Invalidators of islam

Allah has made it obligatory upon all His slaves to enter Islam and hold onto it and warned them against following other than Islam. He also sent His Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, to call all mankind to it. Allah has informed us in the Quran that guided are those who follow the teachings of Islam, and misguided are those who reject them. He warned in many Verses against the causes of apostasy and all forms of Shirk and disbelief. Religious scholars have mentioned that there are a number of invalidating factors that are bound to take one out of the fold of Islam

Ten most critical invalidators of Islam

1. To associate others with Allah in worship. The Quran says:
"Allah forgives not (the sin of) setting up partners with Him in worship, but He forgives whom He pleases other sins than this" [4:116]

"whoever sets up partners with Allah in worship, Allah will forbid him Paradise, and the Fire will be his abode. For the wrongdoers there are no helpers" [5.72]

Forms of worship include calling upon the dead, seeking their assistance, offering sacrifices to them, and taking vows in their names.

2. To set up intermediaries between oneself and Allah, seeking their intercession and putting absolute trust in them. Those who do so are unanimously considered disbelievers.Such as going to shrines - or asking someone to pray because he/she is perceived as being more spiritual or closer to Allah.

3. Not to accuse polytheists and those who commit Shirk or disbelief, to doubt as to their being disbelievers, or to approve of their beliefs.

4. to believe that the Prophets guidance is not complete or perfect or that other people's ruling and judgement is better than his. Those who prefer the rule of false gods are blatant disbelievers.

5.those who hate anything that the Prophet pbuh came with are also disbelievers even if they act upon them. The Quran says
" that is because they hate that which Allah sent down, so He has made their deeds fruitless."

6. Those who ridicule anything that Islam preaches, such as punishment and reward in the Hereafter, are disbelievers. The Quran says:
"say: was is it Allah , and His Signs, and His Messenger, that you were mocking? Make no excuse you have rejected faith after you had accepted it" [9:65,66]

7. Magic in all its forms including turnings someone away from somebody that he she loves and making somebody love someone or something he or she does not normally like. Whoever practices magic or approves of it is is a disbeliever, as evidenced by the Quranic Verse that says:
"But neither of these [two angels] taught anyone [such things] without saying 'we are only for trial, so disbelieve not [by learning this magic from us] [2:102}

8. to take the disbelievers for friends, give them support and assistance against the Muslims is an act of disbelief. The Quran says:
"And one amongst you that turns to them [for friendship] is of them.Verily Allah guides not people unjust."

9. those who believe that it is in their power or authority to forsake the law of Islam are not disbelievers. The Quran says:
"And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers."[3:85]

10. To turn away from Islam and to stubbornly refuse to earn its teachings or act upon them. The Quran says:
"And who does more wrong than he who is reminded of the Signs of His Lord, Then he turns away there from? Verily from those who transgress W shall exact [due] retribution"

HALAL FORUM

I came across this link while browsng. Hope InshÁllah it proves beneficial to all of us muslims.

WORLD HALAL FORUM

Spread the word and create awareness.

Ten different phrases that are short, easy, and light, but will give you what no eye has seen, no hear has heard, and what no mind has imagined.

Enjoy (and implement):


1 - "Whoever says: 'Glorified is Allah, the Most Great, and praised is He' [Subhan Allah al-'Adhim wa bi-Hamdih] will have a date palm planted for him in Paradise." ['Sahih al-Jami'' #5531]

2 - "Whoever is stricken with sadness, grief, sickness or hardship and says: 'Allah is my Lord, without any partners' [Allahu Rabbi, la sharika lah], then it will be removed from him." ['Sahih al-Jami'' #6040]

3 - "Whoever ate something, then said: ‘Praise be to Allah who has fed me this food and provided it for me, without any strength or power on my part’ [al-Hamdu lillah aladhi at'amani hadha wa Razaqnih bi ghayr hawlin minni wa la quwwa] is forgiven his past and future sins. And whoever wears a garment and says: ‘Praise be to Allah who has clothed me with this garment and provided it for me without any strength or power on my part' [al-Hamdu lillah aladhi kasani hadha at-thawb wa Razaqnih bi ghayr hawlin minni wa la quwwa] is forgiven his past and future sins.” ['Sahih al-Jami'' #6086]

4 - "Whoever enters the marketplace and says: 'There is none worthy of worship except Allah who has no partners, for Him is the Dominion, and for Him is all Praise, He brings life and He causes death, and He is Alive and does not die, in His Hand is all good, and He is able to do all things,' [La ilaha ill-Allah, Wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-Mulk, wa lahul-Hamd, yuhyiyy wa yumit, wa Huwa Hayyun la yamut, bi Yadihil-Khayr wa Huwa 'ala kulli shay'in Qadir] then Allah will write one million good deeds for him, and will wipe away one million of his bad deeds, and will raise him one million levels and will build a home for him in Paradise." ['Sahih al-Jami'' #6231]

5 - "Whoever controls his anger when he is able to act upon it, then Allah will call him to come in front of all of the Creation so that he would let him choose from the Hur al-'Ayn and marry from them whomever he pleases." ['Sahih al-Jami'' #6518]

6 - "Whoever asks Allah for Paradise three times [Allahumma inni as'aluk al-Jannah], then Paradise will say: "O Allah! Enter him into Paradise!" And whoever seeks protection with Allah from the Fire three times [Allahumma najjini min an-Nar], the Fire will say: "O Allah! Protect him from the Fire!"" [Reported by at-Tirmidhi, and it is authentic]

7 - "Whoever seeks forgiveness for the believing men and the believing women, Allah writes for him - for every believing man and woman - a good deed." [Reported by at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and Ahmad, and it is authentic]

8 - ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud said: "Whoever reads 'al-Mulk' (chapter 67 of the Qur'an) every night, Allah will protect him from the torment of the grave. At the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we used to call it al-mani’ah (that which protects). In the Book of Allah, it is a chapter which - whoever recites it every night - has done very well." ['Sahih at-Targhib wat-Tarhib' #1475]

9 - “Whoever asks Allah sincerely for martyrdom [Allahumma inni as'aluk ash-shahadah], Allah will cause him to reach the status of the martyrs even if he dies in his bed.” ['Sahih al-Bukhari' #1909]

10 - "No one witnesses that there is none worthy of worship but Allah and that I am Allah's Messenger - truthfully, from his heart - except that Allah makes the Fire of Hell forbidden to touch him." [Reported by Muslim, Ahmad, and al-Bayhaqi]

Translated by Abu Sabaayaa


taken from http://www.kalamullah.com/

sadaqah

How often do we see people stop and help others for the sake of humanity? Little gestures like helping a mother maneuver a stroller onto the pavement? Help someone with a heavy object - just for the sake of it? Smile at someone or compliment them on their effort - knowing they have put in hard work and a smile or kind word will cheer them up?

If we were paid to do these deeds - I'm sure there would be dearth of such kindness everywhere. No one would have to be asked.Simply because you were getting something in return.

Allah has created man. He Knows our weaknesses and strengths. The same way - if we do such kind deeds for His sake - we are indeed given something in return. A helping hand nor the kind word will be in vain. You will be rewarded. Such kindness falls under sadaqah.

sadaqah. It is something that we constatly need to remind ourselves of - because we often forget – I had only remembered one type of sadaqah – that was giving from your wealth. But there are other types of sadaqah. The general definition is that all good deeds are sadaqah.

The Messenger of Allah pbuh said ' every Muslim has to give sadaqah" the people asked : " O, Prophet what about the one who has nothing? " He replied: " he should work with his hands to give sadaqah" they asked " what if he cant find work?'. He replied ; " he should help the needy who asks for help." They asked ;" if he cannot do that? " He replied;" He should do good deeds and shun evil, for this will be taken as sadaqah"

[Related by Bukhari and others]

Abu Dhar Al-Ghifary said : The Messenger of Allah PBUH said : 'Sadqah is for every person every day the sun rises.' I said ' O Prophet from what do we give sadaqah if we do not possess property?'

He said : The doors of sadaqah are Allahu Akbar, Subhan Allah; Alhamdullilah[ all praise is for Allah]; La ilaha illal-lah; Astaghfirullah [ I seek forgiveness from Allah]; enjoining good; forbidding evil removing thorns,bones, and stones form the paths of people; guiding the blind; listening to the deaf and dumb until you understand them; guiding a person to his object of need if you know where it is; hurrying with the strength of your legs to one in sorrow who is appealing for help; and supporting the weak with the strength of your arms. These are all the doors of sadaqah.

[The sadaqah] from you is prescribed for you, and there is a reward for you [even] in sex with your wife.' [Ahmad]

in another narration [Muslim] it is that the people asked the Prophet 'O Messenger is there reward if one satisfies his passion?' He replied " Do you now that is he satisfies it unlawfully he has taken a sin upon himself? Likewise, if he satisfies is lawfully, he is rewarded."

The messenger of Allah pbuh said : 'every good deed is sadaqah. To meet your brother with a smiling face and to pour out from your bucket into his container are sadaqah." [ I would interpret this is giving someone water, or spooning out food for someone or similar acts ]

A few examples of small gestures that we would never think to be rewarded for;

Eating halal food. Every time you put halal food in your mouth it is sadaqah - you are refraining from eating haram. That is why you will be compensated for it.

Doing something for your parents. Even it is something casual like dropping them somewhere , getting something that they asked for, or simply serving them food. Since a refusal to do something for them will be noted as a sin - simply by doing something - it is written down as a good deed.

Taking care of your employees. They are working for you. Make sure they are not over burdened. Do not be rude to them - race/age/ money - is no excuse for treating someone rudely. Be careful with you manners. Surely we all will be brought to account. As for the employees who work in your homes. Feed them the food that you eat. Be not harsh nor abusive to them. Treat them the way you would want to be treated.

Listen to Islamic lectures and gaining knowledge of and about Islam. Our knowledge will lead to us becoming better Muslims insh'Allah. Keep reminding yourself of your duties as Muslims - to children, parents- siblings - the people around you.

May Allah guide us all.

Start by doing a small good deed now. Maybe the article that you weren't getting time to read. The friend who needed you but you never got around to asking. The relative that you haven't met in a long time because of some dispute you had. Cleanse your heart against someone you had an argument with. Be careful the next time you put something in your mouth.Make sure its halal. If not.Forgo it for the sake of Allah - He will reward you with something ten times better insh'Allah.

Zill hajj.How to make the most of it!

I was going to write a post on the benefits of doing ibadah and how to make the most of these precious days of Zill hajj when every single good deed weighs so much more. Alhamdullilah, a sister fowarded me this article which i have copy/pasted. May Allah guide our ummah to the right path and prevent us from going astray.


The BEST days are here once again alhumdulillaah! We already know the significance of the 10 day of Dhul Hijjah… We know that good deeds during these days are the MOST beloved to Allaah. BUUUTTT… we sit back and watch these 10 Exceptional days fly by every year without making the most out of it. WHY? Most of the time its vecause we don't know what good deeds to do in the first place! (It could also be coz we are lazy, not interested, too busy, in the 'New Years' spirit …but lets not get into that ;))

Here's a list of easy good deeds to spice up these days and earn UNBELIEVABLE rewards on our scales. Most of the list is taken from Muhammad Al-Shareef's article- '50 things to do in Hajj' (with slight modifications applicable to those of us staying back) Use this list, and enjoy the pleasure of crossing out each deed as the days fly by. 1 day is already over… 9 more to go. Enjoy!51 things to do during the 10 days of Dhul -Hijjah


[1] Smile in another Muslims face

[2] Say Salam to strangers

[2.5] Say salaam to your family and those who you meet everyday - not Good morning or good evening.

[3] Shake someone's hand and ask about their health

[4] Shun vain talk

[5] Recite Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah"), Tahleel ("La ilaha ill-Allaah") and Tasbeeh ("Subhaan Allaah") everywhere you go and encourage others

[6] Lower your gaze

[7] Read Qur'an with the Tafseer

[8] Do the authentic Dhikr of the morning and evening

[9] Visit/ Phone relatives on Eid day

[10] Make dua for forgotten friends (and the author of this list)

[11] Say the dua of entering the market place when you go there

[12] Forgive people that wrong you

[13] Compliment someone sincerely

[14] Visit the hospital and thank Allah for all that He has given you

[15] (For men) On the days of Eid, offer perfume to those around you

[16] Remember specific blessings Allah has bestowed upon you and say Alhamdulillah

[17] Pray to Allah using His most beautiful names (al Asmaa' al Husna)

[18] Use a Miswak

[19] Memorize two ayahs of the Qur'an daily

[20] Visit your Non-Muslim neighbors and gift them Eid baskets (With a special note about the significance of this special occasion)

[21] Don't forget to visit your Muslim neighbors as well

[22] Make small/attractive cards about the importance of the 10 days of Dhul Hijja and hand it out at jumuah prayers (or any prayer!) Sisters- Give the cards out to the Muslims you meet during these days

[23] (For men) Pray in the masjid

[24] Buy gifts for Mom, Dad and family

[25] Call up someone who haven't spoken for AGES (But no gossiping!)

[26] Give charity every day - even 1 buck at the mall or supermarket or anywhere is good.

[27] Invite you non Muslim friend for lunch/dinner and tell her/him about Islam

[28] Switch OFF the TV (Turn ON your life!)

[29] Take out your long list of duas and beg Allaah to have ALL your desires fulfilled If you don't have a Dua list, MAKE ONE! (Advice of a sweet sister)

[30] Fast (Especially on 9th Dhul Hijjah) - for those in dxb, 9th dhul hijjah is on Friday, 3oth Dec

[31] Set your alarm ring earlier then Fajr and do qiyam! Trust me, you'll love it!

[32] Pray for our Ummah, Pray for the families sufferreing in iraq, afghanistan,chechnya. the prisoners that are being held without trial.

[33] Always intend reward from Allah for everything you do

[34] Forward this list to EVERY Muslim you know!

35. For those in dxb, try listening to 88.2 in your car, thats the Quran channel 36. Say dua for our Prophet Sallallahu alaihiwasalam

37. Every thing that you do, do it for Allah's pleasure. For instance, sit and drink water, simply because it is sunnah that way.

38. Before going to bed say Ayatul kursi and the three Quls (qul hua allahu ahd, qul aauzu bi rabbi naas, qul aauzu bi rabbi'l falaq)

39. Teach a child a simple dua to say during his prayers. Whenever the child says the dua, you also will get the benefit.

40.Visit the sick or those who are lonely or don't have much company (eg. granparents or single granparent)

41.Offer two rakahs Salat ud-Duha…this is equal to offering charity for the 360 joints of the body.

42.Say loads of 'Astagfaar' (asking forgiveness)

43.Can even perform two rakahs for astagfaar.

44.Controlling the tongue ...and also avoiding fights

45.Good treatment towards parents (mostly taken for granted), relatives, neighbours, siblings (especially the younger ones who are mostly bossed)

46.Peace making – between 2 friends or relatives who may not be on good terms with each other

47.Remove harmful things from the way

48.Condolence and consoling…Making someone's day....some friend or relative maybe going through a diffcult time and many times we dont realize it.

.Meet for Allah...attend religious gatherings. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.s. said: "When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, avail yourselves of them." The companions asked what are the gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah? He replied: "The circles of zikr. There are roaming angels of Allah who go about looking for the circles of zikr and when they find them, they surround them closely."

49.Help an orphan/widow - Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever strokes the head of an orphan, not stroking it for any other reason except to seek the pleasure of God, will be rewarded for every hair that his hand touches." He also said:"Whoever treats an orphan girl or boy well, I will be with him on the Day of Resurrection like these,' and he pointed to his two fingers, the index finger and the middle finger."

50.Kushoo in salaah -

51.Get rid of a bad habit (eg. being on time, more organized...and im sure there are many other habits we can fix )

[More suggestions are welcome]

note: salutul duha : The time for duha begins when the sun is about a spear's length above the horizon [so about 15 minutes or so after sunrise time on the timetable] and it continues until the sun reaches its meridian. It is preferred to delay it until the sun has risen high and the day has become hot.It can be prayed as two or more rakah.

power anybody?

The current political situation in Pakistan has made me realize [ well i realised it a while back - but anyways] – basically the stupidity of Pakistani leaders – who's first identity is being a Muslim. They are vying for power. Constant blood shed – flinging mud at each other and committing atrocities in the name of the Pakistani citizen's welfare. Promises being made – that we all know will never come true. Do these individuals ever pause and reflect? We know not. If they did – am sure their actions would have been quite different.

Do they realize the power they are vying for – what it really means?
To be responsible for each and every individual under their rule? On the day of qiyamah – will they be able to answer for each and every individual who was slighted against in the least bit?. If he/ she robbed? Why? What did the leader do? Why didn’t the poor people have enough to eat? To feed their kids? these so called leaders do not realize the magnitude of their responsibility – if they did – im sure they wouldn’t resort to murders to get what they want. A single anwar al awlaki lecture on omer ibn khattabs life or abu bakrs would’ve painted a clearer picture maybe. But do they really care? a quick look at pakistan - four major regions - Sindh - Balochistan - NWFP and Punjab. Population :roughly 150 million. hmmm- dear leaders hows that for questioning? do you have the morality and righteousness in you to stand up to such a tough questioning by the Almighty? i think not.

Omar ibn khattab did not want his son to become a khalifah after him – he simply stated –'it is enough that I will be questioned about everyone's welfare under my rule.' The fear of standing in front of Allah and being answerable was so great that he did not want his son to be a ruler after him. when he found out that a woman did not have enough flour in her house to cook - he took the sack on his back and hurriedly carried it to her house - when his servant asked him to take the load from him - Omar replied ' on the day of judgement will you carry the load of my sins for me?'

Sometimes when I read the news – about nawaz sharif fighting with musharraf – etc etc..i just find it funny in a sad way. These people have no idea what awaits them. Look at it in this extremely simplistic way – they spend their lives fighting behind this power- that’s nearly 20 – 30 years of their life gone – sometimes they rule some times they don’t – deduct another 5 years or so – then theyre out of power but they have their own little pawn games and power struggles. They at most have another 10- 20 years left of their lives. So basically they live in sin – by bribing – looting – murdering – eating , living and earning haram. Then, they die.

They leave people behind – who curse them . the ones they have made happy – well I don’t know how much it really counts because the reason usually is to gain popularity and media attention –mostly to divert the media and public from some other atrocity that they have committed. the way I see it – its hard enough to try and not wrong others living a simple life, and then you have these people – who want to rule. Nothing wrong in wanting to rule either. But why cant they follow the guidelines set by the Prophet Muhammed PBUH , Abu bakr siddiuq R.A or Omar ibn Khattab? Why do they have to commit atrocities to rule? If prior to rule they cant set a good example – can you just imagine the guide lines they follow during the rule?

well musharraf benazir and the rest. all the best - you ahve no idea what youre getting into. not by along shot.

May Allah guide us all on he right path. Ameen

Death. part one

A recent death in my extended family made me realize that a lot of Muslims feel helpless on someones death, since they don't know what dua - prayer- to make or how to go about it. plus, i was prompted by my family to write something on death - what to read and matters relating to it. i am no expert and am myself trying to learn. what ever i can find i will try and post on this subject. suggestions and information are also welcome. i hope this post is helpful inshÁllah.

Islam is a way of life. The Prophet PBUH used to guide the Muslims to visit the ill. firstly the person who is ill feels that there is support for him. people who care about him/her. secondly the family who is suffering also feels the support which others may not realize is much needed. thirdly and importantly the visiting people make dua [ prayer] for the ill and for themselves. it is a reminder to pray to Allah constantly to make ease for them in this world and the hereafter. to ease the suffering of their brethren and be grateful that Allah is not testing them in this manner. it is also a time for humility and generosity - if the healthy can help the ill in any manner they should do so. by supporting financially or any other way. sometimes only a smile and few kind words are enough. helping your Muslim brothers and sisters is like giving a loan to Allah. And only He repays in the best way of all.

It is Islamic etiquette to visit a sick Muslim, to provide him moral support, and to make sure that he or she is well taken care of.

Ibn 'Abbas said: "The first visit to a sick person is sunnah, while any subsequent visit is a voluntary act (a good deed)." Abu Musa reported that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Feed the hungry, visit the sick, and free the captives."

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "A Muslim has six obligations to another Muslim." "What are these?" they asked. He replied: "To greet another Muslim when you meet him; to respond when he invites you; to give him your (sincerest) advice when he seeks it; to say 'may Allah have mercy upon you' when he sneezes and says ' may Allah be praised '; to visit him when he falls ill; and when he dies, to attend his funeral."

Reward for Visiting the Sick

Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "A caller from heaven calls out to the person who visits a sick person, 'You are good and your path is good. May you enter your residence in Paradise'."

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said: "Verily, Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, will say on the Day of Judgement: 'O Son of Adam! I fell ill, but you did not visit Me.' The human will ask, 'O my Sustainer! How could I visit You when You are the Sustainer of the Worlds? And how can You fall sick?' He, the Almighty, will say, 'Did you not know that such and such a servant of Mine was sick. But you did not visit him. Did you not know that, had you visited him, you would have found Me by his side? O Son of Adam! I asked you for food, but you fed Me not?' The man will say, 'O my Sustainer! How could I feed You when You are the Sustainer of the Worlds? And You are free from hunger?' He, the Almighty, will say: 'Such and such a servant of Mine asked you for food, but you refused to give him any. Did you not know that, had you fed him, you would have found it recorded here with Me? O Son of Adam! I asked you for a drink, but you did not give Me any.' The man will say, 'O my Sustainer! How could I give You a drink while You are the Sustainer of the Worlds and are free from thirst?' He, the Almighty will say, ' Such and such a servant of Mine asked you for a drink, but you did not give him any. Had you given him a drink, you would have surely found that recorded with Me."'

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/law/fiqhussunnah/fus4_59.html

a lot of Muslims sisters especially, on the death of a family member start wailing loudly and start beating themselves up or mourn loudly. this was not the way Our Prophet PBUH had guided us.

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar : Sad bin 'Ubada became sick and the Prophet along with 'Abdur Rahman bin 'Auf, Sad bin Abi Waqqas and 'Abdullah bin Masud visited him to enquire about his health. When he came to him, he found him surrounded by his household and he asked, "Has he died?" They said, "No, O Allah's Apostle." The Prophet wept and when the people saw the weeping of Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) they all wept. He said, "Will you listen? Allah does not punish for shedding tears, nor for the grief of the heart but he punishes or bestows His Mercy because of this." He pointed to his tongue and added, "The deceased is punished for the wailing of his relatives over him." 'Umar used to beat with a stick and throw stones and put dust over the faces (of those who used to wail over the dead). (SAHIH BUKHARI.Book #23, Hadith #391)

Narrated 'Abdullah bin Mas'ud: I visited Allah's Apostle while he was suffering from a high fever. I touched him with my hand and said, "O Allah's Apostle! You have a high fever." Allah's Apostle said, "Yes, I have as much fever as two men of you have." I said, "Is it because you will get a double reward?" Allah's Apostle said, "Yes, no Muslim is afflicted with harm because of sickness or some other inconvenience, but that Allah will remove his sins for him as a tree sheds its leaves." (SAHIH BUKHARI.Book #70, Hadith #564)


Since the topic is vast. i shall be continuing in the next post inshÁllah.

A prayer

there are alot of duas that we muslims are unaware of. it is true when one falls into distress and worry that we turn to Allah more. a few years ago the same happenned with me. i learned all the duas i could find that i thought would bring me relief and patience. started reading the quran more - tried understanding more hadith. whatever i could find.

here is one prayer that i would like to put up - for people who already dont know about it. muslim brothers and sisters - pass it on to whom you think may benefit from it. May Allah guide us and bless us with patience and a strong imaan to see us through the trials and tribulations of this life. Ameen.

"Inna lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon. Allaahumma ‘jurnee fee museebatee, wakhluf lee khayrun minh "

(To Allah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allah, recompense me for my affliction and replace it for me with something better).

Umm Salamah radi Allahu anha, the narrator of this du’a, loved her husband very much. When he died she stated, “I was firm to say the du’a, but I thought to myself, how could I get anything better than Abu Salamah? Allah answered my du’a and I married the Messenger of Allah! And he is better then Abu Salamah.”



The Virtue of asserting that We all belong to Allah, during Afflictions

There are several Ahadith that mention the rewards of admitting that the return is to Allah by saying:
[إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّـآ إِلَيْهِ رَجِعونَ]
("Truly, to Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.'') when afflictions strike.

For instance, Imam Ahmad reported that Umm Salamah narrated: Once, Abu Salamah came back after he was with Allah's Messenger and said: I heard Allah's Messenger recite a statement that made me delighted. He said:

«لَا يُصِيبُ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مُصِيبَةٌ فَيَسْتَرْجِعُ عِنْدَ مُصِيبَتِهِ ثُمَّ يقُولُ:

اللَّهُمَّ أْجُرْنِي فِي مُصِيبَتِي وأَخْلِفْ لِي خَيْرًا مِنْهَا،

إِلَّا فَعَلَ ذلِكَ بِه»

(No Muslim is struck with an affliction and then says Istirja` when the affliction strikes, and then says: `O Allah! Reward me for my loss and give me what is better than it,' but Allah will do just that.)

Umm Salamah said: So I memorized these words. When Abu Salamah died I said Istirja` and said: "O Allah! Compensate me for my loss and give me what is better than it.'' I then thought about it and said, "Who is better than Abu Salamah'' When my `Iddah (the period of time before the widow or divorced woman can remarry) finished, Allah's Messenger asked for permission to see me while I was dyeing a skin that I had. I washed my hands, gave him permission to enter and handed him a pillow, and he sat on it. He then asked me for marriage and when he finished his speech, I said, "O Messenger of Allah! It is not because I do not want you, but I am very jealous and I fear that you might experience some wrong mannerism from me for which Allah would punish me. I am old and have children.'' He said:

«أمَّا مَا ذَكَرْتِ مِنَ الْغَيْرَةِ فَسَوْفَ يُذْهِبُهَا اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَنْكِ، وَأَمَّا مَا ذَكَرْتِ مِنَ السِّنِّ فَقَدْ أَصَابَنِي مِثْلُ الَّذِي أَصَابَكِ، وَأَمَّا مَا ذَكَرْتِ مِنَ الْعِيَالِ فَإِنَّمَا عِيَالُكِ عِيَالِي»

(As for the jealousy that you mentioned, Allah the Exalted will remove it from you. As for your being old as you mentioned, I have suffered what you have suffered. And for your having children, they are my children too.)

She said, "I have surrendered to Allah's Messenger.'' Allah's Messenger married her and Umm Salamah said later, "Allah compensated me with who is better than Abu Salamah: Allah's Messenger .''

tafsir ibn kathir.
Muslim reported a shorter version of this Hadith.

O my mother . O my father...

Going to the global village in Dubai brings many sights and sounds. A little something from everyone around the world- to explore to see. You see the plentiful residents of the emirates and plus the tourists that flock to this busy destination.
Tired , of walking and shopping I just sat on one of the numerous benches provided. And when I sat I saw an elderly man on a wheel chair followed by some more men and women who were frail and weak , accompanied by young Arab youth who were wearing badges. Initially I found it sweet thinking that someone has brought family. But upon seeing the name tags I looked closer and realized that they are from home of the elderly. A pang of sadness engulfed me. These people were happy and well taken care of. I knew that. Yet they were not with family. That was the root of my grief. I wondered, had their family left them? Did they bother to see how their grandparents or parents are faring? I know being admitted into an elderly home doesn’t mean that they have been forsaken by their families. But there is the feeling of a certain coldness. Handing over you parent in someone elses care. You visit them once in a while. I know the Dubai government does a good job of looking after its elderly and residents. But what about the rest of the world? What happens to them?

A while back my sister was admitted for two months in the hospital and that is when some realities hit. Something I hadn’t thought of. There were a lot of old women around her. When the visiting hours came – I could hear some women calling out names. I was told that they are the names of their family members who don’t come to visit and these people have been left at the mercy of the hospital which takes care of them. this is just one case. There were several other, similar or worse.

On another bed, another old lady lay. There was a man sitting and talking. He didn’t look like family. He wasn’t. He was the family driver who would come and visit this 60+ old frail lady.

Another friend in Canada recently told me that she goes out with her husbands’ grand mother who lives nearby. Her naina is in her 70’s. Alhamdullilah her family takes care of her and looks after her. Yet there are other old people, my friend tells me-who are alone. Just longing, yearning secretly crying for family to visit them. Ask how they are doing. A kind word – a smile. Just to know yes some one is there when life’s glory has faded. Talking to strangers to make the loneliness go away.

We will all be old, frail and alone one day. How often do we hear what goes around comes around. But that is looking at it the cold way, From childhood to adulthood,We have our elders- some guiding – some rebuking. Its not always pleasant and a smooth ride. Yet we humans remember the bad and forget the good. The kisses and hugs. The secretly given sweets. The care, support and love. Everyone’s memories different I’m sure. how can we forsake them like this?
If nothing else culture and religion both teach us to take care of our elders.

A man once consulted the Prophet Muhammad about taking part in a military campaign. The Prophet asked the man if his mother was still living. When told that she was alive, the Prophet said: "(Then) stay with her, for Paradise is at her feet." (Al-Tirmidhi)

On another occasion, the Prophet said: "God has forbidden for you to be undutiful to your mothers." (Sahih Al-Bukhari) .islam emphasizes on maintaining the bonds of kinship,and also gives high regard in which women, particularly mothers, are held. The Quran, Islam's revealed text, states: "And revere the wombs that bore you, for God is ever watchful over you." (4:1)
It should be obvious that our parents deserve our utmost respect and devotion - second only to God.
The fact that God has mentioned parents in the same verse as Himself shows the extent to which we should strive in our efforts to serve the mothers and fathers who sacrificed so much for us. Doing so will help us to become better people.

In that same verse, God says: "We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him."

In other words, the debt we owe to our mothers is magnified due to the difficult nature of pregnancy - not to mention the nurturing and attention paid to us in infancy.

Another narration, or "Hadith," from the life of the Prophet Muhammad again shows us just how much we owe to our mothers.

A man once asked the Prophet to whom he should show the most kindness. The Prophet replied: "Your mother, next your mother, next your mother, and then your father." (Sunan of Abu-Dawood) In other words, we must treat our mothers in a manner befitting their exalted position - and, again, revere the wombs that bore us.

The Arabic word for womb is "rahem." Rahem is derived from the word for mercy. In Islamic tradition, one of God's 99 names is "Al-Raheem," or "the Most Merciful." There exists, therefore, a unique connection between God and the womb. Through the womb, we get a glimpse of the Almighty's qualities and attributes. It nurtures, feeds and shelters us in the early stages of life. The womb can be viewed as one manifestation of divinity in the world.

It is reported on the authority of 'Abdullah that the Apostle of Allah observed: The best of' the deeds or deed is the (observance of) prayer at its proper time and kindness to the parents.

Another fact that people forget is when they are angry they start abusing each other which usually leads to one insulting the others parents. yet again, we find guidnace in islam in the hadith that ,It is narrated on the authority of 'Abdullah b. Amr b. al-'As that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: Abusing one's parents is one of the major sins. They (the hearers) said: Messenger of Allah, does a man abuse his parents too? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Yes, one abuses the father of another man, who in turn abuses his father. One abuses his mother and he in turn abuses his (the former's) mother.

May we learn to respect and love our parents unconditionally as is their due. without thinking about their mistakes. no one is given a manual on how to be the perfect parent. we are or will be parents, grand parents one day - do you want to be forsaken?

Generosity of Allah

we have our days. some bad, some good. sometimes some days look bleak. hope is low. things just don't seem to be going right. then you read something like this and it lifts you up and lights your heart. we forget how generous our Lord is. was listening to Anwar al awlaki lectures on Paradise. this hadith just amazed me. Subhan Allah.

[taken from sahih muslim]

Abdullah b. Mas'ud reported that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: I know the last of the inhabitants of Fire to be taken out therefrom, and the last of the inhabitants of paradise to enter it. A man will come out of the Fire crawling. Then Allah, the Blessed and Exalted will say to him: Go and enter paradise. So he would come to it and it would appear to him as if it were full. He would go back and say: O my Lord! I found it full. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, would say to him: Go and enter paradise. He would come and perceive as if it were full. He would return and say: O my Lord! I found it full. Allah would say to him: Go and enter paradise, for there is for you the like of the world and ten times like it, or for you is ten times the like of this world. He (the narrator) said. He (that man) would say: Art Thou making a fun of me? or Art Thou laughing at me. though Thou art the King? He (the narrator) said: I saw the Messenger of Allah laugh till his front teeth were visible. And it was said: That would be the lowest rank among the inhabitants of paradise. (Book #001, Hadith #0359)


It is transmitted from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri that, verily, the Messenger of Allah (may to Paradise last of all among those deserving of Paradise who are admitted to it. I would be said to him: Enter Paradise. He would say: O my Lord! how (should I enter) while the people have settled in their apartments and taken the shares (portions)? It would be said to him: Would you be pleased if there be for you like the kingdom of a king amongst the kings of the world? He would say: I am pleased my Lord. He (Allah) would say: For you is that, and like that, and like that, and like that, and that. He would say at the fifth (point): I am well pleased. My Lord. He (Allah) would say: It is for you and, ten times like it, and for you is what your self desires and your eye enjoys. He would say: I am well pleased, my Lord.(xxxii. 17). (Book #001, Hadith #0363)

this is the LOWEST RANK in paradise! ten times greater than this world! time and again we come to a point where we need help or want something that we feel we just can't get. when we have hadith like these, why don't we learn that Allah is the holder of all the bounties and all that we ask for? then why don't we ask Him? whether it be worldly things or for our hereafter. money, land , love, respect and honor. all we have to do is ask Him and yet we despair and over look HIS bounty. after all it is He WHO has created everything and He is the owner of it all.

So be not of those who Allah has said "Man (the disbeliever) does not get tired of asking good (things from Allah), but if an evil touches him, then he gives up all hope and is lost in despair"
Surah Fussilat, Chapter #41, Verse #49)

Muslim and Muslima – The Fundamentalist Couple

Part 2 - About Sex Education in United Arab Emirates Schools and Else where

Recently, the couple had heard of children getting into illegal sexual activities at schools. They had also read about the growing concern to educate children about sex in various newspapers by people advocating Sex Education for students in UAE schools and other countries.

Their concern on the matter led to the following discussion.

Muslima: have you recently read the articles concerning the need for sex education in schools in UAE and other countries? A lot of people are confused to talk and teach their children about sex. I was just thinking, I would be a little apprehensive too. I mean, keeping in mind no one in my family or school taught me about it, so it would be a little difficult teaching my children about matters relating to sex and what Islam makes lawful or not.

Muslim: I understand your concern, but do you realise that the matter has more to do with our culture than the religion? In our culture, and so many other cultures parents don’t like to discuss this topic. Considering that sex has become a menace instead of being a highly respected relationship between a man and a woman. Illegal sexual relationships are casually propagated on T.V, while we stop our children from seeing or hearing about it. Both being extremes. Our tendency to keep them away from such immorality makes every child thinks that sex is a shameful act. Children by nature are curious and may have tendencies to commit acts which give them pleasure even if they are wrong, because they don’t know the difference between the right and wrong of their action. Neither are they educated about it by us on this particular topic since we don’t consider it culturally decent enough to talk about.

Muslima: So husband, point is we indirectly should be held accountable for our children’s transgression. Since, it is us who should be discussing theright and wrong of physical relationships with our children rather than expecting schools to teach them.

Muslim: Yes, we should be held accountable for it, because we give priority to our culture in instead of our religion. See, even if you don’t give sex education to your own children nowadays there is a 99% chance that they are going to learn about it from somewhere else. This can be negative sex education too. So even if it’s culturally shameful to talk about sex, it is better for us to help our children gain knowledge about it that will be beneficial in shaping their lives.

Muslima: Yes you are right, I realize now it’s all about culture. Sometimes humans have the tendency to pick up something which seems right but it has more to do with culture, while ignoring the fact that our Religion (Islam) teaches our children about sex from an early age and it talks openly about it. When Islam already teaches our children, then why do we expect schools to teach them? Instead we should take the initiative to teach them the Quran and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) because they describe every physical aspect of a man and a woman and rights and wrongs.

Muslim: yes, that’s the whole point. we are so much in to our culture that we tend to forget that Islam teaches us about abortion, complications of illegal sex, do’s and don’ts when women have menstrual cycles, It even teaches us pleasures of a legal intercourse and having children through it. Personal hygiene, supplications for legal intercourse, Islam even talks about sexual positions during the intercourse. Basically it fulfils the education on this matter that a child requires and we look for it somewhere else. If you study sex in Islam you will come to terms with every aspect of a physical relationship and its complications whether good or bad. It’s just that people have to understand that Islam does not restrict you to teach your children because Allah Himself teaches humans. So why are humans reluctant to spread the knowledge which is given by Allah Himself? Islam has taught us the need for sex education 1400 years back and all so called modern human beings haven’t come to terms with it yet. There is a need to teach our children about it and they are still trying to pass laws. When it is a very important part of a human being and all the religions of this world, I guess every religion on the face of earth teaches its followers the pros and cons of sexual relationships.

Muslima: Well having realised the importance of it all, and how much time other people waste
contemplating educating their children about sex even in this century, I won’t be wasting my time anymore. My laws were revealed 1400 years go I have no right to wait anymore. I will start teaching my kids from now on so they should know the rights and wrongs of it.

Muslim: I am happy that you would overlook culture and concentrate on the teachings of your religion. Surely religion has more to give you then the culture, which was created by humans. Humans usually come to terms with reality when it is too late, as you can see what children around us do. Turn to Allah cause he is the one who guides us all and will surely guide our children.

Answer to Anonymous

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Romance and Islam": Fahad, your blog is very interesting. I recently picked up a Koran and started reading it; I found it interesting and insightful. Reading the Koran makes me want to be a better person and more in touch with my spiritual side, what scares me is the complete surrender to Allah's will and fundamental Muslim believes such as being a Martyr. I thought seriously about becoming a Muslim but only practiced certain beliefs and never shared them with anyone. The Koran mentions Allah chooses the worthy and guides who he wishes. What advice can you give me as a Muslim regarding my disagreement with certain Muslim beliefs?

I would like to thank “Anonymous” for visiting my blog and finding it interesting, and I would also like to praise Anonymous for trying to know more about our religion. As Anonymous has asked me for an advice regarding certain issues which seem a bit on a fundamental side, I would try to advice him/her to best of my ability and with all my sincerity. May Allah Help me….

First of All I would like to comment on the Word “Fundamentalist” or “Extremist”, these words which are mostly used for Muslims but dont hold any importance in life of a good Muslim, and Muslims never invented these words. All Muslims are asked by Allah to follow a certain guideline, whoever follows it by the book is called a good Muslim and whoever doesn’t is one of the non believers in the message of Allah that includes Muslim and non Muslims they both are called Non Believers if they don’t believe in Allah and his word, some people including muslims themselves use the word “ Kafir” and try to create a impression that it degrades people of other religious beliefs. But the fact is “ Kafirs” means a non believers, it can be used for both Muslims and non muslims who don’t practice and implement the laws of Allah. Coming back to Fundamentalist and Extremists: These two words are used by non Muslims and Muslims alike for people who follow the law of Allah exactly by the book. Once upon a time I was one of those people who used to call some Muslims extremist just because they grew a beard and wore a face covering, or went out to the war to fight the oppression. I soon realized that I was the one at fault, these people only seem extremists and fundamentalist cause I myself can’t be like them, instead of correcting my way of life I started to call them with those names. Most of the people around us are ao called moderate muslims and we are afraid to lose their company so we end up agreeing on their terms and conditions. So to my understanding calling a good Muslim Fundamentalist or Extremist just because we want to live a moderate life is just not right. We should accept them as good Muslims and ourselves not so good Muslims, holding ourselves accountable for our short comings is better then pointing fingers at Muslims who are on the right track by calling them names. This way we try to convince people that we are right, this is done due to ignorance or arrogance on our part because it’s really hard to resist this world’s entertainment, immorality and free thinking.

I tried to explain these words and its implications in one of my postings… The fundamentalist Couple

Now I’ll move on to the topic that is of Quran and its understanding, the basic belief of a Muslim is that” Quran” is a divinely revealed book from Allah Himself to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Muslims believe Quran is the latest version of the previous books which were revealed to (Prophet Musa) Moses and to (Prophet Isaa) Jesus, need for revealing Quran came as previous books were edited and misquoted by some people for their own convenience. Therefore Allah sent down Quran with a promise that no human being will change it or no one can create something like it, people who understand Quran will testify that it holds enough miracles to justify the fact that it is divinely revealed book and it has been the same for last 1400 years without even a letter deleted ar added. No other book of law in this world has been preserved to the extent of Quran. Differences of opinion between Muslims and Non Muslim exist for few reasons:

1. Sometimes non Muslims are culturally arrogant to believe in Quran just because they think it will degrade their beliefs and their religion which was followed by their ancestors for centuries but Quran gives a great tribute to religions of Jesus and Moses and all Muslims are ordered to respect and believe in them whosoever doesn’t believe in Moses and Jesus are not of the believers.

2. Convenience of people also plays an important part in disbelieving in Quran for example polygamy is also allowed in Christianity but the church disapproves it, in the case of veil it is important for a women to dress modestly and cover her head but the Christianity has changed so much through centuries that people take it as more of a convenience and don’t think it is important to cover yourself modestly anymore. Same stands for Alcohol, in Christian scriptures wine has been mentioned as a source of joy as well as a source of mockery, shamelessness and sin so people justify drinking alcohol by saying we are just having good time, but if you look at it in reality you would notice, it causes more harm then good. So no God, be it of Jesus, Moses or Muhammad (PBUH) will allow its loved created beings to something which is more harmful to you than good.

3. Confusion and misunderstanding is the third and most important reason why non Muslims and some of the Muslims face while reading and understanding the Book (the Quran) itself and its Message. Quran is taken to lightly sometimes even by muslims themselves, people of different languages think that they understand the translation and the message correctly and they try to implement the verses as they are, they sometimes quote a verse which is relevant only as a example and a history for us to understand and learn through examples from the events which happened in the past. For example please read my previous post on Islam Spreading by Sword and Misconceptions… Quran is commonly misquoted by human beings muslims or non muslims alike for their convenience… Some Muslims do that because they want to create their own following (deviate sects) or use Quran to justify their own thought process which they want to implement on other Muslims who have no knowledge of Quran and Non Muslims do that to justify their own thoughts and reasons. It is really sad that majority of Muslims use Quran in their prayers and to recite the verses but don’t have time to understand beyond those words and implement what is revealed to them instead they go on about quoting the verses and misguiding people when they are themselves misguided. On the other hand non Muslims quote certain verses of Quran with out understanding the events surrounding the revelation of a certain chapter or a verse and its contexts to create differences and point out laws which don’t suit their lifestyles.

So my sincere advice to people of all faiths including Muslims is that they should learn and understand Quran completely before they start quoting verses without knowing the background and the reasons behind certain verses of Quran. And I also advice people when you come across a certain verse which doesn’t suit your lifestyle or some verses seem harsh to you than you should investigate that particular law and weigh it logically, morally and with unbiased thinking. For example dont think Alcohol shouldn’t be prohibited just because you find it fun, always try to know why alcohol is prohibited. Is it morally correct or it isn’t? Weigh good and bad in it. Once you do that you will come to terms with Quran, every prohibition and everything which is allowed in Islam has logical reasons behind them and if you weigh all the laws in good and bad. Good will always succeed.

Why complete surrender to Allah’s will? Is it fundamental Muslim belief to be a martyr?

First and the most important thing to ask your self is: who is God? If the answer you get is: God is Almighty, He is the most Beneficent, the most Merciful, No one created God and God created everything; Humans, Animals, plants, the universe and everything in it. Then its will be easier for everyone to understand that why should we completely surrender to Allah’s will, if a person creates a certain product and copyrights it, that particular person has all the rights over that product in whatever way he wants it to be used as he can use it. No one can steal it without its permission or misuse it. I find it difficult to understand why humans don’t think the same way about God, God created us and he has all the rights over us. God gives us a Book of rules of do’s and don’ts just like a father gives his children laws to conduct themselves. When a child breaks the law he is punished, and is grounded or his pocket money is reduced. Same way,God has all the rights to tell us if you do badly you will be punished and if you do good you will be rewarded. And as God is Almighty then he punishment is severe and if He rewards you then its the best. If you dont believe in God altogether then you dont have to surrender. Logical and Simple!

That in my view is complete surrender to Allah’s will, and Allah’s will is that humans follow His laws.

About martyrs well it’s a long story I would like to make it short and would also advice you to dig in to the history a bit that its not only a fundamentalist Muslim belief, it has its roots in Judaism and Christianity as well please visit the following link to get an idea where it all started:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyrs

My point of view on Martyrs is a bit logical and a bit religious, suppose a country recruits soldiers to guard their country against the oppressors and those who fight against its enemy and are killed in the line of duty are rewarded by numerous medals which are not worth anything for them in this world nor hereafter and they are mentioned few times in news articles, their families are given a medal in hand and they are forgotten by time. This is the most a human being can give another human being when they are dead.

But when you believe in God and fight for his cause, Allah is the one who Himself recruits its soldiers some of them stay alive and some die. When a person dies his life is over what would he do with a piece of metal given to his family so the Martyrs are rewarded by a medal from Allah Himself for their services with paradise. When you believe Allah is the one who has created you, and has all the rights over you and you follow His orders and die for His cause then it is only logical that He provides you with some reward same as president of countries do. On the other hand unlike what people think that every Muslim will be rewarded and recruited for being martyrs is totally wrong, like all other armies not all Muslims are soldiers and not all of them die. You can always notice around you people like me, I am not recruited yet and maybe I am not the one chosen by Allah Himself to be in his army.

So my advice for you on this topic is to study (Jihad Striving in the cause of Allah not war against non Muslims as people try to tell you), what are the rules of Jihad? And what are different kinds of Jihad humans beings are allowed to do and for what reasons? Study of this topic will sort out your issues regarding Martyrs. And please note Suicide, killing of children, women, elderly, and even cutting down trees of enemies is totally forbidden in Islam, I also advice you to read rules and reasons of war in Islam, and how prisoners of war are treated. All that can be useful for you to understand real Islam make sure you don’t study biased material and don’t follow what media is trying to brain wash you with. The best source to read unbiased material about Real Islam is The Quran and Sayings of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), if a Muslim contradicts with Quran and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad please disregard them because humans are prone to errors be it Muslims or anyone else. Whatever people tell always cross check it for its authenticity.

I hope I have answered your issues with best of my abilities and I hope if you have any questions which are not answered or you need more explanation please feel free to contact me on my email, now I would like to finish off with your last statement which mentions Allah chooses the worthy and guides who he wishes: I came across an article which will answer this question

http://www.understanding-islam.com/related/text.asp?type=article&aid=44

I am currently studying Quran myself and I have a blog dedicated for it http://rediscoverquran.blogspot.com, I wish to learn more and share it with other people and I regularly update it please book mark it may help you and it may guide you like it has guided me… May Allah forgive me if I have committed any mistakes in answering you and guide us all to the straight path ..Ameen

Knowledge

Recently I had an argument with a friend. He, with his point - I with mine. I saw his point but I had mine too. Yet, I couldn't explain myself properly. At other times, with other people, I have realized I have the same problem. I cannot back up what knowledge I have with correct sources or reasoning. Usually when I was confused about some ruling I would look it up, satisfy myself as to what Islam's guidelines are about that certain matter. The knowledge was for me. Not to tell or relate it to others. I have been wrong in doing so. The point was driven home in the last argument I had with this certain friend.

Upset after having argued, I realized the fault lay within me. My lack of knowledge. I couldn't argue and I couldn't back up my point. Not with logic, nor with knowledge and facts. After that I promised myself that I will start reading more and insh'Allah gaining more knowledge. How else will I spread the word of Islam as is to others? How will I argue about right or wrong and convey the message of Allah. I will surely be questioned about it after I die. What knowledge did I gain in the way of Islam?

Because of the importance of knowledge, Allah (SWT) commanded His Messenger to seek more of it. Allah (SWT) says:

“and say: ‘My Lord! Increase me in knowledge”[Ta-Ha 20:114]

Islam calls us to seek knowledge. The Prophet (PBUH) made seeking knowledge an obligation upon every Muslim, and he explained that the superiority of the one who has knowledge over the one who merely worships is like the superiority of the moon over every other heavenly body. He said that the scholars are the heirs of the Prophets and that the Prophets did not leave behind dinars and dirhams (i.e., money), rather their inheritance was knowledge, so whoever acquires it has gained a great share. The Prophet (PBUH) said that seeking knowledge is a way to Paradise. He (PBUH) said:
“Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allah (SWT) will make a path
to Paradise easy for him.” (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, Kitaab al-‘Ilm, 10)

Islam calls us to learn all kinds of beneficial knowledge. Branches of knowledge vary in status, the highest of which is knowledge of sharee’ah, then knowledge of medicine, then the other fields of knowledge.

The best of all branches of knowledge are the sciences of sharee’ah through which can comes to know his Lord, and his Prophet and religion. This is the knowledge with which Allah (SWT) honoured His Messenger; He taught it to him so that he might teach it to mankind.

There is no goodness in knowledge which is not confirmed by action, or words which are not confirmed by deeds:

“O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?
Most hateful it is with Allâh that you say that which you do not do”[al-Saff :2-3]

Knowledge brings a great reward. The one who points the way to something good is like the one who does it. When the knowledgeable person dies, his reward with Allah (SWT) does not cease when he dies, rather it continues to increase so long as people benefit from his knowledge.

The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“When a man dies, all his deeds come to an end except for three – an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge or a righteous son who will pray for him.”
(Narrated by Muslim, 1631)

The first and most crucial obligation on us is to acquire knowledge and secondly to practice and preach this knowledge. No man becomes truly a Muslim without knowing the meaning of Islam, because he becomes a Muslim not through birth but through knowledge.http://www-users.york.ac.uk/~socs343/khutbah_pdf/KNOWLEDGE.pdf

May Allah increase us in knowledge that is beneficial to us and people around us. Ameen

Fall of Four Great Empires

I have been busy lately with work and events happening around me so did not get a chance to post something on religion but I wanted to post this. Some people would say why post it on a religious blog, I am a human and I do follow religion but I also live in this world that is around me and Islam doesn’t stop humans to follow cricket. I am a die hard cricket fan; I have been since I was a kid. For some people cricket is a boring game but for me and millions of people around the world it has been a craze since I was a kid. Lots of events passed by in these 30 years, some were sad and some were happy. But unfortunately I witnessed the fall of four great empires in a single day and cricket won’t be the same again. Not in my lifetime at least……

With every loss there is a lesson to learn, we should learn from it instead of being critical of our cricket players. Great Empires were brought down by Power of people in the past and it has just happened again. But this time around the people who brought down the empires are not freedom fighters fighting for thier freedom ..they are bunch on insensitive and selfish human beings....

India Losing to Bangladesh:

India one of the favorites to win the world cup, and a cricket crazy nation was beaten by Bangladesh. Bangladesh is considered the minnows of cricket, for them it’s the moment of national pride and they have done well to beat India, and nothing can be taken away the way they played against one of the best teams. They totally deserved their victory, At least on that particular day they were good enough to win. But what saddened me was an India’s loss and consequences which will be followed within their cricket crazy nation. Cricket is a harsh game for people of sub continent, till they keep on winning they are highly respected and once they start losing their homes and burned, they are cursed and they are blamed for everything. People tend to forget cricket players are just humans and humans win and lose sometimes, God sends signs of weakness through the loss and as a lesson for the people to correct their mistakes and work to succeed better next time. But the Great Worldly Empire lead by Rahul Dravid is fallen, and it’s a sad sight which will not be forgotten for a while, not because India lost to Bangladesh but because people stop believing in their heroes as soon as they face bad patches in their lives. We tend to leave them alone in time of grieve; we are only loyal to our own selves.

Pakistan losing To Ireland

I am a Pakistani and I am a great fan of Pakistani cricket team, I always believed they can beat anyone and lose to anyone cause of their nature. Being a Pakistani i know how we play and conduct our daily activities, we use our hearts more than our brains. Emotions are given priority in our daily lives, taking that theory into consideration it wasn’t a total shocker for me that they lost to Ireland. They have lost to Bangladesh before, as I said cricket is a cruel game and people who follow cricket with passion are its enemy. Just like Indians, Pakistanis try to create a situation that players think if they lose than it will be a nightmare to return to their country and face criticism. No doubt Pakistan had the ability to win over Ireland but humans do commit mistakes and flatter in pressure, The pressure the Pakistani were in past one year was the beginning of their end. Losing the best players, drug related issues, captaincy issues, oval test, and other personal issues faced by player themselves. They are humans after all, even we if face some difficulties we can’t concentrate on our work and our social lives, we drown in depression. So why Pakistan cricket team has to pay for the natural calamity, again it’s the people who brought down their own empire. Our loyalty only stands with one who wins, a sad day indeed not cause of the loss to Irish but they way we are treating our fallen heroes.

Bob Woolmer – No More

The news of his death came as a shock to me; I couldn’t believe it first until I switched on my T.V. I am very saddened by the news, it’s like losing someone who has been close to you for years, and people would ask me why I feel that way after all he was just a coach. For me at least he was not just a coach, He was a perfect teacher. His passion for the game led him to his destiny; he was the best in the business.

I admired him for few reasons, he became part of Pakistani camp as soon as he joined the ranks, he respected their religious beliefs, he wasn’t a racist, and he supported his team in lows and highs as a father supports his children. Since, he became a coach he changed the face of Pakistani cricket. Unity and discipline was evident, he believed in positive cricket. Players got emotionally attached to him and it was vice versa for him. He could have just resigned and left for some other country; anyone would have welcomed him with open arms. But he chose to stick with bunch of emotional people, because he himself was an emotional person … I guess he related to them than anyone would or will ever relate…Pakistan and this world will never come across a coach like him ever again, at least not in my life time. As a Pakistani I would want my country to give him a state funeral or do something good for his family in which ever way its possible, he died as employee of Pakistan, he led from the front. I can go on and on about Bob Woolmer but my words won’t be enough; all I can say is I have lost a loved one today and the world has lost the best.

Inzamam Ul Haq – The Fall of the Legend

More bad news, Inzamam ul Haq resigned as a captain and retired from the one day cricket. I remember the 1992 world cup when he became a hero for our beloved country and his record shows that he was one of the greatest batsmen a world has seen. I feel very disappointed that he took all the blame for the loss which was caused by internal and external factors surrounding the whole team. Humans are weak at times and things like that happen, death of Bob Woolmer and resigning of Inzamam ul Haq show how emotional they were about their game and on the other hand I see people on TV burning their pictures and holding protests. The great empires are brought down by its people, and this time around it’s not different. We ourselves should take the blame for being insensitive to our cricketing world and its players, life will go on but it won’t be the same ever again… We with our own hands destroyed India, Pakistan, Bob and Inzamam. We should bring ourselves to justice, instead of blaming our teams and coaches.

It would have been better, if the whole Indian, Pakistani teams and Bob Woolmer would have resigned and moved on with their lives because people of sub continent don’t deserve greatness. And these great people don’t deserve the treatment they got from insensitive and unforgiving selfish humans; I guess they don’t have faith in the lord of this world and create situation which leads to all of these events. People who mess up everything just sit at home and criticize, go on with their lives, while cricketers suffer all their lives.

I pray to Allah, people start thinking about pros and cons of their actions, I also pray that Bobs Soul rest in peace, I also pray that Inzamam and company who practice religion to have patience in this time of grieve even though people are against them, cause Allah is always with them. Allah Is the Most Merciful and Most Beneficent. Allah tests people, one you survive that test you surly are the winner.

I am not sure about other people; I do support Indian, Pakistani cricket team, and Bob Woolmer and his family….. When they are low but not out. I hope other do as well…..In the end its just a game some win it and some lose it.

for more coverage of the events please visit :

http://gulf.cricinfo.com/

Trying not to listen to music is considered in extreme. Music is considered one of the sweet pleasures of life. Trying not to listen to it, usually has people thinking “oh isn’t that taking islam a bit too far” and then you are bombarded with all sorts of explanations and excuses that deem it ‘okay’ to listen to music. But tell me , then why is it that when im told that a young muslim boy of 17 or 18 years, when he was dying , kept on being prompted by the emergency team member to read the shahadah – to remember Allah…he kept singing some song he had heard – and died singing that song. Why is it that when I hear such incidents that I pray that Allah forgives the boy and makes all muslims die reading the shahadah.A man selling pens all his life said “one for five – one for five’ when he was on his death bed that is all that he could say instead of reading or calling onto Allah.We listen to songs and we think that its okay and its not such a big sin. But sometimes really, when we listen to a song we like isn’t it always at the back of our head. Sometimes intruding in on our thoughts our prayers. Its there. You know it and I know it. Shouldn’t we try and replace these songs by remembering Allah?– making dua and prasising Allah and asking for our forgiveness?. Certainly our time is short on this earth. Don’t you want to die rememebering Allah and asking for forgiveness instead of singing someones song who can’t be bothered in what state you die?
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “Shall I not inform you of the best of your actions, the most pure in the sight of Your Master, the one which raises your ranks highest, that which is better for you than giving gold and silver (in charity), and better for you than your meeting your enemies, so that you strike their necks, and they strike yours?" The companions urged, "Of course, O Messenger of Allah! (Inform us!)" He replied, "It is the Remembrance of Allah." (Reported by Abu Dawud
“Behold, in the remembrance of Allah do the hearts find rest” (Ar- Ra`d: 28), it means in salah and in du`aa’ in obedience to Allah. It also means in the tasbeeh (saying subhan Allah, Glory be to Allah), in saying al-hamdu lillah (praise be to Allah), in the takbir (saying Allahu Akbar, Allah is Greatest), in saying La ilaha illa Allah (there is no god but Allah). It also means reading the Qur’an and understanding its meaning and message. It means living according to the rules of Allah, giving the message of Allah to others, and establishing truth, justice, and peace in the world. All of these are dhikr, and in every kind of dhikr there is comfort, peace, harmony, and tranquility for the hearts and souls of the believers.
May Allah guide us all and make us strong in our faith so we hold onto it tightly and not let go. May Allah forgive our sins and protect us from the torture of the grave. Ameen

I can’t change my Past, but I am Positive

Recently I have been advised by someone to write about my recent experiences, I thought about it and I figured out it’s the hardest thing to do. I have so many stories to tell but I can’t find words to express them. I am not ashamed to admit that I am not a good writer. But life isn’t easy anyways so I decided to give it a try, some will like it and some not. Anyways you can’t please everyone……….

Well let’s start with the past, every single person has a past and I do to. Since I have chosen to give priority to my religion instead of the goods of this world, Suddenly I see different sides of people that I haven’t noticed it before cause I was busy entertaining myself while the world conspired against each other. Some support me while some don’t. I do accept, I was my own enemy and I am myself the reason which lead people to think of me like that. But, I wont accept people pointing fingers at me as well, I have left my past behind and I find no reason for other people to hold on to it.

Some people ask me for guarantees, some people say is it because you have found a religious woman, some people say it’s a phase, some say don’t become an extremist. I sometimes wonder why they have all negative things to say. Life has no guarantees; no human being is guaranteed to behave in the same manner. A human being has the tendency to adapt to its surroundings and behave the same way as people around him or her do. Someone joked with me once and said “if you want guarantees buy a Micro Wave you will get one year replacement Guarantee. The fact is that there are no guarantees for a human being; death, personality changes, failed marriages, financial state, war, etc…. So how can I provide guarantees to people, I don’t know myself where I may end up in future.. Only Allah knows Best.

I have come to an understanding as why humans are different than Allah, Allah forgives the past and humans don’t- it’s one of the attributes of Allah that humans cant posses.

Looking at the positive sides of things, Since, I started following the correct path; I have evolved from being depressed by lack of faith in me by people to more positive thinking. Islam led me to think positively even in times sadness and crises and tackle all issues positively.

Now I don’t regret my past at all, actually I am really happy that I had a past. I make use of that past to let people know ,how I changed and what can people do to make a change in their lives like I did, I am a living example, I have lived every moment of it and I know how hard it is to let go of goods of this world. I guess people like me can help more humans rather than people who haven’t done anything in their lives and those who were born in a family which was religious and practiced Islam since they were kids. They may not be able to relate to people who have had pasts which they haven’t experienced themselves, for them answering questions asked by people like us is a bit hard….but I know and I can and I fight against my temptations every day and every night ….. I may have answers for people who have lived a life like I have. Past is positive, you can learn from your mistakes and let people know how to stay away from those mistakes…..

Allah is the most Merciful Please read : Man Who committed 100 Murders and was forgiven....

Past is signing off ..see you in future :)

Disclaimer: It’s just that I am thinking positively about my past, I don’t approve of it. If I had a chance to go back in time, I would have changed it. I hope people don’t take it literally and commit all the sins and wait to change………. Life has no guarantees…you never know if you are alive till that time …so change now:)

Romance and Islam

I have been bombarded with lots of questions from my friends since I left my past behind, everyone thinks that when you turn to religion life becomes boring… All good Muslims do is fight, say this is forbidden and that is forbidden. One of my friends asked me what is your idea of Romance since you started to take your religion seriously. I told him nothing much has changed since I chose the path I am on, its just that few changes here and there sort out everything for me…. Then I had to give him an example to make him understand few things and I thought of sharing it with you all…..

Idea of a Romantic evening 2005 – (My Past Thoughts)

Occasion: A Romantic Date
Intention: Love or ……….
Date: Girlfriend – illegal, maybe temporary
Location: The Beach
Time: 8 pm full Moon
Background music: Violin
Dinner: Italian
Drinks: Wine – intoxicates, may lead you to something which you can regret later.

Idea of a Romantic Evening 2007 plus (my future thoughts)

Occasion: A Romantic Date
Intention: Love and Respect
Date: Wife – some one legal and a person you will spend the rest of your life with
Location: the beach
Time: 8 pm Full Moon
Background music: Sound of waves – Natural sound of water is by far romantic then someone playing violin at least you get to be alone…total privacy
Dinner: Italian or Arabic does it matter when you have a beautiful someone to share your food with
Drinks: Anything Virgin- At least they will keep you in your senses

So who says a good Muslim can’t be a romantic, it’s just that the mind set changes from illegal to legal. In fact it’s more rewarding to be romantic with your wife than your girl friend. With your wife you think of a long term relationship and romance helps you grow in a relationship further, with girlfriends it’s vice versa all romance in the beginning of your relationship and later complaining about not being romantic anymore.

If you compare between my past thoughts when I was not so good Muslim and Present when I am trying to be one, you won’t find much of a difference. Whatever difference you may find will make that romantic evening even better.

Place, location, full moon, food, and ideas nothing change, what changes is rights and wrongs. I wish people stop assuming things and stop taking people on face value, behind that veil and a beard are humans as every one is.

Remember that our Prophet Muhammad Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam had found the time to go out to the desert and race with his wife Aisha. She outran him but later after she had gained some weight, he outran her. Remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam took his wife to watch the young Ethiopians playing and dancing their folk dances. The show of emotions is necessary to keep the marital bond away from rusting and disintegrating. Remember that you will be rewarded by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for any emotions you show to your wife as the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam said "One would be rewarded for anything that he does seeking the pleasure of Allah even the food that he puts in the mouth of his wife" Never underestimate the importance of seemingly little things as putting food in your wife's mouth, opening the car door for her, etc. Remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam used to extend his knee to his wife to assist her up to ride the camel.

Always try your best to be good to your wife by words and by deeds. Talk to her, smile to her, seek her advice, ask for her opinion, spend quality time with her and always remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam said, "The best of you are those who are best to their wives"

Finallay, it is common that spouses vow to love and honor their spouses until death do them part. I do believe that this vow is good or even great, but not enough! It is not enough that you love your wife. You have to love what she loves as well. Her family, her loved ones must also become your loved ones. Don't be like my colleague who was unhappy about his wife's parents coming to visit for few weeks. He candidly said to her "I don't like your parents." Naturally she angrily looked at him straight in the eye and said, "I don't like yours either." Also, it is not enough that you love her until death do you part. Love should never end and we do believe there is life after death where those who did righteousness in this world will be joined by their spouses (Surah Al Zukhruf 43:70) and offsprings.

The best example in this regard is the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam whose love for Khadija, his wife of 25 years, extended to include all those she loved; this love of his continued even after her death. It was many years after her death and he never forgot her and whenever a goat was slaughtered in his house he would send portions of it to Khadija's family and friends and whenever he felt that the visitor at the door might be Khadija's sister Hala, he would pray saying, "O Allah let it be Halaa."

Romance does play a very important part in a good muslims life

True Unbeliever

A friend sent me an interesting Article so thought i should write something about it:

True Unbeliever: Atheist Ex-Muslim Now a US Celebrity

Ayaan HIrsi Ali. She scripted an 11-minute film about the Koran and domestic abuse of women that resulted in the throat-slitting assassination of its director, Theo van Gogh, by a Muslim fanatic. The killer stabbed a note into the dying man’s chest. It was addressed to her. ...written by them

One of the best examples of a person who degrades Islam just because her husband and family abused her and mistreated her, if it is even true? If whatever happened to her is true than its the her family who did this to her should be responsible not the Islam the religion itself, a person who understands and studies the religion in its originality should know this is not what Islam teaches people, to abuse and mistreat women is the last thing Islam would ever want. It will be a total contradiction from the fact when a women is held in high respect among human beings,as ordred by Allah. Allah made women mothers, daughters, wives, sisters etc... will anyone would want to disrespect the most respected of relationships. Doesn't seem logical to me.

On the other hand the situation stands that even if a dog abuses a Muslim or Islam in total, western powers will make that dog a celebrity.. one day you may find a dogs picture on time magazine with Paris Hilton, Americans just have to find or come across that dog who speaks or at least sounds like abusing Muslims when it barks....People like her tend to take advantage of the situation, make good money, raise up their new found families in so called free society which is only free to abuse religions specially Muslims. When they should be taking people accountable for their deeds, they try unsuccesfully to take the whole religion hostage.

Its not the first time this has happened and this is probably not the last time, controversies have come and gone, Salman Rushdie, Cartoons of the Prophets, Tasleema Nasreen, Apostates, False Prophets etc. Sadly for them nothing much has changed, Islam without the doubt is the fastest growing religion in the world. Ever wonder why?

Muslims have been mentioned for everything from perversion, rape, abuse, child marriages, female circumcision, beheadings, 9/11,suicide bombings,wars,veil,female beatings and so on. Does Islam Approve of it? the answer to some questions are no and some questions have logical reasoning behind them , if they are approved by Islam.

Perversion,Rape,Female Abuse, Child Marriages, Suicide Bombings are not approved by any religion or race and if people think Islam approves of them then they totally have the wrong conception. Certain issues are totally misunderstood by so called western society which talks of freedom for example: beheading of the murderers. In USA death penalty is carried out by electric chair or a lethal injection, due to unavailability of electricity and lethal injections 1400 years ago death penalty was carried out by a sword..Quiet logical I guess even if you keep the religion aside. Now a days in various Muslim countries death sentences are carried out in different ways as most recently broad casted on various TV channels, of Saddam Hussein.. He was publicly humiliated by New Iraqi government which was instated by United States of America and act as puppets. Other middle eastern countries carry out death sentences by shooting a murderer.In comparision I wish you could witness one of the executions which is carried out by burning peoples brains by so called humanitarian western countries.

Another issue is commonly discussed is why does Islam orders death penalty for Apostates, please check out the Following link for details about United States of America a country based on so called Human rights:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_the_United_States

Crime for treason against a state in the laws of united states and also great britain is death, so how can Islam which considers itself a religion and a nation in one, orders the death penalty to a Apostate who commits treason with the whole of Islamic nation considered be barbaric?

Veil issue: please check the following link for further details .....

http://rediscoverislam.blogspot.com/2007/01/muslim-and-muslima-fundamentalist.html

Coming back to the main Issue of degrading Muslims...every Muslim and Non Muslim should start to figure out the real issues..whatever the media and political powers feed in the brains of people are not always true just like weapons of mass destructions in Iraq. Truth is there to be found out!! only it requires a reasonable mind to find the truth with sincerity and without being unbiased.

People like AYAAN will come and go, but the truth will always prevail no matter how much everyone tries to fabricate the religion of truth..That is without a doubt :Islam whether you like it or not....... So Study ISLAM Dont fabricate Reality..