[SULUH QOLBU] understand themselves

As a human being, we have the positive and negative potential,
therefore we should know what a positive potential
and negative potential are in ourselves. With the potential, hopefully
we can better understand ourselves, and then to be able to develop any
potential that is positive and train negative potential not stayed in
ourselves.
Here the positive and negative potential are in every human being.
The positive potential of people are: 1.Have capacity of
intelligence "And He taught Adam the nature of all things; then He
placed them before the angels, and said: "Tell me the nature of these
if ye are right." They said: "Glory to Thee, of knowledge We have none,
save what Thou Hast taught us: In truth it is Thou Who art perfect in
knowledge and wisdom." He said: "O Adam! Tell them their natures." When
he had told them, Allah said: " Did I not tell you that I know the
secrets of heaven and earth, and I know what ye reveal and what
ye conceal?" (Qur'an 2: 31, 32 , 33)
2.Have a tendency to close to God (hanif) Actually, even the worst
people who are evil, they have a desire to close with God, for
instance, when he really cannot do anything he actually realize the
strength of the other good deedsSo set thou thy face steadily and truly
to the Faith: (establish) Allah.s handiwork according to the pattern on
which He has made mankind: no change (let there be) in the work
(wrought) by Allah. that is the standard Religion: but most among
mankind understand not."(Qur'an 30:30)
"But set thou thy face to the right Religion before there come from
Allah the Day which there is no chance of averting: on that Day shall
men be divided (in two)." (Qur'an 30:43)

3.Have free will Animals also have free wills, but only based on
instinct.Human has intelligence, by his intelligence that make human
being special.Allah SWT guaranty the free will of the fundamental
things, namely religion, which mentioned the religion is Islam, but in
another part we are given the freedom of whether we will be Islam or
not.

"Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try
him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight. We showed him
the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will)."
(Qur'an 76:2,3)
4. Have a moral awareness"By the Soul, and the proportion and order
given to it. And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right. Truly
he succeeds that purifies it. And he fails that corrupts it! " (Qur'an
91:7-10)5.Creatures have glory, that make human to be appointed caliph
(khalifah)"We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with
transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and
pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our
creation." (Qur'an 17:70)"Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will
create a vicegerent on earth." They said: "Wilt Thou place therein one
who will make mischief therein and shed blood?- whilst we do celebrate
Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know
not." (Qur'an 2: 30) The negative potential of people are: 1.Human like
overstep of bounds"Nay, but man doth transgress all bounds" (Qur'an
96:6)" In that he looketh upon himself as self-sufficient." (Qur'an
96:7)2.Have hastiness "The prayer that man should make for good, he
maketh for evil; for man is given to hasty (deeds)." (Qur'an
17:11)3.StingySay: "If ye had control of the Treasures of the Mercy of
my Lord, behold, ye would keep them back, for fear of spending them:
for man is (every) niggardly!" (Qur'an 17:100)4.Like learner sigh
moan"Truly man was created very impatient. Fretful when evil touches
him. And niggardly when good reaches him" (Qur'an 70:19-21)5.Like to
complain"We have explained in detail in this Qur'an, for the benefit of
mankind, every kind of similitude: but man is, in most things,
contentious." (Qur'an 18: 54)source: http://kebunilmu.blogspot.com
Cited by Heny Quoted from the sprinkling of Faith Assembly (Majelis
Percikan Iman), 11 November 2007

Patience

(3) Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, "The real patience is at the first stroke of a calamity." (Book #23, Hadith #389)

(24) Narrated 'Aisha: I asked Allah's Apostle about the plague. He said, "That was a means of torture which Allah used to send upon whom-so-ever He wished, but He made it a source of mercy for the believers, for anyone who is residing in a town in which this disease is present, and remains there and does not leave that town, but has patience and hopes for Allah's reward, and knows that nothing will befall him except what Allah has written for him, then he will get such reward as that of a martyr." (Book #77, Hadith #616)

(25) Narrated Thabit Al-Bunani: Anas bin Malik said to a woman of his family, "Do you know such-and-such a woman?" She replied, "Yes." He said, "The Prophet passed by her while she was weeping over a grave, and he said to her, 'Be afraid of Allah and be patient.' The woman said (to the Prophet). 'Go away from me, for you do not know my calamity.'" Anas added, "The Prophet left her and proceeded. A man passed by her and asked her, 'What has Allah's Apostle said to you?' She replied, 'I did not recognize him.' The man said, 'He was Allah's Apostle."' Anas added, "So that woman came to the gate of the Prophet and she did not find a gate-keeper there, and she said, 'O Allah's Apostle! By Allah. I did not recognize you!' The Prophet said, 'No doubt, patience is at the first stroke of a calamity.'" (Book #89, Hadith #268)

(10) Narrated Al-Miswar bin Makhrama: When 'Umar was stabbed, he showed signs of agony. Ibn 'Abbas, as if intending to encourage 'Umar, said to him, "O Chief of the believers! Never mind what has happened to you, for you have been in the company of Allah's Apostle and you kept good relations with him and you parted with him while he was pleased with you. Then you were in the company of Abu Bakr and kept good relations with him and you parted with him (i.e. he died) while he was pleased with you. Then you were in the company of the Muslims, and you kept good relations with them, and if you leave them, you will leave them while they are pleased with you." 'Umar said, (to Ibn "Abbas), "As for what you have said about the company of Allah's Apostle and his being pleased with me, it is a favor, Allah did to me; and as for what you have said about the company of Abu Bakr and his being pleased with me, it is a favor Allah did to me; and concerning my impatience which you see, is be!
cause of
you and your companions. By Allah! If (at all) I had gold equal to the earth, I would have ransomed myself with it from the Punishment of Allah before I meet Him." (Book #57, Hadith #41)

(8) Narrated Abu Huraira: We were in the company of Allah's Apostle in a Ghazwa, and he remarked about a man who claimed to be a Muslim, saying, "This (man) is from the people of the (Hell) Fire." When the battle started, the man fought violently till he got wounded. Somebody said, "O Allah's Apostle! The man whom you described as being from the people of the (Hell) Fire fought violently today and died." The Prophet said, "He will go to the (Hell) Fire." Some people were on the point of doubting (the truth of what the Prophet had said) while they were in this state, suddenly someone said that he was still alive but severely wounded. When night fell, he lost patience and committed suicide. The Prophet was informed of that, and he said, "Allah is Greater! I testify that I am Allah's Slave and His Apostle." Then he ordered Bilal to announce amongst the people: 'None will enter Paradise but a Muslim, and Allah may support this religion (i.e. Islam) even with a disobedient man.' !
(Book
#52, Hadith #297) all Bukhari

SubhanAllah!!! glory be to him in whose hands our souls are in... what extreme differences in the results of a person with subr (patience), and a person without... from the reward of a shaheed martyr to the pit of jahanum (hell). Such a scary thought to think we can live our lives thinking we are Muslim yet die as kafur destined for jahanum.

Look at the taqwah of Umar R.A., he was giving glad tidings of Jannah in this world, yet for a simple sigh of displeasure from being stabbed in his old age he was scared for his soul in front of Allah S.W.T.

We are truly in loss as mankind being created with haste, so what a great thing to show subr for the sake of Allah S.W.T. in the face of difficulty.

May Allah S.W.T. keep us mindful of him and give of the blessing of patience, and allow us to live and die and true Muslims that are grateful to his many countless blessing insha Allah

Thoughts on Forgiveness

By Ahmad Shawqi
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=1221720251625&pagename=Zone-English-Family/FYELayout








One of the best gifts that we can offer ourselves is forgiveness: forgiving anyone ?who might have wronged us (according to our perception), and forgiving ?ourselves for our own shortcomings, and not continually beat up the drums of our ??"failures" in our mind and simply concentrating our efforts on doing the good.
Personally, I embrace true forgiveness, and I encourage others to embrace it. ?However, in my teaching, I found that many misconceptions about what true ?forgiveness is abound. Below are some of my thoughts about true forgiveness.

Forgiveness does not mean Condoning
Forgiving someone for his transgressions against you does not mean you condone ?the transgressions. For example, if I steal something from you and you later ?decide to forgive me, what that means is that you chose forgiveness. It does not ?mean that stealing is OK. It is still wrong.

Forgiveness is not an Invitation to Repeat
When you forgive someone, you are not giving them a carte-blanche to repeat the ?same mistake. For example: if a husband beats his wife and later she decides to ?forgive him and resume their married life, that does not mean that he can repeat ?the same mistake and expect that she should forgive him again.

Forgiveness is not Forgetting
I found this to be the most common misconception. Forgiveness is not the same ?as forgetting. Simply advocating forgetting the mistakes of the past is pseudo-?forgiveness at best. People who practice that are typically repressing or avoiding ?looking at the reality of the matter. I found such people to be really unforgiving: ?they get easily upset, and their bodies typically manifest some form of dis-ease

True forgiveness is remembering the events of the past with no negative emotion ?attached. For example, when you remember what you wore yesterday, you ?typically remember it as a fact. You are not upset over it. Similarly, you can ?know that you have forgiven someone from your past if you can remember the ?event without any stressful reaction. You remember it because it did happen. ?There is no power in denying that what happened did happen. The power is in ?lovingly remembering it, seeing what happened with different understanding ??(than the one that caused your hurt) and more compassion for yourself and for ?the people involved. There are always many lessons to learn in whatever happens ?to us in our lives. So we can actually end up rejoicing all our past events. This may ?be tough for some of us, so if you can't be happy for what happened in your life, ?you can at least be free of any negative emotions associated with it. In
my ?experience, people who believe that forgiveness means forgetting are never free ?from the negative sting of their past.

You can Forgive and still Move On
An example: You were in a business relationship and someone cheated you. The ?fact that you decide to forgive them does not mean you have to remain in ?business with them. You can forgive them and never do business with them ?again. That decision does not mean you are still angry with them or that you have ?not forgiven them. You have forgiven them and decided not to have a ?relationship with them.

I deal with this theme over and over especially within the context of family ?relationships and it is a bit difficult for people. They feel guilty to think that the ?best way to deal with a family member is to love them from a distance. But ?sometimes it could be the best thing for you and for them. A mother was confused ?about dealing with her brother whom she found mistreating her young girl. ??"Won't I be cutting the ties of kinship?", "What is my family going to say?", ??"How can I explain it to people?" were some of her questions. Obviously there ?are many ways to deal with this issue, but the point I want to make here that this ?mother can forgive her brother and still take measures to protect her daughter ??(even if one of the measures is to temporarily prevent the brother from visiting ?her).

Another example that could also explain what I mean by 'Forgive and Still Move ?On': a friend of mine has a father who lies a lot, and what bothered my friend more ?was that his father would swear by God that what he said was true. He would ?swear by God to do something and shortly after swear by God that he didn't say ?he would. My friend was very frustrated narrating this. What I told my friend ?was: ?

(1) The main source of your frustration is your expectation that he would ?not lie, when according to you you had a life-long evidence that him ?lying is more likely than him keeping his word ?

(2) You can forgive your father and choose never to believe or to depend ?on his words again. And that is not being disrespectful to your father. For ?me, it is actually a loving acceptance. ?

In short my message to my friend was 'Forgive and Move On', which in this case ?meant moving on in his mind and stop arguing with reality. He doesn't have to ?boycott his father or disown him. He just needs to heal himself so that he can ?keep his peace no matter what his father says or does. True forgiveness does that.

Forgiveness is not for the Other's Sake
"Why do I have to forgive him/her?"
"Because you need to and you would love it when you do! You are forgiving ?him/her for your own sake". The main beneficiary of your forgiving another is ?you, and the one suffering the most from your non-forgiving others is you. You ?are not forgiving them for their sake; you are doing it for your own sake.

Sometimes you find someone who is angry at people who passed long time ago. ?Who is the one suffering from that anger?
One time I met a woman who was angry at her husband because he divorced her. ?When I asked when the divorce happened, she replied "A little bit over three ?years ago". I was shocked. I initially assumed the divorce was very recent (may be ??3 days ago!) by the way she was talking. It turned out her ex-husband re-married ??(obviously moving on with his life) and that really triggered her past-anger that ?she hadn't dealt with.

The main reason for you to forgive should be your own well-being, and then the ?well-being of those around you (especially children if you have any) if you care ?about them

Forgive the Perpetrators and let them bear the Consequences of their ?Transgression
This is a bit tough for some especially Muslims so let me explain by an example of ?the Qur`an: The Story of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph) - peace be upon him - and his ?brothers.

I find that the most quoted part of the story is verse# 92 "He said: (There shall ?be) no reproof against you this day; May Allah forgive you, and He is the Most ?Merciful of those who show mercy}

I also found that many Muslims ?overlook the following:
?- He wasn't (personally) angry at them
?- He recognized them the moment he saw them although they didn't ?recognize him as mentioned in verse# 58 of the same surah: {And ?Joseph's brethren came and presented themselves before him, and he ?knew them but they knew him not}

?- It wasn't forgiveness at first sight: Assuming he was angry (which I ?don't believe he was) and that forgiveness was called for: why he didn't ?declare his forgiveness when he first saw them? Another important ?question is why did he let his brothers suffer? We learn from the story how ?he made them return to Palestine and bring his brother Ben-Yemin to ?Egypt with them, then how he made the plan to keep his brother in Egypt ?with him, then how he let them return and face their father: Prophet ?Ya`qub (Jacob) peace be upon him.

You can forgive people and still let them bear the consequences of their ?transgression. Forgiving the transgressor does not automatically mean absolving ?the transgressor of his responsibilities. Forgiveness is mostly an inside-job.

End Note: This is a re-published article with the kind permission of the author. Please find the original on www.findersdigest.com. This article was initially part of a book-draft by this writer tentatively called "Misconceptions in Muslims' Minds" (not yet published).

Ahmad Shawqi Freelance Writer, Counselor, Life Coach Canada

BIOLOGY: EVERY LIVING THING IS MADE OF WATER & BOTANY: PLANTS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE

Consider the following Qur’aanic verse: “Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one Unit of Creation), before We clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?” [Al-Qur’aan 21:30]

Only after advances have been made in science, do we now know that cytoplasm, the basic substance of the cell is made up of 80% water.

Modern research has also revealed that most organisms consist of 50% to 90% water and that every living entity requires water for its existence.

Was it possible 14 centuries ago for any human-being to guess that every living being was made of water?

Moreover would such a guess be conceivable by a human being in the deserts of Arabia where there has always been scarcity of water?

The following verse refers to the creation of animals from water:

“And Allah has created Every animal from water.” [Al-Qur’aan 24:45]

The following verse refers to the creation of human beings from water:

“It is He Who has Created man from water: Then has He established Relationships of lineage And marriage: for thy Lord Has power (over all things).” [Al-Qur’aan 25:54]

Previously humans did not know that plants too have male and female gender distinctions. Botany states that every plant has a male and female gender.

Even the plants that are unisexual have distinct elements of both male and female.

“‘And has sent Down water from the sky.’ With it have We produced Diverse pairs of plants Each separate from the others.” [Al- Qur’aan 20:53]

Reciting Surat Al-Mulk every night

'Abdullaah ibn Mas'ood said: "Whoever reads 'al-Mulk' every night, Allaah will protect him from the torment of the grave. At the time of the Messenger of Allaah (salallaahu 'alaihiwasallam) , we used to call it al-mani'ah (that which protects). In the Book of Allah, there is a chapter [and] whoever recites it every night has done very well." [Sahih at-Targhib wat-Tarhib, no. 1475]


Imam Ahmad recorded from Abu Hurayrah (May Allah be pleased with him) that Allah's Messenger (salallaahu 'alaihiwasallam) said, "Verily, there is a chapter in the Qur'an which contains thirty Ayat that will intercede on behalf of its reciter until he is forgiven. (It is): 'Blessed be He in Whose Hand is the dominion.'"

[This Hadith was collected by At-Tirmidhi and the four Sunan Compilers. At-Tirmidhi said concerning it, "This is a Hasan Hadith."]

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (salallaahu 'alaihiwasallam) saying, "There is a Surah in the Qur'an which contains thirty Ayat which kept interceding for a man until his sins are forgiven. This Surah is 'Blessed is He in Whose Hand is the dominion.' (Surat Al-Mulk 67)." [At-Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

Commentary from Riyad-us-Saliheen: This Hadith means that on the Day of Resurrection this Surah will intercede with Allaah for the forgiveness of its reciter. This Hadith has been narrated (in Arabic) in the past tense because, like the past indefinite, its occurrence is definite and not open to inquiry. At some places, however, it has also been narrated in the present tense.

He (salallaahu 'alaihiwasallam) used to recite Surah As-Sajdah and Surah Al-Mulk (in Arabic) before sleeping.
Reference: At-Tirmithi, An-Nasa'i. See also Al-Albani, Sahihul-Jami ' As-Saghir 4/255

Oppression

UN horrified as Somali family butchered in Eastern Cape Zine George Published: Oct 05, 2008 (Article from the Times)

Sahra Omar Farah fled from violence in Somalia with her three children — one of them deaf — to South Africa in search of a better life.
But just 15 days after settling in a village in the Eastern Cape, named after struggle hero Oliver Tambo, she and her family were butchered like animals.
The crime was so brutal, so shocking, that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees sent a team this week to the village to conduct an investigation.
Farah, 46, was stabbed 113 times. Her children Mohamed Isse Osman, 19, Ibrahim Isse Osman, 14, and their sister Asha Isse Osman, 12 were stabbed and battered to death. Their bodies were found last Friday by horrified villagers who arrived to buy bread at the bloodied spaza shop where they were living.
Farah’s brother, Abdikani Abdi Karil, saw police cars, an ambulance and a pool of blood seeping under a door when he was summoned to the shop.

'My sister lay there naked, as if she was trapped while running to the door,' he said. 'My eldest nephew, Mohamed Isse Osman, was underneath her. She held him as if she was protecting him from the attackers.
'She was naked, and her left eye had been removed. There were stab wounds on her head and all over the body. I could not count. All I could think of was my deaf nephew, Ibrahim, and 12-year-old niece. I ran around the shop to look for them,' said Abdi Karil.
He found Ibrahim slumped behind packets of sugar.
'When I looked around, there was Aisha’s body behind the counter, also naked. I can’t sleep. I have not slept for the past five days,' said Abdi Karil.
'I’m trying to make peace with what happened, but how can I do that when innocent and helpless people like my sister were killed so mercilessly?'
Police have arrested three men in connection with the murders. Masithini Dyasi, 19, Melikhaya Ncaphayi, 26 and Mandla Thomas, 22, appeared at the Queenstown Magistrate’s Court on Monday. Police spokesman Superintendent Gcinikhaya Taleni said the case had been postponed until Tuesday.

The UNHCR’s representative, Abel Mbilinyi, said the incident was receiving urgent attention.
'The attack was brutal. It stands out in the crowd. It is senseless. We don’t even know why they were killed,' said Mbilinyi.
Abdi Karil was dealt another devastating blow this week. As he packed his belongings to leave Queenstown for Mogadishu to arrange his sister’s funeral, he received a phone call from Somalia. The family home there had been gutted.

You know, normally I send some hadith s and I promise I will send some related to this article later insha Allah, but just so its not too much to read at once I just want to bring your attention to some of the oppression happening to Muslims around the world..... We cry about the oppression of Islam and the Muslims everywhere, but what about the oppression of Islam in our own homes, our own lives, our own families, our own hearts?
Our Rasoul (salallaho alaihi wa salaam) was sent to this world in a time of oppression and injustice, chaos and corruption, evil and madness ect, and with the help of Allah the glorified and exalted, he S.A.W. brought change spreading Islam (peace) throughout the lands. The Nur(light) of truth destroying all the darkness of lies and mis-guidance........ im saying this cause it is similar to the world we live in today, this world is crying for Islam, crying for the followers of Rasoul Allah(S.A.W.) To stand up for the sake of Allah and be 100% Muslims 100% of the time.

Be brothers, and sisters to each other, love each other without trying to find faults in one another, we can do it for the sake of Allah S.W.T. I know its easier said than done, but there can be no destination of we don’t start taking steps now.

DARKNESS IN THE DEPTHS OF THE OCEAN

Prof. Durga Rao is an expert in the field of Marine Geology and was a professor at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. He was asked to comment on the following verse:

“Or (the Unbelievers’ state) Is like the depths of darkness In a vast deep ocean, Overwhelmed with billow Topped by billow, Topped by (dark) clouds: Depths of darkness, one Above another: if a man Stretches out his hand, He can hardly see it! For any to whom Allah Giveth not light, there is no light!” [Al-Qur’aan 24:40]

Prof. Rao said that scientists have only now been able to confirm, with the help of modern equipment that there is darkness in the depths of the ocean.

Humans are unable to dive unaided underwater for more than 20 to 30 meters, and cannot survive in the deep oceanic regions at a depth of more than 200 meters.

This verse does not refer to all seas because not every sea can be described as having accumulated darkness layered one over another.

It refers especially to a deep sea or deep ocean, as the Qur’aan says, “darkness in a vast deep ocean”.

This layered darkness in a deep ocean is the result of two
causes:

1. A light ray is composed of seven colours. These seven colours are Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red (VIBGYOR). The light ray undergoes refraction when it hits water. The upper 10 to 15 metres of water absorb the red colour. Therefore if a diver is 25 metres under water and gets wounded, he would not be able to see the red colour of his blood, because the red colour does not reach this depth. Similarly orange rays are absorbed at 30 to 50 metres, yellow at 50 to 100 metres, green at 100 to 200 metres, and finally, blue beyond 200 metres and violet and indigo above 200 metres.

Due to successive disappearance of colour, one layer after another, the ocean progressively becomes darker, i.e. darkness takes place in layers of light.

Below a depth of 1000 meters there is complete darkness. *

2. The sun’s rays are absorbed by clouds, which in turn scatter light rays thus causing a layer of darkness under the clouds. This is the first layer of darkness. When light rays reach the surface of the ocean they are reflected by the wave surface giving it a shiny appearance. Therefore it is the waves which reflect light and cause darkness. The unreflected light penetrates into the depths of the ocean. Therefore the ocean has two parts.

The surface characterized by light and warmth and the depth characterized by darkness.

The surface is further separated from the deep part of the ocean by waves.

The internal waves cover the deep waters of seas and oceans because the deep waters have a higher density than the waters above them. The darkness begins below the internal waves. Even the fish in the depths of the ocean cannot see; their only source of light is from their own bodies.

The Qur’aan rightly mentions: “Darkness in a vast deep ocean overwhelmed with waves topped by waves”.

In other words, above these waves there are more types of waves, i.e. those found on the surface of the ocean. The Qur’aanic verse continues, “topped by (dark) clouds; depths of darkness, one above another.”

These clouds as explained are barriers one over the other that further cause darkness by absorption of colours at different levels.

Prof. Durga Rao concluded by saying, “1400 years ago a normal human being could not explain this phenomenon in so much detail.
Thus the information must have come from a supernatural source”.

* Oceans, Elder and Pernetta, p. 27.

As salamu alaykum wa rahmatullilah wa barkatu. Importance of greeting one another with salaam

“When you are greeted with a greeting, greet back with better than it or return it. Lo! Allah takes count of all things.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ’: 86]

The Prophet (SAW)made spreading salaam a part of faith. Bukhari and Muslim narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar that a man asked the Messenger of Allaah (SAW): “What is the best thing in Islam?” He said, “Feeding others and giving the greeting of salaam to those whom you know and those whom you do not know.”


Abu Hurayrah (RA) related that a man passed by the Messenger of Allaah (SAW) whilst he was sitting with some others, and said “Salaam ‘alaykum (peace be upon you).” The Prophet (SAW) said, “[He will have] ten hasanaat (rewards).” Another man passed by and said “Salaam ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaah (peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah).” The Prophet (SAW) said, “[He will have] twenty hasanaat.” Another man passed by and said “Salaam ‘alaykum wa rahmat-Allaahi wa barakaatuhu (peace be upon you and the mercy of Allaah and His blessings).” The Prophet (SAW) said, “[He will have] thirty hasanaat.” [Nasaai]

The Prophet (SAW) commanded us to return salaams, and made it a right and a duty. Abu Hurayrah (RA) said that the Prophet (SAW) said: “The Muslim has five rights over his fellow-Muslim: he should return his salaams, visit him when he is sick, attend his funeral, accept his invitation, and pray for mercy for him [say “Yarhamuk Allaah”] when he sneezes.” [Muslim & Bukhari]


It is clear that it is obligatory to say salaam and return salaams, because by doing so a Muslim is giving you safety and you have to give him safety in return. It is as if he is saying to you, “I am giving you safety and security,” so you have to give him the same, so that he does not get suspicious or think that the one to whom he has given salaam is betraying him or ignoring him. The Prophet (SAW) told us that if Muslims are ignoring or forsaking one another, this will be put to an end when one of them gives salaam. Al-Bukhari reported that Abu Ayyoob (RA) said: “The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) said: ‘It is not permissible for a Muslim to forsake his brother for more than three days, each of them turning away from the other if they meet. The better of them is the first one to say salaam.’”

And AbdAllah ibn Amr related that a man came to Rasul Allah and asked him, “Which Islam is the best?” He said, “To feed the hungry and to give salam to those you know and those you don’t know.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

ITIKAF

(1) And (remember) when We made the House (the Kabah at Makkah) a place of resort for mankind and a place of safety. And take you (people) the Maqam (place) of Ibrahim (Abraham) (or the stone on which Ibrahim (Abraham) stood while he was building the Kabah) as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers, e.g. two Rakat after the Tawaf of the Kabah at Makkah), and We commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) and Ismail (Ishmael) that they should purify My House (the Kabah at Makkah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (itikaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer).
( ???? ?????? , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #125)

(2) It is made lawful for you to have sexual relations with your wives on the night of As-Saum (the fasts). They are Leebas (i.e. body cover, or screen, or Sakan, (i.e. you enjoy the pleasure of living with her - as in Verse 7:189) Tafsir At-Tabaree), for you and you are the same for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He turned to you (accepted your repentance) and forgave you. So now have sexual relations with them and seek that which Allah has ordained for you (offspring), and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night), then complete your Saum (fast) till the nightfall. And do not have sexual relations with them (your wives) while you are in itikaf (i.e. confining oneself in a mosque for prayers and invocations leaving the worldly activities) in the mosques. These are the limits (set) by Allah, so approach them not. Thus does Allah make clear His Ayat (proofs, evidences, less!
ons,
signs, revelations, verses, laws, legal and illegal things, Allahs set limits, orders, etc.) to mankind that they may become Al-Muttaqoon (the pious - see V.2:2).
( ???? ?????? , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #187)

(6) Narrated 'Aisha: Allah's Apostle used to practice itikaf in the last ten nights of Ramadan and used to say, 'Look for the Night of Qadr in the last ten nights of the month of Ramadan ,' (Book #32, Hadith #237) Bukhari

(25) Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet used to perform itikaf every year in the month of Ramadan for ten days, and when it was the year of his death, he stayed in itikaf for twenty days. (Book #33, Hadith #260) Burkhari

May Allah forgive our 1st sin and last sin, our minor sins and major sins, our hidden sins and our public sins, and purify us with the blessings of this holy month that is nearing its end

Life is full of moments that pass us by

Life is full of moments that pass us by. Sometimes we hardly notice when something really significant is happening and at other times we catch hold of it and learn and grow from it. These stories are everyday occurences that perhaps each one of us has faced at some time, they all hold some truth; some lessons that we can benefit from InshAllah.


There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke.

"You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Let me alone', but he only smiled, 'Not yet.'

"Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I'm getting dizzy! I screamed. But the master only nodded and said,'Not yet.'

Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head, 'Not yet.'


Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better', I said. And he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'

Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.'

Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and I couldn't believe it was me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'

'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you would have dried up.

I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled.

I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked.

I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any colour in your life.

And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you'.



Allah knows what He's doing for all of us. He is the potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will, which we can never escape.

Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it~~~

It's strange how the seemingly unimportant things in life can often prove to be significant trials~~~

*Allahumma inna na'oodhoo bika min ilmin laa yanfa'
O Allah, we seek your protection from knowledge that brings no benefit ... wa min qalbin laa yakhsha'
and from a heart which does not fear you ... wa min 'aynin laa tadma'
and from an eye which does not tear
...wa min dua'aain laa yusma'
and from a dua which is not heard... Ameen


May Allah (S) bring you out of the darkness of illusion into the light of knowledge, adorn your manners with gentleness, and grant you deeds that are accepted in HIS Presence. Ameen

MUSLIMS BELIEVE IN THE TAURAH, ZABOOR, INJEEL AND QUR’AN

Four revelations of Allah (swt) are mentioned by name in the Qur’an: the Taurah, the Zaboor, the Injeel and the Qur’an.

Taurah, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Moosa (a. s.) i.e. Moses (pbuh).
Zaboor, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Dawood (a.s.) i.e. David (pbuh).
Injeel, the revelation i.e. the Wahi given to Isa (A.S.) ie. Jesus (pbuh).
‘Al-Qur’an’, the last and final Wahi i.e. revelation given to the last and final Messenger Muhammad (pbuh).

It is an article of faith for every Muslim to believe in all the Prophets of God and all revelations of God. However, the present day Bible has the first five books of the Old Testament attributed to Moses and the Psalms attributed to David. Moreover the New Testament or the four Gospels of the New Testament are not the Taurah, the Zaboor or the Injeel, which the Qur’an refers to. These books of the present day Bible may partly contain the word of God but these books are certainly not the exact, accurate and complete revelations given to the prophets.

The Qur’an presents all the different prophets of Allah as belonging to one single brotherhood; all had a similar prophetic mission and the same basic message. Because of this, the fundamental teachings of the major faiths cannot be contradictory, even if there has been a considerable passage of time between the different prophetic missions, because the source of these missions was one: Almighty God, Allah. This is why the Qur’an says that the differences which exist between various religions are not the responsibility of the prophets, but of the followers of these prophets who forgot part of what they had been taught, and furthermore, misinterpreted and changed the scriptures. The Qur’an cannot therefore be seen as a scripture which competes with the teachings of Moses, Jesus and the other prophets. On the contrary, it confirms, completes and perfects the messages that they brought to their people.

Another name for the Qur’an is the ‘The Furqan’ which means the criteria to judge the right from the wrong, and it is on the basis of the Qur’an that we can decipher which part of the previous scriptures can be considered to be the word of God.

10. SCIENTIFIC COMPARISON BETWEEN QUR’AN AND BIBLE

If you glance through the Bible and the Qur’an you may find several points which appear to be exactly the same in both of them, but when you analyse them closely, you realise that there is a difference of ‘chalk and cheese’ between them. Only based on historical details it is difficult for someone who is neither conversant with Christianity or Islam to come to a firm decision as to which of the scriptures is true; however if you verify the relevant passages of both the scriptures against scientific knowledge, you will yourself realize the truth.

1.

Creation of the Universe in Six Days
As per the Bible, in the first book of Genesis in Chapter One, the universe was created in six days and each day is defined as a twenty-four hours period. Even though the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, ‘Ayyaam’ is the plural of years; this word has two meanings: firstly, it means a standard twenty-four hours period i.e. a day, and secondly, it also means stage, period or epoch which is a very long period of time.

When the Qur’an mentions that the universe was created in six ‘Ayyaams’, it refers to the creation of the heavens and the earth in six long periods or epochs; scientists have no objection to this statement. The creation of the universe has taken billions of years, which proves false or contradicts the concept of the Bible which states that the creation of the Universe took six days of twenty-four hour durations each.
2.

Sun Created After the Day
The Bible says in chapter 1, verses 3-5, of Genesis that the phenomenon of day and night was created on the first day of creation of the Universe by God. The light circulating in the universe is the result of a complex reaction in the stars; these stars were created according to the Bible (Genesis chapter 1 verse 14 to 19) on the fourth day. It is illogical to mention the result that is the light (the phenomenon of day and night) was created on the first day of Creation when the cause or source of the light was created three days later. Moreover the existence of evening and morning as elements of a single day is only conceivable after the creation of the earth and its rotation around the sun. In contrast with the contents of the Bible on this issue, the Qur’an does not give any unscientific sequence of Creation. Hence it is absolutely absurd to say that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) copied the passages pertaining to the creation of the universe from the Bible but missed ou!
t this
illogical and fantastic sequence of the Bible.
3.

Creation of the Sun, The Earth and the Moon
According to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 9 to 13, the earth was created on the third day, and as per verses 14 to 19, the sun and the moon were created on the fourth day. The earth and the moon emanated, as we know, from their original star, the Sun. Hence to place the creation of the sun and the moon after the creation of the earth is contrary to the established idea about the formation of the solar system.
4.

Vegetation Created on the third day and Sun on the fourth day
According to the Bible, Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verses 11-13, vegetation was created on the third day along with seed-bearing grasses, plants and trees; and further on as per verses 14-19, the sun was created on the fourth day. How is it scientifically possible for the vegetation to have appeared without the presence of the sun, as has been stated in the Bible?

If Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) was indeed the author of the Qur’an and had copied its contents from the Bible, how did he manage to avoid the factual errors that the Bible contains? The Qur’an does not contain any statements which are incompatible with scientific facts.
5.

The Sun and the Moon both Emit light
According to the Bible both the sun and the moon emit their own light. In the Book of Genesis, chapter 1, verse 16 says, "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night".

Science tells us today that the moon does not have its own light. This confirms the Qur’anic concept that the light of the moon is a reflected light. To think that 1400 years ago, Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) corrected these scientific errors in the Bible and then copied such corrected passages in the Qur’an is to think of something impossible.

11. ADAM (PBUH), THE FIRST MAN ON EARTH, LIVED 5,800 YEARS AGO

As per the genealogy of Jesus Christ given in the Bible, from Jesus through Abraham (pbuh) to the first man on earth i.e. Adam (pbuh), Adam appeared on the earth approximately 5800 years ago:

1. 1948 years between Adam (pbuh) and Abraham (pbuh)
2. Approximately 1800 years between Abraham (pbuh) and Jesus (pbuh)
3. 2000 years from Jesus (pbuh) till today

These figures are further confused by the fact that the Jewish calendar is currently on or about 5800 years old.

There is sufficient evidence from archaeological and anthropological sources to suggest that the first human being on earth was present tens of thousands of years ago and not merely 5,800 years ago as is suggested by the Bible.
The Qur’an too speaks about Adam (pbuh) as the first man on earth but it does not suggest any date or period of his life on earth, unlike the Bible - what the Bible says in this regard is totally incompatible with science.

12. NOAH (PBUH) AND THE FLOOD

The Biblical description of the flood in Genesis chapter 6, 7 and 8 indicates that the deluge was universal and it destroyed every living thing on earth, except those present with Noah (pbuh) in the ark. The description suggests that the event took place 1656 years after the creation of Adam (pbuh) or 292 years before the birth of Abraham, at a time when Noah (pbuh) was 600 years old. Thus the flood may have occurred in the 21st or 22nd Century B.C.

This story of the flood, as given in the Bible, contradicts scientific evidence from archaelogical sources which indicate that the eleventh dynasty in Egypt and the third dynasty in Babylonia were in existence without any break in civilisation and in a manner totally unaffected by any major calamity which may have occurred in the 21st century B.C. This contradicts the Biblical story that the whole world had been immersed in the flood water. In contrast to this, the Qur’anic presentation of the story of Noah and the flood does not conflict with scientific evidence or archaeological data; firstly, the Qur’an does not indicate any specific date or year of the occurance of that event, and secondly, according to the Qur’an the flood was not a universal phenomenon which destroyed complete life on earth. In fact the Qur’an specifically mentions that the flood was a localised event only involving the people of Noah.

It is illogical to assume that Prophet Muhummad (pbuh) had borrowed the story of the flood from the Bible and corrected the mistakes before mentioning it in the Qur’an.

Do you hate someone? Do you really hate someone? You haven't spoken to him for a while? You've been blaming him?

You're not the only one; the Muslim Ummah today is diseased with this to the extent that almost every Muslim knows another Muslim who he hates.

The Ummah is like a building with the Muslims as it's bricks, brotherhood is the cement. Without forgiveness you cannot have brotherhood.

OK then, he wronged you. He deceived you. He backbited you. He lied to you. But even in these extreme situations the Qur'an and the Hadith teach us that we have to forgive others (especially those who hurt us the most) if we wish to earn the forgiveness of Allah on the day of judgment.

We have all committed many sins, made many mistakes and no doubt we have wronged others, we have deceived others, we have backbited others and no doubt we have lied to others.

So what makes us focus onto brothers' and sisters' errors while we remain unconscious of our own. Not to forgive is like to live in arrogance, and ignorance of our own shortcomings.

Forgiveness is linked with piety and God-consciousness, is there anybody who is not without sin? Is there anybody who can be arrogant enough to say that he does not need to forgive?

Do we not know that Allah forgives those who forgive others? Therefore, we should realise the difficulties of others and forgive them. Allah says in the Qur'an:

"Be quick in the forgiveness from your Lord, and pardon (all) men - for Allah loves those who do good."
[Surah ali Imran; 3:133-134]

And we know that Allah Himself is Ar-Rahmaan (the Most Compassionate) and Ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful) and that His Mercy is infinite, and that no matter the sin (except shirk)

Allah is always willing to answer the person's call for forgiveness. In fact Allah loves the tear drop that falls from the eye of one who sincerely seeks the forgiveness of his Lord.

And Allah loves us to have hearts that are ready to forgive.

The Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) once asked his companions; "Do you know what will cause you to have high walled palaces in Paradise (as a symbol of great reward) and will cause you to be raised by God?"

When they replied in the negative, he said, "To be forgiving and to control yourself in the face of provocation, to give justice to the person who was unfair and unjust to you, to give to someone even though he did not give to you when you were in need and to keep connection with someone who may not have reciprocated your concern."

Similarly the Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said that:
"the best of people are those who are slow to get angry and quick to forgive. On the other hand the worst of people are those, he said who get angry quickly but are slow to forgive".

The characteristic that makes a person most likely to forgive is the purity of his or her heart. Apologies must be accepted,

The Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) said that:

"Whoever apologises to his brother and that apology is not accepted, then the person who refuses to accept the apology bears the sin of one who takes the property of another unjustly."

And the Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) also said that:

"The doors of the Garden are open on Monday and Thursday. Every Muslim slave who does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven except for the man who has enmity between him and his brother.

It is said, 'Leave those two until they have made a reconciliation. Leave those two until they have made a reconciliation" .

If we look at the example and the character of the Prophet (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) we can see that he was always forgiving and never showed enmity to anyone except those who waged war against him.

There was an old lady who used to throw rubbish in his way every day, on one occasion she did not throw rubbish in the street, so he decided to go and see what was the matter.

She was ill in bed, to her amazement, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) came to see her and find out about her.
She accepted Islam.

This is the example of the man whom we claim to follow. Thumamah, as the chief of his tribe had killed many Muslims. On his travels, he was caught by the Muslim soldiers and was taken to the Prophet's masjid and tied to one of the pillars.

The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) commanded his companions to untie him and give him the best food. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was indeed a mercy for the worlds.

We should similarly be merciful with each other. First of all, we ourselves should not do anything to upset our brothers and sisters (because this is in itself a part of mercy) and then we should forgive those who have upset us or made us angry. We will never be a strong ummah if we are not able to forgive.

Some might say that to forgive is a sign of weakness and humiliation, and for them it is better to be strong and preserve their honor. But honor in the eyes of Allah lies in forgiveness.

"But indeed if any shows patience and forgives that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs."
[surah 42:43]

If we are to be really strong then we have to be strong against Shaytaan and forgive our brothers and sisters, and in this way maybe Allah will decide inshaallah to forgive ourselves for our many mistakes.

" ...honour in the eyes of Allah lies in forgiveness. ...."

FRUITS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE & EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS

FRUITS CREATED IN PAIRS, MALE AND FEMALE:

“And fruit Of every kind He made In pairs, two and two.” [Al-Qur’aan 13:3]

Fruit is the end product of reproduction of the superior plants. The stage preceding fruit is the flower, which has male and female organs (stamens and ovules).

Once pollen has been carried to the flower, they bear fruit, which in turn matures and frees its seed. All fruits therefore imply the existence of male and female organs; a fact that is mentioned in the Qur’aan.

In certain species, fruit can come from non-fertilized flowers (parthenocarpic fruit) e.g. bananas, certain types of pineapple, fig, orange, vine, etc.

They also have definite sexual characteristics.

EVERYTHING MADE IN PAIRS:

“And of everything We have created pairs.” [Al-Qur’aan 51:49]

This refers to things other than humans, animals, plants and fruits. It may also be referring to a phenomenon like electricity in which the atoms consist of negatively – and positively – charged electrons and protons.

“Glory to Allah, Who created In pairs all things that The earth produces, as well as Their own (human) kind And (other) things of which They have no knowledge.” [Al-Qur’aan 36:36]

The Qur’aan here says that everything is created in pairs, including things that the humans do not know at present and may discover later.

FULL OF LOVE FOR US

28 How can you disbelieve in Allah? Seeing that you were dead and He gave you life. Then He will give you death, then again will bring you to life (on the Day of Resurrection) and then unto Him you will return.

29 He it is Who created for you all that is on earth. Then He Istawa (rose over) towards the heaven and made them seven heavens and He is the All-Knower of everything. 30 And (remember) when your Lord said to the angels: 'Verily, I am going to place (mankind) generations after generations on earth.' They said: 'Will You place therein those who will make mischief therein and shed blood, - while we glorify You with praises and thanks (Exalted be You above all that they associate with You as partners) and sanctify You.' He (Allah) said: 'I know that which you do not know.'

31 And He taught Adam all the names (of everything) , then He showed them to the angels and said, 'Tell Me the names of these if you are truthful.'

32 They (angels) said: 'Glory be to You, we have no knowledge except what you have taught us. Verily, it is You, the All-Knower, the All-Wise.'

33 He said: 'O Adam! Inform them of their names,' and when he had informed them of their names, He said: 'Did I not tell you that I know the Ghaib (unseen) in the heavens and the earth, and I know what you reveal and what you have been concealing?'

34 And (remember) when We said to the angels: 'Prostrate yourselves before Adam.'. And they prostrated except Iblees (Satan), he refused and was proud and was one of the disbelievers (disobedient to Allah).

35 And We said: 'O Adam! Dwell you and your wife in the Paradise and eat both of you freely with pleasure and delight of things therein as wherever you will, but come not near this tree or you both will be of the Zalimoon (wrong-doers).'

36 Then the Shaitan (Satan) made them slip therefrom (the Paradise), and got them out from that in which they were. We said: 'Get you down, all, with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be a dwelling place for you and an enjoyment for a time.'

37 Then Adam received from his Lord Words . And his Lord pardoned him (accepted his repentance). Verily, He is the One Who forgives (accepts repentance), the Most Merciful. 38 We said: 'Get down all of you from this place (the Paradise), then whenever there comes to you Guidance from Me, and whoever follows My Guidance, there shall be no fear on them, nor shall they grieve. (Verses #28 - 38 in Al-Quran, surrah Al Baqarah)

Or think you that you will enter paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, 'When (will come) the Help of Allah?' Yes! Certainly, the Help of Allah is near!
( Quran , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #214)

Glory be to Allah, he is so full of love for us, if only we but knew.... it is natural for us to be tested and put to trial for our claims like the believers who came before us.... see who worships their deen over their culture, or their Allah over their family and friends, tested with everything from poverty to healths and so on, but Allah S.W.T. will not give you a test greater than u can bare.
So I pray that Allah S.W.T. give us patience with our test and the divine inspiration to pass and die with iman insha Allah

ANIMALS AND BIRDS LIVE IN COMMUNITIES & THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS

“There is not an animal (That lives) on the earth, Nor a being that flies On its wings, but (forms Part of) communities like you.”
[Al-Qur’aan 6:38]

Research has shown that animals and birds live in communities, i.e. they organize, and live and work together.

Regarding the flight of birds the Qur’aan says:

“Do they not look at The birds, held poised In the midst of (the air And) the sky? Nothing Holds them up but (the power Of) Allah. Verily in this Are Signs for those who believe.” [Al-Qur’aan 16:79]

A similar message is repeated in the Qur’aan in the verse:

“Do they not observe The birds above them, Spreading their wings And folding them in? None can uphold them Except (Allah) Most Gracious: Truly it is He That watches over all things.” [Al-Qur’aan 67:19]

The Arabic word amsaka literally means, ‘to put one’s hand on, seize, hold, hold someone back,’ which expresses the idea that Allah holds the bird up in His power.

These verses stress the extremely close dependence of the birds’ behaviour on Divine order. Modern scientific data has shown the degree ofperfection attained by certain species of birds with regard to the programming of their movements.

It is only the existence of a migratory programme in the genetic code of the birds that can explain the long and complicated journey that very young birds, without any prior experience and without any guide, are able to accomplish.

They are also able to return to the departure point on a definite date.

Prof. Hamburger in his book ‘Power and Fragility’ gives the example of ‘mutton-bird’ that lives in the Pacific with its journey of over 15,000 miles in the shape of figure ‘8’.

It makes this journey over a period of 6 months and comes back to its departure point with a maximum delay of one week.

The highly complicated instructions for such a journey have to be contained in the birds’ nervous cells.

They are definitely programmed. Should we not reflect on the identity of this ‘Programmer’?

THE BEE & SPIDER’S WEB / HOME IS FRAGILE

THE BEE
“And thy Lord taught the Bee To build its cells in hills, On trees, and in
(men’s) habitations; Then to eat of all The produce (of the earth), And find with skill the spacious Paths of its Lord.” [Al-Qur’aan 16:68-69]

Von-Frisch received the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his research on the behaviour and communication of the bees.

The bee, after discovering any new garden or flower, goes back and tells its fellow bees the exact direction and map to get there, which is known as ‘bee dance’.

The meanings of this insect’s movements that are intended to transmit information between worker bees have been discovered scientifically using photography and other methods.

The Qur’aan mentions in the above verse how the bee finds with skill the spacious paths of its Lord.

The worker bee or the soldier bee is a female bee. In Soorah Al-Nahl chapter no. 16, verses 68 and 69 the gender used for the bee is the female gender (fa’slukî and kulî), indicating that the bee that leaves its home for gathering food is a female bee.

In other words the soldier or worker bee is a female bee.

In fact, in Shakespeare’s play, “Henry the Fourth”, some of the characters speak about bees and mention that the bees are soldiers and that they have a king.

That is what people thought in Shakespearean times. They thought that the worker bees are male bees and they go home and are answerable to a king bee.

This, however, is not true. The worker bees are females and they do not report to a king bee but to a queen bee. But it took modern investigations in the last 300 years to discover this.

SPIDER’S WEB / HOME IS FRAGILE

The Qur’aan mentions in Soorah Al-‘Ankabût,

“The parable of those who Take protectors other than Allah Is that of the Spider, Who builds (to itself) A house; but truly The flimsiest of houses Is the Spider’s house – If they but knew.” [Al-Qur’aan 29:41]

Besides giving the physical description of the spider’s web as being very flimsy, delicate and weak, the Qur’aan also stresses on the flimsiness of the relationship in the spider’s house, where the female spider many a times kills its mate, the male spider.

SMILE

(3) Narrated Anas: Allah's Apostle I was delivering the Khutba (sermon) on a Friday when the people stood up, shouted and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! There is no rain (drought), the trees have dried and the livestock are destroyed; Please pray to Allah for rain.' So Allah's Apostle said twice, 'O Allah! Bless us with rain.' By Allah, there was no trace of cloud in the sky and suddenly the sky became overcast with clouds and it started raining. The Prophet came down the pulpit and offered the prayer. When he came back from the prayer (to his house) it was raining and it rained continuously till the next Friday. When the Prophet started delivering the Friday Khutba (sermon), the people started shouting and said to him, 'The houses have collapsed and the roads are cut off; so please pray to Allah to withhold the rain.' So the Prophet smiled and said, 'O Allah! Round about us and not on us.' So the sky became clear over Medina but it kept on raining over the outskirts (of Medina) !
and not
a single drop of rain fell over Median. I looked towards the sky which was as bright and clear as a crown. (Book #17, Hadith #134) Bukhari

(9) Narrated Abu Huraira: Once the Prophet was narrating (a story), while a bedouin was sitting with him. 'One of the inhabitants of Paradise will ask Allah to allow him to cultivate the land. Allah will ask him, 'Are you not living in the pleasures you like?' He will say, 'Yes, but I like to cultivate the land.' ' The Prophet added, 'When the man (will be permitted he) will sow the seeds and the plants will grow up and get ripe, ready for reaping and so on till it will be as huge as mountains within a wink. Allah will then say to him, 'O son of Adam! Take here you are, gather (the yield); nothing satisfies you.' ' On that, the bedouin said, 'The man must be either from Quraish (i.e. an emigrant) or an Ansari, for they are farmers, whereas we are not farmers.' The Prophet smiled (at this). (Book #39, Hadith #538)


(5) Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab : When 'Abdullah bin Ubai bin Salul died, Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) was called upon to offer his funeral prayer. When Allah's Apostle stood up to offer the prayer, I got up quickly and said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Are you going to pray for Ibn Ubai and he said so and so on such and such occasions?' And started mentioning all that he had said. Allah's Apostle smiled and said, 'O 'Umar! Go away from me.' When I talked too much he said, 'I have been given the choice and so I have chosen (to offer the prayer). Had I known that he would be forgiven by asking for Allah's forgiveness for more than seventy times, surely I would have done so.' ('Umar added): Allah's Apostle offered his funeral prayer and returned and after a short while the two verses of Surat Bara' were revealed: i.e. 'And never (O Muhammad) pray for any of them who dies . . . (to the end of the verse) rebellion (9.84)' -- ('Umar added), 'Later I astonished at my daring before Allah's !
Apostle
on that day. And Allah and His Apostle know better.' (Book #23, Hadith #447)

(57) Narrated Abu Huraira: Once the Prophet was preaching while a bedouin was sitting there. The Prophet said, 'A man from among the people of Paradise will request Allah to allow him to cultivate the land Allah will say to him, 'Haven't you got whatever you desire?' He will reply, 'yes, but I like to cultivate the land (Allah will permit him and) he will sow the seeds, and within seconds the plants will grow and ripen and (the yield) will be harvested and piled in heaps like mountains. On that Allah will say (to him), 'Take, here you are, O son of Adam, for nothing satisfies you.' 'On that the bedouin said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Such man must be either from Quraish or from Ansar, for they are farmers while we are not.' On that Allah's Apostle smiled . (Book #93, Hadith #610) All Bukhari


may Allah keep us searching for the good in others and looking over or helping their faults with hikmah, so that we can often be smiling with our hearts clean of others, and satisfied and content..... such a simple and beautiful form of charity..... now a days u can tell if the smile is real or fake, but with a clean heart of others, its simple to give real smiles to everyone, which sets such a pleasing mood.

PHYSIOLOGY: BLOOD CIRCULATION AND THE PRODUCTION OF MILK

The Qur’aan was revealed 600 years before the Muslim scientist Ibn Nafees described the circulation of the blood and 1,000 years before William Harwey brought this understanding to the Western world. Roughly thirteen centuries before it was known what happens in the intestines to ensure that organs are nourished by the process of digestive absorption, a verse in the Qur’aan described the source of the constituents of milk, in conformity with these notions.

To understand the Qur’aanic verse concerning the above concepts, it is important to know that chemical reactions occur in the intestines and that, from there, substances extracted from food pass into the blood stream via a complex system; sometimes by way of the liver, depending on their chemical nature. The blood transports them to all the organs of the body, among which are the milk-producing mammary glands.

In simple terms, certain substances from the contents of the intestines enter into the vessels of the intestinal wall itself, and these substances are transported by the blood stream to the various organs.

This concept must be fully appreciated if we wish to understand the following verse in the Qur’aan:

"And verily in cattle there is A lesson for you. We give you to drink Of what is inside their bodies, Coming from a conjunction Between the contents of the Intestine and the blood, A milk pure and pleasant for Those who drink it." [Al-Qur’aan 16:66] [Translation of this Qur’anic verse is from the book "The Bible, the Qur’an and Science" by Dr. Maurice Bucaille]

"And in cattle (too) ye Have an instructive example: From within their bodies We produce (milk) for you To drink; there are, in them, (Besides), numerous (other) Benefits for you; And of their (meat) ye eat." [Al-Qur’aan 23:21]

The Qur’aanic description of the production of milk in cattle is strikingly similar to what modern physiology has discovered.

judgment

Narrated Abu Musa: The sun eclipsed and the Prophet got up, being afraid that it might be the Hour (i.e. Day of judgment). He went to the Mosque and offered the prayer with the longest Qiyam, bowing and prostration that I had ever seen him doing. Then he said, "These signs which Allah sends do not occur because of the life or death of somebody, but Allah makes His worshipers afraid by them. So when you see anything thereof, proceed to remember Allah, invoke Him and ask for His forgiveness." (Book #18, Hadith #167)


(6) Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said, "The Hour (Day of judgment) will not be established till your wealth increases so much so that one will be worried, for no one will accept his Zakat and the person to whom he will give it will reply, 'I am not in need of it.' " (Book #24, Hadith #493)



(16) Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst you and will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler); he will break the Cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non Muslims). Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it." Abu Huraira added "If you wish, you can recite (this verse of the Holy Book): -- 'And there is none Of the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) But must believe in him (i.e Jesus as an Apostle of Allah and a human being) Before his death. And on the Day of judgment He will be a witness Against them." (4.159) (See Fateh Al Bari, Page 302 Vol 7) (Book #55, Hadith #657)



(19) Narrated Anas: A man asked the Prophet about the Hour (i.e. Day of judgment) saying, "When will the Hour be?" The Prophet said, "What have you prepared for it?" The man said, "Nothing, except that I love Allah and His Apostle." The Prophet said, "You will be with those whom you love." We had never been so glad as we were on hearing that saying of the Prophet (i.e., "You will be with those whom you love.") Therefore, I love the Prophet, Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and I hope that I will be with them because of my love for them though my deeds are not similar to theirs. (Book #57, Hadith #37)





subhanAllah!! glory be to him who judges us justly and is always looking for reasons to give us jannah and mercy.... May Allah S.W.T. save us from all forms of evil and give us understanding to love him how he deserves to be loved

Great advice

An Angel says, 'Never borrow from the future If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain.
Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.'

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say No to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too
many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what ALLAH would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a QURAAN with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19 Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to ALLAHon the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with ALLAH fearing people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite hadith on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you ALLAH'

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.



33 Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. ALLAH HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

'If ALLAH is for us, who can be against us?'

FRIENDS

7..It may be that Allah will bring about friendship between you and those whom you hold to be your enemies among them; and Allah is Powerful; and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

8..Allah does not forbid you respecting those who have not made war against you on account of (your) religion, and have not driven you forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly; surely Allah loves the doers of justice.

9..Allah only forbids you respecting those who made war upon you on account of (your) religion, and drove you forth from your homes and backed up (others) in your expulsion, that you make friends with them, and whoever makes friends with them, these are the unjust. ( سورة الممتحنة , Al-Mumtahana, Chapter #60, Verse #7 - 9)


(8) O you who believe! do not take the unbelievers for friends rather than the believers; do you desire that you should give to Allah a manifest proof against yourselves?
( سورة النساء , An-Nisa, Chapter #4, Verse #144)

(1) O you who believe! do not take for intimate friends from among others than your own believers; they do not fall short of inflicting loss upon you; they love what distresses you; intense hatred has already appeared from out of their mouths, and what their breasts conceal is greater still; indeed, We have made the communications clear to you, if you will understand.
( سورة آل عمران , Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #118)

(2) Let not the believers take the unbelievers for friends rather than believers; and whoever does this, he shall have nothing of (the guardianship of) Allah, but you should guard yourselves against them, guarding carefully; and Allah makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming.
( سورة آل عمران , Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #28 Quran)


subhanAllah!! so much wisdom in the Quran that we can never understand... we all know why this needs to be said, and why we need to be reminded of this. u never know someone until you live with them or travel with them, so no matter how much you think u know your so called friends from the unbelievers, just know that Allah knows them better than you... so these reminders are here for our benefit, weather we do it or not, it will not benefit or harm Allah S.W.T. in the least.

we even have people among us who will ask questions, not cause they care, but more so to judge you, criticize you, and even tell you how to live your life... to Allah is the final return and he is the only ruling judge on the day of judgment... try harder to find good in others and be kind towards them while dealing with justice, but do not take the unbelievers as friends.

may Allah S.W.T. give us the divine inspiration to ponder on every single word of his Quran, and allow us to take benefit from it while putting it into practice insha Allah



jummah mubarrik

FROM WHERE SHALL WE LEARN OUR RELIGION? (PART 1)

Our Prophet tells us what to do in order not to fall into the traps of disbelievers. He declares: “There is Islam where there is knowledge. There is disbelief where there is no knowledge!” Here, too, he commands knowledge.

Then, in order not to be deceived by disbelievers, there is no other way than learning our religion.

From where shall we learn our religion? From the articles, radio broadcasts, movies or newspapers which the enemies of religion have prepared with lies and slanders in order to deceive youngsters or which they have translated from books written by priests or Masons? Or shall we learn it from those ignorant people who, with the purpose of earning money, edit incorrect books and translations of the Qur’an? In Ramadan, in 1960, the Radio of Moscow attacked Islam insolently through very base and loathsome lies. The enemy’s motion pictures misrepresent the lives of the prophets ‘alaihis-salatu wa-t-taslimat’ and Islamic history as loathsome by fabricating pictures. Muslims watch these corrupt pictures, assume that they are true, and in this way their faith, iman becomes depraved. The enemy’s radio, motion pictures and magazines continue to proliferate. From where shall we learn our religion so that we can defend ourselves from these attacks?

Whom does a person who has trouble with his eyes resort to? To a dustman, a porter, a lawyer, a teacher of mathematics or to a doctor who is an eye specialist? Of course, he goes to the specialist and learns its remedy. And he who is seeking ways to save his faith and iman should approach a religion specialist, instead of resorting to a lawyer, a mathematician, a newspaper or movies. Where and who are the religion specialists? Are they the translators who learn Arabic in Beirut, Syria, Iraq or Egypt? No. Religion specialists are now under the ground! It is very hard to find them on the earth today!

FROM WHERE SHALL WE LEARN OUR RELIGION? (PART 2)

To be a religious savant, it is necessary to know contemporary knowledge of science and art to the extent of a graduate level at the faculties of science and letters, to receive a doctorate degree in these branches, to know the Qur’an al-karim and its meaning by heart, to know thousands of hadiths [1] and their meanings by heart, to be specialized in the twenty main branches of Islamic knowledge, to know well the eighty sections of these branches, to have efficiency in the delicate points of the four Madhhabs [2], to reach the grade of ijtihad [3] in these madhhabs, and to reach the highest grade of tasawwuf called “Wilayat-i Khassa-i Muhammadiyya.”

Where is such a savant now? Wondering if those who are known as religious men and who know Arabic perfectly could read and understand the books of those great people? If there were such a savant today, no one could attack the religion, and the false heroes who bluster shameless slanders would look for a place to take shelter.

Once there were many such savants. One of them was Imam-i Muhammad Ghazali (rahmatullahi ’alaih). His work is a witness to his depth in religious knowledge and his high grade in ijtihad. He who reads and understands these writings of his will know him. He who does not know him will attempt to impute his own defects to him. In order to understand a savant, one has to be a savant. He was specialized in all the branches of the scientific knowledge of his time, too. He was the Rector of Baghdad University. After learning Greek, the second language of that time, in two years, he examined Roman and Greek philosophy and science, and proclaimed their errors, their disgrace in his books. He wrote about the rotation of the earth, the structure of matter, the calculations of solar and lunar eclipses and many other technical and social facts.

Another Islamic savant was Imam-i Rabbani Ahmad-i Faruqi. It has been unanimously stated by religious authorities that his depth in religious knowledge, his high grade in ijtihad, and especially his perfection in tasawwuf were above the mind’s ability to comprehend. The books that have appeared recently in the United States have begun to be illuminated by the rays of this sun of happiness.
________________________________________
GLOSSARY
[1] hadith (sharif): a saying of the Prophet (‘alaihi ‘s-salam).
[2] Madhhab: all of what a profound ‘alim of (especially) Fiqh (usually one of the four-Hanafi, Shafi’i, Maliki, Hanbali) or iman (one of the two, namely Ash-ari, Maturidi) communicated.
[3] ijtihad: (meaning or conclusion drawn by a mujtahid by) endeavouring to understand the hidden meaning in an ayat or a hadith.

FROM WHERE SHALL WE LEARN OUR RELIGION? (PART 3)

Imam-i Rabbani ‘rahmatullahi aleyh’ was specialized in the scientific knowledge of his time, too. In the two hundred and sixty-sixth letter of the first volume of his book Maktubat, he writes, “My son Muhammad Ma’thum has recently completed reading the book Sharh-i Mawaqif. During his lessons, he has well understood the errors and the defects of the Greek philosophers. He has learned many facts.” This is a scientific book and had been taught until recently in the high (university) division of Islamic madrasas.

Mawaqif was written by Qadi ’Adud and this book, (that is, the book mentioned above by Imam-i-Rabbani), is the revision of it by Sayyed Sharif Ali Jurjani [740-816 A. H. (1336-1413 A. D.)]. A great Arabic work of about a thousand pages, it explains all the scientific knowledge of that time. The book is divided into six parts, each of which contains various sections. In the second paragraph of the third chapter of the first section of the fourth part, it proves that the earth is spherical, and in the sixth paragraph, it proves that it rotates from west to east. It also gives valuable information about atoms, various states of matter, forces and psychological events.

Europeans have derived most of their scientific knowledge and its basis from Islamic books. While Europeans assumed that the earth was flat like a tray surrounded by a wall, Muslims had known that the earth was spherical and was rotating. This fact is written in detail in the books Sharh-i Mawaqif and Ma’rifatnama. They measured the length of the meridian in the open plain of Sinjar between Musul and Diyar-i Bakr, finding the result as it is found today.

Nur-ud-din Batruji, who passed away in 581 [1185 A. D.], was a professor of astronomy at the Islamic University of Andalusia. He wrote today’s astronomy in his book Alhayat. When Galileo, Copernicus and Newton said that the earth rotated after learning this fact from Islamic books, they were deemed guilty for their words. Galileo was judged and imprisoned by priests. Until the Tanzimat [reforms of Abdulmajid in 1839], scientific lessons had been taught in madrasas. Enlightened men of religion had been educated. They had been leading the world. When scientific lessons were abrogated, explorations and inventions stopped. The West began to gain on the East.

Today, we will learn our religion from the books of those great savants. Religious knowledge can be learned from the Ahl-i Sunnat [1] savants or from their books. It cannot be acquired through kashf [2] or inspiration. He who reads their books will both learn knowledge, and his heart will be purified.
________________________________________
GLOSSARY
[1] Ahl as-Sunna (wa’l-Jama’a): the true pious Muslims who follow as-Sahabat al-kiram. These are called Sunni Muslims. A Sunni Muslim adapts himself to one of the four Madhhabs. These madhhabs are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali.
[2] kashf: revelation.

“BREAK, DOMINATE, AND DESTROY THEIR FAITH” (PART 1)

Ghandi, a widely known Indian Ruler, received his education in Britain and returned to India. He was the son of a Christianized Indian. In fact, his father was the Archbishop of Porbandar city. When in 1311 [A. D. 1893] he was sent by a British company in India to South Africa and witnessed the heavy conditions the Indians were being employed under and the barbarous treatment they were being subjected to, he put up a struggle against the British. Although he was the son of a person brought up and even Christianized by the British, he could not bear the sight of this British cruelty and savagery. This was his first step towards the movement that would later earn him his renown. The basis of the policy which the British have followed throughout the Muslim world consists of this three-word slogan: “Break, dominate, and destroy their faith.” They have not hesitated to fulfil all the requirements of this policy, whatsoever.

The first thing they did in India was to find the people who would serve them. Using these people, they slowly lit the fire of mischief. The people most suitable for this purpose were the Hindus living under Muslims’ domination; so they used these people. The Hindus were leading a peaceful life under the equitable ruling of the Muslims, when the British approached them and gradually imbued them with the thought that Hindus were the real owners of India, that Muslims had been killing the Hindu gods in the name of religious sacrifice, and that this practice should soon be put an end to. The Hindus were on the British side now. They employed some of them as mercenaries.

“BREAK, DOMINATE, AND DESTROY THEIR FAITH” (PART 2)

Commencing in 1858, the Muslim-Hindu conflicts grew wider and wider. The British would provoke the Hindus against the Muslims and then sit and enjoy the fights as the Hindus attacked. Not a single year passed without bloody events and mischievous tumults that broke out upon the killing of a cow as a religious sacrifice and which resulted in the massacre of hundreds, nay, thousands of Muslims. In order to kindle the mischief from both ends, they, on the one hand, spread among the Muslims the belief that killing one cow as a sacrifice would be more pious than killing seven sheep, and, on the other hand, they rumoured among the Hindus that rescuing their bovine gods from death would earn them a lot of rewards in the next world. This mischief of theirs continued after their withdrawal from India. We would like to exemplify this fact by relating an event written in a magazine entitled Ittila’at, which was published in Iran in the time of its Prime Minister Musaddiq.

On a day of Qurban (Eid of Sacrifice) two bearded Muslims wearing turbans and long robes bought a cow to kill as a sacrifice. As they were passing a Hindu quarter on their way home, a Hindu stopped them to ask them what they were going to do with the cow. When they said they were going to kill it as a sacrifice, the Hindu began to shout, “Hey, people! Help! These men are going to sacrifice our god.” And the two Muslims also shouted, “O Muslims! Help! These men are going to seize our sacrifice.” Hindus and Muslims gathered around the place and began to fight by using sticks and knives. Hundreds of Muslims were killed. Later, however, the two people who had been taking the cow through the Hindu quarter were seen disappearing into the British embassy. This comes to mean that this event was provoked by the British. The correspondent who relates this event adds, “We know how you spoiled Muslims’ day of Qurban.”

O Beloved One!

you made me think
that life is so easy
a piece of cake to the brink

Now you brought me knowledge
you brought me examples
of what's right for the strive
of the perfect human that was alive

may Jannah be your home
of course
May blessing upon you
shower in floods
on a throne above

You are the king of humanity
taught love and modesty
the mercy of humankind
O Rasullallah SAW, your heart was so kind!

THE VALUE OF LEARNING KNOWLEDGE

It is declared in the Hadith ash-sharifs [1]; ‘Allahu ta’ala and angels and all creatures pray for him who teaches people what is good’; ‘On the Day of Judgement, first prophets, then scholars and then martyrs will intercede’; ‘O Men! Be it known that knowledge can be acquired by listening to the scholar’; ‘Learn knowledge! Learning knowledge is an ’ibada (worship). The teacher and the learner of knowledge will be given the reward of jihad. Teaching knowledge is like giving alms. Learning knowledge from the scholar is like performing midnight salat (prayer).’ Tahir Buhari, the author of the fatwa book Khulasa, states: Reading fiqh [2] books is more thawab (meritorious) than performing salat at nights. For, it is fard [3] to learn the fards and harams [4] from [’alims or their] books. "To read fiqh books in order to practise what is learned or to teach others is better than performing salat at-tasbih (supererogatory). It is declared in hadith ash-sharifs, ‘Learning knowledge is more blessed than all supererogatory ’ibadat, for it is useful both for oneself and for those whom one will teach’; ‘The person who learns in order to teach others will be rewarded like siddiqs [5].’ Islamic knowledge can be learned only from a master and from books. Those who say that Islamic books and guides are unnecessary are liars or zindiqs [6]. They deceive Muslims and lead them to ruination. The knowledge in religious books is derived from the Qur’an al-karim and the Hadith ash-sharif."
________________________________________
GLOSSARY
[1] hadith (sharif): a saying of the Prophet (‘alaihi ‘s-salam).
[2] fiqh: knowledge dealing with what Muslims should do and should not do; actions, a’mal, ‘ibadat.
[3] fard: An act or thing that is commanded by Allahu ta’ala in the Qur’an al-karim.
[4] haram: an action, word or thought prohibited by Allahu ta’ala.
[5] siddiq: one faithfully loyal to the Prophet; a Wali of highest status.
[6] zindiq: an enemy of Islam who pretends to be a Muslim.

WORDS OF WISDOM

(2) Narrated Anas: When the news of the arrival of the Prophet at Medina reached 'Abdullah bin Salam, he went to him to ask him about certain things, He said, "I am going to ask you about three things which only a Prophet can answer: What is the first sign of The Hour? What is the first food which the people of Paradise will eat? Why does a child attract the similarity to his father or to his mother?" The Prophet replied, "Gabriel has just now informed me of that." Ibn Salam said, "He (i.e. Gabriel) is the enemy of the Jews amongst the angels.

The Prophet said, "As for the first sign of The Hour, it will be a fire that will collect the people from the East to the West. As for the first meal which the people of Paradise will eat, it will be the caudate (extra) lobe of the fish-liver. As for the child, if the man's discharge proceeds the woman's discharge, the child attracts the similarity to the man, and if the woman's discharge proceeds the man's, then the child attracts the similarity to the woman."

On this, 'Abdullah bin Salam said, "I testify that None has the right to be worshiped except Allah, and that you are the Apostle of Allah." and added, "O Allah's Apostle! Jews invent such lies as make one astonished, so please ask them about me before they know about my conversion to Islam . "

The Jews came, and the Prophet said, "What kind of man is 'Abdullah bin Salam among you?" They replied, "The best of us and the son of the best of us and the most superior among us, and the son of the most superior among us. "The Prophet said, "What would you think if 'Abdullah bin Salam should embrace Islam?" They said, "May Allah protect him from that." The Prophet repeated his question and they gave the same answer.

Then 'Abdullah came out to them and said, "I testify that None has the right to be worshiped except Allah and that Muhammad is the Apostle of Allah!" On this, the Jews said, "He is the most wicked among us and the son of the most wicked among us." So they degraded him. On this, he (i.e. 'Abdullah bin Salam) said, "It is this that I was afraid of, O Allah's Apostle.

(Book #58, Hadith #275) BUKHARI



how can anyone but love such a man, words full of love and wisdom, u could read it 100 times and only increase love in Allah and his messenger S.A.W...... such a perfect leader is a sign of Allah’s mercy on us, and a kindness to the entire universe...

May Allah give us understanding and bring us near to him in the best of conditions on the day of judgment........... ameen

jummah mubarribk

IMPORTANCE OF THE BELIEF

After correcting ’aqa’id (faith, beliefs), the teachings to be believed, we should learn and obey halals [1], harams [2], fards [3], wajibs [4], sunnas [5], mandubs [6] and makruhs [7] from books of fiqh [8] written by the scholars of Ahl as-Sunna [9]. We should not read the heretical books published by ignorant people who could not understand these great scholars. Those Muslims who have a belief unconformable to the faith of Ahl as-Sunna will not escape going to Hell in the next world — may Allahu ta’ala protect us! If a Muslim whose faith is correct is slack in ’ibadat (worship), he may be forgiven even if he does not make tawba (repentance). Even if he is not forgiven, he will be saved from Hell after torture. The main thing is to correct one’s faith. Khwaja ’Ubaid-Allah al-Ahrar [qaddas-Allahu ta’ala sirrahu’l-aziz, d. Samarqand, 895 A. H. (1490)] said, ‘If I were given all the kashfs (revelation) and all the karamat [10], yet were deprived of the faith of Ahl as-Sunna, I would consider myself ruined. If I did not have any kashf or karama but had lots of faults, and if [only] the faith of Ahl as-Sunna were bestowed on me, I wouldn’t feel sorry.’
________________________________________
GLOSSARY
[1] halal: (act, thing) permitted in Islam.
[2] haram: an action, word or thought prohibited by Allahu ta’ala.
[3] fard: an act or thing that is commanded by Allahu ta’ala in the Qur’an al-karim.
[4] wajib: (act, thing) never omitted by the Prophet, so almost as compulsory as fard and not to be omitted.
[5] sunnat: act, thing that was, though not commanded by Allahu ta’ala, done and liked by the Prophet (‘alaihi ‘s-salam) as an ‘ibada.
[6] mandub: (act, thing) that brings thawab if done, but neither sin if omitted nor kufr if disliked; adab, mustahab.
[7] makruh: (act, thing) improper, disliked and abstained by the Prophet (‘alaihi ‘s-salam).
[8] fiqh: knowledge dealing with what Muslims should do and should not do; actions, a’mal, ‘ibadat.
[9] Ahl as-Sunna (wa’l-Jama’a): the true pious Muslims who follow as-Sahabat al-kiram. These are called Sunni Muslims. A Sunni Muslim adapts himself to one of the four Madhhabs. These madhhabs are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali.
[10] karamat: (pl. -at) miraculous deed worked by Allahu ta’ala through a Wali.

ANGELS’ SUPERIORITY TO ONE ANOTHER

Angels have superiority to one another. The most superior angels are the four archangels. The first of them is Jabra’il (Gabrial) '’alaihi ’s-salam'. His duty was to bring wahi (revelation) to prophets, to inform them of the orders and prohibitions. The second one is Israfil (Israfel) '’alaihi ’s-salam', who will sound the last trump called ‘Sur’. He will sound the Sur twice. At the first sound every living being but Allahu ta’ala will die. At the second sound all will be resuscitated. The third one is Mika’il (Michael) '’alaihi ’s-salam'. It is his duty to make up cheapness, expensiveness, scarcity, abundance [economic order, to bring comfort and ease] and to move every object. The fourth one is ’Azra’il '’alaihi ’s-salam', who takes the souls [jan, Persian for Arabic ‘ruh’] of human beings. After these four, there are four superior classes of angels: four angels of hamalat al-’Arsh, who will be eight on the Resurrection; angels in Divine Presence, called muqarrabun; leaders of torturing angels, called karubiyun; and angels of Mercy, named ruhaniyun. All these higher angels are also higher than all human beings except prophets '’alaihimu ’s-salawatu wa ’t-taslimat'. The sulaha’ and Awliya’ [1] among Muslims are higher than common or lower angels. And common angels are superior to common, that is, disobedient, sinful Muslims.

GLOSSARY
[1] Awliya: (pl. of Wali) a person loved by Allahu ta’ala.

a husband, his wife, and a new car

A husband, the owner of a new car, was somewhat reluctant to allow his wife to drove his prize possession...even to the grocery store which was a
few blocks from the house.

After she insisted, he finally relented, cautioning her as she departed,
"Remember, if you have an accident, the newspaper will print your age!"

a husband, his wife, and a new car

A husband, the owner of a new car, was somewhat reluctant to allow his wife to drove his prize possession...even to the grocery store which was a
few blocks from the house.

After she insisted, he finally relented, cautioning her as she departed,
"Remember, if you have an accident, the newspaper will print your age!"