a religion made up of many different churches and philosophies. The Church of Satan and the Temple of Set are the two largest branches. Many of these churches or orders are at odds with one another over differences in belief and practice.
Their main beliefs are outlined in the "Nine Satanic Statements" from The Satanic Bible, and the "Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth" which through the combined teachings of Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Jesus, we will dispel these "Satanic rules".
We will begin with the Nine Satanic Statements which open The Satanic Bible and govern a Satanist;
1.Satan represents indulgence instead of abstinence.
In reality, there are nearly the same amount of restrictions for a Satanist as there is for a non-Satanist. As God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, Satanists too have 9 Commandments they are to obey with various implications and also the Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth which are expanded on in the Bible of Satan.
2.Satan represents vital existence instead of spiritual pipe dreams.
This statement only confirms what was written in the Bible One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Forty Four years before the first Church of Satan, which is;
"And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." (Job 1:7)
We see the Bible which was sent by God, confirms that Satan is on the earth, dwelling among us, long before the Church of Satan ever acknowledged this common fact.
This is the first instance where {Spirituality} on this Satanic Statement, is demonized while common pre-known knowledge is exemplified. The Bible and the Final Testament {The Holy Qur'an} both acknowledge Satan because God does not fear Satan, on the other hand, the Church of Satan calls God 'pipe dreams' because Satan fears God, Satan does not want you to know God while God openly confirms the Devil on Earth.
3.Satan represents undefiled wisdom instead of hypocritical self-deceit.
A wise person does not play with fire. You are not deceiving your self by confessing that you have a Creator, all of life whispers the truth of a Divine Creator, a Creator who fills our days with Light, and makes our bodies rest, in the dark:
" It is Allah Who has made the Night for you, that ye may rest therein, and the days as that which helps (you) to see. Verily Allah is full of Grace and Bounty to men: yet most men give no thanks." {Holy Qur'an 40:61}
yet on the other hand, Satan would prefer that we live in Darkness all the time, that the blue flowers have no light to make them grow, that there is no Sun, but Satan is living in self deceit because there is a Sun, and there is Light, and Satan must stop trying to blind people to the obvious.
4.Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it instead of love wasted on ingrates.
We are all God's children and we all initially deserve kindness as confirmed in Islam:
"... for Allah loveth those who are kind." {Holy Qur'an 5:13}
"Lo! Allah enjoineth justice and kindness (to others), and giving to kinsfolk, and forbiddeth lewdness and abomination and wickedness. He exhorteth you in order that ye may take heed." {Holy Qur'an 16:90}
Secondly, Satan is now being the hypocrite, he claims to be preaching kindness, yet is the root of the Hate that causes hostility.
5.Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek.
Kindness and Vengeance do not mix, unless your only kind to yourself, because everyone intentionally or un- intentionally wrongs you, so Satan is advocating revenge on everyone while Islam completed the teaching of Jesus by clarifying that when you are being attacked, it is best to have patience and forgiveness against the attacker, But then if the attacks continue, than we are given the permission to retaliate only with the equal amount of force that was used against us.
" And if you take your turn, then retaliate with the like of that with which you were afflicted; But if ye endure patiently, verily it is better for the patient." {Holy Qur'an 16:126}
This also supercedes the code of Satan because Satan promotes a merciless vengeance while Islam teaches to only attack with the same amount you were attacked with, for example, you don't kill someone for scratching your hand.
6.Satan represents responsibility to the responsible instead of concern for psychic vampires.
Actually Satan represents letting go of obligations and responsibilities, Satan commands death upon those who annoy a Satanist, by murdering someone, you are placing yourself in a position where you are likely to be incarcerated and therefore forfeiting your life in society, which may include your obligations to your family and friends.
7.Satan represents man as just another animal -- sometimes better, more often worse than those that walk on all-fours -- who, because of his "divine spiritual and intellectual development," has become the most vicious animal of all.
Satan is again hypocritically demonizing viciousness while in the same breath preaching unrestrained vengefulness.
This is also Satan's second attack on Spirituality. Satan may see humans as another animal, but Islam, almost One Thousand, Four hundred years before the Church of Satan, God took it a step further and stated that humans evolved from water:
".....We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?" (Holy Qur'an 21:30)
The Qur'an also confirms that we are animals (Holy Qur'an 20:111) and (Holy Qur'an 4:28)
8.Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.
Sins in general, lead to pain and torment, for example, stealing leaves the innocent victim to suffer, while Satan claimed to be kind to those who deserved it.
9.Satan has been the best friend the Church has ever had, as He has kept it in business all these years.
The Church unfortunately is a business which collects a lot of money, 10% of your entire income is commanded to go directly to the Church, but this is a complaint that Satan can not point towards Islam, fore we are to give about 3% of our money directly to the Poor, unless Satan objects to being kind to the poor ?
" But if at the time of division other relatives, or orphans or poor, are present, feed them out of the (property), and speak to them words of kindness and justice." {Holy Qur'an 4:8}
Unfortunately, both the Christian Church and the Church of Satan demand money upon membership;
Please enroll me as a Registered Member of The Church of Satan. Enclosed is $100.00 in U.S. cash, check or M.O. CHURCH OF SATAN Post Office Box 210666 San Francisco, CA 94121 U.S.A.
'The Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth' are the other commandments of Satan.
1.Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked.
I agree
2.Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them.
Psychologically this is self destructive, keeping quite causes a lot of pain to be bottled up, it is a confirmed fact by many psychiatrists that expressing yourself and telling others about your problems is very mentally healthy.
3.When in another's lair, show him respect or else do not go there.
This is another rule which existed many centuries before the Church of Satan ever wrote these so-called rules:
'One asks permission three times. If you are given permission, then enter. If not, go away.' " (Hadith; Malik's Muwatta)
The extent that Prophet Muhammad demonstrated how we are to be polite to others is too numerous to list here, it would honestly fill up many books, there are over 9 volumes on this subject.
To briefly mention a few, the Prophet Muhammad always made sure his neighbors were not hungry, and would make sure they ate before he did, would sit on the floor to eat because he was too humble to sit at a table, would remove his shoes at the door if they were dirty, etc..
4.If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy.
To annoy means;
"To cause slight irritation to (another) by troublesome, often repeated acts." [American Heritage Dictionary]
Satan is saying in other words, if someone at your dinner table is chewing to loud, this person should be killed.
Compare that with:
"And verily whoso is patient and forgiveth - lo! that, verily, is (of) the steadfast heart of things." {Holy Qur'an 42:43}
"Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want, and those who have left their homes in Allah's cause: let them forgive and overlook, do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." {Holy Qur'an 24:22}
" And if you take your turn, then retaliate with the like of that with which you were afflicted; But if ye endure patiently, verily it is better for the patient." {Holy Qur'an 16:126}
5.Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal.
I agree, but is this a list aimed towards women or men? Is Satan a sexist? If this rule is intended for both men and women, then neither one would ever procreate.
6.Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved.
I agree, so does Scripture:
" ... Thou shalt not steal" (Matthew 19:18)
7.Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained.
"If" it is obtained, you must have complete faith otherwise it won't work again ? Sounds like chance. Anyone can summon spirits because they are already here as confirmed in Scripture, yet to this date, no {{Real}} power has been demonstrated by a Satanist, the Sun is still here.
8.Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself.
I agree
9.Do not harm little children.
The Second warning from God (The Gospel) states;
" whoso shall offend one of these little ones (children) which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:6)
"Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 18:10)
"But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14)
Islam teaches Jesus was a Muslim.
10.Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food.
Prophet Muhammad not only preached to the people to show kindness to each other but also to all living souls.
He forbade the practice of cutting tails and manes of horses, of branding animals at any soft spot, and of keeping horses saddled unnecessarily (Hadith; Sahih Muslim).
If he saw any animal over-loaded or ill-fed he would pull up the owner and say, "Fear Allah in your treatment of animals." (Hadith; Abu Dawud, Kitab Jihad).
A companion came to him with the young ones of a bird in his sheet and said that the mother bird had hovered over them all along. He was directed to replace her offspring in the same bush (Hadith; Mishkat, Abu Dawud)
During a journey, somebody picked up some birds eggs. The bird's painful note and fluttering attracted the attention of the Prophet (pbuh), who asked the man to replace the eggs (Hadith; Bukhari, Sahih Bukhari).
As his army marched towards Makkah to conquer it, they passed a female dog with puppies. The Prophet (pbuh) not only gave orders that they should not be disturbed, but posted a man to see that this was done. He stated, "Verily, there is heavenly reward for every act of kindness done to a living animal." (Hadith; Yusuf al-Qaradawi)
The Prophet (peace be on him) related to his Companions the story of a man who found a dog panting with thirst. The man went down into a well, filled his shoes with water which he gave to the dog, and continued to do so until the dog's thirst was quenched. The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "Then Allah was grateful to him and forgave him his sins." The Companions asked, "Is there a reward for us in relation to animals, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "There is a reward in (relation to) every living creature." (Hadith; Sahih al-Bukhari)
Regarding the goat, they are like cows, they give milk like cows, they give yogurt like cows, the male goats have horns like male cows, they have hooves like cows, they go maa similar to cows, Satanism permits killing animals for food, there is no difference between a cow and a goat except for size. Goat's meat is served in restaurants all over America. Furthermore, in Satanism, the he goat is a satanic symbol began as Azazel, said to be "carrying the sins of the people,".
According to the Bible of Satan (Chapter '; On The Choice of A Human Sacrifice' 3rd Paragraph)
The "white" magician, wary of the consequences involved in the killing of a human being, naturally utilizes birds, or other "lower" creatures in his ceremonies. (i.e. goats)
Therefore, animal sacrifices are a large part of the Church of Satan, even though some members may tell you otherwise, the Bible of Satan, their Sacred Text, plainly states that without the sacrifices, the they will not reap the benefits of Satanism.
On the other hand, sacrificing a goat in Islam is optional and is only to celebrate Abraham's son being saved by God.
We can reap the benefits of Islam without any sacrifices, unlike Satanism.
11.When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him.
To bother no one in public is covered under the order to be kind to others, which we have seen the Satanists fall short in this category.
Also to destroy the person who bothers you has also been examined to reveal the barbaric and irresponsible nature of such an act.
Peace
Farrakhism & Malcom X
- Contents -
1. COMPARISON: Islam & Farrakhanism ...
2. - God/Allah Alone .....................................
3. - Prophet/Messenger ..................................
4. - Last Day/Life Hereafter ...........................
5. - The Qur'an ...............................................
6. - The Bible .................................................
7. - Shahadah ..................................................
8. - Salah ........................................................
9. - Zakah .......................................................
10. - Sawm ......................................................
11. - Hajj .........................................................
12. - Lawful (halal); Unlawful (haram) .......................
13. - Authentic Hadith .............................................
14. Knowing the True Islam ........................................
15. AL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ: MALCOM X
16. His Pilgrimage to Makkah .....................................
17. Islamic Brotherhood ............................................
18. Legacy of Malcolm X ............................................
1. COMPARISON: Islam & Farrakhanism ...............................
ISLAM, and so-called "NATION OF ISLAM," are two different religions. The
only thing common between them is the jargon, the language used by the
both. "The Nation of Islam" is a misnomer; this religion should be
called Farrakhanism, after the name of its propagator. The religion of
Elijah Muhammad and W.D. Fard died with their death because their
officially and popularly elected successor, W.D. Muhammad, integrated
the community with the Muslim community at-large, following the Qur'an
and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Louis
Farrakhan joined W.D. Muhammad and gave his pledge of allegiance to him
after Elijah Muhammad's death; he later rebelled and broke his oath with
impunity, or without paying any expiation, and restarted "The Nation of
Islam."
Examine the following comparisons between Islam and Farrakhanism with
regard to the belief or practice in each:
Belief/Practice
2. - God/Allah Alone ..............................................
ISLAM: One Unique, never appeared in any physical form; hence, no
physical representation is possible. He is recognized through his 99
names.
FARRAKHANISM: "...Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard
Muhammad, July 1930; the long awaited 'Messiah' of the Christians and
the 'Mahdi' of the Muslims."
3. - Prophet/Messenger ............................................
ISLAM: Muhammad (S) is the last Prophet and the last Messenger. No
messenger or prophet will come after Muhammad (S).
FARRAKHANISM: Elijah Muhammad was a "Messenger of Allah." Are there any
more messengers or prophets to come? Not clear.
4. - Last Day/Life Hereafter ......................................
ISLAM: The life on earth as we know it will come to an end; it will be
followed by the life hereafter which includes physical resurrection of
the entire humankind, judgement and the life of paradise or hell.
FARRAKHANISM: "...BELIEVE in the resurrection of the dead - not in
physical resurrection, but in mental resurrection." "No already
physically dead person will be in the Hereafter; that is slavery belief,
taught to slaves to keep them under control." "When you are dead, you
are DEAD."
5. - The Qur'an ...................................................
ISLAM: It was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (S) between 610 and 632 C.E.
It is the last revelation of Allah to mankind.
FARRAKHANISM: Contradictory beliefs. On one side, "...BELIEVE in the
Holy Qur'an and in the scriptures of all the Prophets of God," and on
the other side, "We, the original nation of the earth ... are the
writers of the Bible and Qur'an. We make such history once every 25,000
years ... it is done by twenty-four of our scientists." "Both the
present Bible and the Holy Qur'an must soon give way to the Holy
Book..."
6. - The Bible ....................................................
ISLAM: It was revealed to prophets and messengers from Moses (alaihis
salam) to Jesus (A) but was corrupted. Authenticity of statements in the
Bible are judged by the Qur'an.
FARRAKHANISM: (See their beliefs above regarding the Qur'an)
7. - Shahadah .....................................................
ISLAM: It means what it says, that is, Allah is Unseen, He is the
Creator, the Sustainer. Mankind is accountable to Him Alone, and Prophet
Muhammad (S) of Arabia is the final and ultimate ROLE MODEL; no one can
substitute for him.
FARRAKHANISM: A cover up to deceive gullible Muslims. "Allah (God)
appeared in the person of Master W. Fard Muhammad," and Muhammad of
Arabia (S) was one of the prophets, not a role model for our times. The
real role model and lawgiver for our times is Elijah Muhammad.
8. - Salah ........................................................
ISLAM: Five times a day is required; SALAH (prayer) includes QIYAM
(standing), RUKU' (bowing), SAJDA (prostration), JALSA (sitting on the
floor) and recitations.
FARRAKHANISM: No five times daily SALAH (prayer); prayer, when done has
no RUKU' or SAJDA. Friday is a major congregational prayer day, not for
SALAH, but to say DU'A and to listen to a Minister.
9. - Zakah ........................................................
ISLAM: Required on accumulated wealth after having in possession for one
year above the NISAB (certain limits), as defined in SHARI'A (Islamic
law).
FARRAKHANISM: It is a tax as "poor due" on income, similar to income
tax. Who benefits?
10. - Sawm .........................................................
ISLAM: Fasting is required in the month of Ramadan, ninth month of
Islamic calendar.
FARRAKHANISM: Fasting is required in December only. Fasting in the month
of Ramadan is optional.
11. - Hajj .........................................................
ISLAM: Required once in a lifetime if conditions of finances, health,
and safety of travel are met.
FARRAKHANISM: No Hajj requirement. Farrakhan and his cronies take trips
to Saudi Arabia, and by the way, to Makkah for the main purpose of image
building and to raise funds from gullible rich Arabs.
12. - Lawful (halal); Unlawful (haram) .............................
ISLAM: Determined by Allah, the God Alone, announced in the Qur'an or by
the Prophet Muhammad (S), recorded in the authentic Hadith sources.
FARRAKHANISM: Determined by W.D. Fard and announced by Elijah Muhammad.
The Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (S) have no relevance nor authority with
regard to lawful and unlawful.
13. - Authentic Hadith .............................................
ISLAM: An indispensable source of Islamic beliefs and practices, the
only source after the Qur'an. Indispensable for the understanding of the
Qur'an itself.
FARRAKHANISM: Ignored, if not totally rejected by Farrakhanis. However,
the leadership, including Farrakhan himself, may invoke Hadith if it
suits their purpose to fool gullible Muslims.
[ -- M. Amir Ali, Ph.D. References for Farrakhanism quotes are given in
the author's article: ISLAM OR FARRAKHANISM. ]
14. Knowing the True Islam .........................................
There are many groups in America who claim to represent Islam and call
their adherents Muslims. Any serious student of Islam has a duty to
investigate and find the true Islam. The only two authentic sources
which bind every Muslim are, (1) the Qur'an and (2) authentic or sound
Hadith. Sometimes, Fiqh is quoted as a source. However, only that part
of fiqh is a true source and binding which quotes directly Qur'an and
authentic Hadith. All other parts of fiqh are opinions of learned
scholars. Since scholars are not prophets or messengers of Allah, they
are fallible people. Hence their opinions may be correct or may not be
correct; they do not become binding.
Any teachings under the label of "Islam" which contradict or are at
variance with the direct understanding of fundamental beliefs and
practices of Islam from the Qur'an and authentic Hadith should be
rejected, and such a religion should be considered a PSEUDO-ISLAMIC
CULT. In America there are many pseudo-Islamic cults, Farrakhanism being
one of them. An honest attitude on the part of such cults should be not
to call themselves Muslims and their religion Islam. Such an example of
honesty is Bahaism which is an off-shoot of Islam, but Bahais do not
call themselves Muslims nor their religion, Islam. In fact, Bahaism is
not Islam just as Farrakhanism is not Islam.
The foundation of Islam consists of TAWHEED, RISALAH, and AAKHIRAH. And
"five pillars" of Islam are SHAHADAH, SALAH, ZAKAH, SAWM and HAJJ. The
rest of the building of Islam consists of SHARI'A which includes HARAM
and HALAL, RIGHTS and DUTIES, MORAL CODE, CONVEYING THE MESSAGE,
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RULE OF ALLAH and EXCELLENCE in everything Muslims
do. Any claims of Islam should be judged on the criteria given in this
paragraph. If the foundation and pillars of a building are demolished
there is no building left. Such is the case with pseudo-Islamic cults,
including Farrakhanism. For details request the booklet, HOW TO PRESENT
ISLAM, A RATIONAL APPROACH by the author of this brochure.
15. AL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ: MALCOM X .............................
Twenty-five years after his death, Malcolm X, Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz,
still towers above the statue of liberty. He refuses to die. Wherever
injustice and oppression takes place, his smiling face and
uncompromising message fill the atmosphere.
Yes, they killed the body but not the spirit. When he was alive, Brother
Shabazz was the most feared man in America. And, the most loved. The
situation hasn't changed.
For the deprived and the oppressed African-Americans, Brother Shabazz
continues to be the hero, the inspiration that makes it possible for
them to maintain their sanity and dignity in a vile society which can't
stop despising them.
We, as Muslims, are often angered to see Br. Shabazz identified as a
Black Nationalist rather than a Muslim. While the anger is justified, we
must understand that people generally emphasize the aspect of a leader's
life which is in harmony with their own aspirations. While some
African-Americans will continue to invoke the nationalist side of Br.
Shabazz, it is for us to see that his Islamic personality is projected
to the world!
16. His Pilgrimage to Makkah .......................................
When he was in Makkah, Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz wrote a letter to his
loyal assistants in Harlem... from his heart:
"Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit
of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races
here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all
the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have
been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see
displayed all around me by people of all colors.
"I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Mecca, I have made my
seven circuits around the Ka'ba, led by a young Mutawaf named Muhammad,
I drank water from the well of the Zam Zam. I ran seven times back and
forth between the hills of Mt. Al-Safa and Al Marwah. I have prayed in
the ancient city of Mina, and I have prayed on Mt. Arafat.
"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They
were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans.
But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of
unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to
believe never could exist between the white and non-white.
"America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion
that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in
the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who
in America would have been considered white - but the white attitude was
removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before
seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together,
irrespective of their color.
"You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this
pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to
rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside
some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me.
Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face
facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new
knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is
necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form
of intelligent search for truth.
"During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from
the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept on the same rug -
while praying to the same God - with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the
bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was
the whitest of white. And in the words and in the deeds of the white
Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African
Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana.
"We were truly all the same (brothers) - because their belief in one God
had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behavior,
and the white from their attitude.
"I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the
Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the
Oneness of Man - and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in
terms of their 'differences' in color.
"With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer, the so-called
'Christian' white American heart should be more receptive to a proven
solution to such a destructive problem. Perhaps it could be in time to
save America from imminent disaster - the same destruction brought upon
Germany by racism that eventually destroyed the Germans themselves.
"Each hour here in the Holy Land enables me to have greater spiritual
insights into what is happening in America between black and white. The
American Negro never can be blamed for his racial animosities - he is
only reacting to four hundred years of the conscious racism of the
American whites. But as racism leads America up the suicide path, I do
believe, from the experiences that I have had with them, that the whites
of the younger generation, in the colleges and universities, will see
the handwriting on the walls and many of them will turn to the spiritual
path of truth - the only way left to America to ward off the disaster
that racism inevitably must lead to.
"Never have I been so highly honored. Never have I been made to feel
more humble and unworthy. Who would believe the blessings that have been
heaped upon an American Negro? A few nights ago, a man who would be
called in America a white man, a United Nations diplomat, an ambassador,
a companion of kings, gave me his hotel suite, his bed. Never would I
have even thought of dreaming that I would ever be a recipient of such
honors - honors that in America would be bestowed upon a King - not a
Negro.
"All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds.
"Sincerely,
"Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz" (Malcolm X) (From the AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF
MALCOLM X with assistance from Alex Haley, the author of ROOTS)
Malcolm X saw and experienced many positive things. Generosity and
openheartedness were qualities which were impressed on him by the
welcome which he received in many places. He saw brotherhood and the
brotherhood of different races and this led him to disclaim racism and
to say: "I am not a racist... In the past I permitted myself to be
used... to make sweeping indictments of all white people, the entire
white race, and these generalizations have caused injuries to some
whites who perhaps did not deserve to be hurt. Because of the spiritual
enlightenment which I was blessed to receive as the result of my recent
pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca, I no longer subscribe to sweeping
indictments of any one race. I am now striving to live the life of a
true Sunni Muslim. I must repeat that I am not a racist nor do I
subscribe to the tenets of racism. I can state in all sincerity that I
wish nothing but freedom, justice and equality, life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness for all people."
Malcolm X was vehemently anti-White. That's the way he was taught as a
'Black Muslim.' But his trip for Hajj changed all of that. He came to
see that all men are equal, regardless of their color. True anti-racism
is color blindness. That is what he preached on his return to the United
States. And that is why he was assassinated. While he preached
separatism, keeping people aware of color differences, that was OK.
Blacks vs. Whites is an acceptable dialect. But when Al-Hajj Malik
El-Shabazz started to preach the Oneness of God and the equality of
races, and was prepared to act in any lawful (halal) means necessary, he
had to go: Truth vs. Falsehood is an unacceptable dialect.
Islam believes in the unity of the human race. Islam says that all
mankind are the creatures of One God, they are all equal. Division of
color, class, race or territory are sheer illusions; and ideologies
which are based on such distinctions are the greatest menace on earth.
Humanity is one single family of God, there can be no sanction for these
barriers. Men are one and not White or Black, Aryan of Non-Aryan,
Occidental or Oriental.
Islam is based on the universal brotherhood of man and practices
universal brotherhood of man. But the importance of this concept is of
great value as it is the only solution to national and international
problems. This is said to be the age of freedom and restoring unto every
man his dignity, and despite all the phenomenal changes in the political
stage of the world, our age is still unable to think in terms of human
dignity, and this is the dark specter of social concern of our time.
For, despite man's conquest of space and mastery over the forces of
nature, man has not been able to rid himself of the primeval prejudice
of race and color. The stark reality of our time has brought in its
trail a great desolation and frustration as we find ourselves face to
face with chaos, wars, the miserable conditions of living of the masses
of mankind and the exploitation of one nation by another, and this leads
to selfishness, fear, hatred; class, tribe and race discrimination; and
subsequently the division of man against man is the order of the day,
even in the so-called Socialist countries.
Islam's greatest contribution to mankind was the abolition and
extinction of distinction based on race and color. The Holy Qur'an
declared:
"Mankind were one community, then they differed among themselves, so God
raised Prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners..." (Al-Qur'an
2:213)
"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female; and made you
into nations and tribes, that you might get to know one another. The
noblest of you, in the sight of God, is he who is the most righteous.
God is All-Knowing and Wise." (Al-Qur'an 49:13)
>From the above verses, it is clear that the whole of humanity from its
diverse races, was originally one, deriving its existence from One
Creator and that all barriers that separate humanity by race and color
must vanish and the superiority of a person be judged by his conduct
only. A good Muslim considers himself a fusion of all races. Anyone who
enters into the fold of Islam becomes part and parcel of this
fraternity, forgetting all pride and prejudice. On the basis of this
principle, Islam seeks to build an intellectual, moral, ideological and
international society, as against the existing tribal, racial,
linguistic and national societies, which have turned the world into a
racio-color holocaust.
17. Islamic Brotherhood ............................................
"No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality
of status, of opportunity and endeavour so many and so varied races of
mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa, India and Indonesia,
perhaps also the small community in Japan, show that Islam has still the
power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and
tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and
west is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an
indispensable condition." (H.A.R. Gibb, WHITHER ISLAM, p. 379)
"The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the
outstanding achievements of Islam and in the contemporary world there
is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic
virtue..." (A.J. Toynbee, CIVILIZATION ON TRIAL, New York, p. 205)
"How, for instance, can any other appeal stand against that of the
Moslem who, in approaching the pagan, says to him, however obscure or
degraded he may be 'Embrace the faith, and you are at once equal and a
brother.' Islam knows no color line." (S. S. Leeder, VEILED MYSTERIES OF
EGYPT)
18. Legacy of Malcolm X ............................................
Malcolm X was born into Christianity as Malcolm Little and died in Islam
as Malik Shabazz. This is something to think about and is an expression
of his legacy. Malcolm X went through the transition period of the
religion of the "Nation of Islam," a religion of American origin
borrowing some terms from the Muslim culture of the East. For
information about differences between Islam and the so-called "Nation of
Islam" request the brochure "Islam and Farrakhanism Compared" and the
booklet "Islam or Farrakhanism" (for a donation ) from III&E, P.O. Box
41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129.
It appears that Malik Shabazz went through five stages in his short
life. The first stage was his childhood under the shadows of his
religious parents. The second stage was his adolescence to youth until
his moving out to Harlem, NY. This was a rowdy and irresponsible stage
of his life which eventually landed him in prison. The fourth stage of
his life was in the "Nation of Islam" which was not real Islam. In the
"Nation of Islam," on one side, Malcolm was a very disciplined man; on
the other side he became a black racist, a separatist and a demagogue.
In the fifth and final stage of his youthful life, Malik Shabazz reached
the apex which he could only achieve in real Islam, not in the cultist
"Nation of Islam." Malik Shabazz entered the real Islam as a result of
his journey to Makkah (Mecca is a misspelling). In Islam he became
moderate and conciliatory. He shed his racism.
The legacy of Malcolm X is the real Islam taught to us by the Prophet
Muhammad of Arabia, not the racist cult of the "Nation of Islam,"
presently lead by Louis Farrakhan and others who branched out of the old
following of Elijah Muhammad. However, Elijah's son, Wallace D.
Muhammad, now known as Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, moved away from his
father's religion. He is coming to the real Islam adopted by Malik
Shabazz for which Malcolm was assassinated. Malik Shabazz shall be
remembered by all Muslims as a martyr for the cause of Allah.
1. COMPARISON: Islam & Farrakhanism ...
2. - God/Allah Alone .....................................
3. - Prophet/Messenger ..................................
4. - Last Day/Life Hereafter ...........................
5. - The Qur'an ...............................................
6. - The Bible .................................................
7. - Shahadah ..................................................
8. - Salah ........................................................
9. - Zakah .......................................................
10. - Sawm ......................................................
11. - Hajj .........................................................
12. - Lawful (halal); Unlawful (haram) .......................
13. - Authentic Hadith .............................................
14. Knowing the True Islam ........................................
15. AL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ: MALCOM X
16. His Pilgrimage to Makkah .....................................
17. Islamic Brotherhood ............................................
18. Legacy of Malcolm X ............................................
1. COMPARISON: Islam & Farrakhanism ...............................
ISLAM, and so-called "NATION OF ISLAM," are two different religions. The
only thing common between them is the jargon, the language used by the
both. "The Nation of Islam" is a misnomer; this religion should be
called Farrakhanism, after the name of its propagator. The religion of
Elijah Muhammad and W.D. Fard died with their death because their
officially and popularly elected successor, W.D. Muhammad, integrated
the community with the Muslim community at-large, following the Qur'an
and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alaihi wa sallam. Louis
Farrakhan joined W.D. Muhammad and gave his pledge of allegiance to him
after Elijah Muhammad's death; he later rebelled and broke his oath with
impunity, or without paying any expiation, and restarted "The Nation of
Islam."
Examine the following comparisons between Islam and Farrakhanism with
regard to the belief or practice in each:
Belief/Practice
2. - God/Allah Alone ..............................................
ISLAM: One Unique, never appeared in any physical form; hence, no
physical representation is possible. He is recognized through his 99
names.
FARRAKHANISM: "...Allah (God) appeared in the Person of Master W. Fard
Muhammad, July 1930; the long awaited 'Messiah' of the Christians and
the 'Mahdi' of the Muslims."
3. - Prophet/Messenger ............................................
ISLAM: Muhammad (S) is the last Prophet and the last Messenger. No
messenger or prophet will come after Muhammad (S).
FARRAKHANISM: Elijah Muhammad was a "Messenger of Allah." Are there any
more messengers or prophets to come? Not clear.
4. - Last Day/Life Hereafter ......................................
ISLAM: The life on earth as we know it will come to an end; it will be
followed by the life hereafter which includes physical resurrection of
the entire humankind, judgement and the life of paradise or hell.
FARRAKHANISM: "...BELIEVE in the resurrection of the dead - not in
physical resurrection, but in mental resurrection." "No already
physically dead person will be in the Hereafter; that is slavery belief,
taught to slaves to keep them under control." "When you are dead, you
are DEAD."
5. - The Qur'an ...................................................
ISLAM: It was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (S) between 610 and 632 C.E.
It is the last revelation of Allah to mankind.
FARRAKHANISM: Contradictory beliefs. On one side, "...BELIEVE in the
Holy Qur'an and in the scriptures of all the Prophets of God," and on
the other side, "We, the original nation of the earth ... are the
writers of the Bible and Qur'an. We make such history once every 25,000
years ... it is done by twenty-four of our scientists." "Both the
present Bible and the Holy Qur'an must soon give way to the Holy
Book..."
6. - The Bible ....................................................
ISLAM: It was revealed to prophets and messengers from Moses (alaihis
salam) to Jesus (A) but was corrupted. Authenticity of statements in the
Bible are judged by the Qur'an.
FARRAKHANISM: (See their beliefs above regarding the Qur'an)
7. - Shahadah .....................................................
ISLAM: It means what it says, that is, Allah is Unseen, He is the
Creator, the Sustainer. Mankind is accountable to Him Alone, and Prophet
Muhammad (S) of Arabia is the final and ultimate ROLE MODEL; no one can
substitute for him.
FARRAKHANISM: A cover up to deceive gullible Muslims. "Allah (God)
appeared in the person of Master W. Fard Muhammad," and Muhammad of
Arabia (S) was one of the prophets, not a role model for our times. The
real role model and lawgiver for our times is Elijah Muhammad.
8. - Salah ........................................................
ISLAM: Five times a day is required; SALAH (prayer) includes QIYAM
(standing), RUKU' (bowing), SAJDA (prostration), JALSA (sitting on the
floor) and recitations.
FARRAKHANISM: No five times daily SALAH (prayer); prayer, when done has
no RUKU' or SAJDA. Friday is a major congregational prayer day, not for
SALAH, but to say DU'A and to listen to a Minister.
9. - Zakah ........................................................
ISLAM: Required on accumulated wealth after having in possession for one
year above the NISAB (certain limits), as defined in SHARI'A (Islamic
law).
FARRAKHANISM: It is a tax as "poor due" on income, similar to income
tax. Who benefits?
10. - Sawm .........................................................
ISLAM: Fasting is required in the month of Ramadan, ninth month of
Islamic calendar.
FARRAKHANISM: Fasting is required in December only. Fasting in the month
of Ramadan is optional.
11. - Hajj .........................................................
ISLAM: Required once in a lifetime if conditions of finances, health,
and safety of travel are met.
FARRAKHANISM: No Hajj requirement. Farrakhan and his cronies take trips
to Saudi Arabia, and by the way, to Makkah for the main purpose of image
building and to raise funds from gullible rich Arabs.
12. - Lawful (halal); Unlawful (haram) .............................
ISLAM: Determined by Allah, the God Alone, announced in the Qur'an or by
the Prophet Muhammad (S), recorded in the authentic Hadith sources.
FARRAKHANISM: Determined by W.D. Fard and announced by Elijah Muhammad.
The Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (S) have no relevance nor authority with
regard to lawful and unlawful.
13. - Authentic Hadith .............................................
ISLAM: An indispensable source of Islamic beliefs and practices, the
only source after the Qur'an. Indispensable for the understanding of the
Qur'an itself.
FARRAKHANISM: Ignored, if not totally rejected by Farrakhanis. However,
the leadership, including Farrakhan himself, may invoke Hadith if it
suits their purpose to fool gullible Muslims.
[ -- M. Amir Ali, Ph.D. References for Farrakhanism quotes are given in
the author's article: ISLAM OR FARRAKHANISM. ]
14. Knowing the True Islam .........................................
There are many groups in America who claim to represent Islam and call
their adherents Muslims. Any serious student of Islam has a duty to
investigate and find the true Islam. The only two authentic sources
which bind every Muslim are, (1) the Qur'an and (2) authentic or sound
Hadith. Sometimes, Fiqh is quoted as a source. However, only that part
of fiqh is a true source and binding which quotes directly Qur'an and
authentic Hadith. All other parts of fiqh are opinions of learned
scholars. Since scholars are not prophets or messengers of Allah, they
are fallible people. Hence their opinions may be correct or may not be
correct; they do not become binding.
Any teachings under the label of "Islam" which contradict or are at
variance with the direct understanding of fundamental beliefs and
practices of Islam from the Qur'an and authentic Hadith should be
rejected, and such a religion should be considered a PSEUDO-ISLAMIC
CULT. In America there are many pseudo-Islamic cults, Farrakhanism being
one of them. An honest attitude on the part of such cults should be not
to call themselves Muslims and their religion Islam. Such an example of
honesty is Bahaism which is an off-shoot of Islam, but Bahais do not
call themselves Muslims nor their religion, Islam. In fact, Bahaism is
not Islam just as Farrakhanism is not Islam.
The foundation of Islam consists of TAWHEED, RISALAH, and AAKHIRAH. And
"five pillars" of Islam are SHAHADAH, SALAH, ZAKAH, SAWM and HAJJ. The
rest of the building of Islam consists of SHARI'A which includes HARAM
and HALAL, RIGHTS and DUTIES, MORAL CODE, CONVEYING THE MESSAGE,
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RULE OF ALLAH and EXCELLENCE in everything Muslims
do. Any claims of Islam should be judged on the criteria given in this
paragraph. If the foundation and pillars of a building are demolished
there is no building left. Such is the case with pseudo-Islamic cults,
including Farrakhanism. For details request the booklet, HOW TO PRESENT
ISLAM, A RATIONAL APPROACH by the author of this brochure.
15. AL-HAJJ MALIK EL-SHABAZZ: MALCOM X .............................
Twenty-five years after his death, Malcolm X, Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz,
still towers above the statue of liberty. He refuses to die. Wherever
injustice and oppression takes place, his smiling face and
uncompromising message fill the atmosphere.
Yes, they killed the body but not the spirit. When he was alive, Brother
Shabazz was the most feared man in America. And, the most loved. The
situation hasn't changed.
For the deprived and the oppressed African-Americans, Brother Shabazz
continues to be the hero, the inspiration that makes it possible for
them to maintain their sanity and dignity in a vile society which can't
stop despising them.
We, as Muslims, are often angered to see Br. Shabazz identified as a
Black Nationalist rather than a Muslim. While the anger is justified, we
must understand that people generally emphasize the aspect of a leader's
life which is in harmony with their own aspirations. While some
African-Americans will continue to invoke the nationalist side of Br.
Shabazz, it is for us to see that his Islamic personality is projected
to the world!
16. His Pilgrimage to Makkah .......................................
When he was in Makkah, Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz wrote a letter to his
loyal assistants in Harlem... from his heart:
"Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit
of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races
here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all
the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have
been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see
displayed all around me by people of all colors.
"I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Mecca, I have made my
seven circuits around the Ka'ba, led by a young Mutawaf named Muhammad,
I drank water from the well of the Zam Zam. I ran seven times back and
forth between the hills of Mt. Al-Safa and Al Marwah. I have prayed in
the ancient city of Mina, and I have prayed on Mt. Arafat.
"There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They
were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans.
But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of
unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to
believe never could exist between the white and non-white.
"America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion
that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in
the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, and even eaten with people who
in America would have been considered white - but the white attitude was
removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before
seen sincere and true brotherhood practiced by all colors together,
irrespective of their color.
"You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this
pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to
rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside
some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me.
Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face
facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new
knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is
necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form
of intelligent search for truth.
"During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from
the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept on the same rug -
while praying to the same God - with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the
bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was
the whitest of white. And in the words and in the deeds of the white
Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African
Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana.
"We were truly all the same (brothers) - because their belief in one God
had removed the white from their minds, the white from their behavior,
and the white from their attitude.
"I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the
Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the
Oneness of Man - and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in
terms of their 'differences' in color.
"With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer, the so-called
'Christian' white American heart should be more receptive to a proven
solution to such a destructive problem. Perhaps it could be in time to
save America from imminent disaster - the same destruction brought upon
Germany by racism that eventually destroyed the Germans themselves.
"Each hour here in the Holy Land enables me to have greater spiritual
insights into what is happening in America between black and white. The
American Negro never can be blamed for his racial animosities - he is
only reacting to four hundred years of the conscious racism of the
American whites. But as racism leads America up the suicide path, I do
believe, from the experiences that I have had with them, that the whites
of the younger generation, in the colleges and universities, will see
the handwriting on the walls and many of them will turn to the spiritual
path of truth - the only way left to America to ward off the disaster
that racism inevitably must lead to.
"Never have I been so highly honored. Never have I been made to feel
more humble and unworthy. Who would believe the blessings that have been
heaped upon an American Negro? A few nights ago, a man who would be
called in America a white man, a United Nations diplomat, an ambassador,
a companion of kings, gave me his hotel suite, his bed. Never would I
have even thought of dreaming that I would ever be a recipient of such
honors - honors that in America would be bestowed upon a King - not a
Negro.
"All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all the Worlds.
"Sincerely,
"Al-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz" (Malcolm X) (From the AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF
MALCOLM X with assistance from Alex Haley, the author of ROOTS)
Malcolm X saw and experienced many positive things. Generosity and
openheartedness were qualities which were impressed on him by the
welcome which he received in many places. He saw brotherhood and the
brotherhood of different races and this led him to disclaim racism and
to say: "I am not a racist... In the past I permitted myself to be
used... to make sweeping indictments of all white people, the entire
white race, and these generalizations have caused injuries to some
whites who perhaps did not deserve to be hurt. Because of the spiritual
enlightenment which I was blessed to receive as the result of my recent
pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca, I no longer subscribe to sweeping
indictments of any one race. I am now striving to live the life of a
true Sunni Muslim. I must repeat that I am not a racist nor do I
subscribe to the tenets of racism. I can state in all sincerity that I
wish nothing but freedom, justice and equality, life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness for all people."
Malcolm X was vehemently anti-White. That's the way he was taught as a
'Black Muslim.' But his trip for Hajj changed all of that. He came to
see that all men are equal, regardless of their color. True anti-racism
is color blindness. That is what he preached on his return to the United
States. And that is why he was assassinated. While he preached
separatism, keeping people aware of color differences, that was OK.
Blacks vs. Whites is an acceptable dialect. But when Al-Hajj Malik
El-Shabazz started to preach the Oneness of God and the equality of
races, and was prepared to act in any lawful (halal) means necessary, he
had to go: Truth vs. Falsehood is an unacceptable dialect.
Islam believes in the unity of the human race. Islam says that all
mankind are the creatures of One God, they are all equal. Division of
color, class, race or territory are sheer illusions; and ideologies
which are based on such distinctions are the greatest menace on earth.
Humanity is one single family of God, there can be no sanction for these
barriers. Men are one and not White or Black, Aryan of Non-Aryan,
Occidental or Oriental.
Islam is based on the universal brotherhood of man and practices
universal brotherhood of man. But the importance of this concept is of
great value as it is the only solution to national and international
problems. This is said to be the age of freedom and restoring unto every
man his dignity, and despite all the phenomenal changes in the political
stage of the world, our age is still unable to think in terms of human
dignity, and this is the dark specter of social concern of our time.
For, despite man's conquest of space and mastery over the forces of
nature, man has not been able to rid himself of the primeval prejudice
of race and color. The stark reality of our time has brought in its
trail a great desolation and frustration as we find ourselves face to
face with chaos, wars, the miserable conditions of living of the masses
of mankind and the exploitation of one nation by another, and this leads
to selfishness, fear, hatred; class, tribe and race discrimination; and
subsequently the division of man against man is the order of the day,
even in the so-called Socialist countries.
Islam's greatest contribution to mankind was the abolition and
extinction of distinction based on race and color. The Holy Qur'an
declared:
"Mankind were one community, then they differed among themselves, so God
raised Prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners..." (Al-Qur'an
2:213)
"O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female; and made you
into nations and tribes, that you might get to know one another. The
noblest of you, in the sight of God, is he who is the most righteous.
God is All-Knowing and Wise." (Al-Qur'an 49:13)
>From the above verses, it is clear that the whole of humanity from its
diverse races, was originally one, deriving its existence from One
Creator and that all barriers that separate humanity by race and color
must vanish and the superiority of a person be judged by his conduct
only. A good Muslim considers himself a fusion of all races. Anyone who
enters into the fold of Islam becomes part and parcel of this
fraternity, forgetting all pride and prejudice. On the basis of this
principle, Islam seeks to build an intellectual, moral, ideological and
international society, as against the existing tribal, racial,
linguistic and national societies, which have turned the world into a
racio-color holocaust.
17. Islamic Brotherhood ............................................
"No other society has such a record of success in uniting in an equality
of status, of opportunity and endeavour so many and so varied races of
mankind. The great Muslim communities of Africa, India and Indonesia,
perhaps also the small community in Japan, show that Islam has still the
power to reconcile apparently irreconcilable elements of race and
tradition. If ever the opposition of the great societies of the East and
west is to be replaced by cooperation, the mediation of Islam is an
indispensable condition." (H.A.R. Gibb, WHITHER ISLAM, p. 379)
"The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the
outstanding achievements of Islam and in the contemporary world there
is, as it happens, a crying need for the propagation of this Islamic
virtue..." (A.J. Toynbee, CIVILIZATION ON TRIAL, New York, p. 205)
"How, for instance, can any other appeal stand against that of the
Moslem who, in approaching the pagan, says to him, however obscure or
degraded he may be 'Embrace the faith, and you are at once equal and a
brother.' Islam knows no color line." (S. S. Leeder, VEILED MYSTERIES OF
EGYPT)
18. Legacy of Malcolm X ............................................
Malcolm X was born into Christianity as Malcolm Little and died in Islam
as Malik Shabazz. This is something to think about and is an expression
of his legacy. Malcolm X went through the transition period of the
religion of the "Nation of Islam," a religion of American origin
borrowing some terms from the Muslim culture of the East. For
information about differences between Islam and the so-called "Nation of
Islam" request the brochure "Islam and Farrakhanism Compared" and the
booklet "Islam or Farrakhanism" (for a donation ) from III&E, P.O. Box
41129, Chicago, IL 60641-0129.
It appears that Malik Shabazz went through five stages in his short
life. The first stage was his childhood under the shadows of his
religious parents. The second stage was his adolescence to youth until
his moving out to Harlem, NY. This was a rowdy and irresponsible stage
of his life which eventually landed him in prison. The fourth stage of
his life was in the "Nation of Islam" which was not real Islam. In the
"Nation of Islam," on one side, Malcolm was a very disciplined man; on
the other side he became a black racist, a separatist and a demagogue.
In the fifth and final stage of his youthful life, Malik Shabazz reached
the apex which he could only achieve in real Islam, not in the cultist
"Nation of Islam." Malik Shabazz entered the real Islam as a result of
his journey to Makkah (Mecca is a misspelling). In Islam he became
moderate and conciliatory. He shed his racism.
The legacy of Malcolm X is the real Islam taught to us by the Prophet
Muhammad of Arabia, not the racist cult of the "Nation of Islam,"
presently lead by Louis Farrakhan and others who branched out of the old
following of Elijah Muhammad. However, Elijah's son, Wallace D.
Muhammad, now known as Imam Warith Deen Muhammad, moved away from his
father's religion. He is coming to the real Islam adopted by Malik
Shabazz for which Malcolm was assassinated. Malik Shabazz shall be
remembered by all Muslims as a martyr for the cause of Allah.
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