Question:


I have to go backhome next month after 5year and have to get married
but i dont have mony and i have no one who can give me a loan can i
take money from my credit card i have no other way pleas give me some
ans.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Riba (usury, interest) is one of the things that are definitively
forbidden in Islamic sharee'ah.

1 – Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Allaah has permitted trading and forbidden Ribaa. So whosoever
receives an admonition from his Lord and stops eating Ribaa, shall
not be punished for the past; his case is for Allaah (to judge); but
whoever returns (to Ribaa), such are the dwellers of the Fire — they
will abide therein"

[al-Baqarah 2:275]

2 – And Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

  "O you who believe! Fear Allaah and give up what remains (due to
you) from Ribaa (from now onward) if you are (really) believers"

[al-Baqarah 2:278]

3 – It was narrated that `Awn ibn Abi Juhayfah said: "I saw my father
buying a slave whose profession was cupping, and he ordered that his
tools be broken. I asked him about that and he said that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
forbade the price of blood, the price of a dog and the earnings of a
prostitute; he cursed the woman who does tattooing and the one who
asks for it to be done, and the one who consumes riba and the one who
pays it, and he cursed the one who makes images."

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2123).

It was narrated that `Abd-Allaah ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) cursed those who consume riba and those who pay
it.

(Narrated by Muslim, 1597).

4 – It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: ""Avoid the seven things that doom a person to Hell." They
said, "O Messenger of Allaah, what are they?" He said, "Associating
others with Allaah (shirk); witchcraft (sihr); killing a soul whom
Allaah has forbidden to kill, except for a lawful reason; consuming
riba; consuming the property of orphans; fleeing from the
battlefield; and slandering chaste and innocent believing women."
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2615; Muslim, 89).

5 – It was narrated that Samurah ibn Jundub said: The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Tonight I saw (in a
dream) two men who came to me and took me out to a holy land. We went
on until we came to a river of blood, in which a man was standing,
and on the riverbank there was a man with stones in front of him. The
man who was in the river came forward, and when he wanted to climb
out, the other man threw a stone in his mouth and sent him back to
where he came from. He did that every time the man wanted to come
out, throwing a stone into his mouth to make him go back. I
said, `What is this?' They said, `The one who you saw in the river is
the one who consumed riba." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1979)

There is unanimous agreement (among the scholars) that riba is
haraam, and credit cards come under the heading of riba. See
questions no. 11179 and 5540.

Hence we do not think that we can offer the questioner any better
advice than the advice of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him), which is to fast so that he can calm himself down and
to get used to worship, and to make it difficult for the Shaytaan to
find any way to influence him.

It was narrated that Ibn Mas'ood (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to
us: "O young men, whoever among you can afford to get married, let
him do so, and whoever cannot do that, then let him fast, for it will
be a shield for him."

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4778; Muslim, 1400)

A shield means that it will protect him from falling into sin.



And Allaah knows best.
fromwww.islam-qa.com

Julaybib





His name was unusual and incomplete. Julaybib means "small grown"
being the diminutive form of the word "Jalbab ". The name is an
indication that Julaybib was small and short, even of dwarf-like
stature. More than that, he is described as being "damim" which means
ugly, deformed, or of repulsive appearance.

Even more disturbing, for the society in which he lived, Julaybib's
lineage was not known. There is no record of who his mother or his
father was or to what tribe he belonged. This was a grave disability
in the society in which he lived. Julaybib could not expect any
compassion or help, any protection or support from a society that
placed a great deal of importance on family and tribal connections.
In this regard, all that was known of him was that he was an Arab and
that, as far as the new community of Islam was concerned, he was one
of the Ansar. Perhaps he belonged to one of the outlying tribes
beyond Madinah and had drifted into the city or he could even have
been from among the Ansar of the city itself.

The disabilities under which Julaybib lived would have been enough to
have him ridiculed and shunned in any society and in fact he was
prohibited by one person, a certain Abu Barzah of the Aslam tribe,
from entering his home. He once told his wife:

"Do not let Julaybib enter among you. If he does, I shall certainly
do (something terrible to him)." Probably because he was teased and
scoffed at in the company of men, Julaybib used to take refuge in the
company of women.

Was there any hope of Julaybib being treated with respect and
consideration? Was there any hope of his finding emotional
satisfaction as an individual and as a man? Was there any hope of his
enjoying the relationships which others take for granted? And in the
new society emerging under the guidance of the Prophet, was he so
insignificant as to be overlooked in the preoccupation with the great
affairs of state and in the supreme issues of life and survival which
constantly engaged the attention of the Prop het?

Just as he was aware of the great issues of life and destiny, the
Prophet of Mercy was also aware of the needs and sensibilities of his
most humble companions. With Julaybib in mind, the Prophet went to
one of the Ansar and said: "I want to have your daughter
married." "How wonderful and blessed, O Messenger of God and what a
delight to the eye (this would be)," replied the Ansari man with
obvious joy and happiness. "I do not want her for myself," added the
Prophet. "Then for whom, O Messenger of God?" as ked the man,
obviously somewhat let down. "For Julaybib," said the Prophet.

The Ansari must have been too shocked to give his own reaction and he
merely said: "I will consult with her mother." And off he went to his
wife. "The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace,
wants to have your daughter married," he said to her. She too was
thrilled. "What a wonderful idea and what a delight to the eye (this
would be)." she said. "He doesn't want to marry her himself but he
wants to marry her to Julaybib," he added. She was flabbergasted.

"To Julaybib! No, never to Julaybib! No, by the living God, we shall
not marry (her) to him." she protested.

As the Ansari was about to return to the Prophet to inform him of
what his wife had said, the daughter who had heard her mother's
protestations, asked: "Who has asked you to marry me?"

Her mother told her of the Prophet's request for her hand in marriage
to Julaybib. When she heard that the request had come from the
Prophet and that her mother was absolutely opposed to the idea, she
was greatly perturbed and said:

"Do you refuse the request of the Messenger of God? Send me to him
for he shall certainly not bring ruin to me." This was the reply of a
truly great person who had a clear understanding of what was required
of her as a Muslim. What greater satisfaction an d fulfillment can a
Muslim find than in responding willingly to the requests and commands
of the Messenger of God! No doubt, this companion of the Prophet,
whose name we do not even know had heard the verse of the Quran: "Now
whenever God and His Apostle have decided a matter, it is not for a
believing man or believing woman to claim freedom of choice in so far
as they themselves are concerned. And he who disobeys God and His
Prophet has already, most obviously, gone astray." (The Quran, Surah
al-Ahzab, 33:36).

This verse was revealed in connection with the marriage of Zaynab
bint Jahsh and Zayd ibn al-Harithah which was arranged by the Prophet
to show the egalitarian spirit of Islam. Zaynab at first was highly
offended at the thought of marrying Zayd a former slave and refused
to do so. The Prophet prevailed upon them both and they were married.
The marriage however ended in divorce and Zaynab was eventually
married to the Prophet himself. It is said that the Ansari girl read
the verse to her parents and said :

"I am satisfied and submit myself to whatever the Messenger of God
deems good for me." The Prophet heard of her reaction and prayed for
her: "O Lord, bestow good on her in abundance and make not her life
one of toil and trouble."

Among the Ansar, it is said there was not a more eligible bride than
she. She was married by the Prophet to Julaybib and they lived
together until he was killed.

And how was Julaybib killed? He went on an expedition with the
Prophet, peace be on him, and an encounter with some mushrikin
ensued. When the battle was over, the Prophet asked his
companions: "Have you lost anyone?" They replied giving the names of
thei r relatives of close friends who were killed. He put the same
questions to other companions and they also named the ones they had
lost in the battle. Another group answered that they had lost no
close relative whereupon the Prophet said:

"But I have lost Julaybib. Search for him in the battlefield." They
searched and found him beside seven mushrikin whom he had struck
before meeting his end. The Prophet stood up and went to the spot
where Julaybib, his short and deformed companion, lay. He stood over
him and said: "He killed seven and then was killed? This (man) is of
me and I am of him."

He repeated this two or three times. The Prophet then took him in his
arms and it is said that he had no better bed besides the forearms of
the messenger of God. The Prophet then dug for him a grave and
himself placed him in it. He did not wash him for martyrs are not
washed before burial.

Julaybib and his wife are not usually among the companions of the
Prophet whose deeds are sung and whose exploits are recounted with
reverence and admiration, as they should be. But in the meager facts
that are known about them and which have here been re-counted we see
how humble human beings were given hope and dignity by the Prophet
where once there was only despair and self-debasement.

The attitude of the unknown and unnamed Ansari girl who readily
agreed to be the wife of a physically unattractive man was an
attitude, which reflected a profound understanding of Islam. It
reflected on her part the effacement of personal desires and
preferences even when she could have counted on the support of her
parents. It reflected on her part a total disregard for social
pressures. It reflected above all a ready and implicit confidence in
the wisdom and authority of the Prophet in submitting her self to
whatever he deemed good. This is the attitude of the true believer.

In Julaybib, there is the example of a person who was almost regarded
as a social outcast because of his appearance. Given help, confidence
and encouragement by the noble Prophet, he was able to perform acts
of courage and make the supreme sacrifice and deserve the
commendation of the Prophet: "He is of me and I am of him."

The proper way to thank Allaah


If a Muslim receives a bounty or is rescued from some trial, it is
recommended for him to perform the prostration of thankfulness. Abu
Bakrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reports that: "When the
Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) received
something which pleased him or glad tidings, he would make
prostration in thanks to Allah." (Abu Dawood, no. 2774;. It is
saheeh, and was also reported in Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh, no. 1494)


Ritual purity (tahaarah) and facing the qiblah is not a requirement
to make the prostration of thankfulness, however, if one makes wudoo'
and faces the qiblah, that is preferred. (Majmoo` Fataawa by
Ibn `Uthaymeen, 4/216.)

In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful



POSITIVISM:




The Right Mentality




By Br. Ibrahim Abu Khalid



when we possess knowledge, we know that the trials in life can be
passed, since Allah does not place a greater burden on us than we can
bear. With knowledge, we know that these trails, once passed, will
bear fruits in the form of pleasing our Creator, rising in ranks
towards Him, cleansing us of our sins, and strengthening our Iman
further...





Allah's Apostle (s.a.w) said: "Strange are the ways of a believer for
there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with
anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an
occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for
him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shown resignation (and
endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it." [Saheeh Muslim]

There is a disease which is consuming the enthusiasm of our youth,
the determination of our elders, the spirit of our mothers. It's a
disease which has really taken its foothold this century, and grown
rapidly. It's the disease of pessimism.

The consequence of our pessimism is that we have committed ourselves
to whinging more then acting. A great deal of our talks, articles,
Khutbahs and lessons seem to be concerned with how bad the West is
treating us. How they do not really understand who we are. How we are
being discriminated upon. This feeling of alienation by the West is
disturbing considering that as readers and followers of the Qur'an,
this treatment comes as no surprise and is a characteristic of the
true followers of Allah's religion.

The Nature of Being a Muslim

Islam raised a despotic people from the clenches of injustice and
spiritual destitution to that of the greatest power the world had
ever seen. But this honour and victory came at a price, for
everything which has worth in Allah's Eyes has a price. The
companions paid that price with their money and their blood. They
faced persecution from their own family, and bore hunger bravely.

The following incidences provide a useful insight into the positive
attitudes the Prophet (s.a.w) displayed and his companions adopted.

1- A close companion of the Prophet (s.a.w) Abu Talha, had a son who
was very sick. Abu Talha would each day arrive home and enquire from
his wife as to the health of their son. One day their son died, and
Abu Talha at that time was not at home. When his wife saw that he was
dead, she washed and shrouded him and placed him somewhere in the
house. When Abu Talha came, he asked about his son's condition, and
his wife said that he was in peace.

Abu Talha slept with his wife that night. His wife informed him about
the death of their son in the morning. When Abu Talha informed the
Prophet of what happened to them, Allah's Messenger said, "May Allah
bless you both concerning your night (that is, may Allah bless you
both with good offspring). And indeed, Allah blessed Abu Talha and
his wife with nine sons, all of whom became reciters of the Qur'an
[Saheeh Bukhary].

This story illuminates the patience the Companions had. The wife bore
the death of her beloved son patiently, and furthermore kept the
knowledge of his death hidden from the father for a more appropriate
time. This virtuous act was blessed by Allah, with offspring who
would serve as a blessing for their parents in the Hereafter.

2- A female companion had a husband whom she dearly loved. He died
however and she was very depressed over his death. So she sought
advice from the Prophet (s.a.w), who taught her to recite a Du'a
beseeching Allah to replace her loss with something better than it.
She obeyed the Prophet (s.a.w), and Allah answered her call, by
providing her with a husband better than any women could have - the
Prophet (s.a.w) himself.

3- Perhaps one of the greatest shows of optimism came after the
Prophet (s.a.w) had been stoned in Ta'if. Bleeding profusely and
emotionally hurt, he was visited by the Angel of the Mountains which
encompassed the valley of Ta'if. He was offered the choice to have
those people who denied his message to be crushed. He (s.a.w) however
refused to assign these people to destruction, citing that their
offspring may become believers. And indeed, this foresight eventuated.

The Guaranteed Victory

As believers, we are guaranteed victory no matter what our condition
is, and that's what makes us special. If we become ill, our sins fall
away from us like leaves fall from a tree. If our child dies, he or
she will wait for us in the Hereafter and intercede for us until we
enter paradise. If we fight in a war, we will either win, or die as
martyrs, which is a greater victory in itself.

So the question begs to be answered, why then are Muslims so
pessimistic?

Clearly this stems from a lack of knowledge and trust in Allah. For
when we possess knowledge, we know that the trials in life can be
passed, since Allah does not place a greater burden on us than we can
bear. With knowledge, we know that these trails, once passed, will
bear fruits in the form of pleasing our Creator, rising in ranks
towards Him, cleansing us of our sins, and strengthening our Iman
further. The trust in Allah will make us certain that nothing is lost
with Allah, no fear we experience, nor pain, sadness, anguish or
distress.

Indeed, Allah Says "So verily along with every hardship, is relief".
This means there has to be hardship, in whatever form it takes, in
the form of death, loss or poverty, divorce, difficult relatives, or
persecution.

Time to Act

If this Ummah persists in complaining rather than acting, we'll get
nowhere. We already know that the Kufaar hate us, and have known this
for centuries, and have known that they never will like us. If these
people persecuted their own prophets, why wouldn't they persecute us
today? Allah has already warned us about their feelings towards
us: "And verily the Jews and Christians will never be pleased with
you until you follow their religion."

And this emotion should be carried forth in all aspects of our lives,
for if the companions had resigned themselves to the trials of life,
they would never have succeeded.

Rather, we should feel delight for the faith we have embraced,
continue our struggle to spread and establish Allah's Word on this
earth no matter the consequences, and whenever grief hits anyone of
us, remember the Hadith: "Strange are the ways of a believer, for
there is good in every affair of his, and this is not the case with
anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an
occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for
him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shown resignation (and
endures it patiently), then there is a good for him in it."



  The Moderator
Brother AbuUbaida
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/muslimconverts)
(http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts

here is the intro to a buitiful tiny book on the types of stress and
how to deal with it. The rest of the book you can read for yourself
on the new muslims website of this e-group.Mail this articles link to
your friends

  http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts
---------

Book by Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid


  Introduction
Kinds of Worry and Stress
Islam's Treatment for Anxiety and Worry
Writings of Immam Ibn al-Qayyim on Treating Distress and Grief
Du'aa' (Supplication)
Reminder

  1. Introduction:

Praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds, the Most Merciful, the
Most Compassionate, the Master of the Day of Judgement. I bear
witness that there is no god but He, the Lord of the earlier and
later generations and Sustainer of heaven and earth. Peace and
blessings be upon the one who was sent as a Mercy to the worlds. I
bear witness that he is the Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). Peace and blessings be upon him, upon all his
Family and Companions, and upon those who believe in his guidance and
follow in his footsteps until the Day of Judgement.

It is the nature of this life that people will suffer from worries
and stress, because this world is the place of disease, hardship and
suffering. Hence among the things that distinguish Paradise from this
world is the fact that there is no worry or stress there: "No sense
of fatigue shall touch them, nor shall they (ever) be asked to
leave." [al-Hijr 15:48 – interpretation of the meaning]. Nothing ever
upsets the people of Paradise, not even the slightest word: "No laghw
(dirty, false, evil vain talk) will they hear therein, nor any sinful
speech (like backbiting, etc.), but only the saying of Salaam!
Salaam! (greetings with peace)." [al-Waaqi'ah 56:25-26 –
interpretation of the meaning].

It is also the nature of this life that people have to put up with
suffering and hardship for various reasons, as is indicated in the
Qur'aan (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, We have created man
in toil." [al-Balad 90:4]. So people feel regret for what has
happened in the past, anxious about what may happen in the future,
and worried about what is going on in the present.

The things that cross our minds and make us feel distressed are
things in the past that have caused grief, things in the future that
we are worried about, and things in the present which concern us.

People react differently to stress and worries, depending on how many
things are concerning them, whether the worry is continuous or not,
and on whether they have faith in their hearts or are rebellious and
sinful. We may describe people's hearts as being of two types: either
the heart is the throne of Allaah, filled with light, life,
happiness, joy and all the treasures of goodness; or it is the throne
of Shaytaan, wherein is distress, darkness, death, grief, worry and
anxiety.

People's worries and concerns will also differ, according to the
differences in their motivations, circumstances and individual
responsibilities.

One type of worry or concern is that which may be described as
worthwhile worries that are a good sign, such as a scholar's anxiety
to resolve difficult issues concerning which the Muslims need an
answer – especially when the matter is very serious and there appears
to be no solution. Another example is the concern of the Muslim
leader about the problems of the people under his care. This is what
made the two `Umars (i.e. `Umar ibn al-Khattaab and `Umar ibn `Abd al-
`Azeez) and other leaders worried and anxious. `Umar ibn al-Khattaab
used to think about how to prepare the army whilst he was praying,
and he was excused for that; he also used to worry about the animals
stumbling in the land of `Iraaq. `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Azeez used to
express his suffering thus: "I am dealing with something with which
no one could help me except Allaah. The elderly have reached the ends
of their lives with it (in this situation), the youth have grown up
with it; the foreigners have learnt Arabic and the Bedouin have
migrated to the cities in these circumstances. [It is so well-
entrenched] that they think this is religion, and they can see the
truth nowhere else but in this." When the khilaafah passed to him and
the people gave their bay'ah (oath of allegiance) to him, he came
home, feeling anxious and stressed. His freed slave said to him: "Why
do I see you so anxious and stressed? This is not how you should be
on such an occasion as this." He said, "Woe to you! How could I not
be anxious when there is no one in the East nor the West of this
ummah who is not demanding his rights of me or asking me to help
settle some matter with another person, whether he writes down his
request or not, whether he asks me directly or not?"

The more any decision had to do with the fate of the Muslims, the
greater the anxiety and stress involved. Hence when `Abd al-Rahmaan
ibn `Awf was entrusted with the task of selecting the next khaleefah
for the Muslims, after the death of `Umar, he did not sleep during
that period, because he was so busy consulting the Muslims, even the
old women.

Other types of commendable concern include: the concern of the
dai'yah who is striving to spread Islam and convey the message,
guiding others to the path of Guidance; the concern of the worshipper
to ensure that his worship is correct both in intention and practice;
and the concern of the Muslim for the suffering of his brothers in
faith throughout the world…


Kinds of anxieties that may result from committing sin include: the
distress suffered after shedding blood wrongfully; or the anxiety of
a woman who is pregnant as a result of fornication or adultery.


Kinds of distress that result from wrongful treatment at the hands of
others include that suffered because of mistreatment by one's own
relatives, as the poet said: "The wrong suffered at the hands of
those who are closely-related is more painful to bear than a blow
from a powerful sword."


Distress suffered because of the calamities that happen in this world
include: chronic or serious diseases, disobedience of children
towards their parents, hostility on the part of one's wife or
mistreatment on the part of one's husband.


Some kinds of anxiety result from fears about what may lie ahead in
the future, for example a father may be worried about what will
happen to his children after he dies, especially if they are weak and
he has nothing to leave behind for them.

These are a few examples of different kinds of stress and worry. We
will discuss the matter in further detail below:




Rest is on http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts/Munajjid-
books/worry.htm have a nice read

  Your Brother in Islam
       Abuubaida

Sitting between the sun and the shade is not allowed


If the place where one is sitting falls between the sun and the
shade, he should change his place, because the Prophet SAWS (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "If one of you is
(sitting) in shade that diminishes in size, resulting in part of his
body remaining in the sun and the rest under shade, he should get up
and move." (Abu Dawood, no. 4821; Saheeh al-Jaami`, no. 748)


The reason for this is that this is the position favoured by the
Shaytaan. The evidence is the Prophet's prohibition of sitting
partially in the sun and partially in shade. He SAWS (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "This is the place where the
Shaytaan sits." (Ahmad, 3/413; Saheeh al-Jaami`, No. 6823)

  This is rarely known to most Muslims. Even those who read quite a
bit of books. So please let others know when you come accross they on
internet, work, collage and home etc.

I have it in the socaial section and click on manners of this groups
website

For those who still dont know the website address here it is
http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts

and for the forum address
http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts

Those Muslims who forgot how to pray due to neglect since childhood
then there is a very easy guide to prayer with pics (defaced ofcource)

I know one who was born in a muslim family feel ashamed to go to the
Imam or someone to ask him how to pray and thus end up neglecting
pray even longer.

So there is no excuse for you not to pray. Since some New Muslims
have found it easy to follow. At least you will rember something you
learnt as a child.

Any Problems please let me know (I wont Punish you with a stick LOL)

AbuUbaida

By Habibur Rahman
  The lone traveler.

  Traveling through the desert. His destination - a far off city,
  his home town. And our destination, the Jannah.

He carries no more items than what's absolutely necessary for
this journey.

Neither do we acquire more than the minimum necessary, in this world.
  The traveler thinks neither of the hardship nor of the pain.
Because he knows, at the end of the road waits his warm home.
  And the traveler gets tired. Finds an oasis!
  He is not fooled by its beauty, nor of its trees. Because he
knows his real home is still more beautiful.

He sits down for a rest.

  His shade is the trees and his bed the sand. He looks for no comfort,
  neither builds a castle.

  Because he knows, he already has got the finest home where lives his
wife and his family.

Just that he has to reach there!

And he rests to regain his strength but no longer.

  He picks up food and water for his journey, but not more. And resume
his walk to his
  home.

His real home. The Jannah!

Far from myself physically, but not far from my heart. And who
  feels the pain of the journey when all he is thinking is of the
prize?

Brothers, we were created in the "world of the Ruhs". And
taking a long journey through the world, the grave, the field of
quiamah, the
  bridge over the hell, to our final destination, the Jannah.

  Where resides our garden, our home, our family. And from where we
shall never ever have
to get out to take any such journey ever again.

Because if this world is for 60 years, if the grave is for 40
thousand,
if Hashar is for 50,000 years the jannah is FOREVER!

Don't let these 60 years make your tired.

  Brothers let not the beauty neither the hardship of our path
  distracts us from our final destination. And my Allah help us!
Because
there's no helping hand except Him!

  My heart cry my Lord, and so do my eyes, for your Love. How many
  years had I been waiting to meet you!

  Brothers Allah loves you more than you can ever love Him.
  -habib.

Sources of happiness
             Different individuals and groups of people may have
different ideas with regard to the best ways of achieving happiness.
However, there are several theories and speculations which many a
people share as constituting the main sources of happiness. These may
be classified as follows:

(1) Wealth.
(2) Rank and position.
(3) Educational achievements (Academic and Honorary Degrees).
(4) Fame (i.e., in politics, arts, sports, science, etc.).



Happiness in wealth
             Wealth is, probably, the element mostly associated, if
not synonymous, with happiness as many people think. This
understanding so deep-rooted in the hearts of so many, to the extent
that almost everywhere people are engrossed in the acquisition of
wealth. They look towards wealth as the primal constituent of
happiness to the point that for them the two are entwined.

             How happy are those men and women who own business
empires, wide expanses of land and estates, large bank deposits, etc?

             Many indeed are those people who own millions or even
billions but are suffering from an almost permanent lack of peace of
mind as a result of the fear they have over their wealth the fear of,
say, political turmoil's, market movements, wars, plunders, theft,
etc. And not only does such fear lead to sleepless nights for these
people but even tensions, mental anguish, heart attacks and deaths.
Very often one comes across reports in the media such as the
following:

* Fortunes lost and lives follow in financial market crash …..!
* A Tokyo trader shot himself after apparently losing money in the
stock market..!
* Australia's richest man was rushed to hospital in serious
condition, Sunday, after suffering a heart attack....!
             Understanding and accepting that happiness has nothing to
do with amassment of wealth is perhaps the most liberating
realization we can ever come to.

             Ample material is readily available from the lives of
many people to prove our dictum "wealth is not equal to happiness".


Qaarun
             Qarun's (Kora) story serves as a typical example of
opulent people whose wealth infused them with pride and arrogance and
made them forget the role of wealth in mans life. Wealth should be
used for the achievement of the welfare of man and his society in
accordance with the will and commandments of Almighty Allah, Who has
granted man his existence, faculties, powers, sustenance and
resources.

             His story is told in the Holy Qur'an:" Such were the
treasure We had bestowed on him, that their very keys would have been
a burden to a body of strong men. Behold, his people said to him:
Exult not, for Allah loveth not those who exult (in riches)."
(Qur'an, 28:76) Then," So he went forth among his people in the
(pride of his wordly) glitter." (Qur'an, 28:79).

             When he was in the heyday of his glory, worldly people
envied him and thought how happy they would be if only they were in
his place.

             But wise people were not dazzled by Qaarun's fabulous
wealth, because they realized the transient nature of worldly
treasures and they were certain that the true wealth is the reward of
Allah (in the Hereafter) for those who believe and work
righteousness. (Vide the Qur'an, 28:80)

             Qaarun lived ostentatiously and appeared to many of his
people " a lord of mighty good fortune." They admired his glorious
appearance but forgot his reality. All this was 'illusory happiness'
or, at least, transient happiness, just like a dream or a movie.

             What was the end? What happened to all that pomp, wealth,
pride and arrogance? " Then, We caused the earth to swallow up him
and his house; and he had not (the least little) party to help him
against Allah, nor could he defend himself." (Qur'an 28:81).


Christina Onassis
             Here lies another eventful story which proved beyond
doubt that wealth, whatever the amount one holds, cannot by itself be
the basis for the achievement of real happiness! Here is the story
which for years dominated the minds of writers, reporters and
newsmen, as well as the pages of newspapers, books and magazines!
This is the story of Christina Onassis daughter of the famous Greek
tycoon, Aristotle Onassis who owned fleets of ships and aeroplanes,
lakes and islands, real estates, huge bank deposits, etc. Following
the death of her father, Christina was the only one left behind as
the legal heiress to the vast resources of her father besides her
late father's second wife Jacqueline Kennedy. The enormous liquid
inheritances were to the tune of billions of dollars besides the
immovable properties, the fleet of ships and aeroplanes, lakes and
islands, real estates, large bank deposits, etc 'What an inheritance
that was! Certainly, to the judgment, reasoning, feelings and
standards of most people, someone inheriting such a huge fortune
should be the happiest person on earth but was this true for
Christina? The answer to this question can only be arrived at after
going through the following pages which briefly explain the known
course of her life.

             Christina got married to an American during her father's
lifetime; but only a few months thereafter the marriage broke up and
ended up in divorce. After the death of her father, she got married
to a Greek for the second time but their marriage lasted only a few
months, if not weeks, before it was all over!

             Christina stayed out of marriage for quite some time
apparently looking for a happy life outside the marriage bond.
However, that happiness did not materialize and, after a few years
had elapsed, she felt like flying to find a life of happiness under
the marriage bond once again. This time her choice for a husband was
from a completely different camp from communist Russia! To many who
knew her free style western life, this step, indeed, became an
interesting, if not perturbing or excruciating experience. And when
once asked by a pressman of this move, she had a ready answer which
was simple, short, but frank: "I am searching for happiness".

             Of course, her two previous marriages were with men from
the West; and since they both failed, she thought that she
could "discover" some happiness in the East. But here too she was
only trying out her luck with no guarantees. When pressmen
interviewed her for a second time her unchanged reply was: "I am
searching for happiness..!"

             But was she really happy about her marriage in Russia?
Never! She hardly remained with the Russian for more than a year
before she eventually divorced him!

             Apparently, that was not the end of the
marriage "dilemma". Back in Europe she decided to give it one more
final try this time with a French industrialist, the fourth husband
from a fourth different country in hardly a period of two years! What
a miserable and unsecured life it has been. It was during one of
those occasions at a party relating to this last marriage that a
pressman asked her whether she was the richest woman and her frank
reply went as follows: Yes! I am the richest woman but the
unhappiest....

             The marriage with the French industrialist went ahead as
planned but it took only a few months to exist before it was all
gone!

             Having failed to achieve happiness under marriage life,
Christina vowed not to marry again and endeavored to achieve
happiness "on her own". However, happiness was impossible for her
even on her own and she spent the rest of her life in a desperate
manner full of frustrations and disappointments and of frenzy travels
between the world's major cities until, finally, she was found lying
dead inside a hotel in Argentina. Who killed her? She committed
suicide! What an unhappy ending for a very, very wealthy lady!

             Was her wealth able to buy her happiness?

             NEVER, INDEED!!!!!!!


Happiness In Rank And Position
             Could real happiness be attained



Happiness In Rank And Position
             Could real happiness be attained through the acquirement
of high rank or position in society? To many the answer is in the
affirmative. This is apparently due to lack of deep insight in the
nature of rank or position and the responsibilities which they
involve. In Islam, holding any position, rank or office is first and
foremost regarded as a trust and, therefore, constitutes an
obligation, and a legal as well as moral responsibility. Therefore,
those to be entrusted with such roles could only be citizens who are
possessed of unquestionable competence, integrity and virtue. Only a
righteous and competent person can shoulder responsibility and use
his position or office for public welfare.

             Such a person would be able to dispense justice based on
moral value and promote sound administration. He would promote and
enhance the well-being of his people by handling their affairs in a
manner that is in accordance with public interest. In return, he
would earn his people's obedience, support, loyalty and cooperation.
Thus, he would love doing his job because ultimately he would be
blessed with joy, happiness, contentment and satisfaction.

             However, any person who is entrusted with authority over
others and does not conduct his affairs on the basis of justice and
moral standards, would definitely be responsible for
maladministration. His position would only be a source of misery and
corruption with issues such as the following:

* Loss of public confidence.
* Rift between the ruler and the ruled.
* Tension fear and insecurity of life and position on the part of the
ruler.
* The ruler's internal restlessness arid agonies of conscience.
* Upsurge of enemies and oppositions from amongst the ruled.
* Ruler going to great lengths to protect his position at times at
any cost, even if that may mean the shedding of blood.
* Public revolt.
* Coups d'etat.
* Assassinations.

             Hardly does a year pass by around the world without
closing with the news of miserable falls, overthrows and/or
assassinations of unwanted rulers, kings, emperors, premiers,
presidents, etc. Recent cases include the following subsections.


The Shah of Iran
             The Shah of Iran who once organized an international
ceremony to commemorate the passing of 2500 years since the birth of
the "Persian state"!

             But when the end came it was heavy. He was chased" out of
his country by a massive public revolt and spent the rest of his
life "wandering" from one country to another until he eventually died
a miserable death in Egypt as a result of a chronic cancer.


Ferdinand Marcos
             The man who for 20 years literally "owned" the
Philippines and ruled it as if it were a "family enterprise", came to
a terrible end. He was "thrown" out of his country by the masses and
spent several years thereafter in exile in various "hideouts" under
tight security for fear of being murdered.


Jean Bedel Bokassa, the self-proclaimed "Emperor" of the Republic of
Central Africa
             Here was a man who spent for his coronation more than his
country's total gross national product. He was later toppled by his
countrymen and at present he is serving a life-imprisonment sentence.


Nicolae Ceausescu
             The man dwelt in a palace built in "pure gold" for a
period of more than 20 years as the "Owner" of Romania! To suppress a
public revolt he used tanks and artillery so that by the end of the
revolution 64,000 people were reported to have been killed in the
cities. He was later caught while trying to escape out of his country
and was "slaughtered" before the eyes of the public!


Rajiv Gandhi
             He was assassinated in public and closed the chapter of
an unpopular dynasty. The list is in-exhaustive It is a wonder,
however, how all evil men have much in common but the sure end of all
evil is evil!


Educational Achievements (Academic And Honorary Degrees)
             Then, where is happiness? Is it in obtaining the highest
level of education and in earning doctorate degrees?

             It is true that Islam not only encourages but also
requires man to seek knowledge and live in the light of learning.
Islam is a way of life based on knowledge and not on superstition.
Prophets are the sources of divine knowledge, and the first divine
revelation to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) begins with the
word " IQRA" meaning "READ". In that same revelation, Allah, (Glory
be to Him) tells mankind that He (Allah) taught man " with the pen"
and taught man " what he did not know".

             Much emphasis is placed in Islam on the need for
excellent learning, that in the Holy Qur'an, Allah, Glory be to Him,
teaches mankind the following supplications:" ….and say 0 my Lord,
advance me in knowledge" (Qur'an, 22:114).

             In another verse of the holy Qur'an, Allah tells
mankind:" ….. those truly fear Allah among His servants who have
knowledge" (Qur'an, 35:28).

             Yet, in another verse of the Holy Qur'an, Allah questions
mankind:" ….. are they equal, those who know and those who do not
know?" (Qur'an, 39:9).

             Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also left behind
many authentic sayings and teachings in this regard emphasizing the
importance and superiority of knowledge. In one of these sayings, the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said that seeking knowledge is every
Muslim's duty.

             Such is the concept of Islam with regard to learning that
it leaves wide open all fields of thought before the human intellect
to penetrate as far as it could reach. It frees, and lays down no
restrictions against, the free-thinker who seeks knowledge to widen
his vision and broaden his mind. However, such intellectual
development is not and could not be pursued as an absolute objective
in itself. It could not be independent but would remain throughout on
the plane of faith with the moral values based on the true religion
of Allah, that is Islam.

             It is only by doing so that a persons intellect gets a
complete "nourishment" and his intellectual life becomes enriched so
as to be constructive and useful. It is only by such integration of
the intellectual and the spiritual values that the person's internal
nature becomes sound, healthy and happy. However, if knowledge and
scientific research are taken as an end in themselves at the cost of
faith, moral and spiritual values, then even the most learned man
would "unhappily" be regressed to "the lowest of the low" despite any
qualifications, degrees, credentials and honors he may have
possessed. While advancement in knowledge and science alone may work
well when it comes to the treatment of matter, yet, it could not be
taken as conclusive.

             Very frequently one comes across press reports such as
the following: "A college PROFESSOR was jailed after he was accused
of kidnapping a woman and holding her in a closet for two weeks for
his pleasure the charge carries a 10 to 99 year prison sentence he
admitted to the charge....".

             "A Standard University LECTURER fired for carrying drugs
on campus, yet he said that he will fight his dismissal but would not
change his ways. He added; 'that is my right as long as I do not hurt
anybody else....".

             "A male top Washington LAWYER and his businessman lover
filed a potential landmark lawsuit, trying to become the first
homosexuals to get married legally in the United States....".

             "Stanford Medical School President has brought
disciplinary charges of sexual harassment and professional misconduct
against a male cardiology PROFESSOR. The charges are based on
complaints of two female medical students there....".

             "Two DOCTORS were fined and given prison sentences
yesterday for performing a sex-change operation on a patient He (the
sex-change victim) filed a complaint in 1984 asserting that the
operation had not been successful and that he was in constant pain.
Four years later he committed suicide".

             A WOMAN DOCTOR cries out saying: "Take away my
certificate and give me a husband. Let us read what that poor woman
doctor writes in her own words: Every morning at 7:00 o'clock, I shed
tears behind the chauffeur who droved me in my car to my medical
clinic prison cell or 'grave'. She goes on saying: Every time I
reached my destination, I found women and children waiting for me.
They looked at me with admiration and regarded my white coat as if it
were a luxurious kind of clothes made of Persian silk, yet it was to
my view the mourner's clothes. And every time I reached my clinic, I
fixed the stethoscope, as if it were a hangman's rope tied around my
neck. Now, I am in my thirties and I am very pessimistic about the
future. Then, she cries out! Take away my certificate, my coats and
my money and let me hear the word MUM. Then she writes a few lines
describing her inner feelings: People would call me a doctor, but
what benefit do I get from hearing it? So, tell those people who
considered me as a good example, that now I am to be pitied. All I
want and hope for is to have my own child to hug and caress. But, can
I buy it with all my Money?"

             Just look at what happens to the woman doctor. How she
describes her everyday agony and how she thinks of her medical as a
prison cell and a grave. In short, does she enjoy her profession?
Does she get any level of satisfaction and contentment in life? The
answer is left to the reader.


Happiness In Fame

rest found on http/muslimconverts/e-
books/happines/happines_defin.htm#sub1

Praise be to Allaah.

Islam has enjoined upon the husband duties towards his wife, and vice
versa, and among these duties are some which are shared by both
husband and wife.

  We will mention – by the help of Allaah – some of the texts of the
Qur'aan and Sunnah which have to do with the duties of the spouses
towards one another, quoting also from the commentaries and views of
the scholars.

  Firstly:

  The rights of the wife which are hers alone:

  The wife has financial rights over her husband, which are the mahr
(dowry), spending and accommodation.

  And she has non-financial rights, such as fair division between co-
wives, being treated in a decent and reasonable manner, and not being
treated in a harmful way by her husband.

  1.     Financial rights

  (a)   The mahr (dowry). This is the money to which the wife is
entitled from her husband when the marriage contract is completed or
when the marriage is consummated. It is a right which the man is
obliged to pay to the woman. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

"And give to the women (whom you marry) their Mahr (obligatory bridal-
money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) with
a good heart" [al-Nisaa' 4:4]

The prescription of the mahr demonstrates the seriousness and
importance of the marriage-contract, and is a token of respect and
honour to the woman.

The mahr is not a condition or essential part of the marriage-
contract, according to the majority of fuqahaa'; rather it is one of
the consequences of the contract. If the marriage-contract is done
without any mention of the mahr, it is still valid, according to the
consensus of the majority, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

"There is no sin on you, if you divorce women while yet you have not
touched (had sexual relation with) them, nor appointed unto them
their Mahr (bridal-money given by the husband to his wife at the time
of marriage)" [al-Baqarah 2:236]

The fact that divorce is permitted before consummation of the
marriage or before stipulating the mahr indicates that it is
permissible not to stipulate the mahr in the marriage-contract.

If the mahr is stipulated, it becomes obligatory upon the husband; if
it is not stipulated, then he must give the mahr that is given to
women of similar status to his wife.

(b) Spending. The scholars of Islam are agreed that it is obligatory
for husbands to spend on their wives, on the condition that the wife
make herself available to her husband. If she refuses him or rebels,
then she is not entitled to that spending.

The reason why it is obligatory to spend on her is that the woman is
available only to her husband, because of the marriage contract, and
she is not allowed to leave the marital home except with his
permission. So he has to spend on her and provide for her, and this
is in return for her making herself available to him for his pleasure.

What is meant by spending is providing what the wife needs of food
and accommodation. She has the right to these things even if she is
rich, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"but the father of the child shall bear the cost of the mother's food
and clothing on a reasonable basis" [al-Baqarah 2:233]

"Let the rich man spend according to his means; and the man whose
resources are restricted, let him spend according to what Allaah has
given him" [al-Talaaq 65:7]

  From the Sunnah:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Hind
bint `Utbah – the wife of Abu Sufyaan – who had complained that he
did not spend on her: "Take what is sufficient for you and your
children, on a reasonable basis."

It was narrated that `Aa'ishah said: "Hind bint `Utbah, the wife of
Abu Sufyaan, entered upon the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, `O Messenger of Allaah,
Abu Sufyaan is a stingy man who does not spend enough on me and my
children, except for what I take from his wealth without his
knowledge. Is there any sin on me for doing that?' The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, `Take from
his wealth on a reasonable basis, only what is sufficient for you and
your children.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5049; Muslim, 1714)

  It was narrated from Jaabir that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in his Farewell Sermon:

"Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on the
security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been made lawful
unto you by words of Allah. You too have rights over them, and that
they should not allow anyone to sit on your bed [i.e., not let them
into the house] whom you do not like. But if they do that, you can
chastise them but not severely. Their rights upon you are that you
should provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner"
(Narrated by Muslim, 1218)

  (c)  Accommodation. This is also one of the wife's rights, which
means that her husband should prepare for her accommodation according
to his means and ability. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Lodge them (the divorced women) where you dwell, according to your
means" [al-Talaaq 65:6]

  2.     Non-financial rights

  (i)                Fair treatment of co-wives. One of the rights
that a wife has over her husband is that she and her co-wives should
be treated equally, if the husband has other wives, with regard to
nights spent with them, spending and clothing.

(ii)              Kind treatment. The husband must have a good
attitude towards his wife and be kind to her, and offer her
everything that may soften her heart towards him, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

"and live with them honourably" [al-Nisaa' 4:19]

"And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living
expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards
obedience and respect) to what is reasonable" [al-Baqarah 2:228]

  From the Sunnah:

  It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: `Be kind to women.'"(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3153;
Muslim, 1468).

  There follow examples of the kind treatment of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) towards his wives – for he is
the best example:

  1. It was narrated from Zaynab bint Abi Salamah that Umm Salamah
said: "I got my menses when I was lying with the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) under a single woollen sheet. I
slipped away and put on the clothes I usually wore for menstruation.
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said to me, `Have you got your menses?' I said, `Yes.' Then he called
me and made me lie with him under the same sheet."

She said: And she told me that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to kiss her when he was fasting, and the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and I used to do
ghusl to cleanse ourselves from janaabah from one vessel.(Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 316; Muslim, 296)

  2.  It was narrated that `Urwah ibn al-Zubayr said: " `Aa'ishah
said: `By Allaah, I saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) standing at the door of my apartment when the
Abyssinians were playing with their spears in the Mosque of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). He
covered me with his cloak so that I could watch their games, then he
stood there for my sake until I was the one who had had enough. So
you should appreciate the fact that young girls like to have fun.'"
(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 443; Muslim, 892)

  3.  It was narrated from `Aa'ishah the Mother of the Believers (may
Allaah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray sitting down; he would
recite Qur'aan when he was sitting down, then when there were thirty
or forty aayahs left, he would stand up and recite them standing up.
Then he did rukoo', then sujood; then he would do likewise in the
second rak'ah. When he had finished his prayer, he would look, and if
I was awake he would talk with me, and if I was asleep he would lie
down.

(Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1068)

(c)  Not harming one's wife.

This is one of the basic principles of Islam. Because harming others
is haraam in the case of strangers, it is even more so in the case of
harming one's wife.

  It was narrated from `Ubaadah ibn al-Saamit that the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) ruled, "There
should be no harming nor reciprocating harm." (Narrated by Ibn
Maajah,, 2340)

This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Imaam Ahmad, al-Haakim, Ibn al-
Salaah and others. See Khalaasat al-Badr al-Muneer, 2/438.

  Among the things to which the Lawgiver drew attention in this matter
is the prohibition of hitting or beating in a severe manner.

  It was narrated from Jaabir that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said in his Farewell Sermon:

"Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on the
security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been made lawful
unto you by words of Allah. You too have rights over them, and that
they should not allow anyone to sit on your bed [i.e., not let them
into the house] whom you do not like. But if they do that, you can
chastise them but not severely. Their rights upon you are that you
should provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner"
(Narrated by Muslim, 1218)

  Secondly:

  The husband's rights over his wife.

  The rights of the husband over his wife are among the greatest
rights; indeed his rights over her are greater than her rights over
him, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living
expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards
obedience and respect) to what is reasonable, but men have a degree
(of responsibility) over them [al-Baqarah 2:228]

  al-Jassaas said: Allaah tells us in this aayah that each of the
spouses has rights over the other, and that the husband has one
particular right over his wife which she does not have over him.

  Ibn al-`Arabi said: this text states that he has some preference
over her with regard to rights and duties of marriage.

  These rights include:

  (a)     The obligation of obedience. Allaah has made the man a
qawwaam (protector and maintainer) of the woman by commanding,
directing and taking care of her, just as guardians take care of
their charges, by virtue of the physical and mental faculties that
Allaah has given only to men and the financial obligations that He
has enjoined upon them. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allaah has
made one of them to excel the other, and because they spend (to
support them) from their means" [al-Nisaa' 4:34]

  `Ali ibn Abi Talhah said, narrating from Ibn `Abbaas: "Men are the
protectors and maintainers of women" means, they are in charge of
them, i.e., she should obey him in matters of obedience that Allaah
has enjoined upon her, and obey him by treating his family well and
taking care of his wealth. This was the view of Muqaatil, al-Saddi
and al-Dahhaak.(Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/492)

  (b)    Making herself available to her husband. One of the rights
that the husband has over his wife is that he should be able to enjoy
her (physically). If he marries a woman and she is able to have
intercourse, she is obliged to submit herself to him according to the
contract, if he asks her. That is after he gives her the immediate
mahr, and gives her some time – two or three days, if she asks for
that – to sort herself out, because that is something that she needs,
and because that is not too long and is customary.

If a wife refuses to respond to her husband's request for
intercourse, she has done something haraam and has committed a major
sin, unless she has a valid shar'i excuse such as menses, obligatory
fasting, sickness, etc.

  It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: `When a man calls his wife to his bed and she refuses, and
he went to sleep angry with her, the angels will curse her until
morning.'" (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3065; Muslim, 1436)

  (c)     Not admitting anyone whom the husband dislikes. One of the
rights that the husband has over his wife is that she should not
permit anyone whom he dislikes to enter his house.

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "It is not permitted for a woman to fast when her husband
is present without his permission, or to admit anyone into his house
without his permission. And whatever she spends (in charity) of his
wealth without his consent, …." (Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 4899;
Muslim, 1026)

It was narrated from Sulaymaan ibn `Amr ibn al-Ahwas: my father told
me that he was present at the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hujjat al-Wadaa')
with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him). He [the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)]
praised and glorified Allaah, then he preached a sermon and
said: "Treat women kindly, for they are prisoners and you have no
other power over them than that, if they are guilty of open lewdness,
then refuse to share their beds, and hit them, but not severely. But
if they return to obedience, (then) do not seek means (of annoyance)
against them. You have rights over your women and your women have
rights over you. Your rights over your women are that they should not
let anyone whom you dislike sit on your bed and they should not let
anyone whom you dislike enter your house. Their rights over you are
that you should feed and clothe them well."

(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1163 – he said this is a saheeh hasan
hadeeth. Also narrated by Ibn Maajah, 1851)

It was narrated that Jaabir said: [the Prophet] (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said:

"Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on the
security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been made lawful
unto you by words of Allah. You too have rights over them, and that
they should not allow anyone to sit on your bed [i.e., not let them
into the house] whom you do not like. But if they do that, you can
chastise them but not severely. Their rights upon you are that you
should provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner"
(Narrated by Muslim, 1218)

  (d)    Not going out of the house except with the husband's
permission. One of the rights of the husband over his wife is that
she should not go out of the house except with his permission.

The Shaafa'is and Hanbalis said: she does not have the right to visit
(even) her sick father except with the permission of her husband, and
he has the right to prevent her from doing that… because obedience to
the husband is obligatory, and it is not permitted to neglect an
obligatory action for something that is not obligatory.

(e)     Discipline. The husband has the right to discipline his wife
if she disobeys him in something good, not if she disobeys him in
something sinful, because Allaah has enjoined disciplining women by
forsaking them in bed and by hitting them, when they do not obey.

The Hanafis mentioned four situations in which a husband is permitted
to discipline his wife by hitting her. These are: not adorning
herself when he wants her to; not responding when he calls her to bed
and she is taahirah (pure, i.e., not menstruating); not praying; and
going out of the house without his permission.

The evidence that it is permissible to discipline one's wife includes
the aayahs (interpretation of the meaning):

"As to those women on whose part you see ill‑conduct, admonish them
(first), (next) refuse to share their beds, (and last) beat them
(lightly, if it is useful)" [al-Nisaa' 4:34]

"O you who believe! Ward off yourselves and your families against a
Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones" [al-Tahreem 66:6]

  Ibn Katheer said:

Qutaadah said: you should command them to obey Allaah, and forbid
them to disobey Allaah; you should be in charge of them in accordance
with the command of Allaah, and instruct them to follow the commands
of Allaah, and help them to do so. If you see any act of disobedience
towards Allaah, then stop them from doing it and rebuke them for
that.

This was also the view of al-Dahhaak and Muqaatil: that the duty of
the Muslim is to teach his family, including his relatives and his
slaves, that which Allaah has enjoined upon them and that which He
has forbidden them. (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 4/392)

(f)      The wife serving her husband. There is a great deal of
evidence (daleel) for this, some of which has been mentioned above.

  Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said:

  She is obliged to serve her husband according to what is reasonable
among people of similar standing. That varies according to
circumstances: the way in which a Bedouin woman serves (her husband)
will not be like the way of a town-dweller, and the way of a strong
woman will not be like the way of a weak woman. (al-Fataawa al-
Kubraa, 4/561)

(g)     Submitting herself to him. Once the conditions of the
marriage-contract have been fulfilled and it is valid, then the woman
is obliged to submit herself to her husband and allow him to enjoy
her (physically), because once the contract is completed, he is
allowed in return to enjoy her, and the wife is entitled to the
compensation which is the mahr.

(h)     The wife should treat her husband in a good manner, because
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"And they (women) have rights (over their husbands as regards living
expenses) similar (to those of their husbands) over them (as regards
obedience and respect) to what is reasonable" [al-Baqarah 2:228]

  Al-Qurtubi said:

It was also narrated from him – i.e., Ibn `Abbaas – that this means:
they have the right to good companionship and kind and reasonable
treatment from their husbands just as they are obliged to obey the
commands of their husbands.

  And it was said that they have the right that their husbands should
not harm them, and their husbands have a similar right over them.
This was the view of al-Tabari.

Ibn Zayd said: You should fear Allaah concerning them just as they
should fear Allaah concerning you.

The meanings are similar, and the aayah includes all of that in the
rights and duties of marriage.(Tafseer al-Qurtubi, 3/123-124)

And Allaah knows best.


for more infor on marraige http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts/

Brother Ali Ramadaan Naajeeli


A Chadian Sultaan who was a fanatical Christian and is now one of the
most prominent Daa'iyahs

This is a wonderful story which is worth reading, that of a fanatical
Christian whom Allaah guided to the path of truth, and he has become
one of the most prominent Daa'iyahs in the African continent. When we
spoke with him, he started at the beginning and did not wait for our
questions. He told us the whole story, that he is the sultaan in one
of the regions of Chad. His name is `Ali Ramadaan Naajeeli, the
Sultan of Qindi in Chad.

He was a fanatical Christian, as he tells us. He hated Muslims and
wanted to burn them if he could. He says: I was lost and confused
until I became Muslim in 1977 at the hands of a Nigerian shaykh who
was working in da'wah. By his methods and the strength of his
evidence he managed to convince the people in our region of Islam. I
had seen many Sufi daa'iyahs in the past. They came to our area and
made it a condition on anyone who wanted to enter Islam that he
should give them gifts such as fruit, cattle and clothing. This put a
lot of people off Islam, because they saw it as a religion which
exploited people, which was the impression that these Sufis gave. But
later on, this Salafi Nigerian shaykh came along and showed us true
Islam. He proved to us that Islam was not like what those people had
done. He told us how the Mushrikeen had offered power and wealth to
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him),
but he had refused it for the sake of his da'wah. And he told us how
he had striven against the Mushrikeen for many years and had put up
with their insults and torment until his Da'wah succeeded and spread
throughout the world. After everything that he had told us, and after
months of Da'wah, he managed to convince us of Islam, and we entered
this religion on the basis of conviction. We became Muslim willingly,
embracing a religion in which we could worship Allaah in all
sincerity, worshipping Him alone, and not people or idols to bring us
close to Allaah and keep us away from magic and devils.

I became Muslim with the others who became Muslim, among whom was my
father, the Sultan of the region of Maaheem Tooki Qindi in Nigeria.
After my father became Muslim, he said to me, From this day on, you
belong to Islam. You will stay with and serve the shaykh who taught
us Islam. My father had said to him: I will give this boy to you for
the sake of Allaah, to serve Islam. I went with him and remained in
his service for 6 years, then I graduated from his service as a
Daa'iyah, after studying Islam during this period in Nigeria. At the
end of these six years, he said to me: Work with me in Nigeria. I
said to him: I read in the Qur'aan that Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning): And warn your tribe of near kindred. [al-Shu'araa'
26:214].

  Question: How did you become the Sultaan of this region?

I became the Sultaan after my father passed away, after calling
people in the region to Islam for two years. This led to 4722 people
from the Saraqoolai tribe becoming Muslim, including 14 Christian
priests. From this time the confrontation with the Christian
missionaries in the south of Chad began. They tried to destroy the
Islamic da'wah and make those who had become Muslim Christian, using
various methods. They regarded the Islamic da'wah there as a rival
which threatened to stem the Christian tide. They tried to tempt me
with money and women, and by offering me a house and a farm so that I
would become Christian. They wanted me to use the same methods for
them as I had used when that great number of people became Muslim.
This is what was annoying them,  because they were using a lot of
resources but they had not achieved the results that I had achieved
in the south of Chad. This is what made the Chadian government
appoint me as a member of the Higher Committee on Islamic Affairs in
the Republic of Chad. But despite all these offers, I rejected what
the Christian missionaries offered me. So they started to provoke the
animists against the Muslims in the south, but their efforts ended in
failure.

  How did you come to visit Makkah?

The Islamic Daw'ah organization gave me a grant to perform the duty
of Hajj. When I visited Makkah and saw the Muslims there, white and
black, with no differences between them, all of them wearing the same
clothes and equal in status, I could not stop myself from weeping. I
had no one from my family with me, yet I felt that all the people
around me were my family and my brothers. This increased my
determination to strive more seriously in the field of da'wah, to
guide other people to this great religion and not to keep this
spiritual joy to myself, and to save the rest of my brothers from
doom and from the Fire of Hell. I decided to start my da'wah in my
own country, Chad.

Question: what is your relationship with the Islamic centres, and how
did they develop?

After I came back from Hajj, I decided to start Islamic centres which
would provide the Muslims with mosques and schools. Praise be to
Allaah, I was able to establish 12 mosques and to build a school for
Muslim children. We have also dug 12 wells for the Muslims in the
Qindi region. I also worked to establish a foundation for training
converts in da'wah. From the beginning my aim was to spread the
religion of Islam with its teachings, morals and manners, and to
focus on teaching Arabic and Islam, and to establish study circles to
teach Qur'aan and Sunnah – and this has been achieved, praise be to
Allaah.

Question: you said that the Christians are the greatest obstacle you
face. What other obstacles are there?

There are many obstacles facing the da'wah in the south of Chad. The
main obstacles are material, for the people there are poor and do not
have their daily food. Many of those who have become Muslim do not
even have anything with which to cover their `awrah when they pray.
The region also suffers from a lack of roads and there are no means
of transportation to go into the primitive animist areas in order to
make da'wah in the villages where most of the people are Christian.
We are also suffering from a lack of trained daa'iyahs. Many of the
Muslims there know little more than the Shahaadatayn, which is most
unfortunate. In contrast, the efforts of the Christian missionaries
are supported with the essential material and human resources for
success. The missionary efforts remain the greatest obstacle we face
in this region. When the Pope from the Vatican visited the region of
Qinda at the end of his African tour, he met with the missionaries
there and made great plans to Christianize the region. Hence they
supplied many missionaries from a number of European countries, and
they supplied the money they needed. They also announced that they
would build a number of churches in the region. One of the Italian
missionaries told me that this region would be Christian by the year
2002 CE. Each month they organize local festivals where they offer
food, drink and assistance to the animists and invite them to become
Christian. They also visit orphanages and refuges, which they support
financially, in order to Christianize the children who stay there.
They are very devious: they were working in the name of the Red Cross
there when it was discovered that they have been sterilizing women by
giving them medication with the result that they will never again
conceive. This is one of their means of limiting the number of
Muslims and putting an end to Islam in Chad.

Question: what have you found in Islam?

  I have discovered the sweetness of Islam, and no one can doubt that
it is the religion of equality and fairness. There is no distinction
between one person and another, between rich and poor, except in
terms of taqwaa. Everyone turns to Allaah and everyone is a slave of
Allaah.

My advice to all Muslims, if they want to see Islam prevail, is that
they should follow Islam in word and deed. This in itself will be a
cause of Islam spreading, because the others do not possess the good
characteristics and conduct which are the reason why others are
attracted to it and embrace it. Islam prevails and is not be
prevailed over, because it comprises a great treasure, lofty
teachings and lessons for mankind which are still hidden and which
have to be revealed to all of mankind. This can be achieved if we
adhere to it, follow its teachings and manners as given in the
Qur'aan and the sayings of the Noble Messenger and his Companions.
  More stories at website http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts

Asslamualikum Eman and Raven,

Wellcome to the group. I hope you learn lots from the forum and the
Website. To convert all you have to say is the Shahadah

The Shahada can be declared as follows:

"ASH-HADU ANLA ELAHA ILLA-ALLAH WA ASH-HADU ANNA MOHAMMADAN RASUL-
ALLAH".

The English translation is:

"I bear witness that there is no deity (none truely to be worshipped)
but, Allah, and I bear witness that Mohammad is the messenger of
Allah",

You can utter these in private or in public. Some Muslims insist on
being it made in public but this a weak opinion.

Also Regarding what happned in your case Sister  Emaan im shure you
know there are no tests to pass in to enter Islam. unfortunatelly
some ignorent poeple want to westernise Islam . Islam is from Allah
and it cant be westrenised or easternised. I was quite shocked when i
recieved an E-mail about 6 months ago by a brother wishing to
converts but the Malasian Goverment inists on some Strange test and
attendance of Classes like they do for american citizenship. They
have no right to invent things in Religion and every invention  in
religion leads to the hellfire.

Well thats what hapnes when poeple or goverments think they know
better than Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him).

Ok take care and feel free to ask questions and participate in the
forum/mailing list. If E-mails get to much you can change ur setting
to anouncements only.

Brother AbuUbaida

Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara'
Revealed in Al-'Imran (1/2)



The legal meaning of Al-Wala' (love, support, help, follow, etc.) is
to totally agree with the sayings, deeds and beliefs which please
Allah and the persons whom He likes
In an age where truth is presented as falsehood, righteousness is
translated to rebelliance and the preserving of ones land and dignity
is called terrorism, there will naturally arise many confusions about
the pillars of Iman and the facts of Islam. Those in whose hearts
there is a deviation find it expedient to twist the meaning of many
sacred texts because it does not conform with their desires and
motives. Not even the principles of Al-Aqeedah can escape their
ploys. Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara' is the creed that guides all the actions
and sayings of a Muslim and it is by its practice and application
that the ranks of the believers vary. It is imperative that this
creed be unambiguous to the Muslim's mentality in order that it
manifests and materialises correctly in his actions.


28. Let not the believers take the disbelievers as Awliya'
(supporters, helpers, etc.) instead of the believers, and whoever
does that will never be helped by Allah in any way, except if you
indeed fear a danger from them. And Allah warns you against Himself
(ie. His Punishment), and to Allah is the final return.
29. Say [O Muhammad (s.a.w.)]: "Whether you hide what is in your
breasts or reveal it, Allah knows it, and He knows what is in the
heavens and what is in the earth. And Allah is Able to do all things".

The Occasion of Revelation

The Ayah (verse) was revealed concerning a group of believers who had
Jewish friends. Those believers were giving Muwalat (support, help,
etc.) to these Jews. Some of the Sahabah (r.a.a.) said to those
believers: "Keep away from those Jews and beware of their friendship
for they could seduce you away from your religion and guide you
astray after you have believed". However this group of believers
disobeyed the advice and remained loyal to their Jewish friends; and
so Allah (s.w.t.) revealed "Let not the believers take the
disbelievers as Awliya'".

Al-Qurtubi also reports in his Tafseer, narrated by Ibn Abbas
(r.a.a.) that the Ayat was revealed with respect to 'Ubadah bin us-
Saamet Al-Ansari Al-Badri who had a coalition of Jews. On the day of
Al-Ahzaab, 'Ubadah said to the Prophet (s.a.w.): "O Prophet of Allah,
I have a fellow of five hundred Jews; I see that they should come
with me for support against the enemy". In this incidence, Allah
(s.w.t.) revealed the aforementioned Ayat.

The General Meaning of the Ayah

Allah (s.w.t.) forbids His Believers from exhibiting any form of
Muwalat to the disbelievers. This includes the manifestation of love
and compassion to strengthen the ties with them or to regard them as
companions and friends because of their kinship or acquaintance. The
Believer can not be an ally of Allah's enemies and it is impossible
for a person to combine the love of Allah (s.w.t.) and the love of
his enemies because this is a combination of opposites; therefore, he
who loves Allah, must also hate His enemies.

It is forbidden upon the Muslim to give Muwalat to the disbelievers
and forsake the believers. There is no association or relationship
whatsoever between Iman and Kufur. The preceding noble Ayat forewarns
us from Muwalat Al-Kafireen and alerts us to the consequences of such
an action, with one exception being in extreme necessity when one
must avoid or protect oneself from the harm or injury inflicted upon
by disbelievers by presenting an outer appearance that belies what
one conceals inside. This is known as Taqiyyah, and it is only
permitted under such circumstances.

The noble Ayat concludes by strongly threatening those who disobey
Allah and show Muwalat to the disbelievers. This threat indicates the
magnitude of such a sin.

The Definition of Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara' in the Islamic Belief

The legal meaning of Al-Wala' (love, support, help, follow, etc.) is
to totally agree with the sayings, deeds and beliefs which please
Allah and the persons whom He likes. Al-Bara' (despise, desert, keep
innocent of, etc.) is the complete opposite of Al-Wala' and it is to
disagree with everything that Allah hates and condemns. Hence, there
are four issues related to the belief in Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara', those
being: the sayings, the deeds, the beliefs and the individual
persons. Some of the things that pleases Allah (s.w.t.) are the
saying of Dhikr, the deed of Jihad, the belief in His Oneness and the
love of the believing person. Backbiting, fornication, Shirk and
disbelief are some of the things that are hated by Allah (s.w.t.) and
must also be hated by the Believer.

The Rank of the Belief in Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara'

The belief in Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara' occupies a meritorious rank in
the Islamic Aqeedah. This can be understood from the following
reasons:

Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara' is part of the Shahadah (testimony of faith)
that being 'La ilaha' which is the portion from 'La ilaha illallah'.
This means to be free and immune from all that is worshiped besides
Allah (s.w.t.) as He the Almighty states: "And verily, We have sent
among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger
(proclaiming): 'Worship Allah (alone), and avoid (or keep away from)
Taghut (all false deities, ie. do not worship Taghut besides Allah)"
(16:36).

The eminent creed of Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara' is the strongest bond of
Iman. Al-Barra' bin A'aazeb (r.a.a.) narrates that the Prophet
(s.a.w.) said: "The strongest bond of Iman is the love for Allah's
sake and the hatred for Allah's sake" (Reported by Imam Ahmad).

It is one of the basis by which the heart can experience the beauty
of Iman and absolute assurance. The Prophet (s.a.w.) said: "Whoever
possesses the following three (qualities) will have the sweetness
(delight) of faith: The one to whom Allah and His Messenger become
dearer than anything else, who loves a person and he loves him only
for Allah's sake, and who hates to revert to atheism (disbelief) as
he hates to be thrown into the fire". [Bukhary and Muslim]

It is the foundation by which all relationships and dealings in a
Muslim community is built upon as described by the Prophet
(s.a.w.): "None of you will have faith till he likes for his (Muslim)
brother what he likes for himself" (Bukhari), and by Wisdom of the
Almighty: "The believers are nothing else than brothers (in Islamic
religion)" (49:10).

The great and abundant reward is due to those who are characterised
by the love of each other for the sake of Allah (s.w.t.). The Prophet
(s.a.w.) articulates: "Those who love me will be (standing) upon
pulpits made of light on the day of Resurrection". He (s.a.w.) also
said: "There will be seven (categories of people) for whom Allah will
Shed (Protect) under His Shade, when there will not be any shade
except His", one of those categories is "Two men who loved each other
for Allah's sake. They congregate for His Sake, and they separate for
His Sake".

It is the most powerful tie or relationship that links between
people. Allah (s.w.t.) has given it the precedence and priority over
all types of ties by Asserting: "Say: If your fathers, your sons,
your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have
gained, the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings
in which you delight ... are dearer to you than Allah and His
Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His Cause, then wait
until Allah brings about His Decision (torment). And Allah guides not
the people who are Fasiqun (the rebellious, disobedient to Allah)"
(9:24).

It is by the means of the creed of Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara' that Allah
grants His Walayah (the protection, power, authority and kingdom).
Ibn Jareer reports the saying of Ibn Abbas (r.a.a.): "He who loves
for Allah's sake and hates for Allah's sake, he who gives Muwalat
(support, help, etc.) for Allah's sake and exhibits enmity for
Allah's sake, will attain Allah's Walayah".

The relationship of Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara' will be theonone to remain
on the Day of Reckoning as foretold by Allah the All-Knowing: "When
those who were followed, disown (declare themselves innocent of)
those who followed (them), and they see the torment, then all their
relations will be cut off from them" (2:166).

He who loves other than Allah and His Religion and hates Him
(s.w.t.), His Religion or followers is a definite disbeliever, "And
if any amongst you takes them (Jews and Christians) as Awliya', then
surely he is one of them" (5:51).

The Al-Wala'u wa Al-Bara' is an integral part of Iman and is
necessary for its perfection. In a Hadith: "He who loves for Allah's
pleasure, hates for Allah's pleasure, donates for Allah's sake and
deprives for Allah's sake, then that person has perfected his Iman"
[Sound Hadith related by Ahmad and Tirmithi] n




By Br. Khalid El-Gharib

"The bombs started falling from the sky.  My husband ran outside to
find our son and then he screamed. I ran to the door. He and my son
were lying dead. The rest of us left when the fighting had stopped.
We just wanted to get away from the bombs and the killing."   ---
Bibi, an Afghan refugee woman.

INTRODUCTION:

The present condition of Afghan civilians - men, women, children, the
young and the old in Afghanistan is beyond what any heart can endure.
As the U.S. bombs continue to shower down upon the impoverished
nation of Afghanistan, and as the barbaric soldiers of the Northern
Alliance begin to repeat their history of atrocities, millions of
innocent people have fled the country, making the dreadful and
grueling journey to the bordering refugee camps.

The two tyrants, Bush and Blair have vowed to rid Afghanistan of the
Taliban, knowing all too well the dark implications this would have
for the future of the country. In their attempts to fulfill this
unjust vow to avenge the deaths of approximately 3000 victims of the
World Trade Center attacks, they have gone on a killing spree.

Since the life of an American civilian is more valuable to the U.S.,
then that of the destitute Afghan men, women and children, Bush's men
have, to date, ruthlessly murdered over 9000 innocent Afghan
civilians (three times more than those killed in the WTC attacks),
destroyed mosques, repeatedly bombed Red Cross warehouses and
hospitals - all under the pretext of 'combating terrorism'
using 'precision-weapons.'

Where are the so-called voices of concern now - those 'humanitarians'
who falsely pointed fingers at the Taliban? Where are they, as the
helpless are forced to leave behind their homes, their belongings,
and their motherland to partake a grievous journey towards the second
phase of their suffering? Where are the feminist groups now, when the
very women they were trying to "liberate" are now being raped by the
Northern Alliance soldiers, whom the U.S is supporting and helping?

What have they got to say to the U.S. and Britain, when the homes of
the poor Afghan women are being bombed, and their children are being
killed in front of them? Did Laura Welch and Cherrie Booth, as bold
as they were in speaking about "women's rights", look into the eyes
of Sada Bibi, who is among the one million Afghan refugees who fled
for her life, and is now lying in her hospital bed in Quetta after
being injured by the bombings in which she lost her husband, five of
her daughters and her two other relatives? And what about those
desperate mothers who are trying to pull the bodies of their small
children out of the rubble that lay where their houses once stood…
have they seen their tear-stricken faces? Is this the U.S. version of
women's rights? To kill half of them and displace them from their
homes and to support the animals who threaten women with rape if they
do not remove their burqa - is this "liberation" of women?

Once again the victims who are suffering the most from the U.S.-led
attacks on Afghanistan, are the innocent women and their children who
are fearfully waiting for their turn to embrace death. Whose brand
of 'freedom' is this?


"When U.S. warplanes strafed [with AC-130 gunships] the farming
village of Chowkar-Karez, 25 miles north of Kandahar on October 22-
23rd, killing at least 93 civilians, a Pentagon official said, 'the
people there are dead because we wanted them dead.'  The reason?
They sympathized with the Taliban.  When asked about the Chowkar
incident, Rumsfeld replied, "I cannot deal with that particular
village." [Murray Campbell, "Bombing of Farming Village Undermines
U.S. Credibility," Toronto Globe & Mail - November 3, 2001]

Umm Salamah

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Scanned from: "Companions of The Prophet", Vol. 1, By: Abdul Wahid
Hamid.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Umm Salamah! What an eventful life she had! Her real name was Hind.
She was the daughter of one of the notables in the Makhzum clan
nicknamed "Zad ar-Rakib" because he was well known for his generosity
partlcularly to travellers. Umm Salamah's husband was Abdullah ibn
Abdulasad and they both were among the first persons to accept Islam.
Only Abu Bakr and a few others, who could be counted on the fingers
of one hand, became Muslims before them.

As soon as the news of their becoming Muslims spread, the Quraysh
reacted with frenzied anger. They began hounding and persecuting Umm
Salamah and her husband. But the couple did not waver or despair and
remained steadfast in their new faith.

The persecution became more and more intense. Life in Makkah became
unbearable for many of the new Muslims. The Prophet, peace be upon
him, then gave permission for them to emigrate to Abyssinia. Umm
Salamah and her husband were in the forefront of these muhajirun,
seekers of refuge in a strange land. For Umm Salamah it meant
abandoning her spacious home and giving up the traditional ties of
lineage and honour for something newΡhope in the pleasure and reward
of Allah.

Despite the protection Umm Salamah and her companions received from
the Abyssinian ruler, the desire to return to Makkah, to be near the
Prophet and the source of relevation and guidance persisted.

News eventually reached the muhajErun that the number of Muslims in
Makkah had increased. Among them were Hamzah ibn Abdulmuttalib and
Umar ibn al-Khattab. Their faith had greatly strengthened the
community and the Quraysh they heard, had eased the persecution
somewhat. Thus a group of the muhajErun, urged on by a deep longing
in their hearts, decided to return to Makkah.

The easing of the persecution was but brief as the returnees soon
found out. The dramatic increase in the number of Muslims following
the acceptance of Islam by Hamzah and Umar only infuriated the
Quraysh even more. They intensified their persecution and torture to
a pitch and intensity not known before. So the Prophet gave
permission to his companions to emigrate to Madinah. Umm Salamah and
her husband were among the first to leave.

The hijrah of Umm Salamah and her husband though was not as easy as
they had imagined. In fact, it was a bitter and painful experience
and a particularly harrowing one for her.

Let us leave the story now for Umm Salamah herself to tell . . .

When Abu Salamah (my husband) decided to leave for Madinah, he
prepared a camel for me, hoisted me on it and placed our son Salamah
on my lap. My husband then took the lead and went on without stopping
or waiting for anything. Before we were out of Makkah however some
men from my clan stopped us and said to my husband:

"Though you are free to do what you like with yourself, you have no
power over your wife. She is our daughter. Do you expect us to allow
you to take her away from us?"

They then pounced on him and snatched me away from him. My husband's
clan, Banu Abdulasad, saw them taking both me and my child. They
became hot with rage.

"No! By Allah," they shouted, "we shall not abandon the boy. He is
our son and we have a first claim over him."

They took him by the hand and pulled him away from me. Suddenly in
the space of a few moments, I found myself alone and lonely. My
husband headed for Madinah by himself and his clan had snatched my
son away from me. My own clan, Banu Makhzum, overpowered me and
forced me to stay with them.

From the day when my husband and my son were separated from me, I
went out at noon every day to that valley and sat at the spot where
this tragedy occurred. I would recall those terrible moments and weep
until night fell on me.

I continued like this for a year or so until one day a man from the
Banu Umayyah passed by and saw my condition. He went back to my clan
and said:

"Why don't you free this poor woman? You have caused her husband and
her son to be taken away from her."

He went on trying to soften their hearts and play on their emotions.
At last they said to me, "Go and join your husband if you wish."

But how could I join my husband in Madinah and leave my son, a piece
of my own flesh and blood, in Makkah among the Banu Abdulasad? How
could I be free from anguish and my eyes be free from tears were I to
reach the place of hijrah not knowing anything of my little son left
behind in Makkah?

Some realised what I was going through and their hearts went out to
me. They petitioned the Banu Abdulasad on my behalf and moved them to
return my son.

I did not now even want to linger in Makkah till I found someone to
travel with me and I was afraid that something might happen that
would delay or prevent me from reaching my husband. So I promptly got
my camel ready, placed my son on my lap and left in the direction of
Madinah.

I had just about reached Tan'im (about three miles from Makkah) when
I met Uthman ibn Talhah. (He was a keeper of the Ka'bah in preIslamic
times and was not yet a Muslim.)

"Where are you going, Bint Zad ar-Rakib?" he asked.

"I am going to my husband in Madinah."

"And there isn't anyone with you?"

"No, by Allah. Except Allah and my little boy here."

"By Allah, I shall never abandon you until you reach Madinah," he
vowed.

He then took the reins of my camel and led us on. I have, by Allah,
never met an Arab more generous and noble than he. When we reached a
resting place, he would make my camel kneel down, wait until I
dismounted, lead the camel to a tree and tether it. He would then go
to the shade of another tree. When we had rested he would get the
camel ready and lead us on.

This he did every day until we reached Madinah. When we got to a
village near Quba (about two miles from Madinah) belonging to Banu
Amr ibn Awf, he said, "Your husband is in this village. Enter it with
the blessings of God. "

He turned back and headed for Makkah.

Their roads finally met after the long separation. Umm Salamah was
overjoyed to see her husband and he was delighted to see his wife and
son.

Great and momentous events followed one after the other. There was
the battle of Badr in which Abu Salamah fought. The Muslims returned
victorious and strengthened. Then there was the battle of Uhud in
which the Muslims were sorely tested. Abu Salamah came out of this
wounded very badly. He appeared at first to respond well to
treatment, but his wounds never healed completely and he remained
bedridden.

Once while Umm Salamah was nursing him, he said to her:

"I heard the Messenger of God saying. Whenever a calamity afflicts
anyone he should say, "Surely from Allah we are and to Him we shall
certainly return." And he would pray, 'O Lord, give me in return
something good from it which only You, Exalted and Mig hty, can
give.'"

Abu Salamah remained sick in bed for several days. One morning the
Prophet came to see him. The visit was longer than usual. While the
Prophet was still at his bedside Abu Salamah passed away. With his
blessed hands, the Prophet closed the eyes of his dead companion. He
then raised these hands to the heavens and prayed:

"O Lord, grant forgiveness to Abu Salamah. Elevate him among those
who are near to You. Take charge of his family at all times. Forgive
us and him, O Lord of the Worlds. Widen his grave and make it light
for him."

Umm Salamah remembered the prayer her husband had quoted on his
deathbed from the Prophet and began repeating it, "O Lord, with you I
leave this my plight for consideration . . ." But she could not bring
herself to continue . . . "O Lord give me something good from it",
because she kept asking herself, "Who could be better than Abu
Salamah?" But it did not take long before she completed the
supplication.

The Muslims were greatly saddened by the plight of Umm Salamah. She
became known as "Ayyin al-Arab"Ρ the one who had lost her husband.
She had no one in Madinah of her own except her small children, like
a hen without feathers.

Both the Muhajirun and Ansar felt they had a duty to Umm Salamah.
When she had completed the Iddah (three months and ten days), Abu
Bakr proposed marriage to her but she refused. Then Umar asked to
marry her but she also declined the proposal. The Prophe t then
approached her and she replied:

"O Messenger of Allah, I have three characteristics. I am a woman who
is extremely jealous and I am afraid that you will see in me
something that will anger you and cause Allah to punish me. I am a
woman who is already advanced in age and I am a woman wh o has a
young family."

The Prophet replied:

"Regarding the jealousy you mentioned, I pray to Allah the Almighty
to let it go away from you. Regarding the question of age you have
mentioned. I am afflicted with the same problem as you. Regarding the
dependent family you have mentioned, your family is my family."

They were married and so it was that Allah answered the prayer of Umm
Salamah and gave her better than Abu Salamah. From that day on Hind
al Makhzumiyah was no longer the mother of Salamah alone but became
the mother of all believers Umm al-Mu'mineen.

I am a young Christian woman and I have been reading about Islam for
some months now. I have already read a translation of the Koran and
several books about Islam along with articles and other material I
have found on the internet and elsewhere. I do not pretend to know or
understand everything, there are many things that still confuse me,
and I have a hard time accepting some applications and
interpretations of Islam that I have read about. However, I do
believe in God and I do believe that Muhammad was his prophet and
that the Koran is the revealed word of God.

The question is what should I do about it? As I said there are still
so many things that I do not know or understand and this is a major
decision I am trying to make and to tell the truth it feels like an
enormous responsibility and it is quite frightening. What worries me
the most is that I don't know how well I could live by Islam if I
converted. I have already changed some things in my life, I have
stopped drinking, I avoid pork and I try to wear long-sleeved shirts
and long pants (or skirts) when I go out. But I also know that there
are some things I would not be able to do immediately if I converted,
for varios reasons, (at least that is the way it looks to me at this
moment), such as wearing hijab.

Also, I am currently studying abroad (in the US, but I am from
Europe) but I am going home to my family over Christmas. I don't
think I would be able to tell my family right away if I converted and
thus I do not know if I could do things such as pray all the five
daily prayers, fast or avoid pork while at home over Christmas.

Would it be wrong of me converting knowing that I will not be able to
fulfill all the obligations that follow (at least not immediately),
and knowing that there are still many issues that I do not understand
or have a hard time accepting wholeheartedly (due to lack of
understanding and knowledge . Please guide me .

Praise be to Allaah.

What you have achieved in your quest for the truth is great indeed.
All that remains to be done is the most important step you will ever
take in your life, which is to pronounce the Shahaadatayn and enter
Islam. We truly appreciate the great efforts you have made by reading
the entire Qur'aan in translation, and other books and articles about
Islam, and also by already giving up some haraam things such as
drinking wine and eating pork. The most important thing that you have
achieved is your conviction about Islam, the Prophet of Islam and the
Book of Islam. From your question we can sum up the obstacles that
you face in two points:

some social embarrassment

some matters that you do not yet fully understand

With regard to the second point, it is not a condition for becoming
Muslim that a person should know the entire religion, because it is a
vast ocean. You can become Muslim and then learn the religion and
develop full conviction about all the rulings of Islam. At the
beginning, it is sufficient to believe in the six pillars of faith in
general terms (belief in Allaah, His Angels, His Books, His
Messengers, the Last Day and predestination, both good and bad) and
to understand and accept in general terms the five pillars of Islam
(testifying that there is no god but Allaah and that Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allaah, prayer, paying zakaah, fasting in Ramadaan, and
performing Hajj to the sacred House of Allaah, for the one who is
able and has the means). Realize that knowledge and conviction
develop gradually, and that faith increases by doing acts of worship
and obedience to Allaah, which in turn leads to a deeper
understanding and acceptance of the rulings of Islam.

With regard to the first point, we are sure that if you enter Islam
and are sincere towards Allaah and do righteous deeds, then Allaah
will give you the strength, steadfastness, courage and certainty to
face all difficulties and overcome them. The experience of other
women who have become Muslim before you gives you a good example of
what you could be able to do in the future as regards following the
rules of Islam, such as hijaab and other issues, despite being
surrounded by an overwhelming atmosphere of kufr. We also say that if
any woman were to ask us whether she should become Muslim despite not
wearing full hijab or stay a kaafir, we would definitely tell her to
become Muslim, because the seriousness and danger of remaining a
kaafir is far worse than being a Muslim but committing a sin.

We understand totally the difficulties and social embarrassment that
you speak of, and we know that going against one's family and the
society in which one lives are very difficult matters, but Allaah
makes every difficult thing easy.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meanings):

"… And Allaah is the Wali (Protector and Helper) of the believers."
[Aal `Imraan 3:68]

"…And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make
a way for him to get out (from every difficulty)." [al-Talaaq 65:2]

"… Allaah will grant after hardship, ease." [al-Talaaq 65:7]

"As for those who strive hard in Us (Our Cause), We will surely guide
them to Our Paths (i.e., Allaah's Religion – Islamic Monotheism)…"
[al-`Ankaboot 29:69]

We also want to tell you that it is possible for a person, if he
becomes Muslim and fears unbearable persecution or hardship, to
conceal his Islam and keep it a secret, hiding his acts of worship
from the people around him although it is difficult to do so. But for
the sake of following the truth and saving oneself from the
punishment of Hellfire, everything becomes easy and the believer can
overcome all difficulties.

Finally, we can only thank you for the efforts you have made and for
sending this question. We hope that the next step, which you should
take immediately, is abundantly clear to you from our answer. We will
be very happy to help you with anything you may need in the future,
and we ask Allaah to guide you to the path of truth, to help you and
to make things easy for you. Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path

Asslamualikum brothers and sisters,

All messages can be read both  via e-mails and forum Board.

if you are a person who doesnt like to recieve messages via e-mail
then you can turn your setings to recieve special notices only or no
e-mails at all.

Im shure most poeple prefer having both options.

However if you are one who gets anoyed at recieving many e-mails then
rather then you can set to preferably special notices.  This way i
can at least inform you of special events.

Has anyone been on chat?.

If anyone wants to go on chat i can ask one of the moderators to be
there at suitable times for all parties.

Walikum Salam.

AbuUbaida

Expiation for haraam sexual activity


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

As Salaam Alaikum

I have a serious problem. I have been muslim for a couple of years. I
have a major problem controling my sexually urges. Before I was
muslim I had no sex whatsoever and was a virgin. But recently I have
been doing some haraam things. On 3 occasions I have payed for oral
sex from prostitutes. This is all I have done. My penis has never
been in a women's vagina. Is this zinnah? Am i still a virgin? Am I
still muslim? What can I do to stop? Please help me!

jazaakum Allahu khirun

Praise be to Allaah.

There is no doubt that what you have done is a kind of zinaa
(unlawful sexual activity), although it is not the worst kind, so you
must repent sincerely to Allaah, give up this sin, regret what has
happened and be determined never to go back to it. Avoid bad friends
and bad places, lower your gaze and keep your distance from women to
whom you are not related (non-mahram). If you repent to Allaah, He
will accept your repentance. You are still a Muslim, but you have
committed an act of disobedience towards Allaah by doing this sinful
act, so come back to your Lord and seek His forgiveness for what you
have done. Do more good deeds to expiate for and cancel out your bad
deeds, do those things that will help you to remain chaste, and
hasten to marry according to Islam. Finally, we will leave you with a
story from which you may learn a valuable lesson:

Ibn Mas'ood reported that a man came to the Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and told him that he had kissed or
touched a woman, or something similar, as if he was asking how he
could expiate for this (according to another report: a man had done
something with a woman that fell short of actual intercourse. He came
to `Umar ibn al-Khattaab, who regarded it as something very serious;
then he came to Abu Bakr, who regarded it as something very serious.
Then he came to the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)). Then Allaah revealed the aayah (interpretation of the
meaning): "And perform al-salaah at the two ends of the day and in
some hours of the night. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds
(i.e., small sins). That is a reminder (advice) for the mindful
(those who accept advice)." [Hood 11:114]. The man asked, "Is this
concerning me, O Messenger of Allaah?" He said: "It is concerning
whoever of my ummah does this." (Reported by Muslim, may Allaah have
mercy on him, in his Saheeh, 4963).

According to a report narrated by `Abd-Allaah, a man came to the
Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, "O
Messenger of Allaah, I fondled a woman in the furthest outskirts of
Madeenah but I did not actually have intercourse with her. Here I am,
judge me as you wish." `Umar said to him: "Allaah had covered you,
you should have covered yourself (i.e., you should not have spoken of
it)." The Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did
not reply at all, so the man got up and left. The Prophet  (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) sent a man to follow him, call him
and recite to him the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "And
perform al-salaah at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the
night. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e., small
sins). That is a reminder (advice) for the mindful (those who accept
advice)." [Hood 11:114]. A man who was present said: "O Prophet of
Allaah, is this just for him?" He said, "No, it is for all the
people." (Reported by Muslim, 4964).

And Allaah knows best.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Asslamualikum dear brothers and sisters,

I have just been surfing some sites for reverts. To my shock i found
many of them from deviant groups.

Alhamdullilah some of them i could easily tell who they were. However
Muslims new to Islam will find this difficult to diffrentiate wether
that site is deviant or not.

Howevr some of the sites have been crafty and they have taken a long
time to fiuire out even for me.

What seems to be happening is that thse deviants used to target in
the 80's university educated Muslims who had little knowledge of
Islam and were torn beteen their islamic identity and the culture of
the country of residence.

They were quite effctive with many Muslims.

It seems that they are now targeting New Muslims.

So PLEASE be careful and if you are visiting sites you are unshure
about please e-mail me and i will check them out for you.

Brother AbuUbaida.

e-mail is muslimconverts@...

Pride



Shariffa Carlo

One of the biggest things that hurts us, that allows us to fall into
the trap of the Western mentality when it comes to being a woman is
that we have forgotten about a major element of Islam that allows us
and strengthens us in being good practicing Muslimahs. I want to talk
about pride. But, don't get me wrong. I am not going to say what most
people say when they talk about pride. Ususally, when this topic is
discussed, you will get hadiths and verses which condemn pride. I am
here to tell you to have pride. I am going to tell you that pride is
good. I am going to tell you, that you need to let your chests expand
with pride till they are ready to burst. Confused? Don't be. I don't
mean pride as in looking down upon people. Because this pride was
forbidden.

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud:

The Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) observed: He who has in his
heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise.
A person (amongst his hearers) said: Verily a person loves that his
dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine. He (the Prophet)
remarked: Verily, Allah is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride is
disdaining the truth (out of self-conceit) and contempt for the
people. Sahih Muslim: Book 1, Number 0164.

I don't mean pride in the conceited, hurtful sense. I mean pride as
in recognizing and acting like what you are -- the best nation ever
raised by Allah.

For Allah says,

You are the best of the nations raised up for (the benefit of) men;
you enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong and believe in Allah;
and if the followers of the Book had believed it would have been
better for them; of them (some) are believers and most of them are
transgressors. (3:110)

(And) lo! those who believe and do good works are the best of created
beings. (98:7)

We are the highest of creation. We were created in the best stature
and will remain so, so long as we do what we must to obey Allah.
Allah says,

Surely We created man of the best stature; Then we reduced him to the
lowest of the low; Except such as believe and do righteous deeds: For
they shall have a reward unfailing. (95:4-6)

We, the Muslims, are the best nation created. We are the leaders of
this world. The companions of rasool Allah recognized this. They
embraced it, and it is for this reason that they were able to defeat
the non-believers and conquer so much of the world. they did not
cower in the corners, afraid to declare their faith. They did not sit
back and allow themselves to be humiliated except when it was a
command from Allah and/or His messenger that they do so. Thsy were
strong. They were confident, and they wore their pride in their deen
like a badge of honor.

An excellent example of this was Abu Dharr al-Ghifari. He accepted
Islam at a time when the Muslims were weak and persecuted. Yet,
instead of hiding his religion, he announced it for all to know. In
his own words,

"...After that I stayed with the Prophet in Makkah and he taught me
Islam and taught me to read the Quran. Then he said to me, 'Don't
tell anyone in Makkah about your acceptance of Islam. I fear that
they will kill you."

"By Him in whose hands is my soul, I shall not leave Makkah until I
go to the Sacred Mosque and proclaim the call of Truth in the midst
of the Quraysh," vowed Abu Dharr.

The Prophet remained silent. I went to the Mosque. The Quraysh were
sitting and talking. I went in their midst and called out at the top
of my voice, "O people of Quraysh, I testify that there is no God but
Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."

My words had an immediate effect on them. They jumped up and
said, 'Get this one who has left his religion.' They pounced on me
and began to beat me mercilessly. They clearly meant to kill me. But
Abbas ibn Abdulmuttalib, the uncle of the Prophet, recognized me. He
bent over and protected me from them. He told them:

"Woe to you! Would you kill a man from the Ghifar tribe and your
caravans must pass through their territory?" They then released
me..." (ISL Software).

This companion had so much pride in his religion, that he could do
nothing better than to announce it for all to hear, even at the risk
of his life. Even though it was an unwise thing to do, and the
prophet had disliked the act (he did not forbid it though), this man
felt a compulsion to let the people know that he had accepted Islam.
This is a sign of true pride. And it was the foolish act, not the
pride that the Prophet, May Allah's Peace and Blessings be upon him,
had disapproved. We are supposed to be proud of our religion. We are
not supposed to hide it unless we feel fear for our lives, as the
Muslims did while they were being persecuted in Makka, but once they
had the strength to defend themselves, they announced it far and
wide, for all to hear. They did not back down in the face of
hardship. They spread the religion. They took the Prophet's
announcements to Kings and peasants alike. They were proud of their
religion because they knew - without any doubt what so ever - that
Islam was and is the truth. They knew that only by accepting Islam
could people be saved. They knew that it was through them that this
deen would survive and thrive, and they knew if they neglected their
duty that Allah would bring a better people for this duty. So, they
embraced their duty. That is why they are the best nation from among
the Muslims. So, what has happened to us? Where is our pride in Allah
and His religion? Where is our desire to do anything it takes to make
this religion supreme?

So many of us are so ashamed of our religion that we change
ourselves, to blend in. We all know a Samer who has become Sam or a
Mohammad who calls himself Mo. We all know the woman who wears a
Western Hijab: jeans, a long shirt and the obligatory headpiece. What
is wrong with us? We need to look and sound and act like those around
us. Why? The kafirs have a saying, "Imitation is the highest form of
flattery." What does this mean? It means that by imitating someone,
you are essentially saying that they are better -- even in that small
aspect.

You would never give up the best for the worst. You trade upwards.
So, why are we constantly trading downwards and accepting the ways of
the kafirs? Unless, we believe that their way is better (MAY ALLAH
FORBID US FROM THIS HORRIBLE BELIEF!) Immitation is a sign of defeat.
Immitation is a sign of inferiority. Immitation is a sign of no faith
in what you have. We are the best nation ever raised. These people
should be copying us, not us them. And they know it.

One day, a covered Muslim sister was on the shuttle at the university
where she was studying. This young American woman boarded the bus.
She was wearing a skirt so short, it left nothing to the imagination.
She sat across from the muhajiba sister. The sister looked up and
noticed that the American woman was staring at her, and shaking her
head. She apparently disapproved of her dress. No matter. If she had
not believed that hers was the superior way, she might have felt
embarrased or humiliated. But it seemed that she knew, believed and
accepted that Islam is the right way, because instead of pulling
back, she looked right at the non- Muslim American woman with a look
of severe disapproval. She then looked to the woman's exposed legs
and tisked while shaking her head. The American woman responded by
tugging at the bottom of her skirt, like she was trying to cover her
legs more. The American woman felt the shame and humiliation of her
exposure. This woman recognized her inferior status and reacted
accordingly, because the Muslim woman did not back down or allow the
non-Muslim to make her feel inferior. This is the way we should all
act.

How many times do Muslim women take off the hijab because of the
pressures of society. How many times have you heard: "I can't get a
job; I can't handle the stares: I can't cope with the pressures of
life in America if I cover." Or worse yet, "We need to blend in to
this society." We so not need to blend, and we do not need to
compromise. When we do so, we admit defeat. We need to become trail-
blazers, leaders, the example for others. Subhana Allah! We are the
BEST NATION. Our way is the only way to salvation. Never forget that.
The Prophet forbid us from imitating the kafirs. Not only that, in
many hadiths, he commanded us to purposely be different. He commanded
us to be mukhalifa (The one who does the opposite):

Narrated AbuHurayrah:

The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Trim closely the
moustache, and grow the beard, be mukhalifa (be not like) the fire-
worshippers. Sahih Muslim: Book 2, Number 0501:

Also, the Prophet warned us that in imitating the bad one, we are
like them. (I will take only the pertinent part of the hadith):

Narrated Umm Salamah about the evil Amir:

The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: ... But one who
approves of their bad deeds and imitates them is spiritually
ruined... Sahih Muslim: Book 19, Number 4569.

This last hadith talks of the bad Muslim. So what does this say about
the kafiruun? We are not to imitate the kafir. We are to purposely be
differerent. How can we do this? I know one sister who took the idea
of being mukhalifa to the extent that on Thanksgiving, a day of
feasting and overindulging, she fasted. I know of others who simply
refuse to compromise their faith and practices, which is the least we
MUST do. At the very least, we should not dress like them, talk like
them, celebrate like them or take on their practices. I can't tell
you how many times I have been asked why I do not wear a wedding
ring. I have to answer, because it is not only not a Muslim custom,
it is the custom of the Christians. I have to teach them that:

"Since the earliest times, the giving or exchanging of rings cememted
any contract. Amongst early christians, the thumb and the first two
fingers typified the trinity, and the husband placed the ring on his
wife's finger in the treefold holy name. Some authorities believe
that the third finger of the left hand was connected by neerve or
artery with the heart, hence it was chosen for this purpose." (The
State Newspaper- Columbia, South Carolina)

Brothers and sisters, ignorance is not an excuse when we make no
efort to learn the truth. We are in a kafir country, it is our duty
and obligation to seek this type of knowledge so that we can avoid
misguidance. So simply not knowing is not acceptable. The one who
does not know how to pray will not be forgiven for it if he made no
effort to learn how to pray. We are not held accountable for that
which has not reached us yet, but we always have to be making an
effort to seek out the knowledge.

Futrther, for those who say -- "That is not my intention, and deeds
are by intentions." I say, your deeds are by intention, but an evil
deed can not be cleaned up with a good intention. I can not steal
money to give it to the mosque. Stealing is haram, as imitation is
haram, and once we recognize that something is haram, we must cease
immediately.

Once again, it all goes down to pride. I am proud to be a Muslim. I
will not cease saying inshallah because I am talking to a kafir --
let him learn the word -- it might so him some good. I am not going
to stop reading my Quran because someone will see me and think me a
fanatic. I am not going to change or "mute" my hijab because I want
to blend in. I have to be mukhalifa, inshallah.

Let me warn you, if you do not already know. We are Muslims, and even
if we forget it, they will not. Prime example: Bosnia. The Bosnians
forgot their Islam. They blended in. They would marry each other,
entertain together; take each others names, and were "one" with the
non-muslims in their society. One Muslim Bosnian brother once told
me, " They did not destroy the masjids. The masjids were already
dead." The Muslims of Bosnia had forgotten their deen, but the minute
the Kafirs had a chance -- they began to exterminate them. They
killed not just the good practicing Muslim, but also the one who did
not even know how to pray. They remembered. Why do we forget? But
let's take this a step further. Recognize that what you do is not
only affecting you. When we do things in this society, we set
precidents. Not a single Muslim woman who wears hijab has not
heard, "...but so and so is a Muslim, and she does not wear like
that." Nor has a brother who has a beard not heard, "but so and so is
a Muslim, and he shaves." We hurt each other when we abandon a part
of our practice. We have to help each other, not be among those who
help to oppress us.

Narrated 'Abdullah bin Umar:

Allah's Apostle said, "A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he
should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor.
Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his
needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort,
Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of
Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on
the Day of Resurrection . " Sahih Bukhari: Volume 3, Book 43, Number
622:

We are Muslims. We have consciously recognized that Allah is the only
Lord. We have accepted Muhammad as the final Messenger and Prophet.
Our deen is Islam and our constitution is Quraan and Sunnah. We are
the saved nation, the only true followers of the one true God. We are
the best, and what we do as practicing Muslims is the only way, not
just the best way to act and follow. So why must we consistantly
follow the non-Muslim? Where is our pride in Islam. when I see a
young Muslim man in the latest gangsta fashion, talking like a kafir
rapper, I cringe. when I see a young Muslim girl wearing pants
instead of jilbab, my heart breaks. When I see a shaved Muslim man or
an uncovered Muslim woman, I fear for our future. Our beloved Prophet
warned us.

Narrated Abu Said:

The Prophet said, "You will follow the wrong ways, of your
predecessors so completely and literally that if they should go into
the hole of a lizard, you too will go there." We said, "O Allah's
Apostle! Do you mean the Jews and the Christians?" He replied, "Whom
else?" (Meaning, of course, the Jews and the Christians.) Sahih
Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 56, Number 662:

Ibin Kaldun said that he knew that Al Andalus was going to fall when
he saw them imitating the kufar.

I pray that we stop doing this. I pray that Allah gives us the pride
we lost. I pray He return to us the sense of superiority that we need
to not just practice our deen for ourselves, but to spread it to
those who need it. I pray to Allah, the Most Wise, the Most Generous
that He make us all proud to be Muslim and proud to be mukhalifa.

Subhanak allaahuma wa bihamdik/Glory & praise/gratitude is to You OH
Allaah, ash-hadu allaa illahaa illa Ant/I bear witness there is none
that has the right to my worship but You, astaghfiruka wa a tubu
Eellaik/I ask Your forgiveness and repent unto You.

AbuUbaida
Please  visit the web site for more info on Islam
http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts

TRINITY
According to most Christians, Jesus was God-incarnate, full man and
full
God. Can the finite and the infinite be one? "To be full" God means
freedom
from finite forms and from helplessness, and to be "full man" means
the
absence of divinity.
1.To be son is to be less than divine and to be divine is to be no
one's
son. How could Jesus have the attributes of sonship and divinity
altogether?

2.Christians assert that Jesus claimed to be God when they quote him
in
John
14:9: "He that has seen me has seen the Father". Didn't Jesus clearly
say
that people have never seen God, as it says in John 5:37: "And the
father
himself which Has sent me, has borne witness of me. You have NEITHER
HEARD
HIS VOICE AT ANY TIME NOR SEEN HIS SHAPE"?
3.Christians say that Jesus was God because he was called Son of God,
Son of
Man, Messiah, and "savior". Ezekiel was addressed in the Bible as Son
of
Man. Jesus spoke of "the peace makers" as Sons of God. Any person who
followed the Will and Plan of God was called SON OF GOD in the Jewish
tradition and in their language (Genesis 6:2,4; Exodus 4:22; Psalm
2:7;
Romans 8:14). "Messiah" which in Hebrew means "God's anointed" and not
"Christ", and "Cyrus" the person is called "Messiah" or "the
anointed".
As
for "savior", in II KINGS 13:5, other individuals were given that
title
too
without being gods. So where is the proof in these terms that Jesus
was
God
when the word son is not exclusively used for him alone?
4.Christians claim that Jesus acknowledged that he and God were one
in
the
sense of nature when he says in John 10:30 "I and my father are one".
Later
on in John 17:21-23, Jesus refers to his followers and himself and
God
as
one in five places. So why did they give the previous "one" a
different
meaning from the other five "ones?
5.Is God three-in-one and one in three simultaneously or one at a
time?
6.If God is one and three simultaneously, then none of the three
could
be
the complete God. Granting that such was the case, then when Jesus
was
on
earth, he wasn't a complete God, nor was the "father in Heaven" a
whole
God.
Doesn't that contradict what Jesus always said about His God and our
God in
heaven, his Lord and our Lord ? Does that also mean that there was no
complete god then, between the claimed crucifixion and the claimed
resurrection?
7.If God is one and three at a time, then who was the God in heaven
when
Jesus was on earth? Wouldn't this contradict his many references to a
God in
Heaven that sent him?
8.If God is three and one at the same time, who was the God in Heaven
within
three days between the claimed crucifixion and the claimed resurrect
ion?
9.Christians say that: "The Father(F) is God, the Son(S) is God, and
the
Holy Ghost(H) is God, but the Father is not the Son, the Son is not
the
Holy
Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is not the Father". In simple arithmetic
and
terms
therefore, if F = G, S = G, and H = G, then it follows that F = S =
H,
while
the second part of the statement suggests that F Ή S Ή H
(meaning, "not
equal"). Isn't that a contradiction to the Christian dogma of Trinity
in
itself ?
10.If Jesus was God, why did he tell the man who called him "good
master"
not to call him "good" because accordingly, there is none good but
his
God
in Heaven alone?
11.Why do Christians say that God is three-in-one and one in three
when
Jesus says in Mark 12:29: "The Lord our God is one Lord" in as many
places
as yet in the Bible?
12.If belief in the Trinity was such a necessary condition for being a
Christian, why didn't Jesus teach and emphasize it to the Christians
during
his time? How were those followers of Jesus considered Christians
without
ever hearing the term Trinity? Had the Trinity been the spinal cord of
Christianity, Jesus would have emphasized it on many occasions and
would
have taught and explained it in detail to the people.
13.Christians claim that Jesus was God as they quote in John 1:1 "In
the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God".
This is John speaking and not Jesus. Also, the Greek word for the
first
occurrence of God is HOTHEOS which means "the God" or "God" with a
capital
"G", while the Greek word for its second occurrence is "TONTHEOS",
which
means "a god " or "god" with a small "g". Isn't this dishonesty and
inconsistency on the part of those translating the Greek Bible? ?
Isn't
such
quotation in John 1:1 recognized by every Christian scholar of the
Bible to
have been written by a Jew named Philo Alexandria way before Jesus
and
John?
14.Wasn't the word "god" or "TONTHEOS" also used to refer to others
as
well
as in II Corinthians 4:4 "(and the Devil is) the god of this world"
and
in
Exodus 7:1 "See , I have made thee (Moses ) a god to Pharaoh"?

SALVATION:
Christians say that "GOD LOST His only son to save us". To whom did
God
lose
Jesus if he owns the whole universe?
15. If it was agreeable with God's Majesty to have sons, He could have
created a million sons the like of Jesus. So what is the big clear
deal
about this only son?
16.Why does the Bible say that Jesus wanted to die on the cross, when
the
one on the cross was shouting "My God, my God, why have you forsaken
me?"
according to Matthew 27:45 and Mark 15:33?
17. If God had wanted to save us, couldn't He have done that without
sacrificing Jesus?
18. God is Just, and justice requires that nobody should be punished
for the
sins of others, nor should some people be saved by punishing other
people.
Doesn't the claim that God sacrificed Jesus to save us because He was
Just,
contradict the definition of justice?
19. People sacrifice things they have to get something they don't
have
when
they can't have both. Christians say that "God SACRIFICED His only
son
to
save us". We know that God is Almighty; to whom did He sacrifice
Jesus?
20. A real sacrifice is when you can't get back what you have
offered ,
so
what would be the big deal about such a sacrifice if God could
recover
the
same offering? (according to the Christians' terminology)?
21. If all the Christians are saved through Jesus and are going to
Heaven no
matter what they do, then the teachings of Jesus are irrelevant and
the
definition of good and bad are also rendered irrelevant. If this is
not
so,
then do Christians who believe in Jesus yet do not follow his
teachings
nor
repent go to Hell?
22. How can Christians take deeds as irrelevant after becoming one
when
Jesus says in Matthew 12:36; "But I say unto you that every idle word
that
men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the Day of
Judgment. For
by the words thou shalt be justified, and by the words thou shalt be
condemned"?
23. Christians say that people go to Heaven ONLY THROUGH JESUS, yet
Paul
says in 1 CORINTHIANS 7:8-16 that the unbelieving husband is
acceptable
to
God because he is united with his wife and vice versa, and their pagan
children are also acceptable to God. So people can go to heaven
without
believing in Jesus according to this.
24. How come the Bible says that ALL Israel is saved although they
don't
believe in Jesus? Doesn't that contradict the claim in the Bible that
the
only way to heaven is through Jesus?
25. According to Christians, those who have not been baptized will go
to
Hell. So even the infants and babies go to Hell if not baptized,
since
they
are born with an inherited original sin. Doesn't this contradict the
definition of justice? Why would God punish people for sins they never
committed?

HOLY SPIRIT:
The only place in the Bible where the Paraclete was called the Holy
Spirit
is in John 14:26 "But the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father
will
send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your
remembrance
all that I have said to you". What has the Holy Spirit brought or
taught for
the last 2000 years?

26.Christians say that the Paraclete means the Holy Spirit (John
14;26).
Jesus said in John 16:7-8 "If I do not go away the Paraclete will not
come
to you". This could not mean the Holy spirit, since the Holy spirit
was
said
to have been there before Jesus was even born as in Luke 1:41
"Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit". Here, the Holy spirit was also present
during
Jesus life time. So how could this fit with the condition that Jesus
must go
away so that the Holy spirit will come?
27.In John 16:7-8, it says: "But if go, I will send him to you. And
when he
comes, he will convict the world of sins and of righteousness and of
Judgment". What do "he" and "him" refer here? Don't they refer to a
man?
28.Does the Holy Spirit talk to good Christians and bad Christians as
well?
Is the Holy spirit with them all the time or just at certain times?
When
does it start visiting a person who wants to become a Christian?
29.How can you as a Christian tell if the Holy Spirit is inside
another
Christian? How come many Christians fooled people by claiming that
the
Holy
spirit was inside them only to be converted to another religion later
on ?
30.Does the Holy Spirit dictate what Christians should do without
choice or
freedom at all or does it only guide them and they have the freedom to
follow or not ?
31.If the Holy Spirit dictates what Christian should do, why do
Christians
commit sins and make mistakes ? How can you explain the conversion to
other
religions and atheism of many Christians? Are they told to do that by
the
Holy Spirit?
32.If the Holy Spirit guides Christians only, and they are free to do
what
they want, then how do we know that the writers of the Gospels didn't
make
mistakes in writing them?
33.If Christians believe that the Holy Spirit comes and talks to them
everyday, why don't they ask the Holy Spirit about which version of
the
Bible to follow since there are too many versions floating around?

MISSION OF JESUS:
Without borrowing from other religions and systems, can Christianity
provide
people with a complete way of life? Since Christianity is limited to
spiritual life and does not provide law, how can a society decide
which
laws
are right or wrong?
34.Why do the Christians say that Jesus came with a universal mission
when
he said that he was sent to the Jews only? He said to the Canaanite
woman
who asked him to heal her daughter from demon-possession: "I was sent
ONLY
to the lost sheep of Israel" and also said: "It is not right to take
the
children's bread and toss it to their dogs", Matthew 15:21-28.

RESSURECTION:
If you read Matthew (28:1-10), Mark (16:1-20), Luke (24:1-12), and
John
(20:
1-18), you will find contradicting stories. They all agreed that the
tomb
was guarded for three days. However, they reported the discovery of
the
empty tomb differently.
*   Matthew (28) and John (20) reported that Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary were the first to discover the tomb.
*   Mark (16) reports that Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James,
and
Salome were the first to discover the empty tomb.
*   Mark (28) reports that there was an earthquake that removed the
rock
from over the tomb. He says that an angel caused it. The other
gospels
do
not mention of an earthquake.
*   Matthew and Mark say that only ONE man in white clothes was
sitting
on the tomb when the woman arrived, and that he was an angel.
*   Luke says that TWO men in white clothes, who were angels, were
sitting. Johns says that the two women did not meet anybody the first
time
they came to the tomb, but when they returned, they saw TWO people,
ONE
was
an ANGEL, and the other was JESUS.
*   Matthew reports that when the guards reported this to the chief
priest, the chief priest paid them a large sum of money, telling
them:
"You
have to say that his disciples came at night and stole his body." He
claims
that the soldiers took money and spread the story around and since
then, the
story had been circulating among the Jews until today (according to
Matthew). The other gospels do not report of any such thing.
35. Which narration now is more authentic?
36.Why is the appearance of Jesus after the crucifixion taken as a
proof of
his resurrection when there is an explanation that he was not dead
because
someone else was crucified in his place when God saved Him?
37.How did Matthew know of the claimed agreement between the soldiers
and
the chief priest? Can't someone say that someone paid the women a
large
sum
of money and told them to spread the word around that Jesus rose from
the
dead, with the same authenticity as that of the story of Matthew?
38.Why did they believe that man in the white clothes? Why did they
believe
he was an angel? John's narration is too strange, since he says that
Mary
did not recognize Jesus (one of the two) while talking to him, and
she
only
recognized him when he called her by her name.
39.How does an empty tomb prove that Jesus was crucified ? Isn't it
that God
is capable of removing another man from the tomb, and of resurrecting
him
too?
40.The Gospels are believed to be the verbatim words of God, they are
supposed to be dictated by the Holy Spirit to the Disciples who wrote
them.
If the source were the same, why shouldn't they correspond with each
other
in reporting such an important event?
41.How could Matthew, Mark, Luke and John be considered eyewitnesses
of
resurrection when the Bible implies that nobody at all saw Jesus
coming
out
of the tomb?

BIBLE:
If the Christians consider the Old Testament as God's Word, why did
they
cancel the parts of the Old Testament that dealt with punishment
(example:
the punishment for adultery)?
42.Why doesn't Mark 16:9-20 exist in as many versions of the Bible
while it
exists as a footnote or between brackets in some other versions? Is a
footnote in the Bible still considered as God's word, especially when
it
addresses an important feature like the Ascension?
43.Why does the Catholic Bible contain 73 books while the Protestant
Bible
has only 66? With both claiming to have the complete Word of God,
which
one
should be believed and why?
44.Where do those new translations of the Bible keep coming from when
the
original Bible is not even available ? The Greek manuscripts which are
translations themselves are not even similar with each other.
45.How can you take two gospels from writers who never met Jesus,
like
Mark
and Luke?
46.Why is half of the New Testament written by a man who never even
met
Jesus in his lifetime? PAUL claimed with no proof that he had met
Jesus
while on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus. PAUL was the main enemy
of
Christianity. Isn't that reason enough to question the authenticity
of
what
he wrote? Why do the Christians call those books of the Old Testament
"God's
Word" when the revisors of the RSV Bible say that some of the authors
are
UNKNOWN? They say that the author of SAMUEL is "UNKNOWN" and that of
CHRONICLES is "UNKOWN, PROBABLY COLLECTED AND EDITED BY EZRA"!

CONTRADICTIONS:
47.Concerning the controversial issues in the Bible, how can
Christians
decide by two-thirds majority what is God's Word and what is not, as
the
prefaces of some Bibles say like that one of the RSV ?
48.Why does Luke in his gospel report the Ascension on Easter Day,
and
in
the Acts, in which he is recognized as the author, FORTY days later?
49.The genealogy of Jesus is mentioned in Matthew and Luke only.
Matthew
listed 26 forefathers from Joseph to David while Luke enumerated 41
forefathers. Only Joseph matches with Joseph in those two lists. Not a
single other name matches! If these were inspired by God word by
word,
how
could they be different? Some claim that one is for Mary and one is
for
Joseph, but where does it says Mary in those two Gospels?
50.If Moses wrote the first books of the Old Testament, how could
Moses
write his own obituary? Moses died in the fifth book at age 120 as
mentioned
in Deut. 34:5-10.
51.In the King James Version, why does it report SEVEN years of
famine
in II
SAMUEL 24:13 while it reports THREE years of famine in I CHRONICLES
21:12?
Why did they change both to THREE years in the New International
Version and
other versions?
52.Still In the same King James Version, why does it say that
Jehoiachin was
eight years old when he began to reign in II CHRONICLES 21:12, while
it
says
EIGHTEEN years in II KINGS 24:8? Why did thessey change in both to
EIGHTEEN
in the new Versions?
53.In all versions, why does it say that David slew the men of SEVEN
HUNDRED
chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand HORSEMEN as evidenced in
II
Samuel 10:18 while its says SEVEN THOUSAND men which fought in
chariots, and
forty thousand FOOTMEN, in I CHRONICLES 19:18?
54.In all versions, why does it report TWO thousand baths in I KINGS
7:26
while II CHRONICLES 4:5 reports THREE THOUSAND?
55.In the King James version, why does it report that Solomon had FOUR
THOUSAND stalls for horses in II CHRONICLES 9:25 while it accounts
that
Solomon had FORTY THOUSAND stalls of horses in 1 KINGS 4:26? Why did
they
change both to FOUR THOUSAND in the new versions?
56.In GENESIS 1, God's creation progresses from grass to trees to
fowls,
whales, cattle and creeping things and finally to man and woman.
GENESIS 2,
however, puts the creation of man before cattle and fowl and woman
subsequent to beast. How can this be explained?
QUR'AN AND CHRISTIANS
This section does not inquire or interrogate, but rather provides the
reader
with some of the Qur'anic verses that address the Christians in
particular,
and the people of the scripture in general. A great portion of the
Qur'an
pertains to or involves the Christians and the Jews and I decided to
just
choose verses that are related to the topic of this manuscript.
*   "Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allah is as the likeness of Adam.
He
created him of dust, then said unto him: Be, and he was." Al-Qur'an
3:59.
*   "Say: O People of the Scripture! Come to an agreement between us
and
you: that we shall worship none but Allah, and that we shall ascribe
no
partner unto Him, and that none of us shall take others for Lords
besides
Allah. And if they turn away, then say: Bear witness that we are they
who
have surrendered (unto him).
     "O People of the Scripture! Why will you argue about Abraham, when
the Torah and the Gospel were revealed till after him? Have you then
no
sense?
     Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright
man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not of the idolaters.
     Lo! Those of mankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those
who followed him, and his Prophet and those who believe (with him);
and
Allah is the Protector of the believers.
     A party of the People of the Scripture longs to make you go
astray;
and they make none to go astray except themselves, but they perceive
not.
     O People of the Scripture! Why disbelieve you in the revelations
of
Allah, when you (yourselves) bear witness to their truth?
     O People of the Scriptures! Why confound you truth with falsehood
and knowingly conceal the Truth? (Al-Qur'an 3: 64-71)
*   And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be
accepted of him and in the hereafter, He will be one of the losers
(Al-Qur'an 3:85).
*   And because of their saying: We slew the Messiah Jesus, son of
Mary,
and Allah's messenger. They slew him not nor crucified him, but it
appeared
so unto them, and Lo! Those who disagree concerning it are in doubt
thereof;
they have no knowledge thereof save pursuit of a conjecture; they
slew
him
not for certain:
     But Allah took him up unto Himself. Allah was ever Mighty, Wise.
(Al-Qur'an 4:157-158).
*   O People of the Scripture! Do not exaggerate in your religion nor
utter ought concerning Allah save the truth. The Messiah Jesus son of
Mary,
was only a messenger of Allah, and His word which He conveyed unto
Mary, and
a spirit from Him, so believe in Allah and His messengers, and say not
"Three"! Cease! (it is ) better for you! Allah is only One God. Far
is
it
removed from His transcendent majesty that He should have a son. His
is
all
that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And Allah is
sufficient
as defender.
     The Messiah will never scorn to be a slave unto Allah, nor will
the
favored angels. Whosoever scorns His service and is proud, all such
will
assemble unto Him.
     Then, as for those who believed and did good works, unto them will
He give them their wages in full, adding unto them of His bounty; and
as for
those who were scornful and proud, then He will punish with a painful
doom."
(Al-Qur'an 4:171-173).
*   "And with those who say Lo! We are Christians, We made a covenant,
but they forgot a part of that whereof they were admonished.
Therefore
We
have stirred up enmity and hatred among them till the Day of
Resurrection,
when Allah will inform them of their handiwork.
     O People of the Scripture! Now has our messenger come unto you,
expounding unto you much of that which you used to hide in the
Scripture,
and forgiving much. Now has come unto light from Allah and plain
scripture:
     Whereby Allah guides him who seeks His good pleasure unto paths of
peace, He brings them out of darkness unto light by His decree, and
guides
them unto a Straight Path.
     They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the messiah,
son
of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah if he had willed to
destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth?
Allah's is the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth and all that
is
between them. He creates what he wills. And Allah is able to do all
things.
(Al-Qur'an 5:14:17).
*   "They surely disbelieve who say; Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of
Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O children if Israel, worship
Allah,
my
Lord and you Lord. Lo! Whosoever ascribes partners unto Allah, for
him
Allah
has forbidden Paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evildoers ,there
will be
no helpers.
     They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the third of the
three;
when there is no God save the One God. If they desist not from so
saying, a
painful doom will fall on those of them who disbelieve.
     Will they not rather turn unto Allah and seek forgiveness of Him?
For Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful.
     Say: Serve you in place of Allah that which possesses for you
neither hurt nor use? Allah is the Hearer, the Knower.
     Say: O People of the Scripture! Stress not in your religion other
than the Truth, and follow not the vain desire of folks who erred of
old and
led many astray, and erred from a plain road." (Al-Qur'an 5:72-77)
*   "And when Allah says: O Jesus, son of Mary: Did you say unto
mankind: take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah?, he says: Be
glorified! It was not mine to utter that to which I had no right. If
I
used
to say it, then You Knew it, You know what is in my mind, and I know
not
what is in Your mind. Lo! You, only You, are the knower of things
hidden.
     I spoke unto them only that which You commanded me (saying);
worship
Allah, my Lord and your Lord. I witness of them while I dwelt among
them,
and when You took me, You were the Watcher over them. You are witness
over
all things.
     If You punish them, Lo! They are Your slaves, and if you forgive
them (Lo! They are Your slaves). Lo! You, only you are the Mighty,
the
Wise.

     Allah says: This is a day in which their truthfulness profits the
truthful, for theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow,
wherein
they
are secure forever, Allah taking pleasure in them and they in Him.
That
is
the great triumph. (Al-Qur'an 5:116-119)
*   "And the Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah', and the
Christians say: 'The Messiah is the son of Allah'. That is their
saying
with
their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of
old.
Allah
fights against them. How perverse they are!
     They have taken as Lord besides Allah their rabbis and their monks
and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only
One
God.
There is no God save Him. Be He glorified from all that they ascribe
as
partners (unto him)!
     Faint would they put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but
Allah disdains (aught) save that He shall perfect His light, however
much
the disbelievers are averse.
     He it is Who has sent His messenger with guidance and the Religion
of Truth, to cause it to prevail over all religions, however much the
idolaters may be averse.

     O you who believe! Lo! many of the (Jewish) rabbis and the
(Christian) monks devour the wealth of mankind wantonly and debar
(people)
from the way of Allah. They who hoard up gold and silver and spend it
not in
the way of Allah, unto them give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful
doom.
     On the Day when it will (all) be heated in the fire of Hell, and
their foreheads and their flanks and their backs will be branded
therewith
(and it will be said unto them): Here is that which you hoarded for
yourselves. Now taste of what you used to hoard." (Al-Qur'an 9:30-35).
MUHAMMAD OR JESUS?
Christians claim that the prophecy in Deut. 18:18 refers to Jesus and
not
Muhammad. The verse says: "I will raise them up a prophet from among
THEIR
BRETHREN, LIKE UNTO THEE, and I will put my words in his mouth; and
he
shall
speak unto them all that I shall command him." The only reason they
resort
to such interpretation is that both Moses and Jesus were prophets.
Even
this
one contradicts their claim that Jesus was God and not a Prophet. Many
prophets of the Jews had the similarity with Moses. However, if we
compare
Muhammad to Moses, we will find that:
Muhammad was an Arab, and the Arabs are from Ishmael, son of Abraham,
while
Moses was a Jew, and the Jews are from Isaac, son of Abraham. Hence,
the
term THEIR BRETHREN refers to the children of the first son being
brethren
of the children of the other. This couldn't apply to Jesus, since he
was a
Jew.
According to the Christians, Jesus went to Hell for three days while
Moses
did not. Therefore, Jesus is not like Moses. (In Islam, none of the
three
Prophets went to Hell)
Moses and Muhammad were born to fathers and mothers while Jesus was
born to
a mother alone.
Moses and Muhammad got married and had children, while Jesus did not
marry
at all.
Moses and Muhammad got problems and difficulties from their people
initially, but were accepted by them at the end., whereas Jesus was
rejected
by his people at the start and is still rejected by the Jews until
today.
"He (Jesus) came unto his own, but his own received him not".( John
1:11)
Moses and Muhammad had power, besides being prophets. They both
performed
some capital punishments, for example, while Jesus had no power over
his
people. "My kingdom is not of this world", Jesus said in John 18:36 .
Moses and Muhammad brought new laws while Jesus did not.
Moses was forced to emigrate in adulthood to Median while Muhammad was
forced to emigrate at that stage in his life too, towards Madina .
Whereas
Jesus did not have such forced emigration in his adulthood .
Moses and Muhammad both died of natural deaths after which they were
buried
,while the same could not be said of Jesus. He was neither killed nor
crucified at all, according to the Qur'an and did not die a 'natural'
death
as could be affirmed by Christians who believe in Crucifixion.
FINAL QUESTIONS:
57.Why won't you, Christian reader, come to hear and learn of the true
religion of Jesus?
58.Have you, as a Christian , learned of Islam and if so, was it from
the
true Muslims?
59.As a Christian, do you agree that out of fairness and honesty you
must
investigate what Islam says about God, Jesus, including this life and
the
hereafter?
60.Being a Christian, do you also believe that we must all stand
accountable
to our Creator and that the Creator is Perfect and Just? As a sincere
believer in God, don't you owe it upon yourself to find out the entire
unadulterated truth regardless of the consequences?

THE TRUE RELIGION
By ABU AMEENAH BILAL PHILIPS



THE RELIGION OF ISLAM
The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about
Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is
not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was
named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism
after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after
a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the
Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name
represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the
total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam"
means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god
worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed
a "Muslim", The word also implies "peace" which is the natural
consequence of total submission to the will of Allah. Hence, it was
not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Arabia in
the seventh century, but only the true religion of Allah re-expressed
in its final form.

Islam is the religion which was given to Adam, the first man and the
first prophet of Allah, and it was the religion of all the prophets
sent by Allah to mankind. The name of God's religion Islam was not
decided upon by later generations of man. It was chosen by Allah
Himself and clearly mentioned in His final revelation to man. In the
final book of divine revelation, the Qur'aan, Allah states the
following:

"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour
upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion". (Soorah Al-
Maa'idah 5:3)
"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah
(God) never will It be accepted of Him" (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:85)
"Abraham was not a Jew nor Christian; but an upright Muslim." (Soorah
Aal'imraan 3:67)
Nowhere in the Bible will you find Allah saying to Prophet Moses'
people or their descendants that their religion is Judaism, nor to
the followers of Christ that their religion is Christianity. In fact,
Christ was not even his name, nor was it Jesus! The name "Christ"
comes from the Greek word Christos which means the annointed. That
is, Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew title "Messiah". The
name "Jesus" on the other hand, is a latinized version of the Hebrew
name Esau.

For simplicity's sake, I will however continue to refer to Prophet
Esau (PBUH) as Jesus. As for his religion, it was what he called his
followers to. Like the prophets before him, he called the people to
surrender their will to the will of Allah; (which is Islam) and he
warned them to stay away from the false gods of human imagination.

According to the New Testament, he taught his followers to pray as
follows: "Yours will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM
Since the total submission of one's will to Allah represents the
essence of worship, the basic message of Allah's divine religion,
Islam is the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship
directed to any person, place or thing other than Allah. Since
everything other than Allah, the Creator of all things, is Allah's
creation; it may be said that Islam, in essence calls man away from
the worship of creation and invites him to worship only its Creator.
He is the only one deserving man's worship as it is only by His will
that prayers are answered. If man prays to a tree and his prayers are
answered, it was not the tree which answered his prayers but Allah
who allowed the circumstances prayed for to take place. One might
say, "That is obvious," however, to tree-worshippers it might not be.
Similarly, prayers to Jesus, Buddha, or Krishna, to Saint
Christopher, or Saint Jude or even to Muhammad, are not answered by
them but are answered by Allah. Jesus did not tell his followers to
worship him but to worship Allah. As the Qur'aan states:

"And behold Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary Did you say to
men, Worship me and my mother as gods besides Allah He will say-
"Glory to you I could never say what I had no right (to say')"
(Soorah Al-Maa'idah- 5:116)
Nor did he worship himself when he worshipped but rather he
worshipped Allah. This basic principle is enshrined in the opening
chapter of the Qur'aan, known as Soorah Al-Faatihah, verse 4:

"You alone do we worship and from you alone do we seek help".
Elsewhere, in the final book of revelation, the Qur'aan, Allah also
said:

"And your Lord says:"Call on Me and I will answer your
(prayer)."(Soorsh Mu'min 40:60)
It is worth noting that the basic message of Islam is that Allah and
His creation are distinctly different entities. Neither is Allah His
creation or a part of it, nor is His creation Him or a part of Him.

This might seem obvious, but, man's worship of creation instead of
the Creator is to a large degree based on ignorance of this concept.
It is the belief that the essence of Allah is everywhere in His
creation or that His divine being is or was present in some aspects
of His creation, which has provided justification for the worship of
creation though such worship may be called the worship of Allah
through his creation. How ever, the message of Islam as brought by
the prophets of Allah is to worship only Allah and to avoid the
worship of his creation either directly or indirectly. In the Qur'aan
Allah clearly states:

"For We assuredly sent amongst every people a prophet,(with the
command) worship me and avoid false gods " (Soorsh Al-Nahl 16:36)
When the idol worshipper is questioned as to why he or she bows down
to idols created by men, the invariable reply is that they are not
actually worshipping the stone image, but Allah who is present within
it. They claim that the stone idol is only a focal point for Allah's
essence and is not in itself Allah! One who has accepted the concept
of the presence of God's being within His creation in any way will be
obliged to accept this argument of idolatry. Whereas, one who
understands the basic message of Islam and its implications would
never concede to idolatry no matter how it is rationalised. Those who
have claimed divinity for themselves down through the ages have often
based their claims on the mistaken belief that Allah is present in
man. They merely had to assert that although Allah according to their
false beliefs, is in all of us, He is more present in them than in
the rest of us. Hence, they claim, we should submit our will to them
and worship them as they are either God in person or God concentrated
within the person.


Similarly, those who have asserted the godhood of others after their
passing have found fertile ground among those who accept the false
belief of God's presence in man. One who has grasped the basic
message of Islam and its implications could never agree to worship
another human being under any circumstances. God's religion in
essence is a clear call to the worship of the Creator and the
rejection of creation-worship in any form. This is the meaning of the
motto of Islam:
"Laa Elaaha lllallaah" (There is no god but Allah)
Its repetition automatically brings one within the fold of Islam and
sincere belief in it guarantees one Paradise. Thus, the final Prophet
of Islam is reported to have said, "Any one who says: There is no god
but Allah and dies holding that (belief) will enter paradise".
(Reported by Abu Dharr and collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).

It consists in the submission to Allah as one God, yielding to Him by
obeying His commandments, and the denial of polytheism and
polytheists.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

THE MESSAGE OF FALSE RELIGION
There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and
movements in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the
only true path to Allah. How can one determine which one is correct
or if, in fact, all are correct? The method by which the answer can
be found is to clear away the superficial differences in the
teachings of the various claimants to the ultimate truth, and
identify the central object of worship to which they call, directly
or indirectly. False religions all have in common one basic concept
with regards to Allah. They either claim that all men are gods or
that specific men were Allah or that nature is Allah or that Allah is
a figment of man's imagination.

Thus, it may be stated that the basic message of false religion is
that Allah may be worshipped in the form of His creation. False
religion invites man to the worship of creation by calling the
creation or some aspect of it God. For example, prophet Jesus invited
his followers to worship Allah but those who claim to be his
followers today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was
Allah!

Buddha was a reformer who introduced a number of humanistic
principles to the religion of India. He did not claim to be God nor
did he suggest to his followers that he be an object of worship. Yet,
today most Buddhists who are to be found outside of India have taken
him to be God and prostrate to idols made in their perception of his
likeness.

By using the principle of identifying the object of worship, false
religion becomes very obvious and the contrived nature of their
origin clear. As God said in the Qur'aan:

That which you worship besides Him are only names you and your
forefathers have invented for which Allah has sent down no authority:
The command belongs only to Allah:

He has commanded that you only worship Him; that is the right
religion, but most men do not understand ". (Soorah Yoosuf 12:40)
It may be argued that all religions teach good things so why should
it matter which one we follow. The reply is that all false religions
teach the greatest evil, the worship of creation. Creation-worship is
the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts the very
purpose of his creation. Man was created to worship Allah alone as
Allah has explicitly stated in the Qur'aan:

"I have only created Jlnns and men, that they may worship me"(Soorah
Zaareeyaat) 51:56
Consequently, the worship of creation, which is the essence of
idolatry, is the only unforgivable sin. One who dies in this state of
idolatry has sealed his fate in the next life. This is not an
opinion, but a revealed fact stated by Allah in his final revelation
to man:
"Verily Allah will not forgive the joining of partners with Him, but
He may forgive (sins) less than that for whomsoever He wishes"
(Soorah An-Nisaa 4:48 and 116)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

THE UNIVERSALITY OF ISLAM
Since the consequences of false religion are so grave, the true
religion of Allah must be universally understandable and attainable,
not confined to any people, place or time. There can not be
conditions like baptism, belief in a man, as a saviour etc., for a
believer to enter paradise. Within the central principle of Islam and
in its definition, (the surrender of one's will to God) lies the
roots of lslam's universality. Whenever man comes to the realisation
that Allah is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself
to Allah, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for
paradise. Thus, anyone at anytime in the most remote region of the
world can become a Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, by
merely rejecting the worship of creation and by turning to Allah
(God) alone-It should be noted however, that the recognition of and
submission to Allah requires that one chooses between right and wrong
and such a choice implies accountability. Man will be held
responsible for his choices, and, as such, he should try his utmost
to do good and avoid evil. The ultimate good being the worship of
Allah alone and the ultimate evil being the worship of His creation
along with or instead of Allah. This fact is expressed in the final
revelation as follows:

"Verily those who believe, those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures),
the Christians and the Sabians any who believe In Allah and the last
day, and work righteousness *hall have their reward with their Lord;
They will not be overcome by fear nor grief (Soorah Al-Baqarah 2:62).
If only they had stood by the law, the Gospel, and all the revelation
that was sent to them from their Lord, they would have enjoyed
happiness from every side. There Is from among them a party on the
right course; but many of them follow a course that Is evil.".
(Soorah Al-.Maa'idah 5:66)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

RECOGNITION OF ALLAH
The question which arises here is, "How can all people be expected to
believe in Allah given their varying- backgrounds, societies and
cultures? For people to be responsible for worshipping Allah they all
have to have access to knowledge of Allah. The final revelation
teaches that all mankind have the recognition of Allah imprinted on
their souls, a part of their very nature with which they are created.

In Soorah Al-A'raaf, Verses 172-173; Allah explained that when He
created Adam, He caused all of Adam's descendants to come into
existence and took a pledge from them saying, Am I not your Lord? To
which they all replied, " Yes, we testify to It:'

Allah then explained why He had all of mankind bear witness that He
is their creator and only true God worthy of worship. He said,

"That was In case you (mankind) should say on the day of
Resurrection, "Verily we were unaware of all this." That is to say,
we had no idea that You Allah, were our God. No one told us that we
were only supposed to worship You alone. Allah went on to explain
That it was also In case you should say,
"Certainly It was our ancestors who made partners (With Allah) and we
are only their descendants; will You then destroy us for what those
liars did?"
Thus, every child is born with a natural belief in Allah and an
inborn inclination to worship Him alone called in Arabic
the "Fitrah". If the child were left alone, he would worship Allah in
his own way, but all children are affected by those things around
them, seen or unseen. The Prophet (PBUH) reported that Allah said,

"I created my servants in the right religion but devils made them go
astray".
The Prophet (PBUH) also said,

"Each child is born in a state of "Fitrah", then his parents make him
a Jew, Christian or a Zoroastrian, the way an animal gives birth to a
normal offspring. Have you noticed any that were born mutilated?"
(Collected by Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim).
So, just as the child submits to the physical laws which Allah has
put in nature, his soul also submits naturally to the fact that Allah
is his Lord and Creator. But, his parents try to make him follow
their own way and the child is not strong enough in the early stages
of his life to resist or oppose the will of his parents. The religion
which the child follows at this stage is one of custom and upbringing
and Allah does not hold him to account or punish him for this
religion.

Throughout people's lives from childhood until the time they die,
signs are shown to them in all regions of the earth and in their own
souls, until it becomes clear that there is only one true God
(Allah). If the people are honest with themselves, reject their false
gods and seek Allah, the way will be made easy for them but if they
continually reject Allah's signs and continue to worship creation,
the more difficult it will be for them to escape. For example, in the
South Eastern region of the Amazon jungle in Brazil, South America, a
primitive tribe erected a new hut to house their main idol Skwatch,
representing the supreme God of all creation. The homage to the God,
and while he was in prostration to what he had been taught was his
Creator and Sustainer, a mangy old flea-ridden dog walked into the
hut, The young man looked up in time to see the dog lift its hind leg
and pass urine on the idol. Outraged, the youth chased the dog out of
the temple, but when his rage died down he realised that the idol
could not be the Lord of the universe. Allah must be elsewhere. he
now had a choice to act on his knowledge and seek Allah, or to
dishonestly go along with the false beliefs of his tribe. As strange
as it may seem, that was a sign from Allah for that young man. It
contained within it divine guidance that what he was worshipping was
false.

Prophets were sent, as was earlier mentioned, to every nation and
tribe to support man's natural belief in Allah and man's inborn
inclination to worship Him as well as to reinforce the divine truth
in the daily signs revealed by Allah. Although, in most cases, much
of the prophets' teachings became distorted, portions remained which
point out right and wrong. For example, the ten commandments of the
Torah, their confirmation in the Gospels and the existence of laws
against murder, stealing and adultery in most societies.
Consequently, every soul will be held to account for its belief in
Allah and its acceptance of the religion of Islam; the total
submission to the will of Allah.

We pray to Allah, the exalted, to keep us on the right path to which
He has guided us, and to bestow on us a blessing from Him, He is
indeed the Most Merciful. Praise and gratitude be to Allah, the Lord
of the worlds, and peace and blessings be on prophet Muhammed, his
Family, his companions, and those who rightly follow them.

The Story of Ibrahim's Sacrifice


----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------




Brothers and Sisters, all of us know the story of Ibrahim's sacrifice
and we say that it was a test by Allah (ta'ala). But do we really
understand what Ibrahim went through? Do we appreciate what it was
like to be Ibrahim? Can we grasp in thought what happened? Why is it
that we regard Ibrahim as the father of faith? What was it that he
achieved?


Ibrahim (saw) is distinguished in the Quran with the title of khalil-
ul-Allah (the intimate friend of Allah). In surat an-Nisa, Allah
says : "For Allah did take Ibrahim for (an intimate) friend " (4:125)


He is also described in surat an-Nahl as a model: "Ibrahim was indeed
a model. Devoutly obedient to Allah, and true in faith, and he joined
not gods with Allah " (16:20).


Ibrahim was born among the star- and idol-worshipping people of
Chaldea, in the home of Azar, his father, the idol-maker of the
tribe. Ibrahim was among the kuffar, but not of them, like a spring
of tawheed (monotheism) arising out of the swamp of shirk
(polytheism). The Quran tells us in surat al-An`aam : " Lo ! Ibrahim
said to his father Azar: Do you take idols for God? For I see you and
your people in manifest error? " (6:74).


From the revolt in the house of Azar, his father, Ibrahim went on to
challenge the polytheism of his people. Indeed Ibrahim is known as
history's great idol-smasher, as the founder of monotheism and the
crusher of ignorance.


There are numerous verses in the Quran which describe how Ibrahim
argued against idol-worshippers, his rational arguments against
sceptics and those who worshipped celestial bodies, how he deals with
unbelievers, how he preaches to his people. For instance, in surat al-
Baqara Allah says : "Hast thou not turned thy vision to one who
disputed with Abraham about his Lord, because God granted him power ?
Abraham said : ` My Lord is He who giveth life and death.' He said:
`I give life and death.' Said Abraham : `But it is God that causeth
the sun to rise from the East : Do then cause it to rise from the
West.' Thus was he confounded who (in arrogance) rejected Faith. Nor
doth God give guidance to a people unjust." (2:258)


In another example in surat al-Anbiya : We bestowed aforetime on
Abraham his rectitude of conduct, and well were We acquainted with
him. Behold! He said to his father and his people, `What are these
images to which ye are (so assiduously) devoted?' They said, `We
found our fathers worshipping them.' He said, 'Indeed ye have been in
manifest error -- ye and your fathers.' They said, 'Have you brought
us the Truth, or are you one of those who jest?' He said, `Nay, your
Lord is the Lord of heavens and the earth, He who created them (from
nothing): I am a witness to this (truth). And by God, I have a plan
for your idols -- after ye go away and turn your backs.' So he broke
them to pieces, (all) but the biggest of them, that they might turn
(and address themselves) to it. They said, `Who has done this to our
gods? He must indeed be some man of impiety! ' They said, `We heard a
youth talk of them: he is called Abraham.' They said, `Then bring him
before the eyes of the people, that they may bear witness.' They
said, `Art thou the one that did this with our gods, O Abraham?' He
said, `Nay, this was done by -- This is their biggest one! Ask them,
if they speak intelligently!' So they turned to themselves and said,
` Surely ye are the ones in the wrong!' Then were they confounded
with shame: (they said) `Thou knowest full well that these idols do
not speak!' (Abraham) said, Do ye then worship, besides God, things
that can neither be of any good to you nor do you harm? Fie upon you,
and upon the things that ye worship besides God ! Have ye no sense?'
They said, `Burn him and protect your gods, if ye do (anything at
all)!' (21:51-68)


As usual, when falsehood is defeated on intellectual grounds it
resorts to plotting and oppression. The response of his people to his
da`wa is given in surat al-Ankabut : "So naught was the answer of
(Ibrahim's) people except that they said : Slay him or burn him "
(29:24) Ibrahim could have given up his message and his beliefs to
save himself from the fire of Nimrod. Nut he chose martyrdom. He
chose to die for Allah's message to live. He chose to step into the
fire of ignorance and tyranny in order to save humanity from the fire
of ignorance and tyranny. So he was cast into the fire.


But Allah had a different plan for Ibrahim and he was unhurt by the
grace of Allah (ta'ala): "But Allah did save him from the fire.
Verily in this are signs for people who believe " (29:24). Allah also
says: "We said `O fire! Be cool and a means of safety for Ibrahim' "
(21:69). His miracle did not refrain the idol-worshippers from
continuing for very long years their plots, persecution, abuse,
cruelty and isolation against Ibrahim but he remained uncompromising,
unshakeable in his beliefs, patient in his suffering, gentle in his
manners until he made his hijra (he migrated) to the lands of Aram
nad Canaan.


He left the land of his fathers to become a stranger in the land of
promise.


Brothers and Sisters, it was indeed a land of promise. A land where
Ibrahim continued a lifetime of struggle, da`wa, movement, bearing
alone the heavy responsibility of the mission of Tawheed (monotheism)
in an age of darkness, oppression, prejudice and ignorance. Ibrahim
did not have children. And through- out his century of prophethood
and service of God, as Ibrahim grew older, his desire to have a son
grew stronger. The now old Prophet Ibrahim desperately longed for a
son but his wife Sarah was barren.


"O my Lord! Grant me a righteous son!" (37:100) was his call to
Allah.


Against every expectation, Allah fullfilled his promise of making
Ibrahim the seed of a great line of Prophets, the root of the great
universal religions. "So we gave him the good news of a forbearing
boy" (37:101).


Allah brought mercy to the agedness, loneliness, hopelessness and
anguish of his trustworthy Messenger. For Ibrahim, Ismail was not
just a son for a sonless father, he was the end of a life of waiting,
the reward of a century of suffering, the fruit of his life, the hope
after despair and the young boy of an old father.


Ismael being the promise of future generations was in some sense the
whole world for Ibrahim.


So there was joy and rejoicing in Ibrahim's house as Ismail was
quickly growing under the sun of his father's love.


But Allah decided that it was not to remain so.


Brothers and Sisters, Ibrahim was to be tried once more. Ibrahim had
a vision in which he was commanded by Allah to slaughter his only
son.


Brothers and Sisters, why should Ibrahim, whose entire life was
devoted to prophethood, to Jihaad, to removing ignorance, to laying
the foundations of tawheed be tried once again?


Is it because man should not rest?


Is it because man should not be deceived by 100 years of Jihad and
victories?


Is it because he should not think of himself without weakness?


Is it for the fact that whatever we fix our eyes upon in this world
will blind us?


And finally, is it because the higher the spiritual height we reach,
the greater is the danger of falling?


Brothers and Sisters, it is not possible to convey in words what it
must have meant for Ibrahim to be commanded by Allah (ta'ala) to
sacrifice his only son Ismail. The magnitude of the pain does not
allow the imagination to enclose it. It inspires fear and trembling.


How can Ibrahim take his beloved son, the fruit of his life, the joy
of his heart, the meaning of his living and staying, his Ismail, and
hold him on the ground, put a knife to his throat and kill him?


If it were only the slaughter of Ibrahim at the hand of Ismail, how
easy! But no! The young Ismail must die and the old and aged Ibrahim
must remain!


Ibrahim, the steel-like idol-smasher must have felt torn apart!


Within him, there must have been a war, the greatest jihad. Which
war? The war between God and Ismail! The difficulty of choice!


Who should Ibrahim choose?

Love of God or Love of self?

Prophethood or Fatherhood?

Loyalty to God or loyalty to family?

Faith or Emotion?

Truth or Reality?

Consciousness or Instinct?

Responsibility or Pleasure?

Duty or Right?


Tawheed (Monotheism) or Shirk (Polytheism)?


Advancing or Remaining?


To Become or To Be?


And finally, God or Ismail?


What should Ibrahim choose?


Brothers and Sisters, Ibrahim did not choose immediately. He doubted
and wavered under the crushing force of pain and anguish. Only after
the third vision did he finally decide to carry out Allah's command.
This is reflected in the hajj ritual of stoning the three idols
representing Iblis who tempted Ibrahim to disobey Allah.


When a `truth' enhances one's earthly life, most people become
seekers of truth. But when a truth opposes life and leads to
problems, loss and dangers the seekers of truth are few in number.


Iblis works wherever he finds traces of fear, weakness, doubt,
despair, envy selfishness and even great affection towards someone or
something. Iblis sometimes blows logical reasons, intellectual and
religious justifications to achieve his ends.


For instance we may imagine that, under the powerful crush of his
pain and distress, Ibrahim could have used many justifications.
Perhaps the meaning of dhebh (slaughter) is just metaphorical and
means kill your `ego'. Perhaps `Ismail' might be a general noun and
not Ibrahim's son. Perhaps ``slaughter Ismail'' actually means
``slaughter the love of Ismail''. Ibrahim could have also tried many
interpretations of his vision.


But Ibrahim, khalil-ul-Allah, the intimate friend of God, had faith
in Allah and he knew that Allah (ta'ala) demanded the sacrifice.
Abraham's conscience would make a mockery of all these logical
justifications and reasons.


Ibrahim chose the Love of God over the Love of self, Prophethood over
Fatherhood, Loyalty to God over Loyalty to family, Truth over
Reality, Consciousness over Instinct, Responsibility over Pleasure,
Duty over Right, Tawheed over Shirk. He preferred Advancing to
Remaining.


Ibrahim chose God and gave up Ismail.


Brothers and Sisters, in Mina, an amazing and frightening
conversation between a father and a son took place.


Ibrahim said to Ismail : "O my Son, I see in a vision that I offer
you in sacrifice. Now see what is your view ? " (37:102)


What frightening words for a child to hear!


Ismail could have kept silent. He could have asked Ibrahim to
refrain.


But Ismail had also faith. He submitted to Allah's will. Realising
his father's distress, Ismail gave him these comforting words: "O my
father! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah so wills,
patient and constant " (37:102)


Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar!


Ibrahim had consulted his son who willingly offered himself to
Allah's command. The choice of Ibrahim was sacrifice. That of Ismail
was self-sacrifice: Martyrdom.


This gave Ibrahim strength. Ibrahim tied his heart to God, he took
the Ismail of his life in one hand and the knife of his faith in the
other and he walked until he reached the place of sacrifice. Ibrahim
was suffering while believing and at every moment it was possible for
him to retract and turn back. Yet he layed Ismail on the ground,
putting his face away from him to give strength to his crushed soul
and paralysed hand. And so he slaughtered Ismail. But, by Allah's
grace, the knife did not cut.


Ibrahim received a sheep and was called by Allah:


"O Ibrahim! You have confirmed the Vision Thus indeed do We reward
those who do right This is indeed the manifest trial!" (37:104-105)


Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar!


Brothers and Sisters, Ibrahim gained everything and kept Ismail. This
means that the God of Ibrahim is not thirsty for blood like the Inca
gods or Hindu godesses were thirsty of blood.


It is the people, the servants of God who are hungry, and hungry of
sheep meat.


And, symbolically, the only blood shed in this story is the blood of
Iblis.


Brothers and Sisters, this means that from the very beginning God did
not want Ismail to be slaughtered. He wanted Ibrahim to be the
slaughterer of Ismail. When he became so, the slaughter became
useless.


God, from the beginning, wanted Ismail to be the slaughter of God.
And when it happened, his sacrifice became useless.


Mankind has needs but God has no needs. He is Self-Sufficient. Allah
(ta`ala) in His Wisdom raised Ibrahim to the highest peak of
sacrificing his Ismail without sacrificing Ismail. Allah (ta`ala)
promoted Ismail to the highest peak of being the great sacrifice of
God without bringing any harm to him.


This event is not about the torment and torture of mankind but about
the perfection of humanity, the freedom from the prison of instinct
and selfishness and about the elevation of spirit.


This momentous event also teaches us, through Ibrahim, that human
life, Ismail's, Ibrahim's, everyone's, acquires its meaning and value
from God -- The Source of Creation -- and not from nature. It
signifies that the good things in life, represented by Ismail, derive
their value not from the mere fact that they exist and can be valued,
enjoyed and delighted in, but from God, The Source of Creation
Himself. Ibrahim was, in some sense, giving back Ismail to receive
him again on the proper basis.


Brothers and Sisters, different people organise differently their
loyalty to God, to the family and to the nation or the state. A
secular mind owes and absolute duty to the nation (and the family)
whereas a religious conscience owes absolute duty to God. For a
secular mind Ibrahim was willing to MURDER Ismail but for a religious
conscience he was willing to SACRIFICE Ismail. Ibrahim therefore
instructs that we should owe absolute duty only to God and it is our
relationship to God which ought to transcend and determine out
relation to family/nation and not vice-versa.


Brothers and Sisters, there still is a lot to understand and discover
about this momentus event. These are only a few possible meanings.
Only a few, and just possible, because as Ibrahim taught us to be
less complacent and more critical about having attained faith, we
should be less complacent and more critical about having attained
understanding.


Brothers and Sisters, the Ismail of Ibrahim was his son. But you, who
is your Ismail ? what is it ?


Your degree? Your reputation? Your position? Your money? Your home?
Your car? Your beloved? Your family? Your knowledge? Your title? Your
dress? Your fame? Your soul? Your spirituality? Your Beauty? Your
strength? Your career?


How does one know?


Well, you know this yourself. One can only give its signs to you.


Whatever is in your eyes which holds the place of Ismail in the eyes
of Ibrahim !


Whatever weakens you on the way of faith!


Whatever stops you in your movement!


Whatever brings doubt to your responsibility!


Whatever has enchained your freedom!


Whatever leads you to compromise and justification!


That very thing which deafens your ears before the Message of Truth!


Whatever calls you to remain with yourself!


Whatever causes you to flee from your duty!


Whoever or Whatever keeps you behind in order to remain with her/him
or it!


Brothers and Sisters, these are the signs of our Ismail's. Let us
search for them in ourselves and let us slaughter them to move
towards Allah (ta'ala) and to remove the real knife from the throat
of oppressed Muslims from Bosnia to Kashmir, from somalia to
Palestine.


Brothers and Sisters, let us revolt against the heartless worshippers
that we have become.


Remember our Eid is not an Eid of victory. It is the Eid of sacrifice
(adha).

The Submitters are followers of the late Rashad Khalifa, a man who
claimed to be a Messenger of Allah. This claim in itself is
sufficient to remove the Submitters from Islam as the Qur'an states
(translation):

"O people! Muhammad has no sons among ye men, but verily, he is the
Messenger of Allah and the last in the line of Prophets. And Allah is
aware of everything." (33:40)

The true Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, observed:

"The tribe of Israel was guided by prophets. When a prophet passed
away, another succeeded him. But no prophet will come after me; only
caliphs will succeed me." (Sahih Bukhari)

Much of Rashad Khalifa's misguidance can be traced to his obsession
with numerology, an obsession which has misguided many different
people throughout history. Khalifa alleged that the Qur'an contained
a mathematical code which revolved around the number 19. He went to
the extent of removing two verses from the Qur'an because according
to him "the word `God' ... is not a multiple of 19, unless we remove
[it]", and the "sum of all verse numbers where the word `God' occurs
is ... 19x6217 ... If the false verse 9:129 is included, this
phenomenon disappears." By rejecting a single verse of the Qur'an,
the Submitters bring themselves under the judgement of another verse,

... Do you believe in part of the Book and disbelieve in another
part? And what is the reward of those who do so save ignominy in the
life of the world, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be
consigned to the most grievous doom ... (2:85)

It is interesting to note that Khalifa was a numerologist who did his
blighted profession justice: he predicted the end of the world.
However, Allah says in the Qur'an

They ask you about the (last) hour, when will be its taking place?
Say: The knowledge of it is only with my Lord; none but He shall
manifest it at its time; it will be momentous in the heavens and the
earth; it will not come on you but of a sudden. They ask you as if
you were solicitous about it. Say: Its knowledge is only with Allah,
but most people do not know. (7:187)

The Submitters also reject the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saws)- not
part of it, but the whole of it. For the Submitters, the Sunnah is
not a source of Islam. The problems this presents are overwhelming,
for by doing so the Submitters have effectively destroyed their
ability to perform:

Salaat (obligatory prayers), the second pillar of Islam

Zakat (obligatory tax), the third pillar of Islam

Sawm (fasting), the fourth pillar of Islam

Hajj (pilgrimage), the fifth pillar of Islam

With four out of the five pillars of Islam removed, the Submitters
have little to back their claim to being "Muslim". The true Messenger
of Islam (saws) warned Muslims of falling into this trap,

Narrated AbuRafi': The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Let me not
find one of you reclining on his couch when he hears something
regarding me which I have commanded or forbidden [i.e. from the
Sunnah -ed.] and saying: 'We do not know. What we found in Allah's
Book [i.e. the Qur'an] we have followed.'" Book 40, Number 4588 of
Sunan Abu-Dawud

Asslamualikum brothers amnd Sisters.

Todays Muslims are attacked from every angle possible. The most
ferous attack has been on Muslim women and their Islamic way of life.
It is the aim of the kaffirs to corrupt the Muslims especially the
women. Why the women one may ask. The wisdom behind the Islamic laws
concerning women are the most difficult to explain and many of them
we still do not know the wisdom behind them.

On surface some laws may seem even unfair but when one goes deeper
into reflection about these laws then ones eyes open towards the
buety of these laws.

Secoundly , the women are the teachers of the new generation if they
are corrupted then who will teach the children . the father will come
home streseed out from work and if he has to do the wifes job as well
then the children will suffer and similaraly if the wife has to work
and come home tired mentally and physically then teaching and raisng
children becomes difficult.

So called Islamic feminist was introduced to the islamoc world at the
end of the french boyonet in egypt. unfortunatelly do to lack of time
i cannot go into this deeply but one day inshallah.

Many of these stupid feminists calling them selves muslims due to
their beliefs and actions go out from the fold of Islam. They are in
actual fact the agents of the kaffir organistations in the west. And
we are beginng to know more and more of their plots thanks to some
dias like sheik Ali At Tamimi of USA

They try mislead our Sisters by  say certain laws in sharia are
because males are the only ones who have been involved in giving
fatwas in Islam. Many Sisters and even brothers fall into this trap
becausse they either do not have the knowledge or they think with
emotions rather than siting down and reflecting. We know that very
few Sahabah trasmited Haidth and amounst these very few was the
Prophets SAW wife Aisha (RA). She was a women and she transmitted so
many Hadith and gave so many rulings especially those that concerned
matters that the Prophet SAW did in His house.

Listening to these women Some Sisters have even removed the Hijab.
Others have kept the Hijab but they have become Disobdeiant to their
husband, Promote Haram such as free mixing etc.

Even Inside the Masjid these Sisters and their Husbands have causeed
Fitna and free mixing. Even The Majids are not safe from their evil.
I unforginatelly had to personally witness this in our own Masjid.

I advice all Muslims to Listen to a cassette called feminism New
Islam by Ali at Tamimi. Inshallah if i can i will add it to the web
site.

May Allah protect our Sisters from the Evil plots of these Feminists.
Islam Is From Allah SWT . Allah IS Perfect And Islam Is Perfect. It
doesnt need Feminism or any other ism. Let the Misguided Kaffir keep
their isms.

Your Brother in Islam
AbuUbaida

Tips for a Happy and
Successful Marriage

                                          By Dr. Aisha Hamdan

Ten ways of increasing happiness
in your marriage and making it a successful one

The young and excited bride-and-groom-to-be; ecstatic about the
upcoming wedding and marriage and the joy that it will bring. Three
to six months later, reality has set in and both spouses realize that
marriage is no easy task, but one that takes a great deal of effort
and patience. The following are tips for both wives and husbands, to
help make the task a little less daunting, and to increase the many
rewards that are possible in such a marvelous and complex
relationship.

Enter the Marriage with the Right Intention and Renew this Often
Both spouses should enter the marriage with the pure intention of
pleasing Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, in order to receive His grace
and blessings. The marriage itself then becomes an act of worship and
one for which both spouses will be rewarded. Allah will be pleased
with them and this will be the most critical element in ensuring
peace, stability and happiness throughout the marital life. It is
also important to realize that when an act of worship is continued
over a long period of time, it becomes necessary to renew one's
intention often to remain on the correct path and to obtain the most
benefit.

Remember that Your Spouse is also Your Brother or Sister in Islam
Too often Muslims treat other people outside the home with kindness
and sincerity, but then behave in a very different manner when it
comes to their own spouses. Muslims should always remember that one's
spouse is also another brother or sister in Islam and that the rights
and duties that apply to the general brotherhood (sisterhood) of
Islam, should also form the basis of the marital relationship.
Obviously, a spouse has rights beyond these, but there should be a
clear understanding of the rights of brotherhood (sisterhood) and
adherence to these principles.

  Do Not Hold Unrealistic Expectations

Before marriage, people often have unrealistic ideas about their
spouse-to-be, expecting perfection in all aspects. This rarely, if
ever, plays out in reality and can lead to unnecessary problems and
concerns. We should recall that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, created
humans as imperfect beings, which means that many mistakes will be
made throughout a lifetime. By turning the table and expecting
imperfection, we will be pleasantly surprised and pleased when our
spouse is much more than we ever hoped for. This, in turn, will lead
to contentment within the marriage.

Emphasize the Best in Your Spouse
Since no one is endowed with all of the best qualities, emphasis
should be placed on the positive qualities that a spouse possesses.
Encouragement, praise, and gratitude should be expressed on a regular
basis, which will strengthen these qualities and be beneficial in
developing others. An attempt should be made to overlook or ignore
negative characteristics, as the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa
sallam, said, "A believing man should not have any malice against a
believing woman. He may dislike one characteristic in her, but may
find another in her which is pleasing." (Muslim)

  Be Your Mate's Best Friend

Try to think of what a best friend means and be one to your spouse.
This may mean sharing interests, experiences, dreams, failures and
upsets. It may involve understanding a spouse's likes and dislikes
and attempting to please him or her in any way possible. A best
friend is also usually someone that can be confided to trusted, and
relied upon. A spouse should be the kind of friend that one would
want to keep throughout life.

Spend Quality Time Together

It is not enough to share meals, chores and small talk together.
Spouses should also find time to focus on strengthening the
relationship. Often couples get busy with their own separate tasks
and forget about working on one of the most important elements in
life. Quality time may be anything from having a quiet, profound
conversation to going for a nice long nature walk, to sharing a
special hobby or project. Both spouses should enjoy the particular
option chosen and distractions should be kept to a minimum.

  Express Feelings Often

This is probably a very "Western" concept and one that some people
may have difficulty fulfilling, but it is important to be open and
honest about one's feelings, both positive and negative. The lines of
communication should always be open and any concerns should be
brought to the attention of the other spouse as soon as they arise.
The rationale of this is that what begins as a simple concern may
grow into a major problem if it is not addressed quickly and
properly. The "silent treatment" has never been the remedy for
anything.

Admit to Mistakes and ask for Forgiveness

Just as we ask Allah to forgive us when we make mistakes, we should
also do the same with our spouses. The stronger person is the one who
can admit when he or she is wrong, request pardon from the other, and
work hard to improve his/her aspects that are in need of change. When
a person is unwilling to do this, there will be little growth and
development in the marriage.

Never Bring up Mistakes of the Past
It can be very hurting for another person to be reminded of past
mistakes. In Islam, it is generally not recommended to dwell on the
past. One may remember errors that were made so that they are not
repeated, but this should not be done excessively. Certainly, as
humans, we are not in the position to judge another person. Advice
may be given, but not in a harmful manner.

Surprise Each Other at Times
This may entail bringing home a small gift or flowers, preparing a
special meal, dressing up and beautifying oneself (this is not only
for women), or sending a secret note in a lunchbox. A little
imagination will go a long way here. The idea is to spice up the
marriage and avoid getting into a dull routine that may negatively
affect the marriage.

Have a Sense of Humour

This particular aspect can go a long way in preventing arguments and
brightening the atmosphere of the home. Life is a constant stream of
challenges and tests, and to approach it in a light-hearted manner
will help to make the journey smoother and more enjoyable. You may
also find that your spouse enjoys this characteristic and looks
forward to spending time with you because of it.

  Quick Tips for Discussions and Disagreements:

Begin with the intention to resolve the issue. If both spouses have
this intention and plan to consult together, it is more likely that
there will be a successful resolution.

  Remember that it takes two to quarrel. If only one person chooses
not to argue, there will be no argument. Generally, the one who is
wrong does most of the talking.

Both spouses should not be angry at the same time. If one of the
spouses becomes upset, it is best if the other tries to remain calm
and collected.

Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire. Of course,
house fires do not occur very frequently; yelling should occur at
about the same rate.

Never go to sleep with an argument unsettled. This is one of the
worst things that can happen in a marriage and should be avoided as
much as possible. This allows hurt feelings and thoughts to linger
and generally exacerbates the problem.

If one spouse needs to win, let it be your mate. Do not focus on
winning yourself; this is the main reason that discussions tend to
become heated.

coutesy of Markazdawa -Lashkeri-taiba's (Army of the Pure) voice of
Islam magazine.

Tips for a Happy and
Successful Marriage

                                          By Dr. Aisha Hamdan

Ten ways of increasing happiness
in your marriage and making it a successful one

The young and excited bride-and-groom-to-be; ecstatic about the
upcoming wedding and marriage and the joy that it will bring. Three
to six months later, reality has set in and both spouses realize that
marriage is no easy task, but one that takes a great deal of effort
and patience. The following are tips for both wives and husbands, to
help make the task a little less daunting, and to increase the many
rewards that are possible in such a marvelous and complex
relationship.

Enter the Marriage with the Right Intention and Renew this Often
Both spouses should enter the marriage with the pure intention of
pleasing Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, in order to receive His grace
and blessings. The marriage itself then becomes an act of worship and
one for which both spouses will be rewarded. Allah will be pleased
with them and this will be the most critical element in ensuring
peace, stability and happiness throughout the marital life. It is
also important to realize that when an act of worship is continued
over a long period of time, it becomes necessary to renew one's
intention often to remain on the correct path and to obtain the most
benefit.

Remember that Your Spouse is also Your Brother or Sister in Islam
Too often Muslims treat other people outside the home with kindness
and sincerity, but then behave in a very different manner when it
comes to their own spouses. Muslims should always remember that one's
spouse is also another brother or sister in Islam and that the rights
and duties that apply to the general brotherhood (sisterhood) of
Islam, should also form the basis of the marital relationship.
Obviously, a spouse has rights beyond these, but there should be a
clear understanding of the rights of brotherhood (sisterhood) and
adherence to these principles.

  Do Not Hold Unrealistic Expectations

Before marriage, people often have unrealistic ideas about their
spouse-to-be, expecting perfection in all aspects. This rarely, if
ever, plays out in reality and can lead to unnecessary problems and
concerns. We should recall that Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, created
humans as imperfect beings, which means that many mistakes will be
made throughout a lifetime. By turning the table and expecting
imperfection, we will be pleasantly surprised and pleased when our
spouse is much more than we ever hoped for. This, in turn, will lead
to contentment within the marriage.

Emphasize the Best in Your Spouse
Since no one is endowed with all of the best qualities, emphasis
should be placed on the positive qualities that a spouse possesses.
Encouragement, praise, and gratitude should be expressed on a regular
basis, which will strengthen these qualities and be beneficial in
developing others. An attempt should be made to overlook or ignore
negative characteristics, as the Prophet, sallallahu alayhe wa
sallam, said, "A believing man should not have any malice against a
believing woman. He may dislike one characteristic in her, but may
find another in her which is pleasing." (Muslim)

  Be Your Mate's Best Friend

Try to think of what a best friend means and be one to your spouse.
This may mean sharing interests, experiences, dreams, failures and
upsets. It may involve understanding a spouse's likes and dislikes
and attempting to please him or her in any way possible. A best
friend is also usually someone that can be confided to trusted, and
relied upon. A spouse should be the kind of friend that one would
want to keep throughout life.

Spend Quality Time Together

It is not enough to share meals, chores and small talk together.
Spouses should also find time to focus on strengthening the
relationship. Often couples get busy with their own separate tasks
and forget about working on one of the most important elements in
life. Quality time may be anything from having a quiet, profound
conversation to going for a nice long nature walk, to sharing a
special hobby or project. Both spouses should enjoy the particular
option chosen and distractions should be kept to a minimum.

  Express Feelings Often

This is probably a very "Western" concept and one that some people
may have difficulty fulfilling, but it is important to be open and
honest about one's feelings, both positive and negative. The lines of
communication should always be open and any concerns should be
brought to the attention of the other spouse as soon as they arise.
The rationale of this is that what begins as a simple concern may
grow into a major problem if it is not addressed quickly and
properly. The "silent treatment" has never been the remedy for
anything.

Admit to Mistakes and ask for Forgiveness

Just as we ask Allah to forgive us when we make mistakes, we should
also do the same with our spouses. The stronger person is the one who
can admit when he or she is wrong, request pardon from the other, and
work hard to improve his/her aspects that are in need of change. When
a person is unwilling to do this, there will be little growth and
development in the marriage.

Never Bring up Mistakes of the Past
It can be very hurting for another person to be reminded of past
mistakes. In Islam, it is generally not recommended to dwell on the
past. One may remember errors that were made so that they are not
repeated, but this should not be done excessively. Certainly, as
humans, we are not in the position to judge another person. Advice
may be given, but not in a harmful manner.

Surprise Each Other at Times
This may entail bringing home a small gift or flowers, preparing a
special meal, dressing up and beautifying oneself (this is not only
for women), or sending a secret note in a lunchbox. A little
imagination will go a long way here. The idea is to spice up the
marriage and avoid getting into a dull routine that may negatively
affect the marriage.

Have a Sense of Humour

This particular aspect can go a long way in preventing arguments and
brightening the atmosphere of the home. Life is a constant stream of
challenges and tests, and to approach it in a light-hearted manner
will help to make the journey smoother and more enjoyable. You may
also find that your spouse enjoys this characteristic and looks
forward to spending time with you because of it.

  Quick Tips for Discussions and Disagreements:

Begin with the intention to resolve the issue. If both spouses have
this intention and plan to consult together, it is more likely that
there will be a successful resolution.

  Remember that it takes two to quarrel. If only one person chooses
not to argue, there will be no argument. Generally, the one who is
wrong does most of the talking.

Both spouses should not be angry at the same time. If one of the
spouses becomes upset, it is best if the other tries to remain calm
and collected.

Never yell at each other unless the house is on fire. Of course,
house fires do not occur very frequently; yelling should occur at
about the same rate.

Never go to sleep with an argument unsettled. This is one of the
worst things that can happen in a marriage and should be avoided as
much as possible. This allows hurt feelings and thoughts to linger
and generally exacerbates the problem.

If one spouse needs to win, let it be your mate. Do not focus on
winning yourself; this is the main reason that discussions tend to
become heated.

  (coutesy of markazdawa and Lashker-e- Taibas's)voice of Islam
magazine

Question:


Assalaammu'alaikum,
I come from a muslim family and was brought up with Islamic faith.
Although, I have been through a stage in my life which I call
the "dark stage" of my life, in which I was involved with "jahiliyah"
practices for some years (yes, those irresponsible and sinful acts).
Alhamdulillah Allah has blessed me with guidance and brought me to
His straight path again. Since that time, I have been having a
relationship with a christian girlfriend, who Alhamdulillah has
accepted Islam just recently, by Allah's will. We plan to be wedded
soon after we are settled. One problem is that she comes from a
devout Christian family, not to mention her father being a christian
priest. Ever since her family found out about our involvement, they
have tried almost everything to part us, we haven't told them about
my girlfriend's conversion though. Right now, our relationship has
reached a point where she is willing to oppose her family and runaway
from them eventually. Even though we know it will be hard to go
through, my girlfriend and I really love each other. As I understand,
the Islamic law requires that in marriage, a woman should be
accompanied by a "wali", which to my knowledge, should come from her
family. My first question, can our plan to marry without her family's
consent be in accordance with Islamic law?
And second, if it can, who can be her "wali?", since not one of her
family member agree with our relationship.
Thank you, assalaammu'alaikum.

Answer:

Al-hamdu lillaah.

First, I offer thanks to Allaah for his grace in having guided you to
the path of truth after experiencing a dark journey
through 'jahiliyyah', a journey into ignorance and meaninglessness.
Allaah guides to his truth whomever he wills. At this point of your
life, as an expression of gratitude for Allaah's blessing, you should
carry out your duties towards him and desist from the actions that
gain his wrath. In fact, Allaah, at this point in your life, must
take priority over everything else. You further ought to make up for
what you missed in the previous part of your life, to double your
efforts in performing worship and to haste in doing good deeds.

Secondly, since this lady in question has converted to Islam, thanks
to Allaah, none of her kaafir family members can act as a guardian
(wali) of her interests; no kaafir can act in this capacity over a
Muslim. If there is a Muslim with some authority in your area over
the affairs of the Muslim community, then he can act in this
capacity, based on the Prophet's  (peace be upon him) hadeeth:

"No marriage contract can be concluded without the presence of a
Wali. A Sultan (authority figure) can act as a Wali for those without
one." (see Ibn Majah and Imam Ahmad, Hadith number 1880; also in
Salih al-Jaami', hadeeth number 7556.)

If there is no authoritative Muslim person, then one should refer to
the community Muslim leader or any Muslim who is just ('aadil),
respected, and of high character, such as the director of the Islamic
center or its imam, to conclude the marriage contract of this sister,
with her consent.



coutesy of www.islam-qa.com)

[This article was published in the 17th issue of Nida'ul Islam
magazine (http://www.islam.org.au), February - March 1997]



The Role of Sheikh-ul Islam
Ibn Taymiyah in Jihad Against the Tatars



Sheikh-ul Islam Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah was not an ordinary Sheikh like
those of today, or a scholar who centred a study circle, nor was he
just a Friday khateeb or a mere teacher in a mosque. He was also not
contented with instituting a school to educate his students the
sciences of Shari'ah. For he took the role of the General Imam or the
deputy of the rightly-guided Khaleefa in his absence. He fought
innovations in the religion and established the truth with the force
of the sword, without detaching from the teachings of his religion.
He was not a hypocrite in the presence of rulers, nor did he fear the
authority of a sultan or a prince.





Ibn Taymiyah's most significant achievement in his life was his Jihad
against the Tatars after he unmasked the corruptions in their beliefs
and their deceptive claims of embracing Islam. At that time, the
Tatars were the greatest danger facing the whole Muslim nation. They
had the largest military power and the most terrible warfare. Their
pretence as Muslims was a big danger to the Muslim nation, exactly
like the dangers posed by the Muslim leaders of today who falsely
claim to belong to Islam and at the same time they butcher its
faithful people.
He was not satisfied with addressing the princes and leaders only,
but he also addressed the public and gave fatwas (religious verdict)
necessitating the defending of Islam against its enemy, the Tatars.
He held that the protection of Islam should be the primary objective
of all Muslims and the condition to complete their faith.

His first letter of jihad that was addressed to the public stated the
following:

"After Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem , To whom ever this reaches from
the faithful and the Muslims, may Allah have mercy upon them in this
life and the Hereafter. May He grant them perceived and concealed
blessings, and may He grant them the dignified victory and great
triumphs.

Peace and blessing of Allah be with you all. We praise Allah Almighty
on your behalf, the One and Only God, the All-Capable".

He then started his letter by classifying the kuffar into a number of
categories. He said that the first group of kuffar are the original
kuffars , e.g. the Christians, Armenians, and the like. With this
group, it is permissible to hold peace agreements with, eat from
their food and slaughtering, marry from their women, can be released
if they fell as fell as prisoners of war, and their women are not to
be killed unless they were fighting.

The second group consists of apostates (murtaddun) who return to
their infidel ways, like some Arab tribes, Persians, and Romans.
These murtaddun are worse than the original kuffar. Therefore,
fighting them is obligatory if they do not return to Islam and no
peace agreement nor a covenant of security can be given to them.
Their prisoners are not to be released, their food is not to be
eaten, the Muslim man can not marry their women, and they are all to
be fought and killed whether they have engaged in fighting or not,
even their elderly and women.

The third group consists of those who claim to belong to Islam, but
do not perform the Islamic rituals and practices, such as salat,
zakat, hajj, nor do they carry out Jihad or take tributes (jizia)
from the people of the book and the Sabbists, nor do they cease from
killing Muslims and taking their money. This group, under the
consensus opinion of Muslims, must be fought in the same way that Abu
Bakr as-Sideeq (r.a.a.) fought the people who refused to pay zakat.
Some of them are worse than kuffar, even if they prayed and fasted
like the khawarij who Ali (r.a.a.) fought and the Prophet (s.a.w.)
foretold about them: "they are the most evil of people amongst
Allah's creation". And non of the companions or their successors
disagree about the necessity to fighting them.

As for the fourth group, they are the most evil of all the groups.
They are a group that rejected Islam while still claiming to belong
to it. They are infidels, who reverted from Islam because they
entered Islam without following its Shari'a . It is agreed upon, that
they should be fought totally until they return to practice the
fundamentals of Islam and to prevent affliction (fitna) so that the
religion (worship) will all be for Allah Alone.




All these conditions are to be applied to them in their homelands.
How about if they invaded the lands of Muslims and attack them for no
other reason than to inflict injustice and injury upon the Muslim
nation?. "Will you not fight a people who have violated their oaths
(pagans of Makkah) and intended to expel the Messenger, while they
did attack you first? Do you fear them? Allah has more right that you
should fear Him, if you are believers" (s9:v13). This verse clearly
shows the truth about the Tatars and their contemporary sect, the
Batiniah, and others who tried to corrupt the creed of Islam.

Following these words, Ibn Taymiyah began to show the merits of the
Mujahideen, and the virtues of Jihad fo r Allah's sake. He explained
that jihad will be ongoing till the day of judgment, by using the
following authentic hadeeth as a proof: " There will always remain a
group of people from my nation who establish the truth. They will
never be agonised by those who let them down nor by those who
disagree with them till the day of judgement" . And Ibn Taymiyah sees
those people to be the people of Sham.

Ibn Taymiyah then narrated the different Ahadeeth and Ayat showing
the importance of Jihad and the inevitable victory of the Muslims. He
then started mentioning those faithful groups (mu'minoon ), and their
role at his time. There is the victorious group (at-tai'fa al-
mansourah), the Mujahideen warriors. There are those who disagree
with them and think that the time for Jihad has not come yet, and
that now at the preparation stage and organisation. But he proved
that there is nothing higher in status than Jihad and no rank can
rise above the level of Mujahideen for Allah's cause.

He concluded his message and soon after that, he took the
responsibility to training the armies and to organise the Mujahideen
groups. He was responsible for the raids against the Tatars military
camps. He also attacked the region where the Batiniah people in the
mountains of Sham abode, because they betrayed the Muslims and
secretly cooperated with the enemies of Islam, the Tatars and the
Crusaders. Although the Batini sect succeeded in deceiving Ibn
Taymiyah when they pretended to repent and abandon their crooked
creed and beliefs. But it was proven to him that they played a trick
using taqqya (calculated deception), and that they remained on their
strong animosity to Islam and Muslims. He did not hesitate to fight
them and hound them, and gave fatwas (religious verdict) exposing
their hidden beliefs and crooked creed and called for the necessity
to fight them.




On the other hand, he never compromised the truth when accounting
princes and the kings for their negligence in defending the land of
Islam against internal and external enemies. This is clearly depicted
through his letter to Sultan an-Nasser Muhammad Ibn Qalawoon. In the
letter he threatened to develop a separate state from the Sultan
authority, and give his loyalty to another leader who will not
hesitate to defend and to stand agains t the invading Tatars.

When the city of Damascus fell for the second time to the Tatars, he
refused to stand by idly, for he agreed with the leaders of the
country to take an important step for the well being of all Muslims
by meeting the Tatars leader. Alt hough they had no power to defend
themselves with, nevertheless he took the necessary step of
organising to meet the Sultan of the Tartar Qazaan, asking him for
security for the people of Damascus without the handing over of the
fortress. He was not a faint hearted coward like the other Sufi
sheikhs who met Qazaan asking for his forgiveness and his approval of
them. But he confronted Qazaan face to face and explained to him that
their occupation of Damascus will no be long since the Muslims are
revolting. The security was granted to the Muslims of Damascus owing
to Ibn Taymiyah boldness and courageousness.

Ibn Taymiyah also partnered Sultan An-Nasser Ibn Qalawoon in his war
against Qazaan who claimed to be Muslim and named him self Mahmood.
It was proven to Ibn Taymiyah other wise, because Qazaan refused to
completely uphold Islamic Shari' ah and He disrespected Allah's laws.
He governed the Islamic country by the book of al-Yasiq which was a
mixture of laws from Christianity, Judaism, Islam and the laws of
Jinkeeze Khan himself. He discarded the laws that was sent down to
the Muslims in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.




In the year 702 after hijrah , the news of the return of the Tatars
to Sham spread. Ibn Taymiyah made haste to the sultan in Egypt
seeking his help against the danger of the Tatars and their
monstrosities which they were so famous for, especially when the
rulers of Allepo and Hama a bandoned their cities and escaped to
Damascus. By the time the Tartars reached Homs and Ba'albek, Ibn
Taymiyah recruite d the remains of the army that left Hama and the
other cities. He united the army and started the march to Damascus to
be at the forefront of the ranks, until the armies of the Khaleefah
al-Mustakfi and Sultan an-Nasser Ibn Qalawoon reached Damascus. On S
aturday, the second of Ramadan, the Muslim army was complete, and the
organisation for the battle had begun outside Damascus to safeguard
the city from any damage. The site of the battle was in Marj as-
Safar.

When the Tatars heard of their massing, they ma de haste to meet them
outside Damascus. Hence the first plan of Ibn Taymiyah was successful
in that he distracted the Tatars from further damaging the city. For
the Tatar's first worry was to destroy the army of the Muslims,
leaving the city unmolested.

The course of the Great Battle

The two armies then met, each have in mind the destruction of the
other, and the battle started at once. It was Zuhur time and the
Muslims in that army were fasting that day, every one of them wishing
from Allah either Shahadah or victory. In their minds are the
prophet's companions (r.a.a.) and their righteous successors. Their
first worry was to defend Islam and to destroy the Tatarian enemy
once and for all, making sure they never return to the land of Islam
with their corruption, unlike the first time when the Tatars
regrouped themselves after their defeat in the battle of A'een Jaloot
and returned to attack the land of the Muslims.

Therefore, the main worry of the Khaleefah and the Sultan was to
destroy the Tatars and elimi nate their danger once and for all. When
the Tatars saw the Muslims apparent devotion and commitment to war,
all their numbers came down to the battle, displaying their machinery
and armour. They were the bounty of the Muslims by the end of the
day.

With this battle, the Khaleefaah once again re-established his role
as the Khaleefah of the Muslims, and so did the Sultan. While Sheikh-
ul Islam delivered his role as the advisor. He was at the head of the
army, sharpening the Muslims purpose, while on the other hand he
would fight the enemy courageously, sending them reeling back to
their homes. When the army saw their Khaleefah, Sultan and Imam at
the head of their ranks, they started to crush Tatars, eliminating
their danger and ridding the Muslims from their threat. Consequently,
they left the enemy no hope to ever return to the land of Islam. The
battle of Shaqhab was the last battle ever between the Tatars and the
Muslim.

This battle had a fundamental role in Ibn Taymiyah's reply to the
cowardly Murji' ah, Sufis, and others who tried to hinder and
discourage the resolution of the Muslims. They used either try to
scare the Muslims by exaggerating the might and strength of the
enemy, or used to proclaim that the Tatars were Muslims, and hence,
an excuse not to fight them. Ibn Taymiyah's response to the Muslims
who were deceived by what was said about the prohibition of fighting
the Tatars, was his statement: "If you find me in the ranks of the
Tatars then kill me!" . His response on the battlefield was clearer
in that he started fighting the Tatars, hence leaving no room for the
Muslims who were deceived or had a second thought about the right
decision in fighting their enemy.

Therefore Ibn Taymiyah's role, and his handling of the events is a
clear response to those who argue today that it is forbidden to fight
those who hinder Allah's deen and laws while they roam the earth
destroying and corrupting it, even if they claim to belong to Islam.

By Br. Muhammad El-Halaby





----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

Back to Articles Sorted by Topic or to Articles Sorted by Issue
Number

Asslamualikum wr wb
A sister has just informed us that her husband had received news from
palistine that 4 muslim brothers had escaped from the isrealis after
being surounded. But waait even more amasing was thatone of them herd
a tree saying " THERE IS A JEW BEHIND ME". THE JEW WAS TERIFIED AND
SHAKING AT WHAT HE HAD EXPERIANCED.

We know from hadith this will happen and Alhamdullilah may Allah
guide us on the true path and give the Muslims victory.

Asslamualikum brothers and sisters.
wellcome to the our forum which in conjuction with our site for new
Muslims http://uk.geocities.com/muslimconverts is intended to provide
as musch support as possible for new muslims and those wishing to
become Muslim. Please e-mail your stories and Inshallah we will try
to add them to the site.

Jazakallah khairan