ISLAM---World's Greatest Religion

Muslim Woman Cop in Muslim Country

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:57:00 +0000

Ya Allah grant my parents :: Dua

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:45:00 +0000

Real Tears are not those

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:38:00 +0000

Real tears are not those that fall from the eyes and cover the face,

but those that fall from the heart and cover the soul...

Say He is Allah :: Islamic images

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:37:00 +0000

How to Erase Our Sins

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:42:00 +0000

How to Erase Our Sins

Following is a compilation of Ahadîth that speaks of ways in which we can erase our sins, InshaAllâh!

Repenting

A servant [of Allâh's] committed a sin and said: O Allâh, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for them. Then he sinned again and said: O Lord, forgive me my sin. And He (glorified and exalted be He) said: My servant has committed a sin and has known that he has a Lord who forgives sins and punishes for sins. Do what you wish, for I have forgiven you. [Hadîth Qudsi]

O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great at it. [Hadîth Qudsi]

Abû Bakr radhiAllâhu `anhu reported:

"I heard the Prophet sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam saying: 'Allâh forgives the man who commits a sin (then feels ashamed), purifies himself, offers a prayer and seeks His forgiveness.' Then he recited the 'ayyah: 'And those who, when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves, remember Allâh and implore forgiveness for their sins - and who can forgive sins except Allâh? - and will not knowingly repeat (the wrong) they did. The reward of such will be forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever- a bountiful reward for workers."' [al-'lmrân: 135-136]. [Abû Dawûd, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, al-Baihaqi, and at-Tirmidhî who calls it hasan.]

Performing Wudhû

Narrated Abû Hurayrah radhiAllâhu `anhu: Allâh's Apostle sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said:

When a bondsman - a Muslim or a believer - washes his face (in course of ablution), every sin he contemplated with his eyes will be washed away from his face along with water, or with the last drop of water ; when he washes his hands, every sin they wrought will be effaced from his hands with the water, or with the last drop of water; and when he washes his feet, every sin towards which his feet have walked will be washed away with the water, or with the last drop of water, with the result that he comes out pure from all sins. [Sahîh Muslim]

Narrated Uthmân ibn AffânradhiAllâhu `anhu:

The Messenger of Allâh sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said: He who performed ablution well, his sins would come out from his body, even coming out from under his nails. [Sahîh Muslim]

Performing Prayer

Narrated Uthmân ibn Affân radhiAllâhu `anhu: "I heard Allâh's Apostle sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam say:

When the time for a prescribed prayer comes, if any Muslim performs ablution well and offers his prayer) with humility and bowing, it will be an expiation for his past sins, so long as he has not committed a major sin; and this applies to for all times. [Sahîh Muslim]

Narrated Abû Huraira radhiAllâhu `anhu: "Allâh's Apostle said,

"The congregational prayer of anyone amongst you is more than twenty (five or twenty seven) times in reward than his prayer in the market or in his house, for if he performs ablution completely and then goes to the mosque with the sole intention of performing the prayer, and nothing urges him to proceed to the mosque except the prayer, then, on every step which he takes towards the mosque, he will be raised one degree or one of his sins will be forgiven. The angels will keep on asking Allâh's forgiveness and blessings for everyone of you so long as he keeps sitting at his praying place. The angels will say, 'O Allâh, bless him! O Allâh, be merciful to him!' as long as he does not do Hadath or a thing which gives trouble to the other." The Prophet further said, "One is regarded in prayer so long as one is waiting for the prayer." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Narrated Abû Hurayrah radhiAllâhu `anhu:

"The Messenger of Allâh sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said: He who purified himself in his house, and then he walked to one of the houses of Allâh for the sake of performing a fard (obligatory act) out of the Fara'id (obligatory acts) of Allâh, both his steps (would be significant) as one of them would obliterate his sin and the second one would raise his status. [Sahîh Muslim]

Attending the Jumu'ah Salâh

Narrated Abû Hurayrah radhiAllâhu `anhu: The Messenger of Allâh sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said:

Five prayers and from one Friday prayer to (the next) Friday prayer is an expiation (of the sins committed in between their intervals) if major sins are not committed. [Sahîh Muslim]

Narrated by Salman Al Farsi radhiAllâhu `anhu: The Prophet sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"Whoever takes a bath on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, then uses his (hair) oil or perfumes himself with the scent of his house, then proceeds (for the Jumua prayer) and does not separate two persons sitting together (in the mosque), then prays as much as (Allâh has) written for him and then remains silent while the Imam is delivering the Khutba, his sins in-between the present and the last Friday would be forgiven." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Doing good deeds

Narrated Ibn Masud radhiAllâhu `anhu: A man kissed a woman and then came to Allâh's Apostle and told him of that, so this Divine Inspiration was revealed to the Prophet sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam:

"And offer Prayers perfectly at the two ends of the day, and in some hours of the night; (i.e. (five) compulsory prayers). Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (small sins). That is a reminder for the mindful." (Qur'aan : 11.114) The man said, Is this instruction for me only?" The Prophet said, "It is for all those of my followers who encounter a similar situation." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Performing Umrah and Hajj

Narrated by Abû Huraira : The Prophet sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"Whoever performs Hajj for Allâh's pleasure and does not have sexual relations with his wife, and does not do evil or sins then he will return (after Hajj free from all sins) as if he were born anew." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud radhiAllâhu `anhu narrated that the Prophet sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said:

"Alternate between Hajj and 'Umrah (regularly), for these two remove poverty and sins just as the blacksmith's bellows removes all impurities from metals like iron, gold and silver. The reward for Hajj Mabrur is nothing short of Paradise." [Nasa'i and Tirmidhi, who regards it a sound hadîth ]

Narrated Abû Huraira radhiAllâhu `anhu: Allâh's Apostle sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"(The performance of) 'Umra is an expiation for the sins committed (between it and the previous one). And the reward of Hajj Mabrur (the one accepted by Allâh) is nothing except Paradise." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Saying 'آmîn'

Narrated by Abû Huraira radhiAllâhu `anhu: The Prophet sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"When the Imâm says 'Aamîn', then you should all say ‘Aamîn’, for the angels say ‘آmîn’ at that time, and he whose ‘آmîn’ coincides with the ‘آmîn’ of the angels, all his past sins will be forgiven." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Fasting and performing prayers in the night of Qadr in Ramadân

Narrated by Abû Huraira radhiAllâhu `anhu: The Prophet sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"Whoever fasted the month of Ramadân out of sincere Faith (i.e. belief) and hoping for a reward from Allâh, then all his past sins will be forgiven, and whoever stood for the prayers in the night of Qadr out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allâh, then all his previous sins will be forgiven ." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Sending salutations

Abû Talha Al Ansari radhiAllâhu `anhu said, "The Prophet, sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam, woke up one day cheerful and beaming. His companions exclaimed, 'O Prophet of Allâh, you woke up today cheerful and beaming.' He replied,

'Yes! A messenger of Allâh, the Mighty and the Glorified, came to me and said, "If anyone from your ummah sends you a salutation, Allâh will record for him ten good deeds, wipe off ten of his sins, and raise him thereby ten degrees in rank, and He will return his salutation with a similar salutation".' [Ahmad] Ibn Kathîr considers this a sound hadîth ]

Being kind to animals

Narrated Abû Huraira radhiAllâhu `anhu: Allâh's Apostle sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"While a man was walking he felt thirsty and went down a well and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst. The man said, 'This (dog) is suffering from the same problem as that of mine. So he (went down the well), filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and watered the dog. Allâh thanked him for his (good) deed and forgave him." The people asked, "O Allâh's Apostle! Is there a reward for us in serving (the) animals?" He replied, "Yes, there is a reward for serving any animate." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Narrated Abû Huraira radhiAllâhu `anhu: Allâh's Apostle sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"A prostitute was forgiven by Allâh, because, passing by a panting dog near a well and seeing that the dog was about to die of thirst, she took off her shoe, and tying it with her head-cover she drew out some water for it. So, Allâh forgave her because of that." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Leaving grey hair

Amr ibn Shu'aib related on the authority of his father from his grandfather that the Prophet sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"Do not pluck the grey hairs as they are a Muslim's light. Never a Muslim grows grey in Islam except that Allâh writes for him, due to that, a good deed. And he raises him a degree. And he erases for him, due to that, one of his sins." [Related by Ahmad, Abû Dawûd, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah] And Anas said, "We used to hate that a man should pluck out his white hairs from his head or beard." [Sahîh Muslim]

Some simple supplications through which we can erase our sins, Insha'Allâh!

Narrated Abû Huraira radhiAllâhu `anhu: Allâh's Apostle said,

"Whoever says, 'Subhan Allâh wa bihamdihi,' one hundred times a day, will be forgiven all his sins even if they were as much as the foam of the sea." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Narrated Abû Huraira radhiAllâhu `anhu: Allâh's Apostle sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said,

"Whoever says: 'La ilaha illal-lah wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahu-l-mulk wa lahu-l-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in qadir,' one hundred times will get the same reward as given for manumitting ten slaves; and one hundred good deeds will be written in his accounts, and one hundred sins will be deducted from his accounts, and it (his saying) will be a shield for him from Satan on that day till night, and nobody will be able to do a better deed except the one who does more than he." [Sahîh Al-Bukhari]

Narrated Abû Hurayrah radhiAllâhu `anhu: Allâh's Apostle sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam said:

If anyone extols Allâh after every prayer thirty-three times [SubhanAllâh], and praises Allâh thirty-three times [Alhamdulillah], and declares His Greatness thirty-three times [Allâh hu Akbar], ninety-nine times in all, and say to complete a hundred: "There is no god but Allâh, having no partner with Him, to Him belongs sovereignty and to Him to praise due, and He is Potent over everything," his sins will be forgiven even if these are as Abûndant as the foam of the sea. [Sahîh Muslim]

Abû Hurairah radhiAllâhu `anhu reported that the Prophet, sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam, said,

"If anyone sits in an assembly where there is much clamor and says before getting up to leave, "Subhanaka Allâhumma wa bihamdika, ashadu an-la illaha illa-anta, astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayka" (Glory be to You, O Allâh, and I begin with declaring all praise is due to You, I testify that there is no god but You; I ask Your pardon and turn to You in repentance), he will be forgiven any sin that he might have committed while in that assembly. [Tirmidhi and Al-Baihaqi, (Kitab ad-D'wat Al-kabir)]

Mu'adh b. Anas radhiAllâhu `anhu reported that the Prophet, sallAllâhu `alayhi wa sallam, said,

"If anyone wears a new garment and says, "Alhamdu lillahillazi kasaabi hazaa wa razakabehi min ghairi hawlin minna walaa kuwwata" 'All praise be to Allâh, Who clothed me with this garment and provided it for me, with no power or strength from myself' Allâh will forgive all his previous sins." [Abû Dawûd, At-Tirmidhi and Ibn Maajah]

How Good Should You Be To Your Parents?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:14:00 +0000

How Good Should You Be To Your Parents?

The Qur'an says : Be thankful to Me and to your Parents ...Surah Luqman verse 14. We can thank Allah in many ways.. by worshipping him...obeying him... But is a mere "Thank you" or a card on "Parent's day" or just a hug with no warmth, enough to display our thank to our parents?

Among the verses which we hear the most in our sermons, seminars and personal advices is " Be good to your parents" Can goodness be measured? Can you take a stock of your goodness? NO ! But can Allah take stock of my goodess? Yes. If you study the verses related to the the rights of parents you will come across many injuctions that gives us a good parameter to atleast analyse how good we are to our parents, rather how bad we are to them.

In Surha Baqarah verse 83, Allah says : We taook a promise from the Bani Israel that they will not worship any one besides Allah and will be kind to their parents... The arabic phrase is : Wabil Walidayn ihasana...Ihsan in Urdu means to oblige someone. But in Arabic it means : To offer the best. The root word "Ha Seen Noon" has another word " Husna" which means "To beautify". Now if study the phrase again, we read it " and "Beautify your conduct towards your parents" How does one beautify his conduct. or offer a best conduct?

Ihsan also means better response for good , good for evil and it reflects in speech and action. In speech, the Qur'an gives and example inn Surah Nisaa..And when a courtesou greeting is offered to your respond it with better.. the Arabic phrase for better response is..with ahsan...Ahsan is a superlative degree of good.. and the Hadith explains this verse : when some body says Assalamualaikum.. you reply him : walaykumussalam warahamtullah wabarakatuhu... Rahmatullahi and Barakatuhu are better reponse...

So how can we do ihsan with parents in speech? Surah Isra , verse 23 says : Waqullahuma qaulan Kareema.. and talk to them in an honourable manner. ..Dont' instruct them but request them. Respond them politey. Correct them respectfully. This is what the Qur'an instructs us when it says: do not say even "UFF" to them. Even a harsh father of Prophet Ibrahim was responded by his son by the term " Yaa Abaati " O my dear father ". This ihsan was towards a father who is one of the biggest obstacle in his passion of Touhid. Compare this with our corrections of our parents who are regular in salah and nice people!

Even body language is a form of communication, isnt it? Looking harshly at parents can give you negative grades. Aisha r.a.a said : A man looking harshly at his father is not a man of rightous conduct ( In spite of his being a regular in the masjid, giving charity....) Ibn Abbas said : Ihsan towards parents also include, not to shake one's clothes before them so as to prevent the dust from our clothers fall on them !

Allah loves kindness to parents says a popular Hadith from Bukhari. But many of us exclude spending on parents . Let us check from the Qur'an : They ask you what should spend? Say : What ever you spend is good.. on parents.. So spending on parents is an act that qualifies you to stand in the ranks of those who do Ihasan with parents. A father has right to spend the money of his son. This is an Islamic ruling with no second opinion. Today we run out of our money in buying expensive gadgets for our wives and kids, while our parents run short of money for their medicines. Let me whisper one more thing.. wasting your parent's money is also a bad conduct towards them.

Inspite of doing all these things have we really thanked our parents ? No not possible. Refer to Surha Luqman, verse 14 : In travail upon travail did his mother bear him.... means when we wereint he womb of our mothers she carried us with utmost care....and two years of weaning, says the verse..Can we carry our mother continuosly for 24 hours day and night? No. Then how do we thank her? Since we are not able to return their obligation with Ihsan, with better conduct then they did to us, so we continue doing best to them and yet leave the matter to Allah to reward them...Note this Qur'anic verse : (Pray for them ) My Lord ! Bestow on them your mercy as they cherished me in childhood...

Author : Nisaar Nadiadwala

BEWARE OF Shaytan's work (Beautifying Falsehood-Satan's mission)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:13:00 +0000

BEWARE OF Shaytan's work (Beautifying Falsehood-Satan's mission)

And whosoever turns away from the remembrance of the Most Beneficent (i.e. this Qur'aan and worship of Allah), We appoint for him Shaytan to be a Qareen (an intimate companion) to him. And verily, they (Shayateen) hinder them from the Path (of Allah), but they think that they are guided aright!'

[Qur'an (43): 36-37]

This verse determines the task of Qareen;

a) Hindering from the path of Allah,

b) and confusing the person into believing that he is upon the truth.

Hindrance from the path of Allah cannot be done except by beautifying falsehood and making it look good in one's eyes. Not letting one realize that the Sharee'ah of Allah is being opposed. Man spends his whole life with this waswasa until he recognizes the truth but it is too late!! On that day, he will complain and,

'he says (to his Qareen), 'Would that between me and you were the distance of the two easts (or the east and west)' a worst (type of) companion (indeed)!'[Soorah az-Zukhruf (43): 36-37]

Imam Ibnul-Qayyim said in this context, 'One of his (Shaytan) plots is that he always bewitches people's mind until they are deceived. No one is saved from his sorcery except those whom Allah Wills. He makes attractive to the mind that which will harm it, until a person thinks of something as most beneficial, and he (Shaytan) discourages him from that which is the most beneficial, until he thinks that it will harm him. La ilaaha illAllah, how may people have been tempted by this sorcery!' [Quoted from, �Aalam al-Jinn was-Shayateen by Umar S. Al-Ashqar]

Shaytan made the idea of eating from the forbidden tree appear attractive to Adam by giving it a beautiful and attractive name. He kept claiming to Adam that the forbidden tree was 'the tree of eternal life,' and that eating from it would make him live forever in Paradise, or would make him one of the angels

Your Lord did not forbid you this tree save you should become angels or become of the immortals.

[(7):20] until Adam obeyed Shaytan, and was subsequently expelled from Paradise.

Shaytan may beautify a sinful action between a man and woman

The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) said, 'Men are not tempted by anything more than women.' [Agreed upon] For this reason, women are commanded to cover their bodies and men are commanded to lower their gaze. He (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam) forbade being alone with a non-mahram woman and said that no man is ever alone with a non-mahram woman but Shaytan is the third one. This is because Shaytan may beautify a sinful action for them and thus, we must try to subdue Shaytan and drive away his deception and act in accordance with the guidelines of Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihi wa-sallam), who said, 'The woman comes in the form of a Shaytan and goes in the form of the Shaytan. So if one of you sees a woman that pleases him, he should go to his family and that will get rid of what is in him.' [Saheeh Muslim]

The Qur'aan relates a number of examples of how Shaytan beautifies falsehood and Kufr for his enemies and they go along what he intends for them, like Saba and her kingdom. The hoopee bird informed Suleiman (alaihis-salaam) about their condition,

'I found her and her people worshiping the sun instead of Allah, and Shaytan has made their deeds fair-seeming to them, and has barred them from (Allah's) Way, so they have no guidance,'
[Soorah an-Naml (27): 24]

This trick of Shaytan is very dangerous, because if falsehood is made to appear attractive to a person, how would he strive towards achieving the good and repelling the evil?

Allah says in the Qur'aan about Thamud, the people of Salih (alaihis-salaam),

'And We have assigned them (Shayateen) intimate companions (in this world), who have made fair-seeming to them, what was before them (from the Hereafter that there is no resurrection, Paradise or Hell) and what was behind them (he beautified for them that the world was very old, and there was no Creator except nature).'[(41): 25] [See, Tafseer al-Kabeer of Rajhi 27/103]

And this beautification of the world leads to turning away from the Deen and mocking at the believers,'Beautified is the life of this world for those who disbelieve, and they mock at those who believe.'((2): 212]

SubhanAllah, is this not what we witness today from the Darwinists.

The people of Thamud were, in fact, the most famous people for their intelligence, and Shaytan approached them through this door and enticed them, so they became stubborn and argued and were destroyed,

'And Ad and Thamud (people)! And indeed (their destruction) is clearly apparent to you from their (ruined) dwellings. Shaytan made their deeds fair-seeming to them, and turned them away from the (Right) Path, though they were intelligent.'[(29): 38]

How many intelligent people have been fooled by Shaytan today, and from their false thoughts are communism, secularism and feminism!! This is because Shaytan has beautified the falsehood for them.

This has been the way of Shaytan with every nation as Allah says,

'By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you (O Muhammad), but Shaytan made their deeds fair-seeming to them. So he (Shaytan) is their Wali (helper) today (i.e. in this world), and theirs will be a painful torment.'

Imam Ibn Katheer writes in the Tafseer of this verse, 'He sent Messengers to the nations of the past, and they were rejected. You, O Muhammad, have an example in your brothers among the Messengers, so do not be distressed by your people's rejection. As for the idolater's rejection of the Messengers, the reason for this is that the Shaytan made their deeds attractive to them.'

So he (Shaytan) is their Wali (helper) today,

' meaning they will be suffering punishment while Shaytan is their only helper, and he cannot save them, so they have no one to answer their calls for help, and theirs is a painful punishment.'[ (16): 63]

With this trick, Shaytan befools mankind into deceiving their own selves and making the prohibitions of Allah lawful for themselves. An interesting story is mentioned in the Qur'aan about the people of Sabbath among the Jews, whom Allah forbade to fish on Saturday (Sabbath) as a trial for them.

And ask them (O Muhammad) about the town that was by the sea, when they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath: when their fish came to them openly on the Sabbath day, and did not come to them on the day they had no Sabbath. Thus We made a trial of them for they used to rebel.'
[Soorah al-A'raf (7): 163]

So, 'They began using deceitful means to avoid honoring the Sabbath by placing nets, ropes and artificial pools of water for the purpose of fishing before the Sabbath (i.e., on Friday). When the fish came in abundance on Saturday as usual, they were caught in the ropes and nets for the rest of Saturday. During the night, the Jews collected the fish after the Sabbath ended. When they did that, Allah changed them from humans into monkeys, the animals having the form closest to humans. Their evil deeds and deceit appeared lawful on the surface, but they were in reality wicked. This is why their punishment was compatible with their crime. Imam Abu Abdullah bin Battah reported that Abu Hurayrah (radhi allahu anhu) said that the Messenger of Allah said, 'Do not commit what the Jews committed, breaching what Allah has forbidden, by resorting to the lowest types of deceit.' [See, Tafseer Ibn Katheer]

Imam Ibnul-Qayyim writes, 'From him (Shaytan), his followers learned the method of calling haraam things by names which people find attractive. So they called wine - the mother of joy, and they called intoxicants - morsels of delight, and they called Riba (usury) business dealing' (end quote from Wabil as-Sayyib). Similarly, today singing, dancing, acting, making statues are all called, 'art!' But with such devious behavior man can only fool himself and none can deceive Allah, the All-Wise.

Shaytan corrupts people's heart and souls through singing and music

Imam Ibnul-Qayyim (rahimahullah) writes in Igaathat al-Lahfaan (1/242), 'Among the plots and traps of the enemy of Allah, with which he seeks to trap those who posses little knowledge, reasoning and religious commitment and trap the ignorant is the listening to whistling and clapping of hands and singing accompanied by forbidden musical instruments, which closes people's hearts to the Qur'aan and makes them devoted to immorality and sin. This is the 'Qur'an' of the Shaytan, an impenetrable barrier which blocks them from the Most Merciful. This is the means that leads to sodomy and fornication, by means of which the Shaytan ensnares the hearts of those who follow falsehood and makes it appear attractive to them by way of deceit and trickery. He inspires them by means of specious arguments to regard it as something good, so they accept this idea and for the sake of argument to regard it as something good, so they accept this idea and for the sake of singing they forsake the Qur'aan.

Women Oppression ?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:06:00 +0000

A shaykh sits next to a capitalist on a flight...

The capitalist asks the shaykh: "What is your occupation?"
Shaykh: "I'm into big business."
Capitalist: "But what business exactly?"
Shaykh: "I deal with Allah (swt)."
Capitalist: "Ah so your a religious Muslim leader? I have one problem with you muslims, you oppress women."
Shaykh: "How do we oppress women?"
Capitalist: "You make women cover up completely and make them generally stay in their homes."
Shaykh: "Ah' I have a problem with you people, you oppress money."
Capitalist: "What?! How can one oppress money?"
Shaykh: "You keep your money hidden away, in banks and safes. You keep it covered up, why don't you display it in public if its a beautiful thing?"
Capitalist: "It will get stolen obviously."
Shaykh: "So you keep your money hidden because its valuable. We value the worth of women far, far more. Therefore these precious jewels are not on display to everyone.They are best kept in honour and dignity!!"

All The King's Men and All The King's Horses.....When Down fall Arrives..

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:03:00 +0000

All The King's Men and All The King's Horses.....When Down fall Arrives..

All of us know that Pharoah was drowned in water. But how many readers of Qur'an know that he was very fond of rivers and boasted about it? Note this Verse number 51 from Surah Zukhruf, Surah number 43 : And Pharoah proclaimed among his people saying " O my People! Does not the dominion of Egypt belong to me ? ( see ) these streams flowing underneath me ( my Palace) .. Am I not better than Moses ?

When an arrogant ruler keeps on displaying his arrogancy his downfall arrives from that very thing he boasted about. When down fall arrives it comes all of a sudden and it comes from Allah from any where.Let us go back and see the verse number 49 of Surah Bakarah : Remember ( O Children of Israel ) we rescued you from the people of Pharoah, they set you hard task and slaughtered your sons and let your women folk alive, In that was a tremenduos trial from your Lord.... And remember we Divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned Pharoah's people within your very sight

There are few important things to be noted in the above 2 verses
1. Arabic word "Najjaynakum".... Allah says I saved you from Pharoah....
Moral of the phrase : Help against atrocious governments should be sought from Allah.
2. "They set upon you hard task " The Bani Israel were made to do a lot of labour by the Pharoah and his court. This was the test number 1.
3. They slaughtered your sons...The arabic word is Uzabbihoon...cutting the throat like we do zabiha of animals..How many of us can tolerate the slaughter of our own sons before our eyes and that too as a regular affair for a long time ? Test number 2.
4. And let your women folk alive.....What else can be more humiliating than all the women folk of a race are taken up as slave girls and their boys killed? Test number 3.
5. We divided the sea for you and saved you and drowned the people of Pharoah within your very sight....This is also a test...Test number 4.The Bani Israels of today ( Zionist, Teleaviv, Israel) have forgotten this lesson. Just one minute back the Bani Israel were frightened and trying to cross over the sea to save their lives and an arrogant army intoxicated by power superiority chasing them, and the next minute when the last peson of Bani Israel climbed out of the sea.. the water got into its original state. Phaorah's entire army was defeated with being fought !

The very same water which Pharoah baosted about arrogantly to insult Moses a.s. became the weapon of his destruction. All the King's men and All the King's Horses could not put Humpty Dumpty together again

The last test mentioned above, continues. Now Allah is reminding the Bani Israels about His obligation upon them when they were subjugated. In today's context they are reminded because they are today's Pharoah and the helpless Palestians are today's victim. With no army to rescue them.. if Allah can save Bani Israel He can save Palisitinians and what He did it to Pharoah, He can do it to Israel. As Allah anounces in Qur'an.. walan tajida sunnatillahi tabdilaa.. And never will you see a change in the Method of Allah....

Author : Nisaar Nadiadwala

A Letter Worth Reading..

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 26 May 2012 12:40:00 +0000

A Letter Worth Reading..

A young reader got her marriage fixed. Her “to be” husband , is in the US. She came to know that although the boy is religious, he recently got a credit card, as he was told that credit card is not haram in US. The following letter is a case study that reflects the components of an Islamic argument. It has an emotional appeal with a firm stand, an intellectual appeal with a convincing reason and finally a Qur'anic reminder with a result..yes he dropped the plan of using a credit card....This is the note I will demand from all my readers to click 'like' because it is not written by me....

Assalamualiakum ................... ,

I looked into the matter regarding use of credit cards. Firstly,There is no difference of opinion regarding taking loans (ribaa based) and credit cards. They all say it’s haraam. It deals with riba. If it was some minor thing, I really wouldn’t care. But it is a major sin, and the punishment clearly states that it is war against Allah and His messenger. And another narration mentions- swimming in a pool of blood . Would the prophet (saw) just say this for nothing? And I can’t live my life thinking about the fact that we're living like that and heading towards a dreadful Akhira !

I dont want us to live displeasing Allah. If we disobey Him, we can never be confident of our duaas being answered. There will be some trial or the other in our life. There won’t be serenity. Things will either be complicated in life or calamities, some or the other issue will come up etc. We cannot look at others & say that nothing went wrong in their life, they did it. Cause people won’t share their personal crisis with others. Only they &Allah know about it.

Whereas if you strive to please Allah, you will never regret. He will get you out of every calamity. At the end of it, it is only the true believers who live a peaceful blissful life because of their obedience to Allah. Trust me on that. Nothing is more important than the pleasure of Allah. And if you want a beautiful life, without calamities, it is only through complete submission. Only then will things get facilitated for you.

There are people who don’t have homes, food, clothing...and here we're thinking of big homes and cars etc ...(this may sound cheesy & all but just think about it- Allah can take away these blessings anytime. Health, wealth, family, it’s all in His hands ) People did live without credit cards a few years back right? Allah has blessed us with so much already, just lets be content with whatever He provides in the halaal way. There are people who when they get into haraam, then Allah reminds them by testing them with their health, wealth, some or the other crisis.

And you want your Porsche na? I'll make duaa for that, a few years later, Inshallah and see how you will get it... Just trust Allah and live HALAAL. My duaas are enough , you dont need credit cards and loans for that. Nothing can be more powerful than duaas. That is when true tawakkul comes into action. And those who have that , Allah answers only their duaas.

I don’t even know how much I have typed. Just went with the flow and poured out what’s in my heart in favour of shariah and worried about our Hereafter . Atleast as of now, dont use your credit card please. I dont want you to use it. Neither for me, nor for yourself. We dont need it now. Hope you understand. I care for you, thats why Im saying all this to you.

I know its difficult in the US to live like that, but then Allah says that if you cannot practice your deen, then migrate- Allah's earth is spacious! That’s why concerned people leave US so that they dont jeopardize their duniya and aakhira. You wont realize it now when I am saying it, but then whats the point in realizing after the damage is done?

What’s the point if we have a home & cars based on loans involved in ribaa and no barakaah in our lives? Its a serious matter. Please dont take it lightly. Wont you just be happy if you have a wife, and good kids with food on your plate and a roof above your head? There are people who have big homes, cars etc. but no family, marital issues, no kids.. or some other prob. This is because they dont obey Allah, so Allah snatches the barakah from their lives. You get the point? Or then On the outside it may look all cool, but there’s no peace of mind on the inside! What’s the point then? And some Allah grants them leave here in the duniya and they will pay for it in the hereafter!

Finally dont forget , that Ribaa is worse than alcohol and adultery. Allah (swt) has declared WAR. And when Allah declares war, 'Peace & Happiness' are the first casualties.

Author : Nisaar Nadiadwala

things look like jesus ! Jesus Miracle ?????????

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:13:00 +0000

THE DEBAUCHERY OF WOMANHOOD

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:04:00 +0000

THE DEBAUCHERY OF WOMANHOOD

[warning : a half nacked girl pic is included in this article,if u have any alternate pic.pls share with me,i will change it.i copied from another blog]

On my wall, I have a picture of a Muslim woman shrouded in a burka.

Beside it is a picture of an American beauty contestant, wearing nothing but a bikini. One woman is totally hidden from the public; the other is totally exposed. These two extremes say a great deal about the clash of so-called "civilizations."

The role of woman is at the heart of any culture. Apart from stealing Arab oil, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are about stripping Muslims of their religion and culture, exchanging the burka for a bikini. Breaking up the family unit as they have so successfully managed to accomplish in Europe and North America is an important part of bringing the civilization under Communist rule in which the State is parent to the child.

I am not an expert on the condition of Muslim women and I love feminine beauty too much to advocate the burka here. But I am defending some of the values that the burka and modesty covering such as the hajib represent for me.

Does this woman exhibit the pride, elegance or confidence

shown by the other women in these photos?
As a friend just suggested, her pose is reminiscent
of that of a trained seal!

To me, these coverings represent a woman's consecration to her husband and family. Only they see her. It affirms the privacy, exclusivity and importance of the domestic sphere.

The Muslim woman's focus is her home, the "nest" where her children are born and reared. She is the "home" maker, the taproot that sustains the spiritual life of the family, nurturing and training her children, providing refuge and support to her husband.

In contrast, the almost naked Western beauty queen struts in front of millions on TV. A feminist, she belongs to herself. In practice, paradoxically, she is public property. She belongs to no one and everyone. She shops her body to the highest bidder. She is auctioning herself all of the time.

Modern Islamic wedding wear.

In America, the cultural measure of a woman's value is her sex appeal. (As this asset depreciates quickly, she is neurotically obsessed with appearance and plagued by weight problems.)

Doesn't Britney Spears have the loveliest eyes? Yes, this is she.

As an adolescent, her role model is Britney Spears, a singer whose act approximates a strip tease. From Britney, a child learns that she will be loved only if she gives sex. Thus, she learns to "hook up" furtively rather than to demand patient courtship, love and marriage. As a result, dozens of males know her before her husband does. She loses her innocence, which is a part of her charm. She becomes hardened and calculating.

The feminine personality is founded on the emotional relationship between mother and baby. It is based on nurturing and self-sacrifice. Masculine nature is founded on the relationship between hunter and prey. It is based on aggression and reason.

Feminism deceives women to believe femininity has resulted in "oppression" and they should adopt male behavior instead. The result: a confused and aggressive woman with a large chip on her shoulder, unfit to become a wife or mother.

This is the goal of the NWO social engineers: undermine sexual identity and destroy the family, create social and personal dysfunction, and reduce population. In the "brave new world," women are not supposed to be mothers and progenitors of the race. They are meant to be neutered, autonomous sex objects.

Liberating women is often given as an excuse for the war in Afghanistan. Liberating them to what? To be Britney Spears? To low-rise "see-my-thong" pants? To the mutual masturbation that passes for sexuality in America? If they really cared about women, maybe they'd end the war.

But then, any excuse for aggression to steal from indigenous people whatever they wish, in this case the products of the poppy and a vital oil pipeline to the ocean. We all know the liberation of women means nothing, or less than nothing, to these individuals.

Parenthood is the pinnacle of human development. It is the stage when we finally graduate from self-indulgence and become God's surrogates: creating and nurturing new life. The New World Order does not want us to reach this level of maturity. Pornography is the substitute for marriage. We are to remain single: stunted, sex-starved and self-obsessed.

Women will give birth and within a very short time the care and training of the child will be handed over to the state through nannies, daycares, etc. Over the years all parental tools have been weakened and with the dissolution of families, young couples are gullible to the wiles of state and medicine, their power stolen from them without them even aware of it so trained are they to accept the dictates of the medical profession.

We are not meant to have a permanent "private" life. We are meant to remain lonely and isolated, in a state of perpetual courtship, dependent on consumer products for our identity.

This is especially destructive for woman. Her sexual attraction is a function of her fertility. As fertility declines, so does her sex appeal. If a woman devotes her prime years to becoming "independent," she is not likely to find a permanent mate. However, that problem is being handled through the emasculation of the male through drugs and social manipulation and the politically correct protected promotion of alternative lifestyles.

Her long-term personal fulfillment and happiness lies in making marriage and family her first priority.

Feminism is another cruel New World Order hoax that has debauched American women and despoiled Western civilization. It has ruined millions of lives and represents a lethal threat to Islam.

I am not advocating the burka but rather some of the values that it represents, specifically a woman's consecration to her future husband and family, and the modesty and dignity this entails.

Among almost all Muslims today, there has been a huge change. Couples are couples and the polygamous faction has faded to a great degree. This, too, is a shame because it robs the poorer members of society, widows, etc of a place to live and leaves more of them in the dire position of poverty. The original reason for taking multiple wives was originally to accommodate the needs of such women.

Today in the more modern cities and areas of the Middle East, polygamy, while not a thing of the past, is no longer the norm. Also the cost of living has made it harder for a man to support more than one household since every wife is to be treated equally to the other in everything from time spent with each to the accommodations supplied.

The media portrays Muslim women wearing a hijab as weak, with scared eyes. Always with a black hijab, eyes pleading for help from the western readers. Never once have I've seen a picture in a Norwegian newspaper of a smiling Muslim woman wearing a colorful hijab.

Like the ones I do see every day. They are beautiful, some are simply stunning. I bought my own hijab last year because I think it looks so pretty. I have not worn it in public, but I've made numerous promises both online and in RL that I will wear the hijab, a burka or a niqab if a ban ever is to be implemented. And the police, politicians, feminists and racists would have a very hard time explaining why I, a liberated western woman wearing this garment of my own free will, was fined for being out in public. A very hard time indeed.

We in the west have a lot to learn about respect. And far too many of us need to learn that today integration has a meaning similar to assimilation.The women's liberation movement, the french revolution, the black power movement all led to the rights we in the west have today.

The burka and the bikini represent two extremes. The answer lies somewhere in the middle.

IA head covering on a Muslim is a political statement but it is not when on a Christian nun’s head. ~ Riem Spielhaus, Humbolt University

[copied from another blog]

Man Can Marry Four - Why Not Women Marry Four?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 19:01:00 +0000

Man Can Marry Four - Why Not Women Marry Four?

Islam gives man permission to marry four wives. Why can't a woman have four husbands?

Al Hamdulillah, was-Salat was-Salam ala Rasulillah. Allahu 'Alim.
(It is Allah who has All Knowledge).

Rights and Limits

First of all, it is important for us to keep in mind that Islam came to establish two very important fundamentals for human beings:
Rights and Limits.

Everyone and everything has certain rights given to it by the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Allah). At the same time, each creation has its own limitations established by Allah.

First Right - Allah has the right to be worshipped without making partners from what He has created. Direct worship to Him, alone.

Second Right - Prophet's right to be followed according to his teaching and commandments.

Third Right - Parents rights to be honored and cared for, with special emphasis on the mother first.

Fourth Right - Wives and Husbands have rights on each other.

Conditions 1,400 Years Ago

Now let us do some basic research here. We begin by looking into the condition of the women in various societies at the time 1,400 years ago when Allah revealed the Quran to Muhammad, Peace and blessings be upon him.

Pagan Arabs - Burying Girls Alive

During that time the pagan Arab men used to bury their newborn daughters alive in the sand, out of shame for having something so low and disgusting like a girl instead of a son. Women were treated horribly and with utter disgust.

Men could marry as many as they liked and very often they owned women like cattle or sheep. There were no laws to protect the women and they had no rights at all.

Christians - Arguing If Women Had Souls

Christians at that time were holding council meetings to determine whether or not a woman even had a soul. The church blamed "Eve" the mother of all humans after Adam (Peace and blessings be upon him) for the "original sin" and damned her and her seed for what she had done.

Priests - Best Men - Forbidden Marriage - To Any Women

Priests, bishops, cardinals and even the Pope are the very best of the Catholic men within the church. Yet the church still forbids their clergymen the chance for marriage and families. This unnatural situation has caused very serious ramifications throughout the society around the world.

Nuns - Best Women - No Marriage - No Children

Nuns are the very best of the Catholic women. They cover themselves in proper attire much the same way as the Muslim women. Yet, they are never allowed to marry or have children throughout their lives. This unnatural condition has caused untold number of disgraceful and disgusting practices within the very church itself.

If Only Bad People Have Children - What About Tomorrow?

We must ask the question, "If the very best of the men and the very best of the women are not allowed to marry or have children - does this mean only the worst of the people are the ones allowed to reproduce and populate the world?" - And where will that leave us tomorrow?

Jews - Blame Women and Curse Women

The Jews blamed women for the "original sin" and as such they were treated with disgust. A woman's monthly cycle was considered by the Old Testament of the Bible to be a "curse from God" for her inequities. Her child bearing pains were also a 'punishment from God' for her bringing man down from heaven.

Islam - No Blame On Women For Evil

Islam does not blame Eve for Adam's sin. Each of them accepted their own mistake and repented to Allah, and asked Allah to forgive them and Allah did forgive them.

Now before going any further, please read Surah An Nisa (chapter 4 in the Quran) - all the way through, in order to better understand what is actually being said about women, men and marriage.

Read Quran

Now let us think about the verses. Do you believe that Allah Knows what He created and He has revealed the perfect 'Deen'? Do you know the condition of the people at the time the order came to restrict the number of wives? (Restricted to be only four)

Now read the verse about having more than one wife, very carefully. [Noble Quran 4:3]

What does it say? And what do you understand from it?

Now read the ayah (verse) that forbids men to marry women who are already married. [Noble Quran 4:24].

Now read from An Nisa (Chapter 4) about the role of men and women. [Noble Quran 4:34]

Man Supports And Protects Women

Do you understand that one must take on the role of supporter, protector, provider, custodian and servant to the family (man's role)?

Woman Gives Birth - Raises Children

One must take on the role of carrying the child and delivering it and then feeding it and raising it to become a true servant of Allah (woman's role).

Not Equal - But Treated Fairly In Justice

Men and women are not the same nor are they "equal" as some folks would have us believe. Whatever is on one side of an 'equals' sign must be exactly the same as what is on the other side without any difference in value, only in the way that it is expressed. How then could we say that a man, who is unable to conceive or give birth and then breast feed a baby is the equal to a woman who can?

Equal In Faith And Actions

They are equal in their beliefs and good deeds of course. But still they are not the same as each other. Each one must fulfill their role as humans.

Children's Rights Protected

Islam is also very much about rights. Children also have rights in Islam. When a man dies his wealth is left to his family. How could the court know who to give the wealth of a man, if he was one of several husbands to a woman? How would a child know who his father was? No society ever supported the concept of a woman being married to two or more men at the same time.

Women's Right - Best Treatment

Almost every society supported the concept of a man having more than one woman. Yet, they did not limit the number nor did they provide the protection and maintenance that Islam insists on for each one. Islam came to set things straight. Women were given rights. Men were strictly ordered to treat their women with the very best of treatment.

Limit - Number in Marriage

When the verse was revealed the companions of Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) did not run out with the attitude that they were going to get four wives all of a sudden. Some of them already had much more than that and these men had to divorce their wives, if they had more than four. So this was not an order to go out and get four wives. It was an order to begin limitations. And the first limitation was; No more than four.

Limit - Equal Maintenance and Treatment

Second, the limitation of equal treatment for all of them. How could a man keep more than one wife unless he was exceedingly wealthy and/or exceedingly strong and virile?

Next, the limitation very clearly states; ".. but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them) then only one ..."

Muslims Today - Most Monogamous

Step by step, the men of Islam have come to be known today as the most monogamous of all men on earth (we only have one wife). Check for yourself and see. In the majority of all the Muslim homes on earth, a man gets married once, to one woman and then he stays married to her until the death of either himself or his wife.

Woman's Right To Choose Any Husband She Likes - Even If He Is Already Married

One very important point that is often overlooked by modern society is the right that Islam gave to the women that it does not give to the man. A man is limited to marry only from the woman who is not already married. Obviously, this provides rights for the children and provides for them from inheritance from the father. But Islam also permits the women to marry a man who is already married to protect her in a society where the number of women outnumbers the population of men. Additionally, the woman has a large selection of men to choose from. In fact, she has the right to choose from any man in the community as long as he does not already have four wives. She also has the opportunity to see how the other wife was being treated and go into a marriage knowing exactly what to expect from her husband. After all, he must treat her in the same way as he is treating the other wife.

Women Need Husbands - Allah Provided the Answer

The prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) predicted that in the Last Days the women would outnumber the men to a great extent. Today we are seeing this become a reality all over the world. Allah has already provided for us for this occasion. After all, He is the One who makes it all happen and He already knew that many women would come into Islam in these days. He also knew many of the Muslim men would be killed or die at an early age, just as it is happening these days. These women all need husbands. Allah has given us the solution to all of life's problems.

Women's Right to Vote - 1,400 Years Ago

We might add that Islam also gave the women full status as citizens over 1,400 years ago by giving her to right to speak and vote the same as anyone else. American women had to take their cause to the streets with "Women's Suffrage" and were not granted the right to vote until just ninety years ago.

Women Keep Their Identity - And Their Names

Additionally, Islam protected women's rights to keep their identity and they were not considered property of some man. As such, they were no longer forced to change their last names to be that of their husbands. This is still the practice of Muslim women today just as it was fourteen hundred years ago.

Women Keep Their Property And Earnings - Men Must Share

Yet, at the same time the western society is so concerned about the way Islam demands that a couple be married, the man actually must work instead of the woman; the woman owns her own property without giving anything for the support of the house or the child; a child has the right to his or her own mother raising them instead of a baby sitter or day care; father must support his children; divorce is hated; and marriage is sanctified.

West Can't Tolerate Man And Woman - In Marriage

It is strange isn't it, a society like America, has no problem accepting sex without marriage; homosexuality; same sex marriages; sex without responsibility; children without fathers; and divorces are more common place than the measles or chicken pox. Yet, there is no tolerance for marriage between a man and a woman if it is not on their terms.

What Needs to Be Re-evaluated?

Compare the two for yourself and see which one needs correction.

Jazakum Allahu Khayran was Salam Alaykum,

Sheikh Yusuf Estes

One Husband - 4 Wives?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:59:00 +0000

One Husband - 4 Wives?

How can you justify that a man can have four wives in Islam?

If you want to criticize us because we can have four wives, how many girlfriends can you have legally in the state of California? As many as you can fit in your car or your van I guess. There is no limit, you can go rent a bus.

But we have limits, we can not have more than one unless we treat them with the same equality.

When the order came, it came to people that had many wives, who had to divorce their wives because they couldn't treat them with equality and some of them had more than four. So it didn't come out as good news to them, it came as bad news, because they had to divorce wives.

And today, Muslims are the most monogamous of all people on the earth. And we don't practice polygamy. It is called polygyny, because a woman is not marrying 4 husbands or 5 husbands or 10 husbands. Why? Because Islam has rights and limitations.

When there's a baby born, a man has to be responsible to care for that baby financially, not the woman, the man is responsible for that baby, that’s his child and he is financially responsible for that child, yes or not? and when he dies, the inheritance goes for that child and how can it go to the child if the child doesn't know who his father is? If a woman has more than one husband, how does the child know which one is the father?

But watch this, there is another point, I want you to think about this: A man is limited because, in Islam, he can not marry a woman who is already married. So if you have a community of 100 women, 99 are married, you only got one to choose from, but a woman can be in a community with 100 men and all of them could be married and she could still choose from all of these men except those that already have 4 wives, and she has the advantage of knowing how he treats the other wives and she is assured by the Quran that she will receive the same good treatment

So the benefit is for the lady, not for the man, because every time a man takes a wife he takes on obligation, responsibility and he is ordered in the Quran, chapter 4, verse 34, that the men are the protectors, and providers, and maintainers of the women. Men have that responsibility but women don’t have to pay a dime from their money to support the household. If she is a millionaire and he is the garbage man, he still has to spend all from his to take care of her.

By the way, my wife makes more money than I do in real life. She has a baking thing she does at the house; and she makes cookies and things like this and at the end of every week she has more money than me, so I remind her, even though you don’t have to, Allah gives big, big, Ajr for giving Sadaqah to the poor. She racks up a lot of Ajr around our place, I tell you, Alhamdulillah.

So this is something important and many women, when they realize the high position they hold in Islam, they like it because they are treated like a queen. If somebody is going to treat you like a king, don't you like? So that's the next part of the verse, because of this, the woman is devoutly obedient to Allah, and certainly to her husband as well because look! “This man is really sacrificing for me. If I need anything for my health, for shelter, for clothing, for food or drink, education for my children, this man has to take care of all of it.” And even if she has a career, she can keep her money. This is why it is not important for a woman to go out and make any money anyway because she can keep it. When she inherits, all of it stays with her. This is why that when there is inheritance, the boy takes a bigger share than the girl because the boy turns around and spends it on the women, whereas she keeps hers. So there's something in Islam not called equality, it's called equity. Equality means everything is equal, well it's not equal.

In reality it's not equal. Does a man have a baby? I don’t think so, but a woman does. So the equity is that the man goes out and does the things that a woman is not able to do, especially at that time. And every month the woman has the time of the month, when things are harder for her and uncomfortable for her, and the man has the responsibility to care for her and it is not an option, it's an obligation.

72 Virgins in Heaven?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:58:00 +0000

72 Virgins in Heaven?

What does Islam say about virgin women in heaven waiting for the men? Do the women have anything as such in paradise?

This is a Hadith of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him). Actually it’s in Quran talking about this. In paradise there are many things that you cannot describe, you can’t understand. Allah mentioned in Quran many things about the Paradise, it doesn’t compare with this, and those women there don’t compare with women here. Women there, Allah tells you about them, do not have monthly cycles, they do not eliminate (they do not go to the bathroom). This is not in Paradise, so they are not compared. So, get this mentality straight, get your head straight - don’t compare that to this it’s much better.

The food there is not like the food here, the digestive system there is not like the one here. What you have there is very real and it never breaks, doesn’t go bad, you don’t go to the doctor.

And by the way, men you are going to love this. In the Jannah, two things: there’s no “honey do” list (some of the ladies laughing; they know what I’m talking about). You know what that is? When you get home “Honey would you do this and do that?” that’s “honey do.” So, there’s no “honey do” list and there’s no tool box because you don’t have to fix anything, everything is perfect. So, don’t confuse virgin girls in the paradise with the dancing girls here in a bar somewhere. This is totally different, this is not prostitution.

Please! Stop reading these goofy books. It’s totally different, you don’t understand it, but Allah gives it to you.

The women have something even better. Their husband becomes the guy that they wanted him to be here. Can you imagine that?

Sheikh Yusuf Estes

Seven Habits of Highly Successful Muslim Youth

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 15:01:00 +0000

Seven Habits of Highly Successful Muslim Youth

By Altaf Husain - Social Worker — USA

You cannot escape it. The discussion about habits is all around you: Mom and Dad are constantly telling you to break your bad habits; your teachers are telling you to develop good habits; your friends are pressuring you to adopt their habits; and the television and media are influencing you to explore new and supposedly cool habits. "You will never be successful," the constant refrain goes, "unless you drop your bad habits and develop some good habits." In the end, it's all up to you. You have to decide what your habits are going to be. Have you given this matter some thought?

If you are alive and breathing, you should constantly be engaged in an inner struggle to develop habits which draw you closer to Allah Most High. Success in this world is directly related to the strength of your relationship with Allah. The farther one is from Allah and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the less likely one is to achieve success in this world and, for sure, even less likely to achieve success in the hereafter. Is it not time for us to reflect upon Islamic teachings to discern the necessary habits of highly successful Muslim youth?

Here are at least seven habits indispensable for highly successful Muslim youth, derived entirely from the Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Be Truthful

Being truthful is not always easy, especially when we make a mistake. We fret over whether or not to disclose exactly what happened. We sweat, we are afraid, we feel nervous and anxious. We are often afraid that if we tell the truth about what we have done or said, we will be in trouble with our parents or friends. What we forget is that whether we tell the truth or not, Allah Most High knows exactly what took place, even those things that were never manifest or visible to people around us. Despite how burdensome telling the truth might seem, all of us are aware of the feeling of relief we experience when we tell the truth, even if the consequence of telling the truth is punishment. Casting the telling of truth and the fate of the truthful in terms of profit and loss, Allah Most High tells us in the Qur'an

[This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth: theirs are gardens, with rivers flowing beneath — their eternal Home: Allah well-pleased with them, and they with Allah. That is the great salvation, (the fulfillment of all desires).] (Al-Ma'idah 5:119)

So much is to be gained from being truthful as opposed to escaping punishment or blame because of not being truthful. Not being truthful, in fact, leads us down a slippery slope, guaranteeing that with one lie, more lies must be told. Being truthful is not an option for Muslims, but rather an obligation, because our goal in being truthful is Paradise. The beloved of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), said, as narrated by `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him),

Truthfulness leads to righteousness, and righteousness leads to Paradise. And a man keeps on telling the truth until he becomes a truthful person. Falsehood leads to al-fujur [wickedness, evil-doing], and al-fujur leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is witten before Allah, a liar." (Sahih Bukhari, Book #73, Hadith #116)

Ultimate success is therefore achieved by living one's entire life — the youthful years, the adult years, and the elderly years — being truthful.

Be Trustworthy

Who do you rely on? Of course, Allah. He is indeed the Most Trustworthy. But among humans, who do you rely on? Who can you trust to come through for you all the time? Do people rely on you? Are you considered trustworthy?Moving ahead in life, achieving ultimate success, requires that people consider you trustworthy and reliable. Being trustworthy should not be an arbitrary activity but rather a habit so that you can be relied upon in all instances, big or small, convenient or inconvenient, easy or difficult.

In colloquial terms, we often hear "I've got your back," implying, in the most literal sense, that people cannot see what is behind them so they need to rely on their friends to cover that angle, just in case a threat occurs from the back. Just imagine what it would be like if a friend were climbing a tree and was heading out onto a very thin branch to get a kite that got stuck there. She asks you if you "have her back." In this instance, she is relying on you entirely to hold on to her in case the branch breaks. There is no room for joking around or for being distracted: your friend is trusting you with her life.

When we say Allah is the Most Trustworthy, we are coming to terms with the fact that Allah Most High will never let us down, will never leave our side. He, Most High, says about someone who willingly accepts Islam,

[Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah Heareth and Knoweth all things.] (Al-Baqarah 2:256)

Indeed, the prophets of Allah were all trustworthy people and Allah attested to the trustworthiness of those who were doubted by their communities. Prophet Hud, appealing to his community, declared to them,

[I but fulfill towards you the duties of my Lord's mission: I am to you a sincere and trustworthy adviser.] (Al-A`raf 7:68)

Practice daily developing the habit of being trustworthy. Accept responsibility and then fulfill it. When others trust you, do not betray their trust.

You can read in the beautiful biography of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) how people used to entrust him with their valuables, knowing that upon their return they would find their valuables safe and unharmed. His personal and business practices were commendable to the degree that he was known for it in his community, even before he became aware that he was the Prophet of Allah, literally one who is most truthful and trustworthy.

Have Self-Restraint and Be God-Conscious

Perhaps the most difficult challenge while navigating adolescence is to restrain oneself from falling victim to one's desires — especially one's lower desires.

Our success in life depends to a great extent on how well we are able to restrain ourselves and to be moderate in what is permissible, as well as how capable we are of distancing ourselves from what is impermissible.

Why is self-restraint so critical? Satan's goal is to make you a slave of your desires to the extent that you eat until you are actually uncomfortable; that you consume without restraint beverages made of caffeine, sugar, and artificial flavors; that you find yourself longing for sleep more than prayer; and that you yearn to satisfy your sexual desires. Developing self-restraint as a habit entails making self-restraint your second nature — something which is done almost without thought, without too much effort. We are reminded by Allah Most High,

[And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint, — none but persons of the greatest good fortune.] (Fussilat 41:5)

In seeking to be highly successful Muslim youth, that is, youth deserving of the greatest fortune, it is imperative that you develop self-restraint.

An interesting parallel is that, throughout his Qur'an translation, the late Abdullah Yusuf Ali translates taqwa as self-restraint. While taqwa is most commonly translated as "God-consciousness," one realizes without much effort that the height of self-restraint is full and complete understanding that one is indeed conscious of one's duty to one's Lord. How awesome will it be if you can look back at your life and say to yourself, all praise is due to Allah that I did not succumb to my lower desires and instead exercised self-restraint consistently!

Be Thorough

Look around your room. How many unfinished projects do you have? When you work on homework, are you likely to rush through the assignment just so you can be done with it or are you more likely to take your time, to check your work, and most importantly, to be thorough?

Often teachers will grade a report based on how well and to what extent the student covered the topic at hand. Being thorough is not a habit that is developed overnight. The opposite of being thorough is being incomplete, being rushed, and working in haste without any regard for accuracy or quality. The most perfect is Allah Most High, Who perfected creation, Who perfected our religion, and Who guided His Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to be the most perfect among humans in behavior and in character.

We read in the Muwatta of Imam Malik "Yahya related to me from Malik that he had heard that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'I was sent to perfect good character'" (Book #47, Hadith #47.1.8).

To be thorough stems from a desire to be perfect to the extent that this is humanly possible. Seeking perfection in our actions and speech from an early age helps us to develop a keen eye, not only for thoroughness in our own life, but also for thoroughness in the lives of those around us. Being thorough in prayer, for example, teaches us to be patient and to concentrate upon the words we are reciting and the different positions of the prayer.

Be Focused

One thousand ideas go through your head the moment you stand up for prayer. Is that you? Really? What do you make of those ideas? Do you process them? What about when you are sitting in class? Do you find your mind wandering, daydreaming, and unable to focus on the lecture at hand? Are you likely to use any excuse whatsoever to leave what you are doing?

Developing the habit of being focused ensures that you are awake, alert, and totally motivated to work on and complete the task at hand, whatever it may be. Being distracted early on in childhood by video games, fast-paced imagery, and constantly changing scenes on television shows contributes to an inability to concentrate, to focus. Among the best ways to develop focus is to practice praying with deep concentration to the extent that you are almost unaware of your surroundings. Allah Most High tells us in the Qur'an that the believers are

[those who humble themselves in their prayers] (Al-Mu'minun 23:2)

The humility referred to here results from total focus and concentration on the fact that one is in the presence of Allah, standing before Him, Most High. Do your best to develop focus, no matter what activity you are engaged in — whether in prayer, in academics, in athletics, or some other pastime.

Be Punctual

Stop saying over and over again that you are late because of "Muslim standard time," or the "standard time" of your particular ethnicity. The last thing we should attribute to Islam is the notion that its teachings somehow make us late, slow, slugging, and anything but punctual. What a sad state of affairs, indeed, that we attribute our own weaknesses to our religion or ethnicity!

Highly successful individuals, be they Muslim or not, understand and appreciate the value of not only their time but the time of everyone else with whom they interact. Keeping people waiting for hours on end is neither something to be proud of nor a habit that has a place in the mindset of a person who tries to be successful.

One of the central pillars of Islam is prayer, and Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) have given us clear reminders that we are to establish prayers at their due times.

When `Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) asked "which deed is the dearest to Allah?" the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) replied, "To offer the prayers at their early stated fixed times" (Sahih Bukhari, Book #10, Hadith #505).

If indeed your day is to be considered successful, you must have prayed all the obligatory prayers at their established times and as many voluntary prayers as possible. If your day is planned around the times of prayer, you should not pray exactly at the time when you are to pray but then come late to all other appointments. Being punctual is a habit which, when perfected, demonstrates to others the tremendous value that Islam places on time — not only ours but that of everyone else with whom we interact.

Be Consistent

Apart from all the habits listed above, perhaps the one that is sure to help you become a highly successful Muslim youth is that of being consistent. One cannot be truthful one day and a liar the next; one cannot be trustworthy in one instance and totally unreliable in the next; and so on for each of the other habits. A Muslim understands from an early age that it is easier to do something once or whenever we feel like it but much harder to do something regularly and consistently.

Indeed, the Mother of the Believers `A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that "the most beloved action to Allah's Apostle was that which is done continuously and regularly" (Sahih Bukhari, Book #76, Hadith #469).

Regular and consist actions show that a person has thought about it, has intended to do it, has planned to do it, and therefore does it.

We urge you to be as consistent as possible, especially in those areas of your life which need constant improvement, such as your prayers, your fasting, your manners, your studying habits, etc. Do not say, I am going to pray all day every day, or fast voluntarily all of the days of every month, or study all night every night, because such actions cannot be humanly sustained over a long period of time. Say on the other hand, I am going to be sure to read at least one part of the Qur'an every day, or I will strive to help my parents with at least one household chore every day, or I will try to study at least one new item every week so that I can be ahead of the lesson plan.

Conclusion

Finally, Muslims aspire to develop all of these habits because, in doing so, we draw nearer to Allah Most High. If you are intent on being a highly successful Muslim youth, then you owe it to yourself to reflect upon your own life and see how many of these habits are already a part of who you are and how many you need to further develop or acquire.

We end with a reminder that developing these habits will help you to emulate the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). His message and his life are summarized well in a narration of `Abdullah ibn `Abbas:

Abu Sufyan told me that Heraclius said to him, "When I enquired of you what he (Muhammad) ordered you, you replied that he ordered you to establish the prayer, to speak the truth, to be chaste, to keep promises, and to pay back trusts." Then Heraclius added, "These are really the qualities of a prophet." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book #48, Hadith #846)

Strive to develop the seven habits listed above and many others from the Islamic teachings so that you will be among the highly successful Muslim youth.

10 Steps to Draw Closer to Allah

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:56:00 +0000

10 Steps to Draw Closer to Allah

It should be the desire of every Muslim to draw nearer and closer to Almighty Allah the most compassionate and the most merciful. By drawing closer and near to Allah we gain his help in every aspect of our lives in this world and to be merciful to us so that we may gain mercy in the hereafter in order to enter Jannah in the next world.

When we call upon him he would answer our calls and when we ask of him for anything he would give it to us and when we draw nearer to him then our sincerity and intentions will enable us to become closer to him.

So we should strive to draw nearer to Allah, the Glorified the Exalted, who is the majesty of honour and generosity and the giver of peace, the most high and the most honoured.

So what can we do to draw closer to him? The following are 10 steps for us to draw closer to our Almighty Allah:

1. Fulfilling obligatory duties and abstaining from prohibited matters

The Prophet (May Allah bless him and grant him peace) has guided us. And Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted, has guided us how to draw near to Him. As He said According to Hadith Qudsi:

“Whoever draws near to Me among those drawn near by fulfilling what I have made obligatory on them….

You do not draw near to Allah except by fulfilling the obligatory duties which Allah has made obligatory on you; (that is) the obligatory duties from the obligatory duties (Faraid) such as Prayers, and Zakat (obligatory charity), and Hajj, and Fasting and being good to Parents and all these obligatory duties on you draw you near to Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted. And the faraid (obligatory duties) are the first things that draw you near to Allah. You do not reach the door of nearness nor do you reach to the presence of nearness except by fulfilling the obligatory duties. This is the first thing that draws you near to Allah, the Glorified and the Exalted, and you are in His Presence.

So the first thing we need to do is fulfil ALL of our obligatory duties and abstain from that which Allah and his messenger have forbidden us from.

2. Nawafil prayers (superogatory prayers)

Allah says in Hadith Qudsi:

….and My slave keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary deeds) until I love him, so I become his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My Protection, I will protect him..." [Bukhari]

A Source of Elevation for you

The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Ask (anything)." Rabi'ah said: "I ask of you to be your companion in paradise." The Prophet said: “Anything else?" Rabi'ah said: "That is it." The Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam) said to him: "Then help me by making many prostrations (i.e., supererogatory prayers)." [Muslim]

Tahajjud

Allah Most High said, “Establish worship at the going down of the sun until the dark of the night, and (the recital of) the Qur’an at dawn. Lo! (the recital of) the Qur’an at dawn is ever witnessed. And some part of the night awake for its recital, as voluntary worship for you. It may be that your Lord will raise you to a praised estate.” [Qur’an, 17: 78-79]

Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, “The best prayer after the obligatory prayers is the night prayer.” [Muslim]

Abu Umama al-Bahili (Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him, his family, and companions) said, “Hold fast to night prayer, for it was the way of the righteous before you, a way of drawing closer to your Lord, an expiation for wrong deeds, and a shield from sin.” [Tirmidhi, and others] In some narrations, there is an addition, “And it repels sickness from the body.”

And because night vigil time is the best of times for voluntary worship and prayer, and the closest a servant is to his Lord.

So let us make the habit of reading as many Nawafil prayers as we can for more prayers means more prostrations and one is truly the closest to Allah in prostration.

….bow down in prostration and bring yourself the closer (to Allah)." (96:19)

3. Zikr (remembrance of Allah) and glorification of Allah

"…Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest." (13:28)

Remembrance of Allah indeed is the greatest virtue.(29:46).

O ye who believe, remember Allah much. And glorify Him morning and evening (33:42-43)

Remembrance of Allah is the foundation of all good deeds. Whoever succeeds in it is blessed with the close friendship of Allah. That is why the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to make remembrance of Allah at all times. When a man complained, "The laws of Islam are too heavy for me, so tell me something that I can easily follow," the Prophet told him, "Let your tongue be always busy with the remembrance of Allah." [Ahmad].

Remembrance of Allah the best of deeds

The Prophet, peace be upon him, would often tell his Companions, "Shall I tell you about the best of deeds, the most pure in the sight of your Lord, about the one that is of the highest order and is far better for you than spending gold and silver, even better for you than meeting your enemies in the battlefield where you strike at their necks and they at yours?" The Companions replied, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Remembrance of Allah." (Tirmidhi,Ahmad)

Abu Musa Al-Ash`ari (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "The similitude of one who remembers his Rubb and one who does not remember Him, is like that of the living and the dead.'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Zikr can be done anywhere and anytime

A person may ask, ‘How can we do Zikr all the time whilst we have so many things to do in life such as we go to work, feed the family, pay bills, etc.? Well, the answer to this is that, firstly, it is the Sunnah of Allah's Messenger to work and feed the family which is rewarded by Allah and, secondly, that when a person is working or at school or wherever a person may be this does not mean that he should stop remembering Allah while he is working, while he is serving his customers or while he is programming his computer.

In fact the heart of the believer should be attached to Allah's remembrance throughout his day to day activities such that he protects himself from falling in love with the materials and temptations of this world and that his love for Allah and his Messenger becomes stronger and stronger as time goes by. When a person begins to remember Allah all the time it is then that he becomes conscious of his actions.

Remember: in a place where people are oblivious to dhikir, remembrance of Allah is like being steadfast in jihad, when others are running away. (Targhib, p. 193, vol. 3 ref. Bazar and Tibrani)

"... And the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues. Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e., Jannah).'' (33:35)

4. Calling upon Allah in Dua (supplication)

Allah the most compassionate says in the Holy Quran, "Call on Me. I will answer your prayer, but those who are too arrogant to serve me will surely find themselves humiliated in Hell" (40:60).

Allah the Exalted, has said: "And your Lord says: Pray unto me: and I will hear your prayer" (Quran 40:60),

"Call upon your Lord Humbly and in secret" (Quran 7:55),

"When My servants question thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me" (Quran 2:186),

"Is not He (best) who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and who relieves its suffering." (Quran 27:62)

Dua’s are never wasted

Aisha radhiallaahu anha said, "No believer makes Dua and it is wasted. Either it is granted here in this world or deposited for him in the Hereafter as long as he does not get frustrated."

Allah’s anger at those who don’t make dua

In fact, it is even wrong to never make Dua, "Whosoever does not supplicate to Allah, He will be angry with Him." [Saheeh Jaami`as-Sagheer #2414]

Dua is a weapon for the believers

Rasullullah is reported to have said, “Dua is the weapon of a Muslim”.

Dua for ones brother in his absence

"The supplication that gets the quickest answer is the one made by one Muslim for another in his absence." [Abu Daw'ud and Tirmidhi]

So let us build a close relationship with Allah by making much dua to him. He loves it when his slave calls upon him and it angers him if his slave does not call upn him.

Let us have full hope that our dua’s will be accepted and if you think they won’t they know Allah is keeping the rewards for you in the hereafter and those rewards are so great that one would wish that none of there duas were excepted in this world just so that one can gain all the rewards for their duas in the next world.

5. Building a close relationship with the Qur’an

Recite the Holy Qur’aan as much as we can for It will come as an intercessor for its reciter’ on the Day of Judgement [Muslim]
Learn the Qur’an and recite it, because the example of one who learns the Qur’an, reads it and recites it in Tahajjud is like an open bag full of musk whose fragrance permeates the entire place. And the person who has learnt the Qur’an but sleeps while the Qur’an is in the heart is like a bag full of musk but with its mouth closed.

Virtues of reciting the Qur’an

“Whoever reads a letter from the Book of Allah will receive a hasanah (good deed) from it (i.e. his recitation), and the hasanah is multiplied by ten. I do not say that Alif-Laam-Meem is (considered as) a letter, rather Alif is a letter, Laam is a letter, and Meem is a letter.” [At-Tirmidhi, Ad-Darimi]

“There is no envy (acceptable) except in two (cases): a person whom Allah has given the Qur’an and recites it throughout the night and throughout the day. And a person whom Allah has given wealth, that he gives out throughout the night and throghout the day.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

It was narrated that Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said: Whoever reads Tabarakallahi Biyadihil Mulk [i.e. Surah al-Mulk] 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 surah which, whoever recites it every night has done very well. (an-Nasa’i)

Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas and Anas Ibn Malik (Ra) reported that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, ‘Whoever recited Surah Zilzilah (99) would get the reward of reciting half the Qur’an. Whoever recited Surah al Kaafirun (109) would get a reward as if reading a quarter of the Qur’an. Whoever recited Surah al Ikhlas (112) would get a reward as if reading one third of the Qur’an’. (At-Tirmidhi 2818/A)

Reading, understanding and implementing the Qur’an in our daily lives

The virtues of reciting the Qur’an are too numerous to list. In order to get closer to Allah we need to recite the Qur’an, understand it and implement it in our daily lives.

We should make a target of reading at least a chapter a day. If one can’t manage that then at least half a chapter. If one still can’t manage that then recite at least quarter of a chapter or even a page a day. However much we can manage we should try to recite each day with its meanings and implement what we learn into our daily lives.

Reading a little each day is better than reciting a lot once in a while. We should build a close relationship with the Qur’an which is in fact building a close relationship with Allah!

“Verily Allah raises nations by this book (the Qur’an) and puts down (i.e. destroys) others by it.” [Muslim]

6. Keeping good company

One of the most important things we must do, which sadly many people neglect, is that we should avoid bad company. People we should avoid taking as friends those who speak too freely, who miss Salah, who do not dress modestly, who backbite, slander etc.

The company of such people is poison; just even sitting and talking with them will lead one to commit sins. Just as a person who sits for a long time with a perfume seller begins to smell nice, and a person who sits by a gutter cleaner begins to smell awful, similarly a person who spends time in the company of the wicked eventually gets affected badly by them.

Rather, we should seek out pious friends who fear Allah taala and who have the qualities of humility, charity, compassion, modesty and knowledge. If we sit with them we will always benefit and they will be a means for us to get closer to Allah taala!

The Prophet (saws) said, “The case of the good companion and the bad companion is like that of the seller of musk and the blower of the bellows (iron-smith). As for the seller of musk, he will either give you some of the musk, or you will purchase some from him, or at least you will come away having experienced its good smell. Whereas the blower of the bellows will either burn your clothing, or at least you will come away having experienced its repugnant smell.” [Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim]

Remember: “All friends will be enemies of one another on that Day (Day of Judgment) except those of the virtuous.” (al-Qur’an 43:67)

7. Having fear and hope in Allah

Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people. (Surah Yusuf 12:87)

One must be hopeful of Allahs mercy and forgiveness and fearful of His punishment. It is this fear that should lead one to seek Allahs forgiveness with hope. Allah says:

Know that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. (Surat al-Maaidah 5:98)

In the above verse, Allah gives us reason to fear because His punishment is justly severe, as well as good reason to have hope, since He is the Most Forgiving and Merciful. There should be a balance between fear and hope and not too much or too less of one or the other.

We should always remain between fear and hope. For, the right and the approved kind of fear is that which acts as a barrier between the slave and the things forbidden by Allah. But, if fear is excessive, then the possibility is that the man will fall into despair and pessimism.

On the other hand the approved state of optimism is of a man who does good in the light of the Shari'ah and is hopeful of being rewarded for it. Or, conversely, if a man committed a sin, he repents sincerely, and is hopeful of being forgiven. Allah (swt) said:

"Verily, those who believed, and those who migrated and fought in the way of Allah, it is they who are hopeful of Allah's mercy. And Allah is very Forgiving, very Merciful." (Al-Baqarah, 218)

In contrast, if a man indulges in sins and excesses, but is hopeful that he would be forgiven without doing anything good, then, this is self-deception, mere illusion and false hope. Abu 'All Rowzbari has said, "Fear and hope are like the two wings of a bird. If they are well balanced, the flight will be well balanced. But, If one is stunted, the Right would also be stunted. And, to be sure, if the two are lost, the bird will soon be in the throes of death." Allah has praised the people of hope and fear in the following verse:

'Is one who worships devotedly during the night, prostrating himself or standing, fearing the Hereafter, and hoping for the mercy of his Lord (is equal to him who doesn't do these things)?' (Al Zumar, 9)

Hope then also demands fear. If that was not the case, one would be in a state of false security. Conversely, fear demands hope. Without that it would be despair.

Fear and hope, both should be equally proportioned in our hearts, in our worship, and in our dua to Allah. Allah says:

Call out to Him with fear and hope. (Surat al-Araaf 7:56)
They forsake their beds to call their Lord in fear and hope. (Surat as-Sajdah 32:16)

8. Voluntary fasting for the pleasure of Allah

Fasting in general and voluntary fasting in particular is a great worship. Fasting is not restricted to Ramadhan, but it is an act of worship that can be [and should be in some cases] performed at any time and at any place except when not recommended. Indeed, it is a worship that draws the believer closer to Allah and closer to perfection.

Fasting Mondays and Thursdays:

`Aa'ishah said: The Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa salam, used to fast Mondays and Thursdays". [An-Nasaa’i; Sahih]

Abu Hurairah reported that the most the Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa salam, would fast would be Monday and Thursday. He was asked about that and he said: "The deeds of people are presented to Allah on every Monday and Thursday. Allah forgives every Muslim except for those who are deserting each other. He says: "leave them for later." [Ahmad; Hasan]

Intention for voluntary fasting

As opposed to Ramadan, the intention does not have to be made before dawn. The person can intend fasting [and start fasting] after dawn any time [even after noon] given that he did not eat anything. `Aa'ishah said : The Prophet, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, came to us one day and said, "Do you have any [food]?" We said "No". He said: Therefore, I am Fasting". [Muslim and Abu Dawood]

Fasting three days of every month(White days):

Abu Tharr Al-Ghefari said: "The Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alaihi wa sallam, said "O Abu Tharr! if you fast three days of every month, then fast the 13th, the 14th and the 15th [these are call the al-ayaam al-beedh, the white days]". [Ahmad, an-Nasaa'i and at-Tirmithi; Sahih]

“Fasting and the Qur’an will intercede for the slave on the Day of Resurrection. Fasting will say: ‘O My Rabb! I prevented him from food and desires, so accept my intercession for him.’ And the Qur’an will say: ‘I prevented him from sleep during the night, so accept my intercession for him.’ He (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) said: ‘And they will (be allowed to) intercede.’” [Ahmad, at-Tabarani, Al-Hakim, Sahih]

So let us get closer to Allah by fasting Mondays and Thursdays or at least 3 days every month on the 14th,15th and 16th. If we leave something for the pleasure of Allah then we will get MUCH greater in return!

9. Sincerely repenting to Allah

Allah says: O son of Adam, if your sins were to reach the clouds of the sky and you would then seek My forgiveness, I would forgive you.

When a person sins and then sincerely turns to Allah for forgiveness, one will find Allah ready to accept his repentance and to forgive him, as this verse indicates:

And whoever does a wrong or wrongs himself, but then seeks forgiveness from Allah, he will find Allah forgiving and merciful. (Surat an-Nisaa 4:110)

Everyone commits sin and does wrong, but Allah is always willing to forgive and He always gives them a chance to repent and seek His forgiveness. A believer should never forget the fact that Allah is so forgiving. If Allah had willed, He could have held everyone accountable for his or her sins, but He has decreed that He shall allow His servants to seek His forgiveness and that He shall in fact forgive who and what He wills. In fact, Allah commands that His servants seek His forgiveness:

And seek Allahs forgiveness. Certainly, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
(Surat al-Muzzammil 73:20)

Repentance is an act, which purifies the soul and brings the servant closer to Allah. It puts the heart at rest from guilt. It protects one from falling prey to his desires and lusts and increases his faith.

We must ask ourselves this question: Would we be willing to forgive anyone who hurts us and disobeys us constantly as easily as Allah is Able to forgive? Most probably, the answer would be no. But our Creator is the Most Kind and He is the Most Perfect.

Lo! Allah is a Lord of Kindness to mankind, but most of mankind give not thanks. (Surat al-Baqarah 2:143)

In this Hadithi Qudsi, mankind is encouraged to seek Allahs forgiveness and repent, but there are five conditions of repentance, which must be met for ones repentance to be accepted. The first and most important is that the act of repentance be sincerely for Allah alone. Secondly, the person must feel remorse and guilt over his actions so much so that he wished he had never done it in the first place. The third condition is that the person must immediately cease performing the wrong and sinful act. Fourthly, the repentant person must have a firm intention to never commit the sin again. And lastly, the person must repent before it is too late, meaning before death approaches.

However, there is a condition. One must not associate any partners with Allah, which is shirk. And Allah does not forgive shirk and if one dies without believing in Allah alone as ones Creator, then he will be doomed to the Hellfire for all of eternity. So, Allah emphasizes the importance of calling on Him alone. He has no and needs no partners, associates, wives, children, etc. There is no god, but Allah. None forgives sins except Him, so one who is seeking forgiveness should seek it only from Allah.

Allahs forgiveness and mercy is far greater and vaster than the sins of the creation. One must always have trust and hope in Allah in both good times and bad times and especially when seeking Allahs forgiveness. And the believer who calls out to his Lord for forgiveness demonstrates his true weakness and that he is totally dependent on the Creator.

When one confesses his sins to Allah and sincerely repents with hope in Allahs mercy, the heart should come to peace and the soul should feel rest. When a person has hope, he has no reason to despair because it only leads to destruction. Allah gives hope to all, especially those who despair that there is no reason to despair because Allah is the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy. Allah praises those who repent and turn to Him:

And those who, when they commit a lewd act or wrong themselves with evil, remember Allah and ask forgiveness for their sins and who forgives sins except Allah? And they do not persist in what (wrong) they were doing while they knew it. For such, the reward is forgiveness from their Lord and Gardens with rivers flowing through, wherein they shall abide forever. How excellent is the reward of the doers (of good)! (Surah Ali Imran 3:135-136)

10. Having good manners, character and being humble

Many of us think that “a perfect Muslim” is simply one who is correct in the observance of the salah (ritual Prayer), the fasting, the zakah (payment of a certain portion of one’s wealth to the poor), and the Hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah). This indeed is not the case.

If the ritual observances do not help the person to be humble, virtuous and truly God-fearing, then he or she is not a real Muslim. A Muslim should be good and just in dealing with others, no matter their religion, and take special care to keep away from all the shameful and sinful things Allah (God) has forbidden.

One can never get close to Allah by being arrogant, full of pride and having a bad character and manners. Those who have humility and are humble and have good character and manners are the closest to Allah and Allah raises their ranks in the hereafter.

The superiority of good character:

Hadrat Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, relates that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, “Nothing is heavier in the scales of a believer on the Day of Judgement than his good behaviour. Allah detests a person who is obscene and shameless”. (Tirmidhi)

Having humility and being humble:

The Prophet (PBUH) said: "He who was humble for the sake of God by one degree, God (SWT) would then elevate them to a degree till they reach the uppermost of high Orders, and he who was arrogant to God (SWT), God (SWT) would then lower him for a degree till he reaches the lowest of low Orders", (Narrated by: Muslim (Hadeeth: 6535).
Al-Nawawi said:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “And no one humbles himself before Allaah but Allaah will raise him (in status).”

Humbleness is to know the value of oneself, to avoid pride, or disregarding the truth and underestimating people. As the Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said, according to Muslim and others, "Al-Kibr is rejecting the truth and looking down upon people" [Muslim, Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud].

Humbleness is for one who is important and significant and he fears to gain notoriety or to become too great among people. Humbleness is that one should humble himself with his companions.

Humbleness is to humble oneself to one who is below you. If you find someone who is younger than you, or of less importance than you, you should not despise him, because he might have a better heart than you, or be less sinful, or closer to Allah than you. Even if you see a sinful person and you are righteous, do not act in arrogance towards him, and thank Allah that He saved you from the tribulation that He put him through. Remember that there might be some riyaa' or vanity in your righteous deeds that may cause them to be of no avail, and that this sinful person may be regretful and fearful concerning his bad deeds, and this may be the cause of forgiveness of his sins.

Humbleness is that your deed should not become too great in your eyes. If you do a good deed, or attempt to get closer to Allah ta`ala through an act of obedience, your deed may still not be accepted, "Allah only accepts from those who have taqwa (fear of Allah)." (Surat al-Maida: 27)

Humbleness is that, when you are advised, if Shaytaan calls you to reject the advice, you must negate him. Because the purpose of advice is that your brother points out the defects that you have.

The arrogant never gives credit to anybody or mentions good about someone, and if he needed to do so, he would also mention five defects of that person. But if he hears somebody reminding him about his own defects, he will not be flexible nor comply due to his inferiority complex. This is why it is among man's moral integrity to accept criticism or comment without any sensitivity or discomfort or feelings of shame and weakness.

We can summarize the teachings of Islam about the Muslim character in the following list:

Be truthful in everything, don’t lie.
Be sincere and straightforward, don’t be hypocritical.
Be honest, don’t be corrupt.
Be humble, don’t be boastful.
Be moderate, don’t be excessive.
Be reserved, don’t be garrulous.
Be soft-spoken, don’t be loud.
Be refined and gentle in speech, don’t curse and use foul language.
Be loving and solicitous to others, don’t be unmindful of them.
Be considerate and compassionate, don’t be harsh.
Be polite and respectful to people, don’t be insulting or disrespectful.
Be generous and charitable, don’t be selfish and miserly.
Be good natured and forgiving, don’t be bitter and resentful.
Share and be content with what Allah has given you, don’t be greedy.
Be cheerful and pleasant, don’t be irritable and morose.
Be chaste and pure, don’t be lustful.
Be alert and aware of the world around you, don’t be absent-minded.
Be dignified and decent, don’t be graceless.
Be optimistic and hopeful, don’t be cynical or pessimistic.
Be confident and have deep faith, don’t be doubtful and wavering.
Be spiritually oriented and not materialistic.
Be confident of the mercy of Allah, don’t be despairing and lose heart.
Be diligent and vigilant of your duties, don’t be negligent.
Be thankful to Allah and constantly pray to Him, don’t be forgetful of His innumerable blessings.

Finally as the righteous say, "The love of Allah is the axis around which all good revolves." If you fall in love with Allah, and then strive to be true in your love--in accordance with the way of the Beloved of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace), then you'll find nothing but increasing light and contentment in your life.

And Allah alone gives success.

Did Prophet Muhammad marry a 6 year old?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:54:00 +0000

Muhammad Married 6 Year Old Girl"

Is It True?

Note:

1. This was not her age at marriage.
2. Her parents offered marriage of their daughter to Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him).

First of all, not all questions are fair. Sometime people put statements in the questions which are not true. Therefore, we have to clarify some facts before we go any further:

"Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) did not marry Ayesha when she was only 6 years old. Her parents offered marriage as was customary in their culture at the time. However, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) did not accept this and they waited a number of years before offering marriage to him again."

Next thing is, we have to understand that Islam is all about "Rights and Limits". The Quran clarifies what everyone's rights are and what the limits are as well.

It was through this matrimony of marriage to the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) that we found the example of the meaning of the limitations set forth in the fourth chapter of the Quran, entitled "The Women":

"O you who believe! You are forbidden to inherit women against their will." -[Noble Quran 4:19]

Women around the world had no rights in those days and men knew no limits in their dealings with the women. One of the problems was that a man could marry off his daughter at any age and she could not refuse.
Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) was offered the marriage to Ayesha by her father and mother on more than one occasion. Once when Ayesha was six, her mother summoned her into the house where she heard the proposal of marriage being offered by her father to his life long friend, Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) as was the custom of the Arabs in those days. Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) did not accept this offer at that time, even though it was customary for them, as she was not yet of age.

Note: her father is the one offering the marriage to his lifelong friend (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him). The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) did not marry her and take her to his home at the time and she says she returned back to play outside.

Again - please note: they did not get married at all on this occasion

A few years later when she was old enough to marry according to Islam (she was able to bear children) she did accept the proposal of marriage and she did marry the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him).

We find that the girl must be old enough to have children and to be able to determine what her will is. The Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) married her at the youngest age a girl can get married. That is, she was old enough to be considered eligible for marriage and having enough wisdom to make such a choice even at her young age.

Also, she was a virgin. This was to show Muslims about how to treat the young girls when they get married and not to rush into having sex with them until they are ready and fully prepared.

All of this is recorded in the Hadiths narrated by Ayesha herself in regard to the treatment that she received from the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him).

As a reward for her commitment to Allah and to Islam, Allah honored her in Surah an-Nur by clearing her of any suspicion of illegal sex with a companion, as some liars had charged against her. There were ten verses revealed in regard to this incident alone about Ayesha.

Allah Says:

“Verily! Those who brought forth the slander (against Ayesha) are a group among you. consider it not a bad thing for you. Nay, it is good for you. Unto every man among them will be paid that which he had earned of the sin, and as for him among them who had the greater share therein, his will be a great torment.

Why then, did not the believers, men and women, when you heard it (the slander) think good of their own people and say: "This is an obvious lie?"

Why did they not produce four witnesses? Since they have not produced witnesses; then with Allah they are liars.

Had it not been for the Grace of Allah and His Mercy unto you in this world and in the Hereafter, a great torment would have touched you for that whereof you had spoken.

When you were propagating it with your tongues, and uttering with your mouths that whereof you had no knowledge, you counted it a little thing, while with Allah it was very great.

And why did you not, when you heard it, say: "It is not right for us to speak of this. Glory be to You (O Allah) this is a great lie."?

Allah forbids you from it and warns you not to repeat the like of it forever, if you are believers.” [Noble Quran 24:11-21]

Ayesha was also given the distinct title of "Mother of the Believers" even though she never had a single child. Allah did honor her so much for her patience and dedication.

Finally, Ayesha, may Allah be pleased with her, tells us in her own words all about the offers of marriage from her father to the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and of the actual marriage when it did take place years later. She also describes in glowing terms their engagement, marriage, life together and life after his death - all in the best of terms. She never said a single bad thing against her husband and described him as the best of men and the example of the Quran itself. She learned from him and passed on the most valuable knowledge of family relations in general and marriage in particular through her explanation of her own relationship of our Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him).

She tells of running races and playing together, enjoying sporting and competition events together, and mentions her personal intimacy with Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) in the most wonderful terms. Her advice and instructions to both men and women regarding establishing and maintaining the best relationship between man and wife is still the best of counsel we find today.

As noted above, even Allah the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, has defended her honor and integrity in His Book. Her own account of marriage to Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) and her many detailed descriptions of events and happenings before and during their marriage and her continued commitment to the memory of her husband and faith in their reuniting together in Paradise can only lead us to believe, in fact, this was indeed the best of marriages in human history.

A Comparison Between: The English Love Story "Romeo & Juliet" and Muslims Love Story of: "Muhammad & Ayesha"

Shakespeare could have done the western world a better service, instead of telling a story of two young teens sneaking around having an affair behind their parents backs, and then committing a double suicide - when they didn't get their way, in "Romeo and Juliet" -

Suppose he had told the true story of "Muhammad and Ayesha" - these were real people who believed in God and lived a blessed life on earth and will live together in Paradise - "Happily ever after."

Goodness only comes to those who are the true believers and only the bad reaches to those who are the disbelievers.

This life is but a test for all of us. And in the end, Allah will bring us all back in front of Him for the Judgment. Then the disbelievers will see what it was that they were denying and lying about.

We ask Allah to guide all the people and save us all, Ameen.

Sheikh Yusuf Estes

More Readings :

An Islamic Perspective on the Bee

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:29:00 +0000

An Islamic Perspective on the Bee

{Qur'an 16:68} "And your Lord inspired the Bee, build your dwellings in hills, on trees, and in (human's) habitations."
The imperative "build" above is the translation of the Arabic word "attakhithi", which is feminine form (Arabic unlike English, differentiates between the sexes). The feminine form is used when all of those it refers to are female, whereas the masculine is used when a group consists of at least 1 male.

Therefore the Quran is in fact saying "build, you female bees.." A swarm of bees (which collect honey and build the hive), are female only. Thus, the phrasing of this command is in agreement with the Fact that male bees do not partake in the construction of the hive.

"And your Lord inspired the Bee, saying: 'Take your habitations in the mountains and the trees and in what they erect. Then eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord, made easy (for you).' There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colour wherein is a healing for men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think." [Al-Quran 16:68-69]
Let us for a while be one of those who reflect and think about the wonders of Allah (swt) and what He in His supreme wisdom, created. We may compare our factories to the factories of Allah (swt). The lovely honey bees may be small, yet quick and efficient. When they fly it seems as if they are programmed, following the tracks ordained for them.

For a pound of honey around 2 million flowers are visited by the bee. So next time we gulp down that liquid maybe we can be grateful for all that went into producing it and realize the numerous favors of Allah (swt) on us. They travel about 50,000 miles. At the first step the liquid is like water, which is then fluttered upon by their wings till a sweet liquid is left. They then suck it and by using their special glands convert it into honey. Once ready the honey is packed into its special compartments in the hive and sealed with wax thus becoming secure.

Such a small insect makes such a pure thing, so what have we done or are proud of? There are many characteristics of a bee that man can learn from and the wise already have them embedded in them. The following is a comparison between the two and we pray that Allah (swt) also helps us to learn from them and be like them - Ameen

The Bee	A Mumin (believer)
How does the bee manage to fulfill all her tasks? She knows the purpose of its being. She has a goal in front of her and she goes out and does it.	If a Mumin was to realize his purpose in life; conveyance of the message then he can move forward and attain his goal.
The submission of the bee helps her to complete her task.	The submission of the Mumin helps him to stay steadfast and persist in his cause and reach his goal.
The honey bee never rests until she has finished a full days work and is satisfied.	A Mumin who has realized his purpose will never rest until he reaches his goal. (Here-After)
The bee travels far distances to get what is essential for the making of honey.	A Mumin is prepared to go through any-thing for the sake of his Lord.
If the honey bee wasn't to realize its skill then she would be no different to a house fly.	If a Mumin doesn't realize his duty (responsibilty) then he is no different to a disbeliever.

Experiences of a Recently Converted Hindu Woman

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:04:00 +0000

Experiences of a Recently Converted Hindu Woman

My Experiences and How I Find that Islam does not Oppress Women"

by Sister Noor, University of Essex

I came from a purely Hindu family where we were always taught to regard ourselves (i.e. women) as beings who were eventually to be married off and have children and serve the husband-- whether he was kind or not. Other than this I found that there were a lot of things which really oppressed women, such as:

If a woman was widowed, she would always have to wear a white sari (costume), eat vegetarian meals, cut her hair short, and never re-marry.
The bride always had to pay the dowry (bridal money) to the husband's family.
And the husband could ask for anything, irrespective of whether the bride would have difficulty giving it

Not only that, if after marriage she was not able to pay the full dowry she would be both emotionally and physically tortured, and could end up being a victim of "kitchen death" where the husband, or both the mother-in-law and the husband try to set fire to the wife while she is cooking or is in the kitchen, and try to make it look like an accidental death. More and more of these instances are taking place. The daughter of a friend of my own father's had the same fate last year!

In addition to all this, men in Hinduism are treated literally as among the gods. In one of the religious Hindu celebration, unmarried girls pray for and worship an idol representing a particular god (Shira) so that they may have husbands like him. Even my own mother had asked me to do this. This made me see that the Hindu religion which is based on superstitions and things that have no manifest proof (1), but were merely traditions which oppressed women could not be right.

Subsequently, when I came to England to study, I thought that at least this is a country which gives equal rights to men and women, and does not oppress them. We all have the freedom to do as we like, I thought. Well, as I started to meet people and make new friends, learn about this new society, and go to all the places my friends went to in order to "socialise" (bars, dance halls, ...etc.), I realised that this "equality" was not so true in practice as it was in theory.

Outwardly, women were seen to be given equal rights in education, work, and so forth, but in reality women were still oppressed in a different, more subtle way. When I went with my friends to those places they hung out at, I found everybody interested to talk to me and I thought that was normal. But it was only later that I realised how naive I was, and recognised what these people were really looking for. I soon began to feel uncomfortable, as if I was not myself: I had to dress in a certain way so that people would like me, and had to talk in a certain way to please them. I soon found that I was feeling more and more uncomfortable, less and less myself, yet I could not get out. Everybody was saying they were enjoying themselves, but I don't call this enjoying.

I think women in this way of life are oppressed; they have to dress in a certain way in order to please and appear more appealing, and also talk in a certain way so people like them. During this time I had not thought about Islam, even though I had some Muslim acquaintances. But I felt I really had to do something, to find something that I would be happy and secure with, and would feel respected with. Something to believe in that is the right belief, because everybody has a belief that they live according to. If having fun by getting off with other people is someone's belief, they do this. If making money is someone's belief, they do everything to achieve this. If they believe drinking is one way to enjoy life then they do it. But I feel all this leads to nowhere; no one is truly satisfied, and the respect women are looking for is diminishing in this way.

In these days of so called "society of equal rights", you are expected to have a boyfriend (or you're weird!) and to not be a virgin. So this is a form of oppression even though some women do not realise it.(2) When I came to Islam, it was obvious that I had finally found permanent security. A religion, a belief that was so complete and clear in every aspect of life. Many people have a misconception that Islam is an oppressive religion, where women are covered from head to toe, and are not allowed any freedom or rights. In fact, women in Islam are given more rights, and have been for the past 1400 years, compared to the only-recently rights given to non-Muslim women in some western and some other societies. But there are, even now, societies where women are still oppressed, as I mentioned earlier in relation to Hindu women.

Muslim women have the right to inheritance. They have the right to run their own trade and business. They have the full right to ownership, property, disposal over their wealth to which the husband has no right. They have the right to education, a right to refuse marriage as long as this refusal is according to reasonable and justifiable grounds. The Quran itself, which is the word of Allah, contains many verses commanding men to be kind to their wives and stressing the rights of women. Islam gives the right set of rules, because they are NOT made by men, but made by Allah; hence it is a perfect religion.

Quite often Muslim women are asked why they are covered from head to toe, and are told that this is oppression--it is not. In Islam, marriage is an important part of life, the making of the society. Therefore, a woman should not go around showing herself to everybody, only for her husband. Even the man is not allowed to show certain parts of his body to none but his wife. In addition, Allah has commanded Muslim women to cover themselves for their modesty:

"O prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) over their bodies (when outdoors). That is most convenient that they could be known as such (i.e. decent and chaste) and not molested." (Quran 33:59)

If we look around at any other society, we find that in the majority of cases women are attacked and molested because of how they are dressed. Another point I'd like to comment on is that the rules and regulation laid down in Islam by Allah (God) do not apply just to women but to men also. There is no intermingling and free-running between men and women for the benefit of both. Whatever Allah commands is right, wholesome, pure and beneficial to mankind; there is no doubt about that. A verse in the Quran explains this concept clearly:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and protect their private parts (i.e. from indecency, illegal sexual acts); that will make for greater purity for them. And Allah is well aware of what they do. And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and protect their privaate parts (from indecency, illegal sexual intercourse); and that they should not display their beauty and ornaments...." (Quran, surah "Al-Nur" 24:31)

When I put on my hijaab (veil), I was really happy to do it. In fact, I really want to do it. When I put on the hijaab, I felt a great sense of satisfaction and happiness. Satisfied that I had obeyed Allah’s command. And happy with the good and blessings that come with it. I have felt secure and protected. In fact people respect me more for it. I could really see the difference in behaviour towards me.

Finally, I'd like to say that I had accepted Islam not blindly, or under any compulsion. In the Quran itself there is a verse which says "there is no compulsion in religion" (3). I accepted Islam with conviction. I have seen, been there, done that, and seen both sides of the story. I know and have experienced what the other side is like, and I know that I have done the right thing. Islam does not oppress women, but rather Islam liberates them and gives them the respect they deserve. Islam is the religion Allah has chosen for the whole of mankind. Those who accept it are truly liberated from the chains and shackles of mankind whose ruling and legislating necessitates nothing but the oppression of one group by another and the exploitation and oppression of one sex by the other. This is not the case of Islam which truly liberated women and gave them an individuality not given by any other authority.

Sister Noor has been a muslim for over a year and a half and is currently in her second year of undergraduate study in the Department of Biology

Notes:
(1) In Islaam, strong emphasis is placed on proof and evidence. Superstition, conjecture and following the ways of ones ancestors is heavily censured. Allaah says:

{Say : Bring your proof if indeed you are truthful} {Baqarah 2:111} {Inform me with knowledge if indeed you are truthful} [An’aam 6:143] {And they do not possess any knowledge regarding it. They do nothing but follow conjecture and conjecture avails nothing against the Truth} [Najm 53:28]

{And when it is said to them: ‘Follow that which Allaah has sent down’, they say: ‘Nay! We shall follow that which we found our fathers following} [Baqarah 2:170]

If the scientists among the non-muslims were to follow this advice and research objectively many of the rulings regarding women in Islam they would find that they are in perfect harmony with the biological/psychological knowledge they have arrived at regarding the nature of women. It is the reaction of the feminist movement to western hypocrisy that has led to the debasement of ‘perceived’ female roles in Islam. That is why most of what is portrayed regarding women in Islaam is pure conjecture and distortion, not fact and truth.

(2) This is where muslims consider the fallacy of the freedom and non-oppression of women lies. Under the name of ‘freedom’ women are told that they have complete automonomy to do as they wish. However, ‘do as they wish’ means that they are encouraged to conform to the trends and fashions that are set for them and imposed upon them by means of the media machine and by means of the multi-billion dollar film industry which makes, fashions, and nurtures the ideas of people and their principles, morals and conduct. As a result they are made the objects of the fantasies of menwho harass them, oppress them and reduce them to nothing but a source of temporary joy and pleasure. Men themselves have been made to let loose the reins of their desires due to the high exposure to naked women they receive, day in day out. This results in provocation, frustration and eventually - a deserving punishment - desensitization. Impotence is a widespread ‘disease’ in the West! This is the position of women in the west. The mere mention of the words sexual harrasment, date-rape - which includes men deliberately getting women tipsy or drunk so that they can have their way with them - and slogans such as NO MEANS NO are sufficient as proof for this reality of the oppression of women in the west. These problems are unknown to the muslim world and are not issues in Islaam.

(3) {There is no complulsion in religion. The truth has been made clear from error} [Baqarah 2:256]

My Shadah :: A Revert Sister

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 09:40:00 +0000

Islamic Advice On Dealing With Anger

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 09:37:00 +0000

Advice On Dealing With Anger

Anger is one of the evil whispers of Shaytan, which leads to so many evils and tragedies, of which only Allah knows their full extent. For this reason Islam has a great deal to say about this bad characteristic, and the Prophet (saws) described cures for this “disease” and ways to limit its effects, among which are the following:

(1) Seeking refuge with Allah from the Shaytan:

Sulayman ibn Sard said: “I was sitting with the Prophet (saws), and two men were slandering one another. One of them was red in the face, and the veins on his neck were standing out. The Prophet (saws) said, ‘I know a word which, if he were to say it, what he feels would go away. If he said “I seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytan,” what he feels (i.e., his anger) would go away.’” (Reported by al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 6/337)

The Prophet (saws) said: “If a man gets angry and says, ‘I seek refuge with Allah,’ his anger will go away.” (Saheeh al-Jaami‘ al-Sagheer, no. 695)

(2) Keeping silent:

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “If any of you becomes angry, let him keep silent.” (Reported by Imam Ahmad, al-Musnad, 1/329; see also Sahih al-Jaami‘, 693, 4027)

This is because in most cases, the angry person loses self control and could utter words of kufr (from which we seek refuge with Allah), or curses, or the word of divorce (talaaq) which would destroy his home, or words of slander which would bring him the enmity and hatred of others. So, in short, keeping silent is the solution which helps one to avoid all that.

(3) Not moving:

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “If any of you becomes angry and he is standing, let him sit down, so his anger will go away; if it does not go away, let him lie down.”

The narrator of this hadeeth is Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), and there is a story connected to his telling of it: he was taking his camels to drink at a trough that he owned, when some other people came along and said (to one another), “Who can compete with Abu Dharr (in bringing animals to drink) and make his hair stand on end?” A man said, “I can,” so he brought his animals and competed with Abu Dharr, with the result that the trough was broken. (i.e., Abu Dharr was expecting help in watering his camels, but instead the man misbehaved and caused the trough to be broken). Abu Dharr was standing, so he sat down, then he laid down. Someone asked him, “O Abu Dharr, why did you sit down then lie down?” He said: “The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: . . .” and quoted the hadeeth. (The hadeeth and this story may be found in Musnad Ahmad, 5/152; see also Sahih al-Jaami‘, no. 694).

According to another report, Abu Dharr was watering his animals at the trough, when another man made him angry, so he sat down . . . (Fayd al-Qadeer, al-Manaawi, 1/408)

Among the benefits of this advice given by the Prophet (saws) is the fact that it prevents the angry person from going out of control, because he could strike out and injure someone, or even kill - as we will find out shortly - or he could destroy possessions and so on. Sitting down makes it less likely that he will become overexcited, and lying down makes it even less likely that he will do something crazy or harmful. Al-‘Allaamah al-Khattaabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in his commentary on Aboo Daawood: “One who is standing is in a position to strike and destroy, while the one who is sitting is less likely to do that, and the one who is lying down can do neither. It is possible that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told the angry person to sit down or lie down so that he would not do something that he would later regret. And Allah knows best.”(Sunan Abee Daawood, with Ma‘aalim al-Sunan, 5/141)

(4) Following the advice of the Prophet (saws):

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that a man said to the Prophet (saws), “Advise me.” He said, “Do not become angry.” The man repeated his request several times, and each time the Prophet (saws) told him, “Do not become angry.”(Reported by al-Bukhari, Fath al-Baaree, 10/456)

According to another report, the man said: “I thought about what the Prophet (saws) said, and I realized that anger combines all kinds of evil.”(Musnad Ahmad, 5/373)

(5) Do not become angry and Paradise will be yours (a saheeh hadeeth, see Saheeh al-Jaam‘, 7374. Ibn Hajr attributed it to al-Tabaraanee, see al-Fath 4/465):

Remembering what Allah has promised to the righteous (muttaqeen) who keep away from the causes of anger and struggle within themselves to control it, is one of the most effective ways of extinguishing the flames of anger. One of the ahaadeeth that describe the great reward for doing this is: “Whoever controls his anger at the time when he has the means to act upon it, Allah will fill his heart with contentment on the Day of Resurrection.”(Reported by al-Tabaraanee, 12/453, see also Sahih al-Jaami‘, 6518)

Another great reward is described in the Prophet’s (saws) words: “Whoever controls his anger at the time when he has the means to act upon it, Allah will call him before all of mankind on the Day of Resurrection, and will let him choose of the Hoor al-‘Ayn whoever he wants.”(Reported by Aboo Daawood, 4777, and others. It is classified as hasan in Sahih al-Jaami‘, 6518).

(6) Knowing the high status and advantages offered to those who control themselves:

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: “The strong man is not the one who can overpower others (in wrestling); rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when he gets angry.” (Reported by Ahmad, 2/236; the hadeeth is agreed upon) . The greater the anger, the higher the status of the one who controls himself. The Prophet (saws) said: “The strongest man is the one who, when he gets angry and his face reddens and his hackles rise, is able to defeat his anger.” (Reported by Imam Ahmad, 5/367, and classified as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 3859)

Anas reported that the Prophet (saws) passed by some people who were wrestling. He asked, “What is this?” They said: “So-and-so is the strongest, he can beat anybody.” The Prophet (saws) said, “Shall I not tell you who is even stronger then him? The man who, when he is mistreated by another, controls his anger, has defeated his own Shaytan and the Shaytan of the one who made him angry.”(Reported by al-Bazzaar, and Ibn Hajr said its isnaad is saheeh. Al-Fath, 10/519)

(7) Following the Prophet’s (saws) example in the case of anger:

The Prophet (saws) is our leader and has set the highest example in this matter, as is recorded in a number of ahaadeeth. One of the most famous was reported by Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: “I was walking with the Messenger of Allah (saws), and he was wearing a Najraanee cloak with a rough collar. A Bedouin came and seized him roughly by the edge of his cloak, and I saw the marks left on his neck by the collar. Then the Bedouin ordered him to give him some of the wealth of Allaah that he had. The Prophet (saws) turned to him and smiled, then ordered that he should be given something.”(Agreed upon. Fath al-Baaree, 10/375)

Another way in which we can follow the example of the Prophet (saws) is by making our anger for the sake of Allah, when His rights are violated. This is the kind of anger which is praiseworthy. So the Prophet (saws) became angry when he was told about the imam who was putting people off the prayer by making it too long; when he saw a curtain with pictures of animate creatures in ‘Aa’ishah’s house; when Usaamah spoke to him about the Makhzoomee woman who had been convicted of theft, and he said “Do you seek to intervene concerning one of the punishments prescribed by Allah?”; when he was asked questions that he disliked, and so on. His anger was purely for the sake of Allah.

(8) Knowing that resisting anger is one of the signs of righteousness (taqwaa):

The righteous (al-muttaqoon) are those praised by Allah in the Qur'an and by His Messenger (saws). Paradise as wide as heaven and earth has been prepared for them. One of their characteristics is that they (interpretation of the meaning) “spend (in Allah's Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, [they] repress anger, and [they] pardon men; verily, Allah loves al-muhsinoon (the good-doers).” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:134]

These are the ones whose good character and beautiful attributes and deeds Allaah has mentioned, and whom people admire and want to emulate. One of their characteristics is that (interpretation of the meaning) “. . . when they are angry, they forgive.” [al-Shooraa 42:47]

(9) Listening to reminders:

Anger is a part of human nature, and people vary in their anger. It may be difficult for a man not to get angry, but sincere people will remember Allah when they are reminded, and they will not overstep the mark. Some examples follow:

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man sought permission to speak to 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allah be pleased with him), then he said: “O son of al-Khattaab, you are not giving us much and you are not judging fairly between us.” ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was so angry that he was about to attack the man, but al-Hurr ibn Qays, who was one of those present, said: “O Ameer al-Mu’mineen, Allah said to His Prophet (saws) (interpretation of the meaning): ‘Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish’ [al-A‘raaf 7:199]. This man is one of the foolish.” By Allah, ‘Umar could go no further after al-Hurr had recited this aayah to him, and he was a man who was careful to adhere to the Book of Allah.(Reported by al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 4/304).

This is how the Muslim should be. The evil munaafiq (hypocrite) was not like this when he was told the hadeeth of the Prophet (saws) and one of the Companions said to him, “Seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytan.” He said to the one who reminded him, “Do you think I am crazy? Go away!”(Reported by al-Bukhari, al-Fath, 1/465). We seek refuge with Allah from failure.

(10) Knowing the bad effects of anger:

The negative effects of anger are many; in short they cause damage to one’s own self and to others. The angry person may utter words of slander and obscenity, he may attack others (physically) in an uncontrolled manner, even to the point of killing. The following story contains a valuable lesson:

‘Ilqimah ibn Waa’il reported that his father (may Allah be pleased with him) told him: “I was sitting with the Prophet (saws) when a man came to him leading another man by a rope. He said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, this man killed my brother.’ The Messenger of Allah (saws) asked him, ‘Did you kill him?’ He said, ‘Yes, I killed him.’ He asked, ‘How did you kill him?’ He said, ‘He and I were hitting a tree to make the leaves fall, for animal feed, and he slandered me, so I struck him on the side of the head with an axe, and killed him.’ . . .” (Reported by Muslim, 1307, edited by al-Baaqi).

Anger could lead to less than killing, such as wounding and breaking bones. If the one who caused the anger runs away, the angry person turns his anger in on himself, so he may tear his clothes, or strike his cheeks, or have a fit, or fall unconscious, or he may break dishes and plates, or break furniture.

In the worst cases, anger results in social disasters and the breaking of family ties, i.e., divorce. Ask many of those who divorced their wives, and they will tell you: it was in a moment of anger. This divorce results in misery for the children, regret and frustration, a hard and difficult life, all as a result of anger. If they had remembered Allah, come to their senses, restrained their anger and sought refuge with Allah, none of this would have happened. Going against the Shariah only results in loss.

The damage to health that results from anger can only be described by doctors, such as thrombosis, high blood pressure, tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat) and hyperventilation (rapid, shallow breathing), which can lead to fatal heart attacks, diabetes, etc. We ask Allah for good health.

(11) The angry person should think about himself during moments of anger:

If the angry person could see himself in the mirror when he is angry, he would hate himself and the way he looks. If he could see the way he changes, and the way his body and limbs shake, how his eyes glare and how out of control and crazy his behaviour is, he would despise himself and be revolted by his own appearance. It is well-known that inner ugliness is even worse than outer ugliness; how happy the Shaytan must be when a person is in this state! We seek refuge with Allah from the Shaytan and from failure.

(12) Du‘aa’:

Du'a’ is always the weapon of the believer, whereby he asks Allah to protect him from evil, trouble and bad behaviour and seeks refuge with Him from falling into the pit of kufr or wrongdoing because of anger. One of the three things that can help save him is: being fair at times of contentment and of anger (Saheeh al-Jaami‘, 3039). One of the du‘aa’s of the Prophet (saws) was:

“O Allah, by Your knowledge of the Unseen and Your power over Your creation, keep me alive for as long as You know life is good for me, and cause me to die when You know death is good for me. O Allah, I ask You to make me fear You in secret and in public, and I ask You to make me speak the truth in times of contentment and of anger. I ask You not to let me be extravagant in poverty or in prosperity. I ask You for continuous blessings, and for contentment that does not end. I ask You to let me accept Your decree, and for a good life after death. I ask You for the joy of seeing Your face and for the longing to meet You, without going through diseases and misguiding fitnah (trials). O Allah, adorn us with the adornment of faith and make us among those who are guided. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.”

What is the ruling on living with a kaafir mother? .

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:57:00 +0000

What is the ruling on living with kafir mother and wanting to move your wife into the home with her?

Praise be to Allaah.

There is no reason why a son should not live with his kaafir mother, or her with him. That may be a means of her being guided to Islam, if the son treats her well and gives a good impression of Islam; keeping away from her may be a cause of her coming to Islam being delayed.

The Muslim is enjoined to treat his parents well and honour them even if they are kuffaar. It is not permissible for a Muslim to disobey them or treat them badly in word and deed. But that does not mean that he should obey her in matters that are sinful or show approval of the kufr that she believes in.

(a) Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We have enjoined on man to be good and dutiful to his parents; but if they strive to make you join with Me (in worship) anything (as a partner) of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not. Unto Me is your return and I shall tell you what you used to do”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:8]

(b) And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“But if they (both) strive with you to make you join in worship with Me others that of which you have no knowledge, then obey them not; but behave with them in the world kindly, and follow the path of him who turns to Me in repentance and in obedience. Then to Me will be your return, and I shall tell you what you used to do”

[Luqmaan 31:15]

(c) It was narrated that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: My mother came to me at the time of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and she was a mushrik. I asked the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) about that, saying, “My mother has come to me and she wants to visit me; should I uphold the ties of kinship with her?” He said, “Yes, uphold the ties of kinship with your mother.”

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2477; Muslim, 1003)

(d) It was narrated from Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqaas that a verse of Qur’aan was revealed concerning him. He said: Umm Sa’d swore that she should never speak to him until he gave up his religion, and she would never eat or drink. She said, “You claim that Allaah commands you to honour your parents, and I am your mother, and I am telling you to do this.” He said, She stayed like that for three days, until exhaustion overtook her, then one of her sons, whose name was ‘Amaarah, got up and gave her some water, and she started to pray against Sa’d. Then Allaah revealed Qur’aan (interpretation of the meaning):

“And We have enjoined on man to be good and dutiful to his parents; but if they strive to make you join with Me (in worship) anything (as a partner…”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:8]

And He said (interpretation of the meaning):

“…but behave with them in the world kindly…”

[Luqmaan 31:15]

Narrated by Muslim, 1748.

(e) There follows a fatwa from Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) regarding the issue of obeying parents with regard to shaving the beard:

Question: Regarding obeying your father with regard to shaving the beard.

The Shaykh replied:

It is not permissible for you to obey your father in shaving the beard, rather you must let it grow, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Trim the moustache and let the beard grow; be different from the mushrikeen.” And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Obedience is only with regard to that which is good and proper.”

Letting the beard grow is obligatory, not just Sunnah, according to fiqhi terminology, because the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded that, and the basic principle is that a command is obligatory.

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 8/377-378

And Allaah knows best.

If Islam is the best religion, why are many of the Muslims dishonest, unreliable, and involved in activities such as cheating, bribing, dealing in dru

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 08:36:00 +0000

If Islam is the best religion, why are many of the Muslims dishonest, unreliable, and involved in activities such as cheating, bribing, etc ?

Answer:

1. Media maligns Islam

Islam is without doubt the best religion but the media is in the hands of the westerners who are afraid of Islam. The media is continuously broadcasting and printing information against Islam. They either provide misinformation about Islam, misquote Islam or project a point out of proportion, if any.
When any bomb blasts take place anywhere, the first people to be accused without proof are invariably the Muslims. This appears as headlines in the news. Later, when they find that non-Muslims were responsible, it appears as an insignificant news’ item.
If a 50 year old Muslim marries a 15 year old girl after taking her permission, it appears on the front page but when a 50 year old non-Muslim rapes a 6 year old girl, it may appear in the news in the inside pages as ‘Newsbriefs’. Everyday in America on an average 2,713 cases of rape take place but it doesn’t appear in the news, since it has become a way of life for the Americans.

2. Black sheep in every community:

I am aware that there are some Muslims who are dishonest, unreliable, who cheat, etc. but the media projects this as though only Muslims are involved in such activities. There are black sheep in every community. I know Muslims who are alcoholics and who can drink most of the non-Muslims under the table.

3. Muslims best as a whole:

Inspite of all the black sheep in the Muslim community, Muslims taken on the whole, yet form the best community in the world. We are the biggest community of tee-totallers as a whole, i.e. those who don’t imbibe alcohol. Collectively, we are a community which gives the maximum charity in the world. There is not a single person in the world who can even show a candle to the Muslims where modesty is concerned; where sobriety is concerned; where human values and ethics are concerned.

4. Don’t judge a car by its driver:

If you want to judge how good is the latest model of the "Mercedes" car and a person who does not know how to drive sits at the steering wheel and bangs up the car, who will you blame? The car or the driver? But naturally, the driver. To analyze how good the car is, a person should not look at the driver but see the ability and features of the car. How fast is it, what is its average fuel consumption, what are the safety measures, etc. Even if I agree for the sake of argument that the Muslims are bad, we can’t judge Islam by its followers? If you want to judge how good Islam is then judge it according to its authentic sources, i.e. the Glorious Qur’an and the Sahih Hadith.

5. Judge Islam by its best follower i.e. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh):

If you practically want to check how good a car is put an expert driver behind the steering wheel. Similarly the best and the most exemplary follower of Islam by whom you can check how good Islam is, is the last and final messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Besides Muslims, there are several honest and unbiased non-Muslim historians who have acclaimed that prophet Muhammad was the best human being. According to Michael H. Hart who wrote the book, ‘The Hundred Most Influential Men in History’, the topmost position, i.e. the number one position goes to the beloved prophet of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh). There are several such examples of non-Muslims paying great tributes to the prophet, like Thomas Carlyle, La-Martine, etc.

Islam & Terrorists

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 01:31:00 +0000

Islam & Terrorists

by U.S. National Chaplain for Muslims - Yusuf Estes

Osama Bin Laden - "Does This Man Represent One and a Half Billion Muslims in the World?" NO! (Thank God!)

"Terrorists have hijacked a plane!"

"Terrorists are holding hostages!"

"Terrorists have bombs!"

"I feel like someone has broken into my home, killed my family and the police are blaming me!" - quote Washington, DC area Muslim.

There is no doubt that everyone in the United Sates is at last in agreement on at least one thing: Terrorists are Horrible

But what is not clear in the minds of Americans at this moment is the fact that Muslims are NOT terrorists. Islam does not teach terrorism, bombing, kidnapping, hijacking and murder. Quite the opposite is true. Even the "Jihad" [often misunderstood to mean "Holy War") is nothing like the newspapers and television media have portrayed it in the past. It was only recently, since the September 11, attack on New York and Washington, DC that the press and broadcast communications have taken the time to correct their most obvious mistakes in reporting.

One of the principle words derived from the root of the meaning of the word "Islam" is indeed, "PEACE."

How could anyone in the professional journalism business be so naive as to not know that there is a difference between someone who commits certain horrible acts who just also happens to belong to a religion, and the religion itself. I think they do now.

Timothy McViegh blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City a number of years back was a Roman Catholic. Did anyone accuse the church for what he did?

Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants killed each other for years over religious issues yet, the media in this case, did the media ignore this fact?