Islamic Stories

A Brother Like That

2011-10-11T03:59:00.001-07:00

Shuaib received an automobile from his brother as an Eid present. On Eid day when Shuaib came out of his house, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Uncle?" he asked. Shuaib nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Eid." The boy was astounded.

"You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Shuaib knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Shuaib all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that." Shuaib looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh yes, I'd love that."

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Uncle, would you mind driving in front of my house?" Shuaib smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Shuaib was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Shuaib heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There it is, little brother, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Eid and it didn't cost him a penny. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Shop windows that I've been trying to tell you about."

Shuaib got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable ride. That Eid, Shuaib learned what the RasulAllah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) meant when he had said: "love for your brother what you love for yourself".

The Guard Who Found Islam

2011-10-11T03:58:00.003-07:00

By Dan Ephron - NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Mar 30, 2009

Army specialist Terry Holdbrooks had been a guard at Guantanamo for about six months the night he had his life-altering conversation with detainee 590, a Moroccan also known as "the General." This was early 2004, about halfway through Holdbrooks's stint at Guantanamo with the 463rd Military Police Company. Until then, he'd spent most of his day shifts just doing his duty. He'd escort prisoners to interrogations or walk up and down the cellblock making sure they weren't passing notes. But the midnight shifts were slow. "The only thing you really had to do was mop the center floor," he says. So Holdbrooks began spending part of the night sitting cross-legged on the ground, talking to detainees through the metal mesh of their cell doors.

He developed a strong relationship with the General, whose real name is Ahmed Errachidi. Their late-night conversations led Holdbrooks to be more skeptical about the prison, he says, and made him think harder about his own life. Soon, Holdbrooks was ordering books on Arabic and Islam. During an evening talk with Errachidi in early 2004, the conversation turned to the shahada, the one-line statement of faith that marks the single requirement for converting to Islam ("There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet"). Holdbrooks pushed a pen and an index card through the mesh, and asked Errachidi to write out the shahada in English and transliterated Arabic. He then uttered the words aloud and, there on the floor of Guantanamo's Camp Delta, became a Muslim.

Junaid Baghdadi and Love for Allah

2011-10-11T03:58:00.001-07:00

Once at the time of Hajj, there was a gathering in Mecca of some friends of Allah; the youngest among whom was Junaid Baghdadi (ra). In that gathering, there was a discussion on the subject of 'Love for Allah' and as to who is the lover of Allah. Many of them expressed their views on the subject, but Junaid (ra) kept quiet. He was pressed to say something.

With his head bowed down and tears in his eyes, he said, "The lover of Allah is he who forgets his own self, remains engaged in Allah's remembrance with due regard to all its requirements; sees Allah with the eyes of his heart, which is burnt by the heat of Allah's fear; Allah's remembrance affects him like a cup of wine, he speaks the word of Allah as if All-Mighty Allah speaks through his mouth; if he moves, he does so under the command of Allah; he gets peace of mind only through the obedience of Allah; and when such a stage is reached, his eating, drinking, sleeping, awakening and, in short, all his actions are for the pleasure of Allah; he neither pays heed to the worldly customs, nor does he attach any importance to unfriendly criticism by people."

The Pious Man and the Shopkeeper

2011-10-11T03:57:00.001-07:00

There lived a pious man all by himself, who spent most of his time in praying, fasting and praising Allah. Almost all his waking hours were utilised in meditation and devotions. He was very happy with his spiritual progress. No wicked thoughts came to his mind and no evil temptations entered his heart.

One night, he dreamt a rather disturbing dream. He saw that a shopkeeper in the town was far superior to him in spirituality and that he must go to him to learn the basics of true spiritual life.

In the morning, the pious man went in search of the shopkeeper. He found him busy with his customers, selling goods and collecting money with a cheerful face. He sat there in a corner of the shop and watched the shopkeeper carefully. No signs of any spiritual life at all, he said to himself. His dream could not be true. But then he saw the shopkeeper disappear to pray his Salah. When he returned, he was busy dealing with money matters again.

The shopkeeper noticed the pious man sitting in the corner and asked: "As Salamu Alaikum, would you like something, brother?"

"Wa Alaikum As Salam. Oh! No! No!" said the pious man. "I don't want to buy anything, but I want to ask you a question." He then related his dream.

"Well, that is very simple to explain," said the shopkeeper, "but you will have to do something for me before I answer your question."

"I will do anything for you," replied the pious man.

"All right! Take this saucer; there is some mercury in it. Go to the other end of the street and come back fast within half an hour. If the mercury falls out of the saucer, you will hear nothing from me. There you go now."

The pious man took the saucer and started running. The mercury nearly wobbled out of the saucer. He saved it just in time, and slowed down. Then he remembered he had to return within half an hour, so he started walking at a fast pace. At long last he returned puffing and panting. "Here is your mercury, safe and sound," he told the shopkeeper. "Now tell me the true interpretation of my dream."

The shopkeeper looked at the pious man's weary condition and asked him: "Well, friend, how many times did you remember Allah while you were going from this end of the street to the other?"

"Remember Allah!" exclaimed the pious man. "I did not remember Him at all. I was so worried about the mercury in the saucer."

"But I do remember Him all the time," said the shopkeeper. "When I am doing my business, I am also carrying mercury in a saucer. I am fair, honest and kind to my customers. I never forget Allah Ta'ala in my dealings with other men."

"Men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the remembrance of Allaah (with heart and tongue) nor from performing As‑Salaah (Iqaamat‑as‑Salaah) nor from giving the Zakaah. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned (out of the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection). That Allaah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of His Grace. And Allaah provides without measure to whom He wills" [Al Quran, Surah an-Noor 24:37-38]

The Emperor and the Seed

2011-10-11T03:56:00.001-07:00

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."

The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"

One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by-still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.

Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful-in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!" All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

The Prophet taught, "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-Fajur (i.e. wickedness, evil-doing), and Al-Fajur (wickedness) leads to the (Hell) Fire, and a man may keep on telling lies till he is written before Allah, a liar." [Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 8:116]

Did You Thank Allah for Your Eyesight?

2011-10-11T03:55:00.001-07:00

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.

A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.

Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."

What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it."

Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?

Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

"It is He, Who has created for you (the sense of) hearing (ears), sight (eyes), and hearts (understanding). Little thanks you give." [surah Al-Mu'minun; 78]

A Thousand Camels

2011-10-11T03:46:00.000-07:00

In the times of Umar (Radiallahu Anhu) there was a severe famine. All the people of Madinah were suffering due to the shortage of food. A caravan made up of a thousand camels loaded with a large stock of food grains belonging to Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu) arrived from Shaam (Syria). Several merchants offered to buy all of it. He asked them what profit they would pay. "Five per cent," they said. He answered that he could get higher profit than that. They began to argue with him, saying that they did not know of any merchant who would offer him more than their quote. He said to them, "I know of one who repays a profit of more than seven hundred to a dirham (Arabian currency)." He then recited the verse of the Noble Quran in which Allah Ta'ala mentioned this profit. "The likeness of those who spend their wealth in the Way of Allah, is as the likeness of a grain (of corn); it grows seven ears, and each ear has a hundred grains. Allah gives manifold increase to whom He pleases. And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower." (2:261).

"O traders! Bear witness with me that I donate all this to the poor people of Madinah!" said Uthman (Radiallahu Anhu).

Source: Related by Shaikh Habibullah Mukhtaar in his book "Bringing Up Children in Islaam" in the chapter of Generosity.

Dear readers, what ever we give for the sake of Allah is really ours and whatever we keep with us will one day be someone else's. Let us follow the footsteps of our Prophet and the pious Sahabah, with whom Allah was pleased with, by helping the needy ones in this blessed month of Ramadan.

True Wealth

2011-10-08T01:58:00.001-07:00

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the purpose of showing his son how the poor people live so he could be thankful for his wealth.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.
On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?” “It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people can be?” the father asked. “Oh yeah” said the son. “So what did you
learn from the trip?” asked the father.

The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they
have a creek that has no end.”

“We have imported lanterns in our
garden and they have the stars at night.”

“Our patio reaches to the
front yard and they have the whole horizon.”

“We have a small
piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our
sight.”

“We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.”

“We buy our food, but they grow theirs.”

“We have walls around
our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them.”
With this the boy’s father was speechless.

Then his son added, “Thanks dad for showing me how
poor we are.”

True Story

2011-10-08T01:57:00.001-07:00

There was once a man who was an enemy to Islam. He had three famous questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad could answer his three questions...thus he made fun of Islam in public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims. One day a small boy, who`s age was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly to answer the three questions.
The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, "I will accept your challenge".

The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even more by saying, "A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you people have to offer!"

But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the man, and with Allah`s help and guidance, he would put this to an end. The man finally accepted.

The entire city gathered around a small "hill" where open addresses were usually made. The man climbed to the top, and in a loud voice asked his first question.

"What is your God doing right now?"

The small boy thought for a little while and then told the man to climb down the hill and to allow him to go up in order to address the question.

The man says "What? You want me to come down?"

The boy says, "Yes. I need to reply, right?"

The man made his way down and the small boy, age 10, with his little feet made his way up.

This small child`s reply was "Oh Allah Almighty! You be my witness in front of all these people. You have just willed that a Kafir be brought down to a low level, and that a Muslim be brought to a high level!"

The crowd cheered and screamed "Takbir"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"

The man was humiliated, but he boldly asked his Second question... "What existed before your God?"

The small child thought and thought.

Then he asked the man to count backwards. "Count from 10 backwards."

The man counted..."10, 9 ,8 , 7 , 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0"

The boy asked, "What comes before 0 ?"

The man: "I don`t know...nothing."

The boy: "Exactly. Nothing was before Allah, for He is eternal and absolute."

The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!!"

The man, now completely frustrated, asked his final question. "In which direction is your Allah facing?"

The boy thought and thought.

He then asked for a candle. A candle was brought to him. The blessed child handed it to the man and asked him to light it.

The man did so and remarked, "What is this supposed to prove?"

The young boy asked, "In which direction is light from the candle going?"

The man responded, "It is going in all directions."

The boy: "You have answered your own question. Allah`s light (noor) goes in all directions. He is everywhere. There is no where that He cannot be found.

"The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"

The man was so impressed and so moved by the boy`s knowledge and spirituality, that he embraced Islam and became a student of the young boy.

So ended the debate.

Who was the young boy?

The young boy was one of our leaders and one of the greatest scholars, Imam Abu Hanîfa (May Allah bless him

Position Of A Mother

2011-10-08T01:56:00.005-07:00

There was a young man, before he was a Muslim; he lived with his mother until he was about 18 years old. Then he moved out of his home and lived in a different place on his own. During those days, he met some Muslims and became very close friend to them.
Eventually he himself became a Muslim after learning about the beautiful religion of Islam from them. He made an effort every day to learn more and more about Islam. One day, he came to learn about the benefits of being good to one’s parents. After knowing this, he decided to visit his mother whom he did not visit for many years. He bought some flowers and fruits for her on his way. His mother was very pleased to see him after so long. He started spending lots of time with his mother on a regular basis. During his visits, he would stare at his mother and tears would roll down from his eyes. The mother noticed this happening many times and asked him one day the reason, why he visits her so much all of a sudden and why he cries. He told her about how he became a Muslim and that the position of a mother in Islam is very high.
He also told her about the reward he gets for looking at her.
But while looking at her, he cries because the mother is not a Muslim and would not be able to save herself if she dies in this state. The mother immediately recognized the beauty of Islam and became a Muslim.

Imam Hadi's (A.S.) Wisdom

2011-10-08T01:56:00.003-07:00

During the Caliphate of Mutawakkil, a lady claimed that she was Zainub the daughter of Fatima.
He said, "Many long years have passed since that period when Zainub lived and you are quite young."
She replied, "Yes, but the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) drew his hand upon my head and prayed for me to remain young for ever. As such, after every forty years I turn back to become young."
Mutawakkil called upon all the wise men to visit him and enquired from them, "What you say about the claim of this women “All of them said,”she tells a lie."
Mutawakkil said, "I know that she is lying, but what proof and logic do you have to condemn her."
They said, "We do not know, Imam Hadi (A.S.) should solve this problem."
Mutawakkil at once summoned Imam (A.S.) and told him about that matter.
Imam (A.S.) said, "send her to the cage of the lions, if she is telling the truth, because the beasts do not molest the children of Fatima (S.A.) and do not eat their flesh.
Mutawakkil said to the woman, "what do you say?"
She said, "This man wishes that I may be killed. If he is right then let him do it himself."
Mutawakkil said, "she is right, you must do it first yourself."
Imam (A.S.) replied, "There is no hurdle to it" He went to the lions in the cage and sat among them. All observed with amazement, that the lions sat very respectfully before the Imam (A.S.) and sometimes caressed themselves against his body and he caressed their bodies with his hand, affectionately. When Imam (A.S.) ordered that they might move to a corner, all of them crept to a nook.
Then Imam (A.S.) came out of the cage and went to Mutawakkil and said, "Oh woman now it is your turn." The woman started crying and begging saying, "I told a lie, I am the daughter of such and such man, and wanted to play a trick and a hoax but it did not work."

A Muslim young Man & a Christian Girl

2011-10-08T01:56:00.001-07:00

Once a Muslim young man loved a Christian girl, they wanted to get married but her parents would not accept because he was a Muslim! It was a big dilemma for them! But they both loved each other sincerely and thought nothing should separate them.

One day, the Muslim man got very ill and was dying, he was on the death bed. A friend of his was beside him, he told him: Say Shahadah, say La Ilaha Illa llah Muhammadun Rasulullah, but the Muslim man didn’t say it, he cried and told his friend: I’m afraid that if I die as Muslim I will not find my beloved in the hereafter!! So I want to become Christian hopefully I will meet her in the hereafter!! And he became Christian!! He came out of Islam, he became a murtad! And right after he went out of Islam he died! So he died as a non-Muslim.

The girl that he used to love came asking about her lover, she found his friend, she asked him: Have you seen that person (her lover)? He sadly told her that he died! But he did not tell her that he went out of Islam (Apostated). She was very sad and cried, and said: I fear not to meet him in the hereafter, So I bear witness that there’s no God except Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah! She embraced Islam! Later on she died, and died as a Muslim and her lover had died as a non-Muslim, she won Paradise and lost him, and he lost her and lost paradise and got hellfire.

Subhanallah, the wisdom behind this story is for one to remain steadfast onto Islam and keep the intention in the heart that I will live all my life on Islam and to stay patient over the hardships and calamities, and Allah will reward tremendously. We ask Allah to keep us stead fast to Islam, wal Hamdulillah

SHAYTAN FACES THE MUSLIM GIRL

2011-10-08T01:55:00.003-07:00

Shaytan was having a hard day. He was unable to find any true challanges to entice into following him into hellfire. The hypocrites and non-believers were no problem. He did not even have to search for them, they flocked to him by the millions every day. They were almost pests and more common then horse flies in a barn on a hot summer day.

"Hmmm" thought Shaytan "I need a real challenge to prove I can mislead anybody" "Where should I look for my prize victim?"

Then it came to him. Go to the Masjid and look for the most innocent person leaving after morning Fajr..He went and waited, soon many came out in a big rush to get to work. He thought "these people may be faithful, but they do not have the piety to stay for saying Du'as" He then decided to wait for the very last person to leave. After what seemed to be a very long wait a very young girl dressed modestly and wearing both a hijab and Niqab came out. Although Shaytan could not see her face or body he knew she was immaculately beautiful by the glow that surrounded her. Here is my challenge he thought.

His evil mind devised a plan to lead this innocent child into his clutches. She was young and pure but she was also at an age when she would have thoughts of marriage and thinking of a man in her arms. This was the weakness he would attack and lead this innocent into the trap of fitnah and zina.

He knew he could not conquer her directly, but he could easily entice a handsome young man who had already tasted and yearned for pleasures of the flesh. It was easy to whisper into this young man and tell him how lovely and desirable that young girl would be. He whispered to the young man ways to be deceitful, flirtatious and filled him with desire for the young girl.

The young man tried to seduce the girl with flirtation, but she scorned and ignored his advances. Shaytan whispered more and urged the man to be more forceful. The young girl did her best to fight him off but he was too big and too strong to fight him. She did her best and fought to her death. As she laid on the ground dieing a peaceful smile crossed her face and her last word was "Allaah(swt)

Shaytan was furious with anger, he struck out at the young man and shouted. "You fool you sent my prize directly to Allaah(swt) and because of you I have lost her forever for she surly will be in Jannah when I enter the Hellfire."

The young man answered "But you now have me?"

"Idiot" Shouted Shaytan "You always were mine, your own lustful desires sent you to me. I did not have to capture you. You ran to me and would still be going to the hellfire even if I had never spoken to you

Worth and Significance of BISMILLAH

2011-10-08T01:55:00.001-07:00

There was once a lady who always said Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
(In the name of Allah, the beneficent the merciful) before she did
anything. She knew that Allah would then always be with her.

One day, she put her ring in the cupboard and as usual she said
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the name of Allah, the beneficent
the merciful) before she put it away. She knew that it would be safe.

Her husband took the ring and threw it in the river. He wanted to
prove to her that only saying Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
(In the name of Allah, the beneficent the merciful) would not keep
it safe. He thought that in the evening he would ask her where
the ring was and it would not be there.

Later that morning, the lady went to the market to buy some fish.
When she was cleaning the fish at home she found her ring inside
the stomach of the fish. She wondered how it got there but then
put it back in its place in the cupboard saying
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the name of Allah, the beneficent
the merciful).

When her husband came back from work, he asked her where
the ring was. She brought it from the cupboard. He was so surprised!
He told her what he had done and apologized to her.
He also truly believed that Allah is with the person who says
Bismillahirrahmanirrahim (In the name of Allah, the beneficent
the merciful) before he/she does anything

Real Inspiring Story: Hereafter Life. Dream Interpretation

2011-10-08T01:54:00.003-07:00

Once a man saw in his dream, that a lion was chasing him.
The man ran to a tree, climbed on to it and sat on a branch.
He looked down and saw that the lion was still there waiting for him.
The man then looked to his side where the branch he was sitting on
was attached to the tree and saw that two rats were circling around
and eating the branch. One rat was black and the other one was white.
The branch would fall on the ground very soon.
The man then looked below again with fear and discovered
that a big black snake had come and settled directly under him.
The snake opened its mouth right under the man so that he will fall into it.
The man then looked up to see if there was anything that he could hold on to.
He saw another branch with a honeycomb. Drops of honey were falling from it.The man wanted to taste one of the drops. So, he put his tongue out
and tasted one of the fallen drops of honey. The honey was amazing in taste.
So, he wanted to taste another drop. As he did, he got lost into
the sweetness of the honey.
Meanwhile, he forgot about the two rats eating his branch away,
the lion on the ground and the snake that is sitting right under him.

After a while, he woke up from his sleep.
To get the meaning behind this dream, the man went to
a pious scholar of Islam. The Islamic scholar who interpret the dream said,
the lion you saw is your death. It always chases you and goes
wherever you go.
The two rats, one black and one white, are the night and the day.
Black one is the night and the white one is the day. They circle around,
coming one after another, to eat your time as they take you closer to death.
The big black snake with a dark mouth is your grave. It's there,
just waiting for you to fall into it. The honeycomb is this world and
the sweet honey is the luxuries of this world. We like to taste a drop
of the luxuries of this world but it's very sweet. Then we taste another drop
and yet another.
Meanwhile, we get lost into it and we forget about our time,
we forget about our death and we forget about our graves.
This Life is Material, and the Hereafter is Far Better :)

ALLAH DOES EXIST!

2011-10-08T01:54:00.001-07:00

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects.

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I
don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me."

"Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for him

The Apple Tree and the Boy

2011-10-08T01:53:00.003-07:00

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come
and play around it everyday. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples,
took a nap under the shadow. He loved the tree and
the tree loved to play with him.

Time went by. The little boy had grown up and he no longer played around
the tree everyday. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.

"Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy.
"I am no longer a kid, I don't play around trees anymore."
The boy replied, "I want toys. I need money to buy them."

"Sorry, but I don't have money. But you can pick all my apples and sell them.
So, you will have money." The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples
on the tree and left happily.

The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.

One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited.
"Come and play with me" the tree said.
"I don't have time to play. I have to work for family.
We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?"

"Sorry, but I don't have a house. But you can chop off my branches
to build your house."So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.
The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then.
The tree was again lonely and sad.

One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted.
"Come and play with me!" the tree said. The boy said, "I am sad and getting old.
I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?"

"Use my truck to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy."
So the boy cut the tree truck to make a boat. He went sailing
and never showed up for a long time.

Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. "Sorry, my boy.
But I don't have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you."
the tree said.

"I don't have teeth to bite" the boy replied.
"No more truck for you to climb on"
"I am too old for that now" the boy said.
"I really can't give you anything. The only thing left is my dying roots."
the tree said with tears.

"I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years."
the boy replied."Good! Old tree roots is the best place to lean on and rest.
Come, come sit down with me and rest."
The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears.

LeSSonS tO Learn frOm thiS heaRt touChiNg stOry:

This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young,
we loved to play with Mom and Dad. When we grown up, we left them,
only came to them when we need something or when we are in trouble.

No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could
to make you happy. You may think the boy is cruel to the tree but that's how all of us
are treating our parents. So Respect Parents and help them when they really need you,
Love them,Take care of them as they take care of you when you was small baby.
Allah Will be happy with you if you keep your parents happy

Father's Blessings

2011-10-08T01:53:00.001-07:00

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college.
For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car
in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well
afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs
that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of
his graduation, his father called him into his private study.
His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son,
and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son
a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but some what
disappointed, the young man opened the box and found
a lovely, leather-bound Holy Quran,

with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angry,
he raised his voice to his father and said "With all your money,
you give me a Holy Quran ?" and stormed out of the house,
leaving the Holy Quran.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in
business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but
realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should
go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day.
Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram
telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his
possessions to his son.

He needed to come home immediately and take care of
things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness
and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's
important papers and saw the still new Holy Quran, just as he had left it
years ago. With tears, he opened the Holy Quran and began to turn
the pages. And as he did, a car key dropped from the back of
the Holy Quran.

It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had
the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his
graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

Lesson from the Inspiring Story:

How many times do we miss Allah's blessings and answers to
our prayers because they do not arrive exactly as we have expected?

Never Give up in Life...!!

2011-10-08T01:52:00.003-07:00

A man woke up early in order to pray the Fajr (Morning) prayer
in the Masjid (Mosque). He got dressed, made his Wudhu (ablution)
and was on his way to the Masjid.

On his way to the Masjid, the man fell and his clothes got dirty.
He got up, brushed himself off, and headed home. At home,
he changed his clothes, made his ablution, and was, again,
on his way to the Masjid. On his way to the Masjid, he fell again
and at the same spot! He, again, got up, brushed himself off
and headed home. At home he, once again, changed his clothes,
made his ablution and was on his way to the Masjid.

On his way to the Masjid, he met a man holding a lamp.
He asked the man of his identity and the man replied "
I saw you fall twice on your way to the Masjid, so I brought a lamp
so I can light your way." The first man thanked him profoundly
and the two were on their way to the Masjid.

Once at the Masjid, the first man asked the man with the lamp
to come in and pray Fajr with him. The second man refused.
The first man asked him a couple more times and, again,
the answer was the same.
The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray.

The man replied "I am Shaitan (Devil)." The man was shocked at this reply.
Shaitan (Devil) went on to explain, "I saw you on your way to
the Masjid and it was I who made you fall. When you went home,
cleaned yourself and went back on your way to the Masjid,

Allah forgave all of your sins. I made you fall a second time, and
even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather,
you went back on your way to the Masjid. Because of that,
Allah forgave all the sins of the people of your household.

I was afraid if I made you fall one more time, then Allah will forgive
the sins of the people of your village, so I made sure that
you reached the Masjid safely."

Conclusion: So do not let Shaitan (Devil) benefit from his actions.
Do not put off a good that you intended to do as you
never know how much reward you might receive from the hardships
you encounter while trying to achieve that good.

My Mother only had one eye

2011-10-08T01:52:00.001-07:00

My Mother Only had one eye. I hated her… She was such an embarrassment. She cooked for students and teachers to support the family.
There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to Support me.
I was so embarrassed.

How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school one of my classmates said, ‘EEEE, your mom only has one eye!’
I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear. I confronted her that day and said, ‘ If you’re only gonna make me a laughing stock, why don’t you just die?’

My mom did not respond… I didn’t even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings.
I wanted out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study.

Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts. Then one day, my Mother came to visit me. She hadn’t seen me in years and she didn’t even meet her grandchildren.

When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, ‘How dare you come to my house and scare my children!’ GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!’
And to this, my mother quietly answered, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,’ and she disappeared out of sight.

One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.
My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

‘My dearest son,

I think of you all the time. I’m sorry that I came to your house and scared your children.
I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I’m sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.
You see……..when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn’t stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine.
I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.
With all my love to you,
Your mother.’

Moral : Parents Always Give Secrifices For Their Children But Unfortunately They Can,t Understand.

The Wooden Bowl

2011-10-08T01:51:00.003-07:00

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year - old grandson.

The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.

When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.

Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.

He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded,

'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. ' The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) said:
"A parent is the best of the gates of Paradise; so if you wish, keep to the gate, or lose it." (Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 4928. Narrated by Abud Darda)

Don't change the World

2011-10-08T01:51:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country. One day, he went for a trip to
some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were
very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he
went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the
entire country with leather.
Definitely, this would need thousands of cows’ skin, and would cost a
huge amount of money.
Then one of his wise servants dared himself to tell the king, “Why do
you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money? Why don’t you
just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet?”
The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make
a “shoe” for himself.
There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story: to make this world a happy
place to live, you better change yourself - your heart; and not the world.

The Angel

2011-10-08T01:50:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. One day the child asked God, “They tell me
you are going to send me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and
helpless?” God replied, “Among the many angels I have chosen one for you. She will be waiting for
you and will take care of you.”
Said child, “But tell me here in Heaven I don’t do anything else but sing and smile. That’s what I
need to be happy!” God replied, “Your angel will sing for you every day. And you will feel your
angel’s love and be happy.”
And, said the child, “How am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me, if I don’t
know the language that men talk?” “That’s easy”, God said, “Your angel will tell you the most
beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will
teach you how to speak.” The child looked up at God saying, “And what am I going to do when I
want to talk to you?” God smiled at the child saying, “Your angel will teach you how to pray.”
The child said, “I’ve heard on earth there are bad men. Who will protect me?” God replied, “Your
angel will defend you, even if it means risking life!” The child looked sad, saying, “But I will always
be sad because I will not see you anymore.” God replied, “Your angel will always talk to you about
me and will teach you the way to come back to
me, even though I will always be next to you.”
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven,
but voices from earth could already be heard.
The child in a hurry, asked softly, “Oh God, if
I am about to leave now please tell me my angel’s
name!” God replied, Your angel’s name is of no
importance… you will simply call her
MOTHER!

What Is A Family?

2011-10-08T01:49:00.001-07:00

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated,
to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.
SON: “Daddy, may I ask you a question?”
DAD: “Yeah sure, what is it?” replied the man.
SON: “Daddy, how much do you make an hour?”
DAD: “That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?” the man said angrily.
SON: “I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?”
DAD: “If you must know, I make $20 an hour.”
“Oh,” the little boy replied, with his head down. Looking up, he said,
“Daddy, may I please borrow $10?”
The father was furious, “If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy
a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed.
Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior.”
The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even
angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?
After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think: Maybe there was
something he really needed to buy with that $10 and he really didn’t ask for money very often.
The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door.
“Are you asleep, son?” He asked. “No daddy, I’m awake,” replied the boy.
“I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier,” said the man. “It’s been a long day and
I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the $10 you asked for.”
The little boy sat straight up, smiling. “Oh, thank you daddy!” He yelled.
Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.
The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.
The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.
“Why do you want more money if you already have some?” the father grumbled.
“Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,” the little boy replied.
“Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow.
I would like to have dinner with you.”
Share this story with someone you like.... But even better, share $20 worth of time with someone
you love. It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life.
We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who
really matter to us, those close to our hearts.
If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of
days.
But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to
think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our family. An unwise investment indeed!
--------------------------

-----------------
So what is the moral of the story???
Don’t work too hard...and you know what’s the full word of FAMILY?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER,(I)(L)OVE (Y)OU!

A Hole In The Fence

2011-10-08T01:48:00.003-07:00

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him
that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to
control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it
was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence....
Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the
father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his
temper. The day passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were
gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, “You have done well,
my son, but look at the holes in the fence.”
The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.
You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry,
the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.
Friends and loved ones are a very rare jewel, indeed.
They make you smile and encourage you to succeed.
They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they
always want to open their hearts to us. Water your
relationships with kindness… and they will grow. So be
careful little lips what you say…! And you won't chase
friendships away.