Always Islam

Why Do We Read The Quran Even Though We Don't Understand A Single Arabic Word?

2010-08-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

An old man lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. He was a Muslim. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate (follow) him in every way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Quran do?"

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water". The boy did as he was told. He ran away to bring water. But all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time". He sent him back to the river again. This time the boy ran faster. The basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket. He went to get a bucket instead.

The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough". He went out the door to watch the boy try again. At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!"

"So you think it is useless?" The old man said, "Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out.

Collection. Rewritten by: Md. Abdur Rahman Mukul

The Night Of Freedom From Fire, Sha'ban Dos And Don’ts

2010-08-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

Sha'ban is one of the meritorious months for which we find some particular instructions in the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam). It is reported in the authentic ahadith that Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam) used to fast most of the month in Sha'ban. These fasts were not obligatory on him but Sha'ban is the month immediately preceding the month of Ramadan. Therefore, some preparatory measures are suggested by Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam). Some of these are given below:

The blessed companion Anas (Radi-Allahu anhu), reports that Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), was asked, "Which fast is the most meritorious after the fasts of Ramadan?" He replied, "Fasts of Shaban in honor of Ramadan."

Fasting in the month of Sha'ban, though not obligatory, is so meritorious that Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), did not like to miss it. But it should be kept in mind that the fasts of Sha'ban are for those persons only who are capable of keeping them without causing deficiency in the obligatory fasts of Ramadan. According to another report Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam) has said: "Do not precede the month of Ramadan with one or two fasts."

The Night of Bara'ah

Another significant feature of the month of Sha'ban is that it consists of a night which is termed in Shariah as "Laylatul-bara'ah" (The night of freedom from Fire). This is the night occurring between 14th and 15th day of Sha'ban. There are certain traditions of Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), to prove that it is a meritorious night in which the people of the earth are attended by special Divine mercy.

Aishah (Radi-Allahu anha), has reported that Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), has said, "Allah Almighty descends (in a manner He best knows it) in the night occurring in the middle of Sha'ban and forgives a large number of people more than the number of the fibers on the sheep of the tribe, Kalb."

What Should be Done in this Night?

In order to observe the Night of Bara'ah, one should remain awakened in this night as much as he can. If someone has better opportunities, he should spend the whole night in worship and prayer. However, if one cannot do so for one reason or another, he can select a considerable portion of the night, preferably of the second half of it for this purpose, and should perform the following acts of worship:

(a) Salah: Salah is the most preferable act to be performed in this night. There is no particular number of Rak'at but preferably it should not be less than eight. It is also advisable that each part of the Salah like qiyam, rukoo' and sajdah should be longer than normal. The longest surahs of the Holy Qur'an one remembers by heart should be recited in the Salah of this night. If someone does not remember the long surahs, he can also recite several short surahs in one rak'ah.

(b) Tilawa: The recitation of the Holy Qur'an is another form of worship, very beneficent in this night. After performing Salah, or at any other time, one should recite as much of the Holy Qur'an as he can.

(c) Dhikr: One should also perform dhikr (recitation of the name of Allah) in this night. Particularly the following dhikr is very useful:

One should recite Salah (durood) on Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), as many times as he can. The dhikr can also be recited while walking, lying on bed and during other hours of work or leisure.

(d) Dua: The best benefit one can draw from the blessings of this night is prayers and supplications. It is hoped that all the prayers in this night will be accepted by our Lord, insha-Allah. Prayer itself is an 'Ibadah, and Allah Almighty gives reward on each prayer along with the fulfillment of the supplicator's need. Even if the purpose prayed for is not achieved, one cannot be deprived of the reward of the prayer which is sometimes more precious than the mundane benefits one strives for. The prayers and supplications also strengthen one's relation with Allah Almighty, which is the main purpose of all kinds and forms of worship.

One can pray for whatever purpose he wishes. But the best supplications are the ones made by Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam). These are so comprehensive and all-encompassing prayers that all the human needs, of this world and the Hereafter, are fully covered in the eloquent expressions used in them. Actually, most of the prophetic prayers are so profound that human imagination can hardly match their greatness.

Several books in various languages are available which provide these prophetic prayers, and one should pray to Allah Almighty in accordance with them, whether by reciting their original Arabic text or by rendering their sense in one's own language.

(e) There are some people who cannot perform any additional Salah or recitations for any reason, like illness or weakness or being engaged in some other necessary activities. Such people also should not deprive themselves completely of the blessings of this night. They should observe the following acts:

(i) To perform the Salah of Maghrib, 'Isha' and Fajr with Jama'ah in the mosque, or in their homes in case of their being sick.

(ii) They should keep reciting the dhikr, particularly the one mentioned in para (c) above, in whatever condition they are until they sleep.

(iii) They should pray to Allah for their forgiveness and for their other objectives. One can do so even when he is in his bed.

(f) The women during their periods cannot perform salah, nor can they recite the Qur'an, but they can recite any dhikr, tasbeeh, durood sharif and can pray to Allah for whatever purpose they like in whatever language they wish. They can also recite the Arabic prayers mentioned in the Qur'an or in the hadith with the intention of supplication (and not with the intention of recitation).

(g) According to a hadith, which is relatively less authentic, Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), went in this night to the graveyard of Baqi' where he prayed for the Muslims buried there. On this basis, some of the fuqaha hold it as mustahabb (advisable) in this night to go to the graveyard of the Muslims and recite Fatihah or any other part of the Qur'an, and pray for the dead. But this act is neither obligatory nor should it be performed as regularly as an obligatory act.

What Should Not be Done in This Night

(a) As mentioned earlier, the Night of Bara'ah is a night in which special blessings are directed towards the Muslims. Therefore, this night should be spent in total submission to Allah Almighty, and one should refrain from all those activities, which may displease Allah. Although it is always incumbent upon every Muslim to abstain from sins, yet this abstinence becomes all the more necessary in such nights, because committing sins in this night will amount to responding to divine blessings with disobedience and felony. Such an arrogant attitude can invite nothing but the wrath of Allah. Therefore, one should strictly abstain from all the sins, because these sins make one devoid of the blessings of this night.

(b) In this night some people indulge in some activities which they regard as necessary for the celebration of the Night of Bara'ah, like cooking some special type of meal, or illuminating houses or mosques, or improvised structures. All such activities are not only baseless and innovated in the later days by ignorant people, but in some cases they are pure imitation of some rituals performed by non-Muslim communities. Such imitation in itself is a sin; performing it in a blessed night like the Night of Bara'ah makes it worse. Muslims should strictly abstain from all such activities.

(c) Some people spend this night in holding religious meetings and delivering long speeches. Such activities are also not advisable, because these acts can easily be performed in other nights. This night requires one to devote himself for the pure acts of worship only.

(d) The acts of worship like Salah, recitation of the Qur'an and dhikr should be performed in this night individually, not collectively. The Nafl Salah should not be performed in Jama'ah, nor should the Muslims arrange gatherings in the mosques in order to celebrate the night in a collective manner.

That is why Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), observed the acts of worship in this night in total seclusion, not accompanied by anyone, not even by his favorite life companion Sayyidah 'Aishah (Radi-Allahu anha), and that is why all forms of the optional worship (Nafl Ibadah), are advised by him to be done in individual, not in collective manner.

Fast of the 15th Sha'ban

On the day immediately following the Night of Bara'ah, i.e. the 15th of Sha'ban, it is mustahabb (advisable) to keep fast. Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), is reported to have recommended this fast emphatically. Although the scholars of hadith have some doubts in the authenticity of this report, fasts of the first half of Sha'ban have special merits and Prophet Muhammad (Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam), used to fast most of the days in Sha'ban. Moreover, a large number of the elders (salaf) of the Ummah have been observing the fast of the 15th of Sha'ban. This constant practice indicates that they have accepted the relevant hadith as authentic.

Don'ts in Ramadan

2010-08-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

In Ramadan multiply our deeds by 70. So we should do as many deeds as possible and try not waste a single minute this month (amin). Use this time to reflect, and find out faults and strengths regarding Islam.

Following most of them don’t avoid only in Ramada but also rest of the time.

Missing Prayers: Salah (prayers) are the second pillar of Islam. It comes before Saum (fasting).
Eye Side: Looking at a na-mehram (any person with whom marriage is allowed in Islam) is not allowed.
Listen: Don’t listen those things which are haram (prohibited) such as music.
Tell: Don't speak without purpose. Back biting is considered more sinful. Avoid telling lies or gossiping. Don't argue.
So if you think that talking on the phone or meeting friends might result in back biting then avoid it.
Abusive language: When you abuse someone it doesn't harm him, it just adds to your sins.
The Hand: Don't get into fights, stay away and if you get into one and loose your temper, practice patience (sabr) and walk away.
Don't Waste Time: Try and cash every moment by doing Dhikr.
Attitude: Don't be vulgar, rude or swear. Don't be irritable. Don't be boastful or arrogant.

Avoid:
Fried and fatty foods.
Foods containing too much sugar.
Over-eating especially at sehri.
Taking too much tea, coffee, soft drink, especially at sehri.

Dos in Ramadan

2010-08-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

Following most of them do not only in Ramada but also need to do all time.
Salat (Prayer): Pray 5 times a day understanding its importance.
Eye Side: A Muslim should lower his/her gaze at all times.
Listen: Listen recitation of Quran, Khutba (Islamic lecture)
Tell: Increase the recitation of the Glorious Qur'an. Tell people about Islam.

Astaghfar (Seeking Forgiveness): Repent for all sins and be constant in seeking Allah's forgivenes (pardon). This is the time to firstly realize our sins and cry for forgiveness. Allah becomes extra forgiving this month.
Dhikr: Increase Dhikr. Whenever you are not talking do Dhikr.
Sadaqah Fitr & Zakat (Charity): increase acts of charity and discharge sadaqatul fitr and zakat. Remaber in Ramazan that gets further multiplied by 70.
Dissolve Grudges: If your holding a grudge against anyone this is the best time to patch things up or at least try (it doesn't matter if it’s not your fault).
Iftar: Distribute iftari to others. So give whatever you can even if it is just a date.

When we know our deeds are being multiplied by 70 try doing as many as can:
-Incrise nafil ibaadah, especially in the last ten nights.
-Follow sunnah
-Go to the poor and talk to them, ask their problems and help them out in any way that can.

Collection.

Ramadan Benefits of Judgment Day

2010-08-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

Gaining Taqwaa

Allah legislated fasting for gaining taqwaa,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

"O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it has been prescribed upon those before you, so that you may attain Taqwaa." (meaning of Soraatul-Baqarah [2]:183)

Taqwa means God consciousness, God fearing, piety, and self restraining. Thus we are asked to fast daily for one month from dawn to dusk. We avoid food, water, sex and vulgar talk during that period. [1]

Taqwaa in this case means to make a shield between oneself and Allah's anger and Hellfire.[2]

Night of Power
One of the odd nights in the last 10 days of Ramadan is called the night of power when angels descend down, and take the prayer of worship to Allah for acceptance. [1]

Fasting is for Allah
Allah said in a hadeeth qudsee, "Fasting is for Me and I reward it." (al-Bukhaaree) Allah singles out fasting from all other types of worship saying, "Fasting is for Me", because no one knows whether you are fasting or not, except Allah. [2]

Multiplied by 70
In Ramadan our deeds multiplied by 70. So we should do as many deeds as possible and try not waste a single minute this month. Use this time to reflect, and find out faults and strengths regarding Islam.

Closer to Allah
This is achieved by reciting and reflecting on Al-Qur'aan, the taraaweeh prayers, remembering Allah, sitting in circles of knowledge, I`tikaaf (seclusion) in the last ten nights of Ramadaan, so as to bring oneself closer to Allah (SWT). When one sins, one feels distant from Allah.

Charity
Ibn `Abaas said, "The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most charitable amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadaan when Jibreel used to meet him on every night of Ramadaan till the end of the month…" (al-Bukhaaree).

Ramadan Benefits Of Society

2010-08-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Unity of the Muslims
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "…Those of you who will live after me will see many differences. Then you must cling to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the rightly guided khaleefahs. Hold fast to it and stick to it." (Aboo Daawood) In this month we sense that there is a possibility for unity, because we all fast together, we all worship Allah together. It is for Muslims to be a single body. This will only be achieved when obedience is only to Allah and His Messenger. [2]

Charity
Charity also benefits to build a better society. "He who gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the same reward as him, without nothing being reduced from the fasting person’s reward." (at-Tirmidhee)

Learning Discipline
One cannot knowingly break the fast before the sunset, as this will not be accepted by Allah. Muslims learn to be very strict in their lives, because they are people of an important message, which they mold their lives around. [2]

Teaching the Young
Young also come to the mosque and they should pray with their parents, so that they able to get into the habit of become worshippers of Allah. [2]

Crime Rate Decreases
Personal hostility is at a minimum, and the crime rate decreases in the month of Ramadan. [1]

Medical Benefits of Ramadan Fasting

2010-08-11T11:22:00.001-07:00

Weight Management
Fasting has been used by patients for weight management, to rest the digestive tract and for lowering lipids. [1]

Calorie
The calorie intake of Muslims during Ramadan is at or slightly below the nutritional requirement guidelines. [1]
Long Lasting
The lessons learned during Ramadan, whether in terms of dietary intake or righteousness, are carried on after Ramadan, there effects will be long lasting. [1]

Effect of Fasting
The Effect of fasting includes lowering of blood sugar, lowering of cholesterol and lowering of the systolic blood pressure. [1]

Treatment of Mild
Fasting would be an ideal recommendation for the treatment of mild to moderate, stable, non-insulin diabetes, obesity, and essential hypertension. [1]

Improve Physical Condition
In 1994 the first International Congress on "Health and Ramadan", held in Casablanca, entered 50 extensive studies on the medical ethics of fasting. Improvement in many medical conditions was noted. Such as, fasting did not harm any patients' health or their baseline medical condition. [1]

Improves Memory
There is a beneficial effect of extra prayer at night. This not only helps with better utilization of food but also helps in energy output. There are 10 extra calories output for each unit of the prayer. Again, we do not do prayers for exercise, but a mild movement of the joints with extra calorie utilization is a better form of exercise. Similarly, recitation of the Quran not only produces a tranquility of heart and mind, but improves the memory. [1]

Caring for Health
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "A strong believer is better and is more beloved to Allah than a weak believer, and there is good in everyone." (Muslim)

Fasting should have its regulations too, and not simply the in orderly skipping meals, that is bound to harm health and stamina, rather than improving them. Here again Islam provides the answer, and in order to realize the benefits of fasting, it recommends the late midnight meals called 'Sahar' (before the formal start of a fast) and the breaking of the fast at the time prescribed. Of course, to ensure good health one should abstain from gluttony after breaking fast.

In the holy Quran, there is a Verse gathering the whole matter of medicine. It is: "...Eat and drink but do not be excessive." (7:31)

Psychological Benefits of Ramadan

2010-08-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Manners
Fasting has been found to be an effective treatment for psychological and emotional disorders. It helps a person to firm up his will, cultivate and refine his taste and manners, strengthen his conviction of doing good, avoid controversy, petulance and rashness, which all contribute towards a safe and healthy personality.

Peace
There is a peace and tranquility for those who fast during the month of Ramadan.

I am Fasting
Muslims take advice from the Prophet (peace be upon him) who said, "If one slanders you or aggresses against you, say I am fasting." This psychological improvement could be related to better stabilization of blood glucose during fasting as hypoglycemia after eating, aggravates behavior changes.

Patience
In fasting time people acquires patience and strong will. Allah has mentioned patience more than seventy times in the Qur’aan and has commanded patience in more than sixteen ways in His Book. So when one fasts, and gives up one’s food and drink, and one’s marital sexual relations for those hours, one learns restraint and patience.

Good Manners
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever does not abandon falsehood in word and action, then Allah (SWT) has no need that he should have his food and drink." (al-Bukhaaree). So we must pay attention to the purification of our manners. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "was sent to perfect good manners."

Common Mistakes During Ramadan

2010-08-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Taking Ramadan As A Ritual: For many of us Ramadan has lost its spirituality and has become more of a ritual than a form of Ibadah. We fast from morning to night like a zombie just because everyone around us is fasting too. We forget that its a time to purify our hearts and our souls from all evil. We forget to make dua, forget to beg Allah to forgive us and ask Him to save us from the Fire.

Too Much Stress On Food And Drink: For some people, the entire month of Ramadan revolves around food. They spend the entire day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking about only food, instead of concentrating on Salah, Quran and other acts of worship. All they can think of is food. They turn the month of fasting into the month of feasting.

Spending All Day Cooking: Some of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their husbands) are cooking all day and night, so that by the end of the day, they are too tired to even pray Isha, let alone pray Taraweeh or Tahajjud or even read Quran. This is the month of mercy and forgiveness. So turn off that stove and turn on Iman.

Eating Too Much: Some people stuff themselves at Suhor until they are ready to burst, because they think this is the way to not feel hungry during the day and some people eat at Iftar, like there is no tomorrow, trying to make up for the food missed. However, this is completely against the Sunnah. Moderation is the key to everything. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Fill stomach one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air." (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah).

Sleeping: Some people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) sleeping away their fast. Is this what is really required of us during this noble month?

Wasting Time: In Ramadan multiply our deeds by 70. The month of Ramadan is a precious, precious time, so much so that Allah calls this month "Ayamum Madodat" (A fixed number of days). Before we know it, this month of mercy and forgiveness will be over. We should try and spend every moment possible in the worship of Allah so that we can make the most of this blessing. However, there are some of us who waste away their day playing video games, or worse still, watching movies or even listening to music.

Fasting But Not Giving Up Evil: Some of us fast but do not give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting, etc. and some of us fast but do not give up cheating, stealing, dealing in haram, buying lotto tickets, selling alcohol, fornication, etc. and all kinds of impermissible things without realizing that the purpose of fasting is to not stay away from food and drink; rather the aim behind it is to fear Allah.

Smoking: Smoking is forbidden in Islam whether during Ramadan or outside of it, as it is one of al-Khabaith (evil things). And this includes all kinds of smoking material eg.cigars, cigarettes, pipes, sheesha, hokah etc.

Skipping Suhor: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Eat Suhor for in Suhor there is blessing."(Bukhari, Muslim). And he (peace be upon him) said: "The thing that differentiates between our fasting and the fasting of the People of the Book is eating Suhor." (Muslim)

Not Fasting If Missed Suhor: Some people are too scared to fast if they miss Suhor. However, this is a kind of cowardice and love of ease. What is the big deal if you missed a few morsels of food? Its not like you will die. Remember, obedience to Allah overcomes everything.

Delaying Breaking Fast: Breaking fast whenever time .

Eating Continuously Until The Time For Maghrib Is Up: Some people put so much food in their plates when breaking their fast and continue eating, enjoying dessert, drinking tea, etc until they miss Maghrib. That is obviously not right.

Missing The Golden Chance Of Having Dua Accepted: The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of breaking fast. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Three prayers are not rejected: the prayer of a father, the prayer of a fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler." (al-Bayhaqi). Instead of sitting down and making Dua at this precious time, some people forego this beautiful chance.

Fasting And Not Wearing Hijab: Not wearing the Hijab is a major sin as it is obligatory for Muslim. (See Surah Nur, Surah Ahzab). So fasting and not wearing hijab certainly takes away enormously from the rewards of fasting, even if does not invalidate it.

Not Fasting Because Of Exams Or Work: Exams or work is not the excuses allowed by the Shariah to not fast.

Mixing Fasting And Dieting: Do not make the mistake of fasting with the intention to diet. That is one of the biggest mistakes some of us make. Fasting is an act of worship and can only be for the sake of Allah alone.

Praying Only On The Night Of The 27th: Some people pray only on the 27th to seek Lailat ul-Qadr, neglecting all other odd nights, although the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Seek Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan." (Bukhari, Muslim).

Wasting The Last Part Of Ramadan Preparing For Eid: Some people waste the entire last some days of Ramadan preparing for Eid, shopping and frequenting malls, etc. neglecting Ibadah and Lailatul Qadr. although, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to strive the hardest during the last ten days of Ramadan in worship (Ahmad, Muslim)

Iftar Parties: Although inviting each other for breaking fast is something good and encouraged, some people go to extremes with lavish Iftar parties with all sorts of disobedience to Allah, from flirting, mixing of the sexes and hijab-less women, to show-off and extravagance, to heedlessness to Salah, and Taraweh to even music and dancing.

Children Fast: Many parents do not let their children fast during Ramadan (young children). This is something counter productive to a child. By allowing him to fast he will grow up to know he must do this act.

Itikaaf: Many people who are able don't make Itikaaf at the masjid. We should take advantage of our good health and spend lots of time at the Masjid, especially the last 10 days of Ramadan.

Cut Hair Or Nails: Some people believe they cannot cut their hair or nails during Ramadan. This is also false.

Put Water Into Nose: Some people think you cannot put water in your nose and mouth during wuduh in Ramadan. This too is incorrect. (Collection)

Maximize Gain of Ramadan

2010-08-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

In Ramadan multiply our deeds by 70. So we need to give concentration on Ibadah. We must know the definition of Ibadah. In Islam all activities can be Ibadah if we do this in how Allah & the Prophet (peace be upon him) say.

Pray 5 times a day in time with jamat. If possible don’t miss sunnah Salah. And say more and more nafil Salah.
Invite to others in truth.
Increase Dhikr. Try and cash every moment by doing Dhikr &don't waste time. Whenever we are not talking do Dhikr.
Keep control in our eye, ear, month, hand, leg, and mind. Do well things and avoid wrong things which are prohibited in Islam.
Repent for all sins and be constant in seeking Allah's forgiveness (pardon, Astaghfar). This is the time to firstly realize our sins and cry for forgiveness.
Increase acts of charity and discharge sadaqatul fitr and zakat. Remaber in Ramazan that gets further multiplied by 70.
If your holding a grudge against anyone this is the best time to patch things up or at least try (it doesn't matter if it’s not your fault).
Distribute iftari to others. So give whatever youcan even if it is just a date.
Incrise nafil ibaadah.
Follow sunnah.
Go to the poor and talk to them, ask their problems and help them out in any way that can.
The prayer of the fasting person is guaranteed to be accepted at the time of breaking fast. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Three prayers are not rejected: the prayer of a father, the prayer of a fasting person, and the prayer of a traveler." (al-Bayhaqi).
We should take advantage of our good health and spend lots of time at the Masjid, especially the last 10 days of Ramadan which called Itikaf.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Eat Suhor for in Suhor there is blessing."(Bukhari, Muslim).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Seek Lailat ul-Qadr among the odd numbered nights of the last ten nights of Ramadan." (Bukhari, Muslim).
Some people the entire month of Ramadan revolves around food. They spend the entire day planning, cooking, shopping and thinking about only food. We should avoid this.
Avoid junk food such as fried and fatty foods, foodscontaining too much sugar, over-eating, taking too much tea, coffee, soft drink… These may make us weaker. Because of these things make extra load in our body.
Don’t eat too much. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Fill stomach one-third for food, one-third for drink and one-third for air." (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah).
Some of the sisters (either by their own choice or forced by their husbands) are cooking all day and night, so that by the end of the day, they are too tired to even pray Isha, let alone pray Taraweeh or Tahajjud or even read Quran. This is the month of mercy and
forgiveness. So turn off that stove and turn on Iman.
For many of us Ramadan has lost its spirituality and has become more of a ritual than a form of Ibadah. We fast from morning to night like a zombie just because everyone around us is fasting too. We forget that Ramadan is a time to purify our hearts and our souls from all evil.
Don't waste time by sleeping. Some people spend their entire day (or a major part of it) sleeping away their fast. Is this what is really required of us during this noble month?
We should try and spend every moment possible in the worship of Allah so that we can make the most of this blessing.
Avoid playing video games, or worse still, listening to music.
Give up lying, cursing, fighting, backbiting, cheating, stealing, dealing in haram, buying lotto tickets, selling/taking alcohol, smoking, fornication, etc.
Don’t miss fasting even you have Exams or extra(?) work.
Don’t waste time for preparing Eid.

The Values of Jesus and Muhammad

2009-12-24T20:28:00.001-08:00

The moral value — or virtue — fundamental to the three monotheistic religions is faith. This was the value of Abraham by virtue of which Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are traced back to him. We can see in Abraham what this virtue consists of: Abraham believed in God, believed in Him because He is God, and Abraham acted on this belief, even though everything indicated that God's promise could not come true.

As G. E. M. Anscombe indicates, faith is believing God because He is God. Note that it would be absurd to believe that God exists because He says so, for you have to believe that someone exists before you can believe what he says. Faith therefore assumes a belief in the existence of God (14). Herein lies a difference between the approaches of Jesus and Muhammad to their ministries.

Jesus addressed his Gospel to the Jewish people, who had already believed in God — with backslidings — since the time of Abraham 1600 years before, and who had had the Book of Moses for 1200 years. Cultural habits meant that they did not need persuading of God's existence. Jesus preached the coming of God's Kingdom, which the Hebrew prophets had taught the Jews to expect.

But Muhammad was confronted by pagan ignorance of God and a culture of idolatry. Thus, he first had to preach the existence of God and, in the Quran, we see the Prophet confronting unbelief:

[Do they who disbelieve not look with reflection at the form of camels — how wondrously they are created; and at the sky — how majestically it is raised; and at the mountains — how firmly they are set erect; and at the earth — how smoothly it is spread? So remind the people, O Prophet, of the blessings and Oneness of their Creator. For you are but a reminder sent to them.] (Al-Ghashiyah 88:17)

Here we find, so beautifully set out, the signs, so prominently adverted to in the Quran, of God's existence, and not just signs of God's existence but also of His bestowal of blessings, His beautiful creativity, His majesty, His power, and His Oneness.

[Now, all through the earth there are wondrous signs of God, for those who are firm in faith. And they are within yourselves as well. Can you not then see?] (Adh-Dhariyat 51:20-21)

Nowhere does Jesus persuade his listeners of the existence of God; this is taken for granted. But it is not for nothing that the first words of the Shahadah are: "There is no god but God", which is an assertion of His existence as much as it is a repudiation of polytheism. The first belief Muhammad had to enforce was the existence of God; the first truth the Muslim reminds himself of is the existence of God.

The verse from the chapter called Al-Ghashiyah, quoted above, has a philosophical aspect: they implicitly argue from the existence of the world to the existence of its Creator, from its createdness to the Creator, from the majesty, wonder, and goodness of the world to the nature of God. This verse invitesreflection, which is philosophical, as a prelude to religious belief. This philosophical mode is absent from both the Old and New Testament: the existence of God is not an issue.

Nevertheless, the cardinal truth is that in the Abrahamic religions God reveals Himself, to and through prophets, men who speak for Him with His authority, and mankind is challenged to respond to their revelation. However, when the question of existence is settled — itself a moral test — there remains the question: am I to believe in Muhammad, am I to believe inJesus? In this, Muhammad and Jesus are in exactly the same position.

Christians approaching the Quran are struck by its apparent harshness compared with the New Testament, though not, perhaps, with the Old. This is because one resource Muhammad and the Quran had in bringing Arabs to belief in God, was to impress upon them the facts of judgment and Hell, and these are prominent:

[No indeed! Rather you deny judgment. Yet lo! There are above you watchers noble, writers, who know whatever you do. Indeed the pious shall be amid bliss, and indeed the profligates shall be in Hell-fire, entering it on the Day of Judgment, and they shall not be absent from it.] (Al-Infitar 82:9)
Jesus does not explicitly threaten. Rather, he invites. However, there are in the Gospels references to Hell, and a careful reading of the account of the beginning of Jesus' ministry reveals an implicit warning. The very first words of Jesus's ministry, as recounted in Matthew's Gospel, are "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand" (4:17, Revised Standard Version).

Here, Jesus is taking up the theme of John the Baptist's ministry in John's very words (Matthew 3:2, Revised Standard Version). John announced the coming of someone greater than himself, evidently a Prophet (Jesus), saying, threateningly, "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire" (4:12, Revised Standard Version).

Whereas Jesus invited the Jews to repent, this being a precondition of entering the Kingdom of Heaven, John expressed the consequences of failing to repent: Hell. Implicitly, Jesus and Muhammad adopt a similar approach: the sanction is the same eternal perdition in Hell. However, the stress in the Quran on the warnings of Hell, which gives the impression of harshness, is explained by the culture of the pagan Arabs: a direct forceful approach to wanton paganism was needed.

Jesus announced the coming of the Kingdom, and just as the Hebrews had received a law from God when they were constituted as God's people, so the Kingdom, under the New Covenant, would have a law which superseded and subsumed the Law of Moses; this was the law of love as expounded in (Matthew 22:34,Revised Standard Version).

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher which is the great commandment in the law? [i.e. the Law of Moses]" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and the great commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets."

Although the Quran does not teach that the Law of Love subsumes the moral law, the Law of Moses, it does teach the love of God. We find this in the chapter called Al-Maidah 5:54:

[O you who believe! Should any of you turn back from his religion, then (know that) God shall bring forth (instead) a people He will love and who will love Him...]

We also find in Al-Baqarah 2:165:

[Yet there be people who take to themselves compeers besides God, loving them as God is loved; but those who believe love God more ardently; If he were to see those who did evil, when they see the chastisement, that the might altogether belongs to God, and that God is terrible in chastisement.]

Jesus's Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1, Revised Standard Version) is a summary of his teaching on the ethics of the Kingdom and is to be seen in relation to the Mosaic Law. It begins with the Beatitudes:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied..."

Jesus is enumerating those who will enter the Kingdom. The poor in spirit are those who have a sense of spiritual poverty and who will enter because, in their poverty, they know they are absolutely dependent on God; they have no other resource. This, surely, is the condition of being a Muslim, and it leads to perfect obedience, just as it did in Abraham. In Christianity and Islam the idiom is different but the concept is the same.

Many of the moral precepts of the Quran can be matched by those of Jesus. Jesus condemns hypocrisy. In the Quran, we read,

[The hypocrites seek to trick God, but He is tricking them. When they stand up to pray, they stand up lazily and to be seen by people, and they do not remember God save a little.] (An-Nisaa' 4:142)

Similarly, in Matthew 6, Jesus condemns the insidious corruption of religious hypocrisy, and in particular "practising your piety before men in order to be seen by them." Regarding the giving of alms, Jesus teaches that it should be done in secret: the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing (6:2, Revised Standard Version). Interestingly, in a hadith, Muhammad uses the same idiom in enjoining secrecy in alms giving:

Seven people will be shaded by Allah under His shade on the day when there will be no shade except His. They are ... (6) a person who practices charity so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given... (Al-Bukhari)

The concentration of moral precepts in the Sermon on the Mount produces in the reader a unique sense of soul-piercing spirituality. The Christian reader misses such an atmosphere when first reading the Quran. Its precepts are mostly brief and scattered, lost in the mass of surahs, but when gathered together, as Muhammad Abdullah Draz has gathered some in The Moral World of the Quran, they are soberly impressive. Many parallels can be drawn with Jesus's teaching, for example with his instruction to overcome evil with good (Draz 322):

[Good and evil cannot be equal (O Prophet), repel evil with what is better and your enemy will become as close as an old and valued friend.] (Fussilat 41:34)

Jesus's teaching that a man who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery in his heart is paralleled by:

[Tell believing men to lower their gaze and master their senses...] An-Nur24:30)

It is not surprising that there should be such consonance between the Gospels and the Quran. Draz argues not just that morality is governed by reason, but that the Quran says this in its own words when it says (16):

[Do they follow the command of their reason, or is it that they are an unjust people?] (At-Tur 52:32)

Here is the point of concurrence between Islam and the Catholic Church: the rationality of morality, expressed on the Catholic side in its Aristotelian-Thomist tradition of moral philosophy. Thus, we can see that the consonance in values and morality of the Quran and the Gospels is not coincidental but is rooted in their common rational origin — the rationality of God Himself.

Works Cited:

Anscombe, G.E.M. Faith in a Hard Ground: Essays on Religion, Philosophy and Ethics.United Kingdom: Imprint Academic, 2008.

Draz, Muhammad Abdullah. The Moral World of the Quran. London and New York: I.B.Tauris, 2008.

Robert Houghton is a Catholic Christian. He studied English literature at Cambridge University in 1966, and taught English in an English grammar school for some years. He started publishing articles in the reviews and became a research associate in the Department of Comparative Religion at Manchester University. He was a visiting lecturer at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium and was appointed lecturer in English literature at the Taras Shevchenko University of Kiev, Ukraine.

How Prophet Muhammad Handled Criticism

2009-12-20T17:48:00.000-08:00

Criticism can be tough to deal with for even the most humble of people, particularly if it is unfair or lacking in tact. Like a knife, it often causes deep, festering wounds and divides the closest of friends.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), however, was exemplary in his ability not only to accept criticism humbly, but moreover, to use it to achieve positive results.

One day, a Jewish rabbi, Zaid ibn Sanah, came to demand the payment of a debt that the Prophet owed him. He violently pulled the Prophet's cloak from his shoulder and addressed him rudely, saying: "You, son of Abdul-Muttalib, are dilly-dallying."

Umar ibn Al-Khattab, one of the Prophet's Companions, was incensed by this and reproached Zaid saying: "O Enemy of Allah, do you talk to the Messenger of Allah and behave towards him in this manner?! By the One who sent him with the truth, had it not been for the fear of missing Paradise, I would have beheaded you with my sword!"

The Prophet, however, kept smiling and said to Umar: "This man is entitled to better treatment from you. You ought to have advised me to repay the loan promptly and asked him to make his demand politely."

Then, turning to Zaid, the Prophet said: "There are still three days before the appointed time for repayment." At the same time, he asked Umar to repay the loan and give Zaid 20 measures in excess of that which was owed to compensate for his threatening attitude towards Zaid.

In this incident, the Prophet Muhammad showed no defensiveness. In fact, it was known about him that he would never become angry for his own sake; rather he would only become angry for the sake of Allah if one of Allah's limits had been transgressed.

Aishah, the Prophet's wife said: "The Prophet never took revenge for himself unless the honor of Allah was violated. Then he would take revenge for the sake of Allah." (Al-Bukhari)

By not allowing the issue to become personal, he was able to rationally evaluate the criticism and affirm his responsibility for paying back the debt in a timely manner. Even though he was not late in paying back the debt, his reaction not only resolved the issue, but it also achieved a result that would have never been achieved, had he reacted defensively.

When Umar went to Zaid to repay the debt and the compensation, Zaid asked, "What is this?" Umar responded: "The Messenger of Allah ordered me to pay it to you because I frightened you."

Umar then asked him what had made him speak to the Prophet in such a manner. Zaid answered,

O Umar, I had seen all the signs of prophethood in the face of the Messenger of Allah except two: that his patience precedes his ignorance and that the harsher you are towards him, the kinder and more patient he becomes. I have now seen these two signs and I hold you, O Umar, as witness that I accept that there is no true God worthy of being worshipped except Allah alone, my religion is Islam, and Muhammad is His Messenger. I also hold you as a witness that half of my wealth — and I am among the wealthiest people in Madinah — I give for the sake of Allah to the entire community of Muslims. (Al-Haythami)

In another incident, after a battle, the Prophet started distributing the booty among the people. The first to receive booty and the ones who obtained the greatest number of shares were the people who had recently embraced Islam.

As soon as he had given the new converts, Prophet Muhammad ordered Zaid ibn Thabit to fetch the booty and summon people. Then he designated the shares that would be given to the people.

This distribution was carried out according to a wise policy. However, not everyone recognized and appreciated this. Some of the people of Madinah started objecting to the shares they were allotted.

The complaints began to take the form of accusations until Saad ibn Ubadah went to the Prophet and said:

"O Messenger of Allah, this group of the Ansar (the people of Madinah) are upset regarding the distribution of the booty. You have allotted shares to your own kinsmen and given many gifts to the Arab tribes, leaving the Ansar with nothing."

The Prophet asked Saad: "O Saad, what do you think?"

Saad replied: "O Messenger of Allah, you know that I am just a member of this group."

The Prophet said to him: "Bring your people to me."

At this point, one might have expected the Prophet to reproach them for having doubted his justice in distributing the booty, or to chastise them for their bad assumptions about him. Instead, when the people had gathered, Prophet Muhammad faced them and he thanked and praised Allah. Then he said to them:

"I have been told that you are angry with me. Didn't I come to you when you were astray and Allah guided you? You were poor and Allah gave you wealth. Weren't you foes and Allah made you love one another?"

"Yes," they answered, "Allah and His Messenger are better and more gracious."

Then he said, "What prevents you from replying to the Messenger of Allah, O Ansar?"

They said: "What should be the reply, O Messenger of Allah, while to the Lord and to his Messenger belong all benevolence and grace."

The Prophet said:

"By Allah, I would have testified to the truth of your answer if you had answered: 'You came to us belied and rejected and we accepted you; you came to us in a state of helplessness and we helped you; a fugitive, and we took you in; poor and we comforted you.'

"O people of Al-Ansar, do you feel desirous for the things of this world by which I have sought to incline these people unto the Faith in which you are already established?

"Are you not satisfied, O people of Al-Ansar that the people will leave with ewes and camels, while you will go back with the Messenger of Allah to your dwellings?

"By Him in Whose Hand is my life, had there been no migration, I would have been one of the people of al-Ansar. If all the people would go through a valley and path, while the people of Al-Ansar were going through a different valley and path, I would go through the valley and take the path of the people of Al-Ansar.

"O Allah! Have mercy on the people of Al-Ansar, their children, and their children’s children."

The people wept until tears rolled down their beards as they said: "Yes, we are satisfied, O Prophet of Allah with our lot and share!"

Being a prophet, he owed no explanation to anyone, however, his foresight and compassion guided his manner of addressing the situation.

Rather than chastising them for doubting his justice in distributing the booty, he realized their human need to understand the reasons behind his actions, and he understood the true underlying cause for their anger which is their feeling of rejection.

Although on the surface it appeared that the reason for their criticism was the inequality in the distribution of the spoils, the Prophet assumed the best of his Companions and realized that they needed reassurance of his love and care for them, and not that they actually believed that he was unjust.

Muslims today can benefit from the example of the Prophet in his manner of dealing with criticism. His manner teaches us to always assume the best, be humble in all situations, and only become angry for the sake of Allah.

Likewise, it is important to understand the person who is criticizing, in order to separate the message from the means of expression. Then, the issue should be rationally evaluated. If it appears that the criticism is valid, the person who is being criticized should do his best to resolve the issue; if not, he should calmly explain his point of view, while expressing his understanding and appreciation for the other party's concern.

Truly the example of the Prophet is the best example that we should strive to emulate.

Heather Shaw is an American convert to Islam. Currently she resides in Egypt where she is a professional translator and part time teacher of Islamic and Arabic studies. She obtained her B.A. in Arabic language and Islamic studies from Al-Azhar University and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Codicology. The books she has translated include works on Islamic family law, tolerance in Islam, Hadith, Islamic Jurisprudence, and Quranic Exegesis.

Tragic Death of Two Friends

2009-12-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a true incident of two Muslim friends who died in an accident. The incident took place in 2001 in Toronto, Canada. One of the brothers who died was our neighbour. His name was Samanthar. He was a teenager and had great dreams for the future. We would visit him sometimes to talk about the purpose of life. Due to the pressure from friends, he would always say "Insha-Allah" and hope to start doing things in the near future. Then one day, it all came to an end. Brother Samanthar along with another brother was driving a car at night around 9:00 p.m. At one place, they stopped the car as the traffic light turned red. Far behind them was a police car that was chasing a stolen van. The van came really fast and hit Samanthar's car from the back. Instantly, the two brothers passed away. May Allah forgive them and cover them with His mercy.

Everyone, mainly the youth, should take a lesson from this incident that death is unpredictable. No one should delay practicing Islam for a later time as that time may never come. Let's make a strong commitment to start today. May Allah make it easy.

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Punishment of a Liar

2009-12-02T20:58:00.000-08:00

Narrated Anas: There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-Imran, and he used to write (the revelations) for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: "Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him." Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him, but in the morning they saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is the act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and took his body out of it because he had run away from them." They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from them." They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they believed that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and had to leave him thrown (on the ground).

Source: Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 814.

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First Words of a Little Girl

2009-12-02T20:57:00.001-08:00

The following incident was mentioned by a Shaikh from Toronto, Canada. The incident is about his 18 months old daughter. The shaikh also has a son who is about 3 years old. The shaikh has already started teaching the young son about Quran and ahadith without wasting any time. Mashallah, the boy has already memorized surah Fatiha and various other surahs. One day, his young daughter who is only 18 months old was sitting beside the son while he was asked to recite surah Fatiha by the shaikh. This little girl is pronouncing her first words clearly in these days. Now, when the son recited the 5th verse of surah Fatiha untill "Ihdina Sirat...", the small girl suddenly said "Al Mustaqim" and completed the verse. Subhanallah! How blessed is this child whose first words are among the words of the Holy Quran, which she learned through her father when he was teaching her brother.

It is very important to teach Islam to our children in their early childhood. We can easily bend trees in any direction when they are still small. But when the trees become big and tall, 10 people pushing together is unable to bend them. Similarly, teaching the children when they are young is necessary so that they go towards the right direction.

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Removing the Obstacle

2009-12-02T20:56:00.001-08:00

A qualified medical worker from India emigrated to Canada to live a better life. This Muslim brother had a beard. He applied to many different places for a job and was called for interviews. Though he was highly qualified for the jobs, the interviewers hesitated to hire him because of his beard. One by one, he was rejected from all the companies. One interviewer actually mentioned to him indirectly that his beard was an obstacle to getting the job. Truly, it was a big test for him from Allah. Hopeless and exhausted, the brother decided to remove the obstacle, which was to shave off his beard. Then he returned to that company and requested for another interview. When the interviewer saw him without a beard this time, he refused to give him the job again. The brother became confused and asked to know the reason. The interviewer said "If you are not faithful to your God, how will you be faithful to us?"

This true incident was narrated to us by a friend who personally knows this brother, however, his identity will remain private. In reality, obeying the commandments of Allah does not bring failure. In the beginning, we may face various problems, but the end results will be very sweet. Prophet of Allah (SAW) also faced many problems in the beginning, but in the end, he saw how hundreds and thousands of people turned towards Allah for his steadfastness. Ibn 'Umar, may God be pleased with him, said: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and give him peace, ordered us to trim closely the mustache and leave the beard as it is (that is grow the beard)." (Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.)

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He Cannot Catch Up

2009-12-02T20:51:00.000-08:00

Ubaidullah bin Umar Qawariri said," I never missed the evening congregational prayer (prayer with Jamath). But once a guest came to my house and I remained in his company until late. I went out, looking for any mosque in Basra at which I could catch the evening prayer, but to no avail. The people had all prayed and gone home. I returned to my house,saying to myself,'It is reported in tradition that congregational prayer is twenty-seven times more excellent than individual prayer.' So I prayed the evening prayer twenty-seven times over and slept. I saw in a dream that I was with a group of people who were racing on horses, and I was also racing with them on my horse but my horse was falling behind. I kicked my horse to catch up with them but I could not. One of the riders turned to me and said,"Do not urge your horse, for you will not be able to catch up with us." I said,"Why not?" He replied,"We prayed evening in congregation and you prayed it alone!" Therefore, I learned a lesson and was deeply grieved."

Source: The Major Sins Al-Kaba'r By Muhammad bin 'Uthman Adh-Dhahabi, rendered into English by Mohammad Moinuddin Siddiqui.

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Not Afraid of Losing the Job

2009-12-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

When Mufti Muhammad Shafee' (rahmatullahi alayh) came to Pakistan (from India), he was appointed as a member of the Islamic Education Board by the Government. This Board was one of the sections of the Government. Once the Government decided to take an action, which was contrary to Islamic Laws. Mufti Shafee' was prompt to oppose it and explained that due to it's being against the teachings of Islaam, it should not be adopted. His remarks, however, prompted a debate between the Government officers, many of whom began to criticise the respected Mufti for having said what he did, as he was a member of the Board and part of the Government.

Seeing this, Mufti Shafee' bluntly addressed the gathering and said that he had agreed to become a Member of the Board only for the sake of Islaam, and therefore, it was his duty to object to what was unislamic, regardless of whether his objection was in agreement with the line of the Government or not. He clarified that he was not a Government servant and unlike them was not worried about losing his job. He said, "I have my resignation letter in my pocket and my expenses do not exceed a few rupees, so I am not dependent on salary and allowances like you. I can earn that much money by hard labour too, while you cannot because your suit alone costs two hundred rupees, so, you might fear losing your job."

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Allah Will Protect Me

2009-11-13T00:13:00.001-08:00

Once Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was taking rest under a tree when he was returning from an expedition and hung his sword from the tree. A Non-Muslim person came quietly, took hold of the sword and, addressing the Prophet said to him: "O Muhammad! now who will save you from my hand?" The Prophet heard it, rose up from his seat and said: "Allah will save me." Hearing the name of Allah, he was overawed and the sword slipped from his hand. The Prophet rose up from his place, took the sword into his hand and questioned him: "Now who will save you from my hand?" He felt sorry and begged apology. The Prophet forgave him. He was so impressed by this kindness that he embraced Islam. He then went to his tribesmen and expressed that he never found a man better than Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Source: "The Miracles of the Prophet" by Shaikh Ahmed S. Dehalvi; also related in Bukhari and other sources with slight variations.

Related to the protection of the Prophet Muhammad, Allah has mentioned in the Quran "O Apostle! proclaim the message which has been sent to you from your Lord. If you do not do it, you would not have fulfilled and proclaimed this mission. And Allah will defend you against men who mean mischief. For Allah guides not those who reject faith." (Al Quran 5:67).

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Sunnah is like Medicine

2009-11-13T00:13:00.000-08:00

Shaikh Khidir from Toronto, Canada once gave a very beautiful example on the importance of following the ways (sunnah) of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He said that sunnah is like medicine. Usually, when we visit the doctors for treatment, they write on the prescriptions the medicines we need. We take these prescriptions to pharmacists who then sell the medicines to us. Sometimes these medicines are bitter and hard to swallow, but we still consume them as we know that the cure is in them. Similarly, each and every sunnah has physical and spiritual cure for us in this world and in the hereafter. Even if some of sunnah are hard to follow, we should still follow them as the cure is in them.

"...So take what the Messenger gives you, and refrain from what he prohibits you..." Al Quran 59:7

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Hinduism to Christianity to Islam

2009-11-13T00:11:00.000-08:00

The following story is about a brother from Guyana who became a Muslim from being a Hindu and Christian Priest for 10 years.

His current name is Ahmed Tabarani. He was born in a poor Hindu family in Guyana. However, he used to dislike worshipping statues since his childhood. As he grew up, he became connected with the local Church because they worshipped three divine beings (God, Jesus and Holy Spirit) rather than worshipping hundreds of idols. Eventually, he became a Christian and studied for many years to become a Christian priest. The Church hired him and paid for all his travelling and living expenses. His family became very pleased to see that because he became a Christian, their poverty was removed. As a result, the whole family became Christians. During the 10 years of serving as a Priest, he always used to wake up at night and meditate. He used to ask God to show him whether he was following the truth. In one such nights, he had a vision. He saw that three people dressed in white long throbes, wearing turban and beard are walking towards him and these people are to show him the true religion. After seeing this vision, many years passed by but he didn't see such a thing happening. But one day, a group of Muslims (part of Tabligh Jamah) visited a Masjid near his place to call people towards Allah. That afternoon, as he was going to the Church, he saw three of these Muslims are coming towards him. Immediately, he remembered his vision. These three Muslims resembled exactly what he saw in the vision. Then he approached them and asked what religion they follow. The Muslims told him about Islam and he became a Muslim on the spot and quit being a priest. Poverty again took over his family as he quit his job. All his family members, especially his mother, became angry at him for becoming a Muslim. But he said the following words to his mother, "Dear mother, I could give you a new pair of shoes, but they will become worn out. I could give you a new dress, but that too will become old and ripped. But I can give you something that will never finish. My mother, say 'There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.'" The mother was really touched by this statement and became a Muslim. Following her, everyone else in the family also became Muslims. For 15 years, Ahmed Tabarani is a practising Muslim serving Islam with his total energy. He is currently living in Canada.

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Don't Complain, be Patient

2009-11-13T00:10:00.000-08:00

Khabbaab ibn al-Aratt (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "We complained to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was reclining on his cloak in the shade of the Ka'bah. We said to him: "Why do you not ask Allaah to help us (grant us victory)? Why do you not pray to Allaah for us?" He said, "A man from the people before you would be placed in a hole dug for him, then they would bring a saw and cut his head in two, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. They would use an iron comb to drag the flesh and nerves from his bones, yet that would not make him renounce his faith. By Allaah, this matter will be completed (i.e. Islam will be perfected and will prevail) until a rider travelling from Sana' to Hadramawt will fear nobody but Allaah or the attack of a wolf on his sheep, but you are too impatient." Source: Sahih Bukhari.

The conditions of Muslims may go up and down but Islam will always remain on top. We should never lose hope even during the most difficult times as Allah is always in control. Surely, Allah helps those who are patient.

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A Sign from Allah

2009-11-13T00:08:00.000-08:00

The following incident has been narrated by Colonel Amir Uddin who originally heard it from his wife. Colonel Amir Uddin is a well known caller to Islam through whose effort over 6,000 people have accepted Islam all over the world. He is 86 years old and have been to over 56 countries to call people towards Allah.

During one such journeys to invite people to Islam, his wife met a woman who was a new Muslim. While travelling, they came to know how she became a Muslim. The woman said that she was originally a Christian but her husband was a Muslim. Her husband used to tell her about the oneness of God everyday. One day while she was in the Church, she asked the Priest whether the Muslims' cocept of oneness of God was correct or the Christians' concept of Trinity was correct. The Priest told her that the Muslims are correct and he also advised her to keep this matter secret. She became very confused after hearing this. At night when she went home, she prayed to God to show her which path was the truth. She started reading the Bible thoroughly to search for answers. One night after she prayed to God to show her the truth, she opened the Bible and to her amazement, the entire Bible appeared to her as Arabic text! She mentioned this to an Imam who told her that this was a sign from Allah to accept the Quran as her guidance instead of the Bible. She became Muslim there and then.

Dear readers, such incidents are nothing new. These incidents happen on a daily basis to those who are searching for the truth. We did not come to this world with our own will. We will not leave this world with our own will. Then why live this life according to our own will? A Muslim is that person who submits to the will of Allah. Let us all submit to Allah, Who is the Lord of everything in and out of this universe. "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 Quran, 3:85)

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How Kind is Allah!

2009-11-05T19:23:00.000-08:00

There lived an idolator in the past who made an idol out of stone and would worship it everyday. He would call it upon it by saying "Ya Sanam." For seventy years, he worshipped this idol. One day by mistake he uttered "Ya Samad" instead of Ya Sanam. Samad is a name of Allah which means The Self Sufficient Master. Allah Ta'ala immediately replied back to this idolator by saying "I am present oh My slave." The angels asked Allah why He replied to him since he didn't even call upon Him intentionally. Allah told the angels that for seventy years I have been waiting for this servant of mine to turn towards Me!

If a mother has only one child then how much would she love him? He would be the coolness of her eyes and the comfort of her heart. But if this son calls her saying "Mommy" more than four or five times, she would get irritated even though she loves him more than her ownself. On the other hand, when we call Allah once, He replies back to us 70 times by saying "Labbaik Ya Abdi (I am here oh My slave)." How unfortunate we are that we have not recognized our Allah who is so Kind, Merciful and Forgiving.

Source: Extracted from the lecture by Shaikh Tariq Jameel.

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Taraweeh Changed His Life

2009-11-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

The following story is about how Taraweeh salah changed the life of a person during the month of Ramadan.

About 20 years ago, brother Khawaja used to live with his family in an apartment building in Toronto, Canada. During the month of Ramadan, the local Muslims would get together and arrange a small room in that building to offer Taraweeh prayers. Brother Khawaja states, "I wasn't that particular about offering prayers so I didn't show much interest in going to Taraweeh which was Sunnah and not even Fardh." His wife would constantly tell him to go but that didn't change his mind. However, she would prepare her two small sons and send them to the prayer. One day, his sons returned back from Taraweeh with tears in their eyes. Brother Khawaja became concerned and asked why they were crying. They replied, "Everyone's father goes to Taraweeh but our father doesn't go." This really touched his heart and he promised his sons that he will go with them to Taraweeh the next day. It so happened that there was a speech on that day after listening to which Brother Khawaja decided to change his life. Since then, he has been actively participating in many Islamic activities and have built and supported various Masjids.

Many days of Ramadan has already passed by. Let us spend our time properly to obtain as much as we can from this Ramadan. Be generous in this month and increase your acts of worship.

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Sincerity of a Six Years Old

2009-11-05T19:17:00.001-08:00

There was a little girl (six years old) who was fasting in Ramadhan, even though it is not obligatory on people below the age of puberty. She was in school, and at lunch time, when all the other children went out to eat and have lunch, she sat in the classroom, because she was fasting. Her (non-muslim) teacher thought that she was too young to fast, and so said that it was not necessary, and she could eat a little. The girl still didn't eat. Then the teacher said: "Your parents are not here, it doesn't matter if you eat a little". The girl replied: "I am not fasting for my parents, I am fasting for Allah". This simple statement had such a profound effect on the teacher, that later she accepted Islam.

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A new Muslim and his mother

2009-11-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

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

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The Boy and the Dog

2009-11-05T19:15:00.001-08:00

Once Abdullah Bin Jafar (ra) was passing through a forest when he went by an orchard where an Abyssinian (Ethiopian) slave was working. Someone brought him his food and, at the same time a stray dog came into the garden, and stood by the slave, who threw a loaf of bread to the dog, which ate it but did not go away. The slave-boy threw it a second loaf and a third one, thus letting it eat the whole of his daily provision of food, keeping nothing back for himself. Abdullah bin Jafar, who had been watching this, said to the boy, "How much bread do you get as your daily ration of food?" The boy said, "I get three loaves everyday, as you have just seen." Ibn Jafar asked, "Then, why did you prefer a dog to yourself and feed it all the three loaves?" The boy said, "There are no dogs living round here. The poor creature must have travelled a long distance to reach here and it must be feeling very hungry. So, I felt ashamed to send it away, without serving it any food." Ibn Jafar said, "What will you have for food today?" The boy said, "I shall go without food for a day, which I don't mind." Ibn Jafar said to himself, "People criticise you for spending too liberally, but this slave-boy is far more generous than you." After this he came back to the town and, after purchasing the slave-boy, the garden and all the other effects therein from the owner, he set free the slave-boy and gave him the garden as a gift.

Source: It-haaf; also found in Virtues of Charity Part II, translated by Abdul Karim.

Islam is the religion of mercy towards the creations and obedience towards the Creator. Let us practise it fully.

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Imam Bukhari cured from blindness

2009-11-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

Imam Bukhari, who was one of the greatest compilers of ahadith, became blind at a young age. He had recourse to many famous and skilled doctors of his time but their treatments made no difference. His mother was a pious worshipper and a righteous woman. She cried out for help in the court of Allah the Almighty, for her child and begged for the restoration of his eyesight. At last, "the river of mercy flowed over her," and Almighty Allah accepted her invocation. One night, she visited Ibrahim alayhis-salam in a dream and was told, "Allah has restored the sight of your son because of your intense and beautiful invocations." In the morning, as Imam Bukhari got up from his bed, glimmers of light reached out into his eyes. That is, his eyesight was fully restored.

Source: From the biography of Imam Bukhari (ra) located in the beginning of Sahih Al Bukhari 9 Volume English Translation. Additional details were provided by Shaykh al-Hadith Allama Ghulam Rasul Sa`idi.

Make use of salah and dua to solve any problem that even the best experts of this world cannot solve. Unfortunately, the Muslims are turning away from these deeds today when they need them the most. We pray for Allah to give us the true understading of Islam.

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Sudden Death of a Brother

2009-11-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

During giving a lecture to the youths in March 2002, brother Nakuda (an Imam of Makki Masjid located in Brampton, Canada), mentioned the following story: A Muslim brother bought a house in the neighbouring city and moved in it with his family. All day they were busy in placing things here and there. In fact, they bought the house with much effort and now they could finally enjoy it. But, they had no idea what was to come on the next day. In the following morning, the brother and his wife were going to work with their car. On their way, they got into a terrible car accident. The husband died and the wife survived. Death took over the husband and not the wife even though they were seating side by side. Brother Nakuda did his Janaza on the day he had to give the lecture to the youths.

We are all aware of our birth dates but we do not know when our death dates will be. Rather than thinking back and enjoying the day we were born, we should realize that the day to leave this world is coming nearer. How strange is a human being that the hereafter comes closer and closer to him yet he moves further and further from the obedience of Allah!

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How a Person Could Change!

2009-10-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

The following story was narrated to us by brother Mahmud from Preston, England. Once, he along with a group of Muslims were visiting a city for inviting others to Allah. They happened to pass by a group of youths who were Muslims by birth but became gang members. The brothers didn't give those gang members the negative attitude that others give while passing by them. Rather, they went and hand-shook with them out of brotherhood. With love and affection, the brothers invited the youths to come to the Masjid. Not being familiar with such kindness, the gang members were surprised and decided to come to the Masjid for once. These youths were so much away from Islam that they were smoking in the Masjid and doing a lot of other disrespectful acts. However, brother Mahmud and others were discussing with them about the Greatness of Allah with patience and endurance. A time came when the brothers had to return to their homes and before leaving they advised the gang members to turn towards Allah.

After several years, brother Mahmud was attending a large gathering of Muslims when suddenly someone called him from the back. There were few people dressed in sunnah standing behind him. They asked brother Mahmud if he recognizes them. They told him, �We are those gang members whom you visited few years back. We decided to go out and learn more about Islam and eventually changed our lives.

Dear readers, we should never underestimate certain people because of the way they are as every individual has the capacity to become a friend of Allah. It is only Allah who guides; we can only try with kindness to reach out to their hearts.

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Simple Acts of Charity

2009-10-29T21:23:00.005-07:00

Qasim Rahimahullah narrates: A man passed by Abu Darda (RA) in Damascus when he was planting a tree and said to Abu Darda (RA): Are you also doing a (worldly) work, though you are a Sahabi (companion) of Rasulullah (peace and blessings be upon him)? He said: Don't hasten to blame me; I heard Rasulullah saying: Never did a man plant a sapling (a young tree), and then a man, or any other creation of Allah Glory to Him, ate (or benefited) from it, except that it becomes a Sadaqah (charity) for the planter.

Source: Sahih Muslim.

Islam considers the slightest acts of helping others as charity! Even smiling at others to make them happy is counted as charity. It is due to our selfishness that mankind suffers. Let us give more and take less.

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Be the First to Help

2009-10-29T21:23:00.004-07:00

Ibne Abbas (RA) narrates: Rasulullah (Peace be upon him) sent Abdullah ibne Rawaha (RA) with a Jamaat (expedition) on a Friday. His companions set off in the morning, but he decided to stay behind and catch up with them after offering Salat-ul-Jumah (Friday Prayers) with Rasulullah (Peace be upon him). When he did so, he was spotted by Rasulullah (Peace be upon him), who inquired: What prevented you from going out in the morning with your companions. He replied: I wanted to offer Salat-ul-Jumah with you and then join them. He said: If you spend all that is present in the world, you will still not be able to attain the reward and virtues of those who left in the morning.

Source: Hadith from Tirmidhi.

Whenever the opportunity comes to help Islam, we should not delay and immediately take part in helping. Allah has promised great rewards and forgiveness for those who are always the first to sacrifice for Islam.

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The Wooden Bowl

2009-10-29T21:23:00.003-07:00

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man's hands trembled,his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

Allah mentions in Surah Al Isra 17:23-24

And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.

And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: "My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was small."

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The One who did Sajdah to Allah

2009-10-29T21:23:00.002-07:00

The following incident was mentioned by brother Aslam Nakhuda during a lecture that he gave on 24/1/2004. Brother Aslam is an Imam of Jame Masjid Brampton in Canada.

He said that three years back a group of eight brothers, including him, set out to Texas, USA for dawah. They spent sometime there to remind the residents about the reality of this life. On their way back, they stopped by a service station beside a highway to perform the Magrib prayer. One of the brothers gave the Adhan (Call to prayer). Two Non Muslim men were passing by when the Adhan was being called. Being curious, they came to the brothers and asked them who they were, where do they come from and what they were doing. The brothers told them that they are Muslims who are coming from Toronto, Canada with the glad tidings of Islam. A scholar, who was with them, discussed about Islam with the non-Muslim men for 2 or 3 minutes. Then the brothers prepared to offer the salah. The non Muslims who were standing by asked what they should be doing now. The brothers told them to join the prayer and just follow along. The two men decided to join the prayer. The imam recited Surah Fatiha and another surah after it. Then he went to Ruku' and both the Non Muslims did the same. When time for sajdah (prostration on the ground) came, the Non Muslims started hesitating and didn't know whether they should also prostrate on the ground as they never did this before. One of them decided not to do so and he left the prayer. However, the other one just went to sajdah. After the prayer, this person who agreed to prostrate to Allah was blessed with iman. He accepted Islam from the brothers.

Dear readers, this is what we have to do. We have to submit to the will of Allah and in return He will bless us with iman. On the other hand, a person who is arrogant and decide not to submit to the will of Allah may just be deprived of iman.

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An Orphan's Eid

2009-10-29T21:23:00.001-07:00

It was the day of celebration and a day of rejoicing. There was an air of festivity in the streets of Madinah. All the people, both young and old were dressed in their best clothes, especially for this special day of Eid.

As it was time for early morning Eid prayers everyone made their way to an open piece of land on the outskirts of the city. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) arrived and led the prayers. After they had finished they all greeted each other and everyone was walking back home. The children running and playing in excitement, smiling and laughing, without a care in the world. As the Prophet (pbuh) walked back home, he suddenly became aware of a little boy (Zuhair Bin Saghir) sitting by himself on the side of the path. The little boy was crying and looked very sad. The Prophet (pbuh) bent down and patted him on the shoulders and asked 'why are you crying?' 'Please leave me alone' sobbed the little boy. The boy didn't even see who was talking to him. The Prophet (pbuh) ran his fingers through the boy's hair and very gently and kindly asked him again why he was crying. This time the boy said, 'My father was martyred fighting, and now my mother has married again and my stepfather does not want me to live at home any more. Today is Eid and everyone is happy. All the children have new clothes and nice things to eat, but I don't have any clothes except what I am wearing. I have no food and I don't even have a place to live.'

The Prophet (pbuh) said to him, 'I know how you feel, I lost both my mother and father when I was a little boy.' The boy was surprised to hear that it was an orphan who was comforting him, and when he looked up to his great surprise it was the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and he immediately jumped up to his feet out of love and respect.

The Prophet (pbuh) said to him 'If I were to become your new father and Ayesha you new mother, and Fatima your new sister, would that make you feel better?' 'Oh yes, that would be the best thing in the world!' The boy started smiling. The Prophet took him home and gave him new clothes and good food on this beautiful day of Eid. The boy indeed had a wonderful Eid that day.

We should think of others that are less fortunate than ourselves on this beautiful day of Eid. Not everyone has such a wonderful day. It is a day of celebration, but take a moment to stop and think of those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

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A Quality to Avoid

2009-10-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates that Rasulullah (peace be upon him) happened to pass by a heap of grain and inserted his hand into it; his fingers were moistened by the wet grain. At this, he asked the owner of the grain: What is this? The man replied: O Rasulullah! It is due to rain. Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said: Why didn't you put the damp (wet) grain on top of the heap, so people could see it? He who deceives people does not belong to me (my Ummah).

Source: Sahih Muslim.

We should always remember that deception is one of the qualities of Shaitan. Others may not see us when we are deceiving them but Allah is there watching us. A true believer knowing that he has to stand in front of Allah will avoid such activities.

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Empty Hands of a Rich Man

2009-10-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

An Arabian brother from Montreal, Canada narrated the following heart softening story about his friend's father who was very rich. He owned many buildings and lot's of properties. When he attained old age, he became very sick and was counting his last days. Few days before his death, the old man kept on saying "Ana faqir, Ana faqir" which means, "I am poor, I am poor." When his visiting children saw this, they took him around and showed him all his properties to assure him that he wasn�t poor at all. But the old man kept on saying, "I am poor, I am poor." His children became confused and brought a local Muslim Scholar to see their father. After spending some time with the old man, the Scholar understood that the man is saying he is poor not regarding his wealth but regarding his good �amal (deeds). This is because most of his life was spent only in acquiring wealth and now that he was on his death bed, he realized that he should�ve given more time to Allah. When that person was dieing, he was still saying Ana faqir.

So much time has gone from our lives in useless matters. From now on, we should not even waste one minute without remembering Allah as every remembrance of Allah will increase our position in the hereafter. So, why not be rich in the everlasting life?Empty Hands of a Rich Man
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An Arabian brother from Montreal, Canada narrated the following heart softening story about his friend's father who was very rich. He owned many buildings and lot's of properties. When he attained old age, he became very sick and was counting his last days. Few days before his death, the old man kept on saying "Ana faqir, Ana faqir" which means, "I am poor, I am poor." When his visiting children saw this, they took him around and showed him all his properties to assure him that he wasn�t poor at all. But the old man kept on saying, "I am poor, I am poor." His children became confused and brought a local Muslim Scholar to see their father. After spending some time with the old man, the Scholar understood that the man is saying he is poor not regarding his wealth but regarding his good �amal (deeds). This is because most of his life was spent only in acquiring wealth and now that he was on his death bed, he realized that he should�ve given more time to Allah. When that person was dieing, he was still saying Ana faqir.

So much time has gone from our lives in useless matters. From now on, we should not even waste one minute without remembering Allah as every remembrance of Allah will increase our position in the hereafter. So, why not be rich in the everlasting life?

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A Youth Realizes the Truth

2009-10-27T19:17:00.000-07:00

Many Muslims from the Arab regions migrated to various parts of South America in the last few hundred years. After few generations have passed, the Muslims there slowly started going away from Islam due to the lack of an Islamic environment. To remind these people to be steadfast in Islam, a group of brothers from Toronto, Canada were sent to Venezuela in 2002. Due to their strong effort, some amazing changes took place in the lives of Muslims in Venezuela who were in the verge of leaving Islam. One such incidents is mentioned below.

As the brothers were looking for Muslims one day, they noticed a young boy of about 16 years of age who looked like an Arab. So they approached him and asked what his name was and if he was a Muslim. The youth replied that he is Muslim and his name is Darwin. Islam was so much out of their lives that their names became the names of famous atheists! The brothers gave him dawah and asked if he could join them for some time. The youth took his mother's permission and joined them for few days. Within 3 days, Darwin learned Surah Fatiha and started feeling the sweetness of iman. Then he asked his mother if he could join them for some more time and the permission was granted. Within two weeks, Darwin started getting up for Tahajjud on his own. Then one day after Maghrib prayer, he went to the front and mentioned that he had something to say. He told the worshippers that, "From today, I am not Darwin any more, I am Abdullah (the meaning of this name is Servant of Allah)."

These are the results that come forth by the effort of those who give their time and energy for the sake of Islam. The brothers have gone back to South America last month to cover more areas. May Allah make them successful.

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Splitting of the Moon an Amazing Story

2009-10-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

In a TV interview with the Egyptian Geologist Dr. Zaghloul Annajar, the anchor asked him about the verse:

"The Hour has drawn near,and the moon has been cleft asunder (the people of Makkah requested Prophet Muhammad [PBUH] to show them a miracle, so he showed them the splitting of the moon)." (Quran 54:1) whether it contains any Quranic scientific astounding facts?

Dr. Zaghloul answered saying that he has a story to tell about this verse.

He started explaining that at a time he delivered a lecture at Cardiff University in the West of Britain. The attendees included both Muslims and non-Muslims. A vital dialogue was taking place around scientific facts included in the Noble Quran. During the course of the lecture, a Muslim young man stood asking me, Sir Do you see in the Saying of Al Haq Tabarak wa Ta`ala (Allah the Truth) may He be Exalted - and he referred to the above mentioned verse - any indication to the scientific facts included in the Quran? Dr. Najjar answered: No because scientific astounding discoveries are interpreted through science whereas a miracle is something supernatural, which may not be interpreted through the usual. The splitting of the moon is a miracle, which happened to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in order to prove his prophecy. Tangible miracles are only a testimony of truth for those who witnessed it. It is only that the incident was mentioned in Quran and Prophet's Sunnah that made us believe other wise we Muslims of this era would have never believed in it. In addition that we know for sure that Allah is most capable of anything. At that point Dr. Zaghloul narrated the story of moon splitting as included in Sunnah books.

He said, Sunnah books tell that five years before the immigration of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from Mecca to Medina, a group of people from the tribe of Quraish came challenging him saying: Oh Muhammad if you were really a Prophet and a Messenger bring to us a miracle to establish this fact. So he asked them what do you want? They said in an effort to complicate matters for him: split the moon for us. The Messenger of ALLAH (PBUH) stood supplicating to Allah to support him and grant him victory in this hard situation. Allah may He be Exalted inspired him to sign towards the moon with his finger. Immediately, the moon cleft into two parts standing far from each other for several hours then cling back together. The pagans started claiming: Oh Muhammad (PBUH) practiced witchcraft on us.

At this point some of the wise men explained that magic would only affect the attendees whereas it can not maintain influence on everybody in general. They waited for travelers who were coming back from their journeys. The pagans harried up to the borders of Mecca in anticipation to meet the travelers. When the first arrivals appeared, they asked them did you see anything extraordinary happened to the moon? The travelers answered yes on the night (X) we saw the moon splitting into two parts which remained asunder for sometime then reattached. Upon this statement, a number of the group believed while the rest remained pagans. Therefore, the verse explains "The Hour has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder (the people of Makkah requested Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to show them a miracle, so he showed them the splitting of the moon). * And if they see a sign, they turn away, and say: This is continuous magic. *They belied the Verses of Allah - this Quran), and followed their own lusts. And every matter will be settled according to the kind of deeds: good deeds will take their doers to Paradise and similarly evil deeds will take their doers to Hell." (Quran 54:1-3) until the end of the verses which were revealed in this regard.

Dr. Najjar continued that at this point a British Muslim young man introduced himself as Daoud Moussa Peetcock head of the British Islamic Party. He carried on saying sir if you allow me I would like to add on this issue? I said please do. He explained saying: At the time when I was searching in religions (before he embraced Islam), a Muslim student gave me as a present the translation of the meaning of Quran. I thanked him and took it home. The first Surat I came across when I opened the book, it was Chapter of the Moon I read "has drawn near, and the moon has been cleft asunder". I said to myself, is this statement logical? Is it possible for the moon to split and then reattach what kind of power may cause this? The man explained that this verse made me reluctant to continue reading. I became busy with my life,yet ALLAH of course Knows how sincere I was about finding the truth.

So,one day ALLAH made me sit to watch TV. It was a talk show between a British commentator and three American astronautics specialists. The show host was blaming the scientists for spending thriftily over space trips at a time when earth is suffering hunger,poverty, diseases and backwardness. He was telling them, it would have been more feasible to allocate this kind of money for reconstruction of earth. To this argument, the three men answered defending their position that such technology is widely applied in many wakes of life such as medicine, industry and agriculture. They added that the money is never wasted but it rather supported the development of highly advanced technology.

During their dialogue, they mentioned the trip in which a man landed on the moon surface as it consumes the the largest cost which comes to more than US $100.000.000.000. The British TV anchor screamed saying what kind of thrift is this? A hundred thousand million dollars just to plant the American flag on the moon surface? They answered no; the objective was not to plant the American flag but rather to study the interior composition of the moon. We actually came to a finding that would cost us double folds of this amount for people to believe and yet they will never believe. The show host inquired what is this fact? They replied: One day this moon was split and then reattached. The show host again probed: how did you realize that? The scientists responded about finding a belt of transformed rocks cutting the moon from its surface to core and then to the surface again. The stated saying: we consulted with earth scientists and geologists who explained that such phenomenon would never occur unless this moon one day split and then reattached.

The British Muslim man said: I jumped out of my chair saying ALLAH (SWT) forced the Americans to spend more than a hundred billion dollars to prove to Muslims a a miracle that took place 1400 years ago for Mohamed (PBUH)? This religion must be the truth. He added: I went back to the Quran and recited Surat Al Qamar, which was my gate for accepting Islam.

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The Power of Prostration

2009-10-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

The following story was mentioned by brother Firoz who is originally from Guyana and now living in Scarborough, Canada. Brother Firoz lived in the USA before moving to Canada. He can easily be identified as a Muslim as he wears a Muslim hat and has white beard. In USA, one day he was going to the market to buy some things when he was approached by a white American man who asked him whether he knew of any Halal Muslim restaurant. Brother Firoz knew of one but was unable to give him the proper direction. He figured that the American was a new Muslim in this area. So, brother Firoz invited him to his house to have some food. There were also some other Muslim brothers living with Firoz at that time. When they reached home, everyone in the house welcomed the special guest. They were also curious to know about the reason why he accepted Islam.

The new brother told them that he was taking a world religions course in the University. His teacher happened to be Jewish. When they came to the topic about Islam, the Jewish teacher at one point started showing the class how Muslims pray. "The moment I saw the teacher doing prostration (sajdah), I knew that I belonged to this religion," said the new brother. This is what led him to Islam, a simple demonstration of sajdah.

Just one act of Islam was enough to make this individual a Muslim. Imagine, how many people will be convinced when all the Muslims start practising Islam completely!

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Anything for Allah

2009-10-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

Khabaab (Radiallaho Anho) is one of those fortunate persons who offered themselves for sacrifice and suffering for the cause of Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala). He was the sixth or seventh person to embrace Islam and therefore, he suffered long. He was made to put on steel armor and lie in the sun to sweat. Very often he was made to lie flat on burning sand, which caused the flesh on his back to dissolve. He was the slave of a woman. When she came to know that he was visiting Rasulullah (Sallallaho Alaihi Wassallam), she used to brand his head with a hot iron rod. Umar (Radiallaho Anho) during his Caliph once asked him about the details of his suffering after embracing Islam.

He showed him his back, seeing which Umar (Radiallaho Anho) said, "I have never seen such a back before."

He said, "My body was dragged over heaps of burning coal and the blood and fat coming out of my back put out the fire."

When Islam spread and the Muslims conquered all the surrounding territory, he used to weep and say, "Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) seems to be compensating us in this world for all our sufferings and perhaps nothing would be left for us as reward in the Akhirah".

Source: From the Book "Stories of the Sahabah" by Shaikh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhalvi.

Such were the followers of the Prophet (peace be upon him) who were ready to give anything but their faith in Allah. On the other hand, we Muslims today are ready to sell our iman for little material gains!

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Muhammad: A Man Of Charisma

2009-10-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

By Prof. Shahul Hameed

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was always cheerful, genial, and pleasant-tempered. He was never rude or rough. He only spoke things that brought rewards from Allah (God) Almighty.

When he spoke, the listeners would listen to his words with attention. They did not feel any inclination to engage him in heated arguments. The Prophet would always show patience with a stranger's roughness of manners or harsh talk. He used to say:

"When you see a person seeking an object earnestly, assist him to get his need." (Al-Baihaqi)

And no wonder God Almighty said of the Prophet:

{And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character.] (Al-Qalam 68:4)

A person's face not only reflects the feelings of the heart, but also signals his or her attitude to the world around him or her. Indeed, you may even say that the total personality of a person is mirrored in the face.

And to speak about Prophet Muhammd, his smiling face was a source of solace and comfort to all those who came to meet him. Not just his words and actions, but the very expressions on his face shed rays of peace and tranquility into the hearts of those who were distressed by the pressures of life, or tormented by the afflictions of the soul.

Abdullah ibn Harith reported: "I have never seen anyone more in the habit of smiling than Allah's Messenger." (At-Tirmidhi)

The Prophet's smiles had spread such an aura of indescribable joy among his Companions to the extent that they forgot all their anxieties and worries in his presence and became totally fascinated with the Prophet himself.

The reason was that the Prophet was a perfect personality who always exuded a charisma of charm and geniality. His way was one of harmony and compassion. He was polite and considerate to everyone, and always kept a smiling face. Once, he told his Companions, "Smiling at your brother is a charity." (At-Tirmidhi)

There is an interesting incident reported by Saad ibn Abi Waqqas:

"Umar ibn Al-Khattab, one of the Prophet's Companions, asked his permission to see him. At the same time, there were some Quraishi women sitting with him asking him to give them more financial support, and they were raising their voices over the voice of the Prophet.

When Umar asked permission to enter, all of them hurried behind a screen. The Prophet admitted Umar, and he entered to find the Prophet smiling.

Umar said, "May Allah always keep you smiling, O Allah's Messenger! Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you!" (Note: This expression was used at the time to show one's love to another.)

The Prophet said, "I am astonished at these women who were with me. As soon as they heard your voice, they hastened behind a screen."

Umar said, "You have more right, that they should be afraid of you, O Allah's Messenger!"

And then he (Umar) turned towards them and said, "O enemies of your souls! You are afraid of me and not of Allah's Messenger?"

The women replied, "Yes, for you are sterner and harsher than Allah's Messenger."

Allah's Messenger said, "O Ibn Al-Khattab! By Him in Whose Hands my life is, whenever Satan sees you taking a route, he follows a route other than yours!" (Al-Bukhari)

Another Companion, Jarir ibn Abd-Allah, said: "Since the time I accepted Islam, the Prophet never once failed to notice me. Whenever he saw me, he would smile at me." (Al-Bukhari)

All those who knew the Prophet were fascinated and enchanted by the dignity and greatness of his character. His sweet and amiable expression made a profound impression on every stranger who met him.

No other person in history was privileged to have so many extraordinary qualities, and naturally, his Companions were ready to sacrifice their lives to protect him.

His hospitality and generosity were matchless; and he was the last man to get upset or angry. Indeed, he was so generous that he would never deny anything he was asked.

The forgiveness and general amnesty given by the Prophet to the Quraishis of Makkah, who had been insulting and persecuting him for over two decades, is well-known.

William Muir, the orientalist historian wrote, "The magnanimity with which Muhammad treated a people who had so long hated and rejected him is worthy of all admiration." (398)

Even the enemies of the Prophet acknowledged his justice and honesty: Long before he received prophethood, he was called Al-Ameen (that is, the truthful, the trustworthy). And so, his people always approached him for judgment and consultation.

He did not allow people to stand up out of respect upon seeing him, as they usually did before kings or leaders. Visiting the poor and the unfortunate and entertaining them were his constant habits. He had no hesitation in accepting the invitation of even a slave. He used to sit among the people like any one of them.

Simplicity, sincerity, and geniality were the keynotes of his character. The Prophet's wife, Aishah, said that he used to repair his shoes, sew his clothes, and share in domestic chores. He was most merciful, gentle, and amiable to all.

He was eager to serve anyone who served him. He was always in full control of his temper, and he never got angry unless it was absolutely necessary. If at all he was angry, it was for the sake of God and His religion, and not for his own sake.

The Prophet's magnanimity, broad mindedness, and tolerance embraced all people and entitled him to be a father to all of them.

He was careful to maintain an equal status with others and did not desire privileges. In an assembly he would seat himself at the least covetable position, next to the last person.

Whenever people came to meet him, he received them with honor and respect, so that each person addressed by the Prophet would think that there was no one more honored by the Prophet than him- or herself.

No questioner was disappointed when seeking advice from the Prophet.

To him the most favored one was the most pious one among the people. As for those persons who held high positions with their people, the Prophet was attentive to honor and respect them.

He never ignored his friends. Moreover, he used to visit them even during busy days, and inquired about their conditions.

The Prophet always adopted a moderate approach to all matters. He always chose the easier and the more pleasing way to solve problems.

While on his deathbed, the Prophet sent for the money in his house and distributed it among the poor. Immediately before he breathed his last, he had it publicly announced if anyone owed him anything, he may claim it; and if anyone was offended by him, he could have instant revenge.

Such was the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad.

Works Cited:
Muir, William. The Life of Mahomet. Smith, Elder, & Co.: London, 1861.

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Story From a Police Officer

2009-10-25T20:59:00.001-07:00

Extracted from a lecture by Muhammad AlShareef, obtained from Khutbah.com.

A police officer in a Muslim country wrote the following letter to a Shaykh describing the events that led to his return to Allah. He recalls:

Seeing accidents and crash victims was a normal part of my day, but one incident was different.

My partner and I had parked on the shoulder of the highway and began to chat. In a random second, the scene shattered to the hideous sound of metal bodies becoming one. We threw our heads back to see what had happened: a head-on collision, the result of a vehicle slipping into the lane of the oncoming traffic.

You couldn�t describe the carnage. Two young men sprawled in the first car, both in critical condition. We carried them gently away from the car and rested them on the ground.

Quickly we returned to assist the owner of the second car. He was dead. Back we went to the two young men lying side by side on the pavement.

My partner began dictating the Shahadah to them. �Say: La iIaha illAllah (there is no god but Allah), La iIaha illAllah��

... their tongues wouldn�t acknowledge. They started humming the hypnotic lyrics of some song. I was terrified. My partner had experience however and he kept repeating his instruction.

I stood watching, no movement, eyes locked. Never in my life had I seen anything similar to what was going on before me. In fact, I�ve never actually seen someone die, and never in such a satanic way.

My partner continued to instruct them to say the Shahadah but there was no use. The hum of their song came to a slow silence, slowly. The first one stopped and then the other. Not a stir. Dead.

We carried them to our patrol car, my partner made no effort to speak. Not a whisper between us two as we carried the corpses to the nearest hospital.

"Has not the Time arrived for the Believers that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the Truth which has been revealed (to them), and that they should not become like those to whom was given Revelation aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors." Al Quran 57:16

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Story of a Brilliant Student

2009-10-25T20:59:00.000-07:00

The following story was narrated by Professor Anwar, who teaches in the Ryerson University located in Toronto, Canada. He said that during his student life, he was studying at an university in Bangladesh. There, he had a good friend who was very intelligent. This friend was the only child of his family. Everyone used to look upto his great future. And they were right, he graduated with the highest mark in his field. Immediately, calls came for him from big companies. One day, Dr. Anwar was requested by his friend to accompany him to one such companies for an interview. They were going by riding on a motor cycle. On the way, a speeding truck couldn't manage itself and hit their motor cycle from the back. At that collision, Dr. Anwar flew off the motor cycle and fell on the side of the street. But his friend got hit from another vehicle that was coming from the opposite side and died instantly.

Here was a person who was at the peek of material success in this world but little did he know that his death was just around the corner. We have spent much of our time preparing for the life before death, but how much time have we spent preparing for the everlasting life after death?

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A True Muslim Leader

2009-10-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

Once Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho Anho), during his caliphate, was going on his usual rounds towards Harrah (a suburb of Madinah) with his slave Aslam, when he saw a distant fire in the desert. He said, "There seems to be a camp. Perhaps, it is a caravan that could not enter the town due to night fall. Let's go and look after them and arrange for their protection during the night."

When he reached there, he found a woman and some children. The children were crying. The woman had a pan of water over the fire. Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho Anho) greeted her with salaam and, with her permission, went near her. (The woman didn't recognize that it was Umar).

Umar, "Why are these children crying?"

The Woman, "Because they are hungry."

Umar, "What is in the pan?"

The Woman, "Only water to soothe the children, so that they may go to sleep in the belief that food is being prepared for them. Ah! Allah will judge between Umar (Radhiyallaho Anho) and me, on the Day of Judgment, for neglecting me in my distress."

Umar (weeping), "May Allah have mercy on you! How can Umar know of your distress?"

The Woman, "When he is our Amir, he must keep himself informed about us."

Hadhrat Umar (Radhiyallaho Anho) returned to the town and straight away went to the Baitul Mal (House of Charity) to fill a sack with flour, dates, fat, and clothes, and also drew some money. When the sack was ready, he said to Aslam, "Now put this sack on my back, Aslam."

Aslam, "No please, Amir-ul-Momineen! I shall carry this sack."

Umar refused to listen to Aslam, even on his persistent requests to allow him to carry the sack, and remarked, "What! Will you carry my load on the Day of Judgment? I must carry this bag, for it is I who would be questioned (in the Hereafter) about this woman."

Aslam most reluctantly placed the bag on Umar's (Radhiyallaho Anho) back, who carried it with a swift pace right to the woman's tent. Aslam followed at his heels. He put a little flour and some dates and fat in the pan and began to stir. He blew (with his mouth) into the fire to kindle it.

Aslam says, "I saw the smoke passing through his thick beard."

After some time, the pottage was ready. He himself served it to the family. When they had eaten to their fill, he made over to them the little that was left for their next meal. The children were very happy after their meal and began to play about merrily.

The woman felt very grateful and remarked, "May Allah reward you for your kindness! In fact you deserve to take the place of Khalifah instead of Umar."

Umar consoled her and said, "When you come to see the Khalifah, you will find me there."

He sat for a while at a place close by and kept on watching the children. He then returned to Madinah. On his way back, he said to Aslam, "Do you know why I sat there, Aslam? I had seen them weeping in distress. I liked to see them laughing and happy for some time."

Source: From the book "Stories of the Sahaba" by Shaikh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhalvi.

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Should We Really Laugh?

2009-10-25T20:55:00.002-07:00

Hasan al-Basri (rahimaullah) was an eminent scholar and pious individual of his time. He would rarely laugh due to his remembrance of death and the punishment of hell. One day he was going somewhere when he saw a young man indugled in laughter. Hasan al-Basri asked the youth, "Young man, have you already crossed the bridge of Sirath? Have you already found out whether you are going to paradise or hell?" The young man replied, "No." Hasan al-Basri told him, "Then why are you laughing so much?" After that, no one saw this young man laughing again as he came to know the reality of this life.

Source: Story extracted from the book "Tambihul Ghafileen" by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.

Many hours or probably days have passed away from our lives in laughter and jokes. It is a sign that we have forgotten the life of the hereafter. The sahabah used to do good deeds all day but still cry during the night to Allah. On the other hand, we do sins all day and still have no concerns! It is permissible to laugh at amazing things and smile while being in company of others.

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A Lesson from Disabled People

2009-10-25T20:55:00.001-07:00

Once, a visitor was being shown around a leper colony in India. The colony was built to provide a shelter for those people who were poor and had various physical disabilities. At noon a gong (a metal disk that produces a sound when hit with a hammer) sounded to gather the inhabitants for the midday meal. People came from all parts of the compound to the dining hall. Suddenly, everyone started laughing at seeing two young men, one riding on the other's back, pretending to be a horse and a rider. They were having lots of fun. As the visitor watched, he was told that the man who carried his friend was blind, and the man being carried was lame (who couldn't walk). The one who couldn't see used his feet; the one who couldn't walk used his eyes. Together they helped each other and reached their destination.

Let us use each other's strengths to make up for the weaknesses of others. Our strength is in unity, not in division.

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The Ability to Eat

2009-10-25T20:54:00.001-07:00

Last Friday (April 9, 2004), we had the opportunity to visit a sick brother in a Hospital in East York, Canada. This brother had an infection in his stomach which caused it to explode. As a result, the doctors had to remove half of his stomach through an operation. For seven days, he is unable to eat or drink anything. Nutrients are being provided to him by using specialized methods. During our visit, we told him to be patient and pray to Allah for quick recovery. At one point, the brother made a very important statement. He said, "Now I have understood that if Allah doesn't want, we cannot eat even one grain of rice."

Being able to eat and drink is a great blessing of Allah. How costly and difficult it is to digest one meal without having a stomach! We should thank Allah again and again for letting us digest many meals without having to go through these difficulties.

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The Story of Jazan

2009-10-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Once Abdullah ibn Masud (ra) was passing by an area in the city of Qufa. There, a group of wrong doing people have gathered to have a party. They were engrossed in drinking wine. A singer called Jazan was entertaining them with songs. Jazan had a very beautiful voice. When Abdullah ibn Masud heard his voice while passing by, he said in amazement, "So beautiful is his voice. How wonderful it would be if he had used that voice to recite the Quran!" After saying this, Abdullah covered his head with a cloth and left that place. When Jazan noticed Abdullah ibn Masud leaving, he asked, "Who is that man and what was he saying?" The people in the gathering told him, "He is Abdullah ibn Masud, a companion of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He said that your voice is very beautiful. How wonderful it would be if you had used your voice to recite the Quran!"

Jazan was struck by his comments. He threw away his musical instrument and ran to Abdullah ibn Masud. The two of them embraced each other and shed tears profusely. Abdullah ibn Masud said to him, "Why should I not love the one who loves Allah?" Thereafter, Jazan repented to Allah and stayed in the company of Abdullah ibn Masud to learn the Quran and other teachings of Islam. He learned to such an extent that he became one of the great scholars of his time.

Source: Obtained from the book "Tambihul Ghafileen" by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.

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A Gift After Hardships

2009-10-25T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) dispatched towards the sea-shore an expedition of three hundred men, under the command of Abu Ubaidah (ra) in 8 A.H. He gave them a bag full of dates for their rations. They had been hardly out for fifteen days when they ran short of rations. In order to provide the contingent with food, Qais (ra) began buying three camels daily from his own men, to feed the Mujahideen, with a promise to pay on return to Madinah. The Amir seeing that the slaugther of camels would deprive the party of their only means of transport, prohibited him to do so. He collected the dates that had been left with each person and stored them in a bag. He would issue one date to each man as his daily ration. When Jabir (ra) later on narrated this story to the people, one of his audience inquired:

"How did you manage to live upon one date only for the whole day?" He replied: "We longed even for that one date, when the whole stock was exhausted. We were on the verge of starvation. We moistened the dry tree-leaves with water and ate them."

When they reached this stage, Allah had mercy on them for He always brings ease after every hardship, provided it is endured patiently. A big fish known as "Ambar" was thrown out of the sea for them. The fish was so big that they lived on it for eighteen days altogether. They also filled their satchels with the remaining portion, which lasted them right up to Madinah. When the episode was narrated to the Prophet (peace be upon him), he said: "The fish was a provision arranged for you by Allah."

Source: From the book "Stories of the Sahabah" by Shaikh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhalvi.

We are Muslims today because of such sacrifices by the companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). We should remember these events as a source of comfort whenever we too are faced with difficulties regarding practising Islam.

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An Interview with Muhammad Ali

2009-10-25T20:42:00.000-07:00

The following incident took place during an interview with the world famous boxer, Muhammad Ali.

It all started with an innocent question: You have beaten some of the toughest men in the world in the ring. What scares you the most?

Ali: [Points to his wife, to much laughter]

Lonnie Ali: Come on, Muhammad, joking aside, tell them what really scares you.

Ali: Nothing.

Lonnie Ali: Nothing on this earth maybe, but ... tell them Muhammad.
[There is a long pause]

Ali: Not going to heaven.
[Everyone present became silent. Sister Lonnie Ali had tears flowing down her cheeks. Others present were also shaken and silent. A few wiping their eyes. Br. Malik Mujahid broke the silence, patting Muhammad Ali on his arm.]

Malik Mujahid: "No, Insha Allah, you will enter Jannah because you have helped so many people."

Ali: [Muhammad Ali turned his face towards Br. Malik Mujahid, looking at him as though asking: Are you sure? Are you sure about yourself?]

Malik Mujahid: "The Mumin lives between hope and fear."

Where as the toughest man in the world is wondering about his place in Jannah, what do you think about yourself. Will you go to Jannah? Its a question which everyone must ask himself and herself. A good answer may help us focus on the everlasting life.

We pray to Allah for the best of both worlds. If we want Allah to give us the best, we will have to strive for it.

Source: Extracted from the article "Will Muhammad Ali go to Jannah?" by Soundvision.com

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Enemy Becomes a Friend

2009-10-25T20:38:00.000-07:00

In the sixth year after the hijrah, the Prophet, peace be upon him, decided to expand the scope of his mission. He sent eight letters to rulers in the Arabian peninsula and surrounding areas inviting them to Islam. One of these rulers was Thumamah ibn Uthal.

Thumamah was one of the most powerful Arab rulers in pre-Qur'anic times. This is not surprising since he was a chieftain of the Banu Hanifah and one of the rulers of al- Yamamah whose word no one dared to challenge or disobey.

When Thumamah received the Prophet's letter, he was consumed by anger and rejected it. He refused to listen to the invitation of Truth and goodness. More than that, he felt a strong desire to go and kill the Prophet and bury his mission with him.

Thumamah waited and waited for a convenient time to carry out his design against the Prophet until eventually forgetfulness caused him to lose interest. One of his uncles, however, reminded him of his plan, praising what he intended to do.

In the pursuit of his evil design against the Prophet, Thumamah met and killed a group of the Prophet's companions. The Prophet thereupon declared him a wanted man who could lawfully be killed on sight.

Not long afterwards, Thumamah decided to perform umrah. He wanted to perform tawaf around the Ka'bah and sacrifice to the idols there (The people of Makkah, before becoming Muslims, placed hundreds of idols in the Holy Ka'bah. These idols were later destroyed by the Prophet). So he left al-Yamamah for Makkah. As he was passing near Madinah, an incident took place which he had not anticipated.

Groups of Muslims were patrolling the districts of Madinah and outlying areas on the lookout for any strangers or anyone intent on causing trouble. One of these groups came upon Thumamah and apprehended him but they did not know who he was. They took him to Madinah and tied him to one of the columns in the mosque. They waited for the Prophet himself to question the man and decide what should be done with him.

When the Prophet was about to enter the mosque, he saw Thumamah and asked his companions, "Do you know whom you have taken?"

"No, messenger of God," they replied.

"This is Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Hanafi," he said. "You have done well in capturing him."

The Prophet then returned home to his family and said, "Get what food you can and send it to Thumamah ibn Uthal." He then ordered his camel to be milked for him. All this was done before he met Thumamah or had spoken to him.

The Prophet then approached Thumamah hoping to encourage him to become a Muslim. "What do you have to say for yourself" he asked.

"If you want to kill in reprisal," Thumamah replied, "you can have someone of noble blood to kill. If, out of your bounty, you want to forgive, I shall be grateful. If you want money in compensation, I shall give you whatever amount you ask."

The Prophet then left him for two days, but still personally sent him food and drink and milk from his camel. The Prophet went back to him and asked, "What do you have to say for yourself" Thumamah repeated what he had said the day before. The Prophet then left and came back to him the following day. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked again and Thumamah repeated what he had said once more. Then the Prophet turned to his companions and said, "Set him free."

Thumamah left the mosque of the Prophet and rode until he came to a palm grove on the outskirts of Madinah near al-Baqi' (a place of luxuriant vegetation which later became a cemetery for many of the Prophet's companions). He watered his camel and washed himself well. Then he turned back and made his way to the Prophet's mosque. There, he stood before a congregation of Muslims and said:

"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His messenger." He then went to the Prophet, upon whom be peace, and said:

"O Muhammad, by God, there was never on this earth a face more detestable than yours. Now, yours is the dearest face of all to me."

"I have killed some of your men," he continued, "I am at your mercy. What will you have done to me?"

"There is now no blame on you, Thumamah," replied the Prophet. "Becoming a Muslim obliterates past actions and marks a new beginning."

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

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A Home for a Home in Paradise

2009-10-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

Abdullah ibn Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with him) was among those who were the first to accept Islam. When the persecution of the Quraysh got severe, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) gave permission for his companions to emigrate to Madinah. Emigrating was not a new experience for Abdullah. He and some members of his immediate family had migrated before to Abyssinia. This time, however, his migration was on a far bigger scale. His family and relatives, men, women and children, migrated with him. In fact, his whole clan had become Muslims and accompanied him.

Abdullah's clan were not long gone when the alerted Quraysh leaders came out and made the rounds of the districts in Makkah to find out which Muslims had left and who had remained. Among these leaders were Abu Jahl and Utbah ibn Rabi'ah. Utbah looked at the houses of the Banu Jahsh through which the dusty winds were blowing. He banged on the doors and shouted: "The houses of the Banu Jahsh have become empty and are weeping for its occupants." Abdullah bin Jahsh had the most beautiful and expensive house. He sacrificed this house for the pleasure of Allah. Seeing it abandoned, Abu Jahl entered the house and took all its contents.

Later, when Abdullah ibn Jahsh heard what Abu Jahl had done to his house, he mentioned it to the Prophet, peace be upon him, who said: "Aren't you satisfied, O Abdullah, with what Allah has given you instead, a house in Paradise?"

"Yes, messenger of Allah," replied Abdullah. From that moment he never had any regret for that house and became completely satisfied with the beautiful palaces that are awaiting for him in Paradise.

Source: Partially taken from "Companions of The Prophet", Vol.1, By: Abdul Wahid Hamid.

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The Story of Alqamah

2009-10-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

At the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), there was a young man named Alqamah. He was very diligent in obeying Allah by engaging in prayer and fasting and spending in charity. Then he fell ill and his illness became serious. His wife went to the Prophet and said, "My husband, Alqamah, is on his deathbed. I therefore came to tell you, Messenger of Allah, about his condition." The Prophet (then) sent for Ammar or Suhaib and Bilal, and told them to go to him (Alqamah) and have him repeat the Shahadah. Thereupon they went to him and found him in the agony of death. They asked him to say, "La illaha illa Allah," but his tongue was unable to pronounce it. At that, they came and told the Messenger of Allah that he was unable to repeat the Shahadah.

The Prophet asked, "Is either of his parents alive?" He was told, "Messenger of Allah, his mother is, but she is very old." The Prophet sent her a message that if it was convenient for her (that is, is she was able to go out), she should come to him; otherwise she should stay in her house and the Prophet would come to her.

The Prophet's messenger came to her and informed her of the Prophet's message. She said, "May my life be a ransom for him, it is my pleasure to go to him!" She then stood up, leaning on her walking stick, and came to the Prophet and greeted him. The Prophet returned her greeting and said to her, "Umm Alqamah, tell me the truth, for otherwise Allah Most High will reveal the truth to me! What is the situation concerning your son, Alqamah?" She replied, "Messenger of Allah, he prays much, fasts a great deal, and spends a great amount in charity." The Prophet said, "And what about yourself?" She said, "Messenger of Allah, I am angry with him." He said, "Why?" She replied, "Messenger of Allah, he has preferred his wife to me and has disobeyed me." Then Allah's Messenger said, "Umm Alqamah, surely your anger has prevented Alqamah's tongue from pronouncing the Shahadah."

He then turned to Bilal and said, "Bilal, go out and collect a quantity of firewood." She said, "Messenger of Allah, what do you plan to do?" He replied, "I will burn him in front of your eyes." She said, "Messenger of Allah, he is my son! My heart cannot bear your burning him in front of me!" He said, "Umm Alqamah, Allah's punishment is more severe and more lasting! Therefore, if you want Allah to forgive him, be reconciled to him. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, the prayer, fasting, and spending in charity (which he has done) are of no benefit to Alqamah as long as you are angry with him! Thereupon she said, "Messenger of Allah, I call upon Allah Most High and His angels and the Muslims who are present to be my witnesses that I am pleased with my son Alqamah." Allah's Messenger said, "Bilal, go to him and see whether he is now able to say, "La illaha illa Allah" or not. It may be that Umm Alqamah is saying something for my sake which is not in her heart."

Thereupon Bilal went, and while entering the door he heard Alqamah saying, "La illaha illa Allah." (Concerning this), Bilal remarked, "It is surely true that while Alqamah's mother was angry with him his tongue was tied, and now that she is pleased with him his tongue is freed." Alqamah died the same day. The Prophet came to him and gave the order for his washing and shrouding, and then prayed the funeral prayer for him and buried him. He then stood by the side of his grave and said, "You company of Muhajireen and Helpers, if anyone favors his wife over his mother, Allah and His angels and all the people curse him! Allah does not accept his spending (in charity) and his uprightness unless he repents toward Allah, the Glorious and Majestic, and reconciles with her and attains her pleasure, because Allah's pleasure consists in her pleasure and Allah's anger consists in her anger."

Source: Reported in Tabarani and Ahmed.

We must always be respectful and obedient to our parents. However, we are not to obey them if they order us to disobey Allah and His Prophet. Other than this, they deserve our utmost attention and respect.

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The Beautiful Story of Abu Ghayth

2009-10-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

From the signs of truthfulness is fear of Allah and asceticism in life; for the truthful with conviction fears consuming from what is impermissible and bears poverty and hardship for the sake of Islam. If he commits sin then he does not sleep until he returns to his Lord and repents, in order to free himself from the sin, and its burden.

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari: I was in Makkah during the season of Hajj and I saw a man from Khurasaan calling out to the people: "Oh pilgrims, oh people of Makkah - from those who are present and those far off, I have lost a pouch that contains a thousand dinars. So whoever returns the pouch, Allah will reward them with good, save them from the hell fire, and His bounty and favors will be acquired on the Day of Accounting (Day of Judgment)."

An old man from the people of Makkah approached him and said: "Oh Khurasaani, our city is in a very tough condition, and the days of hajj are few, and its season is appointed, and the doors of profit-making are closed. This money might fall in the hands of a believer who is poor and old in age. Maybe he plans to give it if you make a promise that you will give him a little bit of money that is halal (permissible) for him to use."

The Khurasaani said: "How much does he want?"

The old man said: "He wants one-tenth of the money (a hundred dinars)."

The Khurasaani said: "No. I will not grant him the money and instead I will take my case to Allah, and complain to Him on the day we meet Him, and Allah is sufficient for us and the best one to trust in."

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: "I realized that it was the old man is poor, and he was the one who took the pouch of dinars and wishes to have a little portion of it. So I followed him until he returned to his home. My assumptions were confirmed. I heard him calling onto his wife:"Oh Lubabah."

She said: "I am at your service, O Abu Ghayth."

The old man said: I found the owner of the dinars calling for it, and he does not intend to give any reward to the person who finds it. I said to him "Give us a hundred dinars and he refused and said he would take his case to Allah. What should I do O Lubabah? I must return it, for I fear my Lord, and I fear that my sin is multiplied.

His wife said to him: Oh Man! We have been struggling and suffering from poverty with you for the last 50 years, and you have 4 daughters, 2 sisters, my mother and I, and you are the ninth. Keep all the money and feed us for we are hungry, and clothe us for you know better our situation. Perhaps Allah, the All-Mighty, will make you rich afterwards and you might be able to give the money back after you fed your children, or Allah will pay the amount you owe on the day when the kingdom will belong to the King (Allah).

He said to her: Will I consume haram after 86 years of my life, and burn my organs with fire after I have been patient with my poverty, and become worthy of Allah anger, even though I am close to my grave?! No, By Allah, I will not do so!

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: I left with amazement concerning his condition and that of his wife. At a later point during the day, I heard the owner of the pouch calling out...

Saying: "O people of Makkah, O pilgrims, who ever of you find a pouch containing a thousand dinars, let him return it and they shall surely find great reward with Allah."

The old man said: Oh Khurasaani, I have addressed you the other day and advised you that our land is low on cultivation, so reward the person who found the pouch so that he is not tempted to break the laws of Allah. I have advised you to pay the person who finds it a hundred dinars but you refused. If your money falls into hands of a person who fears Allah the All-Mighty, will you give him 10 dinars at least, instead of a 100?

The Khurasaani said: I will not do so, and I will complain to Allah on the day I meet him, and Allah is sufficient for us and the best one to trust in."

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: The people dispersed and left. Later on during the hours of the day, once again, the Khurasaani made the same call, saying:

"O people of Makkah, O pilgrims, who ever of you find a pouch containing a thousand dinars, let him return it and they shall surely find great reward with Allah."

The old man came again and said: O Khurasaani, I said to you the day before yesterday to reward the finder a hundred dinars and you refused. Then I advised you to give him ten dinars and you refused, so will you give only one dinar so that he can buy with half of it things he needs and with the other half, sheep milk, so that he can give to the people and feed his children?

The Khurasaani said: I will not do so, and I will complain to Allah on the day I meet him, and Allah is sufficient for us and the best one to trust in. "

The old man angrily said: Come you, and take your money so that I can sleep at night, for I have not had a good mood ever since I found this money.

Ibn Jarir said: So the old man went with the owner of the money and I followed them until the old man entered his house, dug a hole and pulled out the money and said: Take your money and ask Allah to forgive me and bless me from His bounty.

The Khurasaani took the money and intended to leave, but when he reached the door he said: O old man, my father died, May Allah have mercy on him, and left behind three thousand dinars and said to me: Take out a third of this money and give it to a person from the people who is most deserving of it. Therefore I tied it in a pouch so that I may spend it on someone who is worthy of it. By Allah, I have not seen a person, since I left Khurasaan until now, who is more worthy of it then you. So take it, May Allah's blessing be upon you, and May He reward for the trust you kept, and your patience during poverty. The Khurasaani man left without the money.

The old man wept and prayed to Allah, saying: May Allah bless the owner of the money in his grave, and May Allah bless his son.

Ibn Jarir said: I left after the Khurasaani but Abu Ghayth (the old man) followed me and brought me back. He asked me to sit down, and said: I have seen you following me since the first day; you have come to know of our situation yesterday and today. I have heard that the Prophet said: "If you are gifted from the provision of Allah, without begging or asking, then accept it and do not reject it." So this is a gift from Allah to all those attending.

The old man called: O Lubabah, O so and so, O so and so. He called on his daughters and his sisters and wife and her mother, and sat down and made me sit down. We were 10. He opened the bag, and said spread your clothing over your laps.

So I (Ibn Jarir) did, but the girls did not have proper clothing that would enable them to do that, so they extended their hands. The old man gave dinar by dinar in order until he reached me (Ibn Jarir) and said: "Here is a dinar." The process continued until the bag was empty and I received a hundred dinars.

Ibn Jarir at-Tabari said: So joy filled my heart because of the provision they received more then the joy I had because I received a hundred dinars.

When I was leaving the old man said: O young man. You are blessed; keep this money with you for it is halal. And know that I use to wake up for Fajr prayer with this wet shirt. After I was done I would take it off, and give it so that my daughters can pray - one by one. Then I would go to work between Dhuhr prayer and Asr prayer and then I would come back at the end of the day with what Allah has given me from dates and dry pieces of bread. Then I would take off my clothes for my daughters and they would pray Dhuhr prayer and Asr prayer, and the same would happen for the Maghrib and Isha prayers. And we did not ever expect to see this kind of money. So may Allah make us make good use of them, and may Allah bless the person in his grave and multiply the reward for him.

Ibn Jarir said: So I greeted him goodbye, and took the hundred dinars and used them to write knowledge for two years! I used it to buy paper and pay rent and after sixteen years I returned to Makkah and inquired about the old man. I was told that he died a few months after the incident that occurred between us. His wife died, along with her mother, and his 2 sisters. The only ones that remained were the daughters whom, when I asked about, found that they were married to kings and Princes. I dropped by and they honored me as a guest and treated me kindly until they died also. So May Allah bless them in their graves.

{That will be an admonition given to him who believes in Allah and the Last Day. And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty).

And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things. (At-Talaq 65: 2-3)

Source: Originally obtained from Islamway.com. Translated from Arabic to English by Ibrahim Hindy.

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500 Years of Worship

2009-10-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

Angel Jibrail (as) told Rasulullah (peace be upon him) the follwing incident about a man in the past who worshipped Allah Ta'ala continuously for 500 years. He was granted a shelter on top of a mountain that was surrounded by salty water. However, Allah caused a stream of sweet water to flow through the mountain for that individual. The man would drink from this water and use it to make ablution. Allah Ta'ala also raised a pomegranate tree from which the man would eat one fruit every day.

One day, this person supplicated to Allah that, "Oh Allah, bring my death while I am in the state of prostration." Allah accepted this dua of his. Whenever Jibrail (as) came down to the Earth, he found this man prostrating to Allah. Jibrail (as) said that on the day of Judgement, Allah will tell the angels to take this individual to Paradise through His mercy. However, this man will insist that he should enter paradise through the good deeds that he had performed.

Then, Allah will tell the angels to compare his good deeds with the blessings that were given to him in the world. It will be seen that 500 years of his worship does not even equal to the gift of eye sight that was given to him by Allah. The angels will be asked to take him towards the hell fire. Then the man will plead, "Oh Allah! Enter me into Paradise only through Your mercy." At that point, the following discussion will take place between Allah and that man.

Allah: Oh my servant, who created you?

The worshipper: Oh Allah, You have created me.

Allah: Were you created because of the good deeds you have done or because of My mercy?

The worshipper: Because of Your mercy.

Allah: Who granted you the ability to worship for 500 years?

The worshipper: Oh the Almighty! You have granted me that ability.

Allah: Who placed you on the mountain surrounded by the ocean? Who caused a stream of sweet water to flow in between the salty water? Who caused a pomegranate tree to grow for you? Who granted you death while in the state of prostration?

The worshipper: Oh the Sustainer of the Worlds! You have done all of these.

Then Allah will say, "All these have happened due to My mercy and you too will enter Paradise only through My Mercy."

Source: Obtained from the book "Tambihul Ghafileen" by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.

We can never thank Allah for the blessings that He has given us. Let us use these blessings to recognize Allah before our death.

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The Miser and the Angel of Death

2009-10-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

A miser had accumulated, by effort, trade and lending, three hunderd thousand dinars. He had lands and buildings, and all kinds of wealth. He then decided that he would spend a year in enjoyment, living comfortably, and then decide as what his future should be.

But, almost as soon as he had stopped amassing money the Angel of Death appeared before him, to take his life away.

The miser tried, by every argument which he could muster, to dissuade the Angel, who seemed, however, adament. Then the man said: "Grant me but three more days and I will give you one-third of my possessions."

The angel refused, and pulled again at the miser's life, tugging to take it away.

Then the man said:

"If you only allow me two more days on earth, I will give you two hundred thousand dinars from my store."

But the Angel would not listen to him. And the Angel even refused to give the man a solitary extra day for all his three hundred thousand pieces.

The the miser said:

"Please, then, give me just time enough to write one little thing down."

This time the Angel allowed him this single concession, and the man wrote, with his own blood:

"Man, make use of your life. I could not buy one hour for three hundred thousand dinars. Make sure that you realize the value of your time."

Source: Obtained from the book "The Way of the Sufi" by Idries Shah.

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Importance of Saying Insha-Allah

2009-10-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

During a Jumah Khutbah in a small town, an Imam talked about the significance of saying "Insha Allah" (which means if Allah wills) when planning to do something in the future. After a few days, a man who had also attended the Khutbah was going to buy a cow from the market. On the way, he met a friend who asked him where he was going. He told him about buying the cow but did not say Insha Allah in the end. His friend reminded him about the Khutbah and told him to say Insha Allah. However, this individual said that he had the money he needs and the energy to go to the market, thus, there is no point of saying Insha Allah as he will certainly buy the cow. He thought that saying Insha Allah will not make any difference.

When he reached the market, he found a cow that met his expectations. He burgained with the seller and came to a reasonable price. Finally, he decided to pay for the cow but was dumbfounded when he discovered that his money was missing. A thief had stolen the money while he was walking through the busy market. The cow seller asked him whether he was going to buy the cow or not. "Insha Allah, I will buy it next week," he said. When he reached home, his wife inquired about the cow. He told her about how he forgot to say Insha Allah, and also added, "Insha Allah, I wanted to buy the cow. But Insha Allah, my money was stolen. Insha Allah, I will buy it next week." His wife clarified to him that we should say Insha Allah for things that are yet to happen, not for those things that had already happened. He never forgot his "Insha Allah" again.

This incident was narrated by Shaikh Wahidullah from Toronto, Canada.

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A Young Man's Fear of Allah

2009-10-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

One day, Malik bin Dinar (rahimaullah) was passing by a place when he noticed a young man wearing old clothes and crying by the roadside. His name was Uthbah. Sweat was dripping down his body even though the temperature was very cold at that time. Malik bin Dinar became very surprised at this scene and asked Uthbah, "Oh young man, why are you crying? And why are you sweating during this cold temperature?"

Uthbah replied, "Once, I committed a sin at this place. Today, as I was passing by this place, I remembered that sin."

Source: Obtained from the book "Tambihul Ghafileen" by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.

Look how pious were the early Muslims. Today, we are committing thousands of sins, yet, we are walking around with happiness and joy as if we have nothing to worry about.

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The King and the Poor Man

2009-10-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

There was a king who decided to take a tour of his country. As he passed by different places, everyone rushed to see him. However, while passing by a certain place, he noticed a poor old man who did not pay any attention to the king's arrival and remained engaged in his own activities. The king went up to this poor man and asked why he did not join the people to see him. The poor man replied, "Before you, there was another king who once passed by this place. Everyone gathered to see him as well. But, few days later he died and was buried in a place nearby. A poor man also died during that time and was buried near the king's grave. After some time, a strong flood passed through that area causing those graves to overturn. As a result, the bones of the poor man became mixed up with those of the king's. We could not differentiate between them any longer. After seeing this, it does not matter to me anymore as to who is a king and who is a beggar. In the end, our home is the same."

Narrated by brother Ayyub from Toronto, Canada during one of his lectures.

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The Patched Robe

2009-10-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

There was a Jew of Damascus who was reading a holy book one day when he came across the name of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) written in it. Not liking this, he removed the name. But the next day he found it there again. Again he took out the name; but on the third day it had appeared again. He thought: "Perhaps this is a sign that a true Emissary has come. I will journey southwards to Madinah."

And he forthwith started out, not tarrying until he reached the city of the Prophet. When he arrived there, knowing nobody, he was near the Mosque of the Prophet when the Sahabi Anas (ra) arrived. He said to Anas: "Friend, take me to the Prophet."

Anas (ra) led him into the mosque, which was full of people in anguish. Abu Bakr (ra) the successor was sitting there at the head of the assembly. The old man went up to him, thinking he must be Muhammad, and said: "O Chosen Envoy of God, a strayed old man has come to offer you peace." Hearing the title of the Prophet used, everyone present burst into a flood of tears. The stranger was uncertain as to what to do. He said: "I am a foreigner and a Jew, and I am unaware of the rites of the Faith of Submission to the Will of Allah. Have I said something untoward? Should I have remained silent? Or is this a ritual observance? Why do you cry? If it is a ceremony, I have never heard of it."

Omar (ra) said to him: "We do not weep because of anything which you have done. But you must hear, unfortunate one, that it is a but a week since the Prophet left the earth. When we heard his name, grief took possession of our hearts anew."

As soon as he heard this, the ancient tore his clothes in anguish. When he had recovered a little, he said: "Do me one favour. Let me have at least a robe of the Prophet. If I cannot see him, at least let me have this."

Omar (ra) answered: "Only Fatima (ra) could give us one of his robes." Ali (ra) said: "But she will not allow anyone to go near her." But they went to her door and knocked, and explained what they wanted.

Fatima (ra) answered: "Verily, the Prophet spoke truly when he said, shortly before he died: 'A wayfarer, who has love towards me and who is a good man, will come to the house. He will not see me. Give him, therefore, this patchwork robe as if from me, and for me treat him gently, offering salutations.'"

The Jew put the robe on himself and, professing Islam, asked to be taken to the Prophet's grave. It was at this place that he breathed his last.

Source: From the book "Ilahi-Nama" by Shaikh Farid Al-Din Attar.

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Owners of the Garden

2009-10-19T03:57:00.000-07:00

The following story is mentioned in Surah Qalam, Chapter 68 of the Holy Quran.

Once there was a wealthy and pious man. He had a big garden full of green trees laden with fruits. After the fruits were picked, this rightful man used to distribute some fruits among the poor who would gather at the garden every season to take their share.

Allah liked this act of the man. By the grace of Allah the garden used to give rich harvest every season. Truly, one who spends for the sake of Allah gets the reward in the hereafter as well as in this life.

This man had many sons who were not so pious as him. When their father died, they discussed a plan and said to each other that their father was not a wise man. He did not know how it was difficult to earn livelihood. They did not like the habit of distributing some of the fruits among the poor. They felt as if all their efforts would go to vain if the poor had some share.

One of the sons had a concern. What will they tell the poor people when they gather to take their fruits next time? They thought over its implications, as they were worried about losing their prestige. However, they were not afraid of Allah's wrath. One of them suggested removing all the fruits in the night and thus clearing the garden before dawn so that nobody could come and ask for his share. Everyone agreed to this suggestion. Since they were not even afraid of Allah, they forgot to say 'Insha-Allah', which means if Allah Wills, "...they swore to pluck the fruits of the (garden) in the morning, without saying Insha-Allah ('if Allah Wills')" (Verses 17-18). If a Muslim does not say Insha-Allah before doing something Allah may not fulfill his wish. But those who have no faith in Allah fail to remember this and get stuck up in their act.

Allah is all Powerful. He knows no bounds in His Governance. All the brothers went to sleep with a view to getting up early in the morning and gather the ripe fruits. In the meantime, with the Will of Allah "...there passed by on the (garden) a visitation (fire) from your Lord at night and burnt it while they were asleep." (Verse 19)

In the early morning, all of them got up and hurried up and "...called out one to another as soon as the morning broke, Saying: 'Go to your tilth in the morning, if you would pluck the fruits.' So they departed, conversing in secret low tones (saying), No Miskin (poor man) shall enter upon you into it today." (Verses 21-24)

As they were proceeding towards the garden, they were quite unaware that Allah had willed otherwise. Because the garden had become "black by the morning, like a pitch dark night (in complete ruins)" (Verse 20). So when they reached the garden, they said this was not their garden, and that they had strayed away from the right path to the garden. But when they saw there was no other way around, they were wonder struck! Soon they realized the situation and yelled: "Verily, we have gone astray," "Nay! Indeed we are deprived of (the fruits)!" The best among them said: "Did I not say to you 'Why not glorify (Allah)'?" (Verses 26-28). He had been advising them earlier against this act, for he had said it is only Allah who would enhance their fruits if they continued to give away some of them in charity.

All of them felt regretful over their misdeed. They turned, to one another, in reproach and said: "Glory to our Lord! Verily we have been doing wrong. Alas for us! We have indeed transgressed!" All of them, then, sought Allah's pardon and said: "We hope that our Lord will give us in exchange a better (garden) than this. Truly, we turn to our Lord (wishing for good that He may forgive our sins, and reward us in the Hereafter)." (Verses 31-32)

It is very beloved to Allah that we share with the less fortunate whatever we have. While some of us only feel hungry during the month of Ramadan, there are many who are hungry everyday. Let us be more generous with our wealth and help all those who are in need. We will not lose anything by giving away some of our wealth, we will only gain.

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Only for Allah

2009-10-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

There was a pious man among the Banu Israel who always remained busy in the worship of Allah. A group of people came to him and told him that a tribe living nearby worshipped a tree. The news upset him, and with an axe on his shoulder he went to cut down that tree. On the way, Satan met him in the form of an old man and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to cut a particular tree. Satan said, "You have nothing to be concerned with this tree, you better mind your worship and do not give it up for the sake of something that does not concern you." "This is also worship," retorted the worshipper. Then Satan tried to prevent him from cutting the tree, and there followed a fight between the two, in which the worshipper overpowered the Satan. Finding himself completely helpless, Satan begged to be excused, and when the worshipper released him, he again said, "Allah has not made the cutting of this tree obligatory on you. You do not lose anything if you do not cut it. If its cutting were necessary, Allah could have got it done through one of his many Prophets." The worshipper insisted on cutting the tree. There was again a fight between the two and again the worshipper overpowered the Satan. "Well listen," said Satan, "I propose a settlement that will be to your advantage." The worshipper agreed, and Satan said, "You are a poor man, a mere burden on this earth. If you stay away from this act, I will pay you three gold coins everyday. You will daily find them lying under your pillow. By this money you can fulfil your own needs, can oblige your relative, help the needy, and do so many other virtuous things. Cutting the tree will be only one virtue, which will ultimately be of no use because the people will grow another tree." This proposal appealed to the worshipper, and he accepted it. He found the money on two successive days, but on the third day there was nothing. He got enraged, picked up his axe and went to cut the tree. Satan as an old man again met him on the way and asked him where he was going. "To cut the tree," shouted the worshipper. "I will not let you do it," said Satan. A fight took place between the two again but this time Satan had the upper hand and overpowered the worshipper. The latter was surprised at his own defeat, and asked the former the cause of his success. Satan replied, "At first, your anger was purely for earning the pleasure of Allah, and therefore Almighty Allah helped you to overpower me, but now it has been partly for the sake of the gold coins and therefore you lost."

Source: From the book "Ihyaa-ul Uloom Ud Deen" by Imam Ghazzali (ra).

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Story of Alexander the Great

2009-10-19T03:48:00.000-07:00

Alexander the Great is known as the most powerful military leader and conqueror of the ancient world. Before he turned 30 years old he conquered an empire stretching over 3,000 miles from Greece to India. He was born in 356 BC in Macedonia, known today as northern Greece.

On his sickbed and during his last hour alive, Alexander the Great told his generals "After my death, when you put my body in the casket, let my arms hang over the edges with my palms wide open, so the public can see my empty hands while I am leaving the world." After he died, many dignitaries came to view the royal funeral and were very surprised to see his arms hanging over the edge of the casket with his palms wide open. They asked questions about this unique scene. A wise man told them "O People, Alexander the Great is telling us that when he ruled the world, great treasures of gold, silver and wealth came to be under his possession. Yet, indeed he is leaving the world empty handed."

Source: Partially extracted from the writtings of JC Pinkerton.

Anas bin Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Three things follow the bier of a dead man, two of them come back and one is left with him: the members of his family, wealth and his good deeds. The members of his family and wealth come back while his deeds alone are left with him. (Sahih Muslim)

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Story of a Wrestler Junaid Baghdadi

2009-10-19T03:43:00.000-07:00

Junaid Baghdadi earned his livelihood as a professional wrestler. As was the norm, the Leader of Baghdad announced one day, "Today, Junaid Baghdadi will demonstrate his skills as a wrestler, is there anyone to challenge him." An elderly man shakily stood up with his neck quivering and said, "I will enter the contest with him."

Whoever was witness to this scene could not contain themselves, they burst out howling with laughter, clapping their hands. The King was bound by the law. He could not stop someone who of his own free will entered the bout. The elderly man was given the permission to enter the ring. He was about sixty-five years old. When Junaid Baghdadi entered the ring, he was dumbfounded as was the King and all the spectators of the Kingdom who were present. The single thought that occupied their minds was, "How will this old man be able to fight?"

The old man addressed Junaid with these words, "Lend me your ears." He then whispered, "I know it is not possible for me to win this bout against you, but I am a Sayyid, a descendant of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). My children are starving at home. Are you prepared to sacrifice your name, your honour and position for the love of Allah's Prophet and lose this bout to me? If you do this I will be able to collect the prize money and thereby have the means to feed my children and myself for an entire year. I will be able to settle all my debts and above all, the master of both the worlds will be pleased with you. Are you, Oh Junaid, not willing to sacrifice your honour for the sake of the children of Rasulullah (peace be upon him)?"

Junaid Baghdadi thought to himself, "Today, I have an excellent opportunity."

In a display of fervour Junaid Baghdadi executed a couple of maneuvers, demonstrating his finesse so that the King does not suspect any conspiracy. Junaid with a great display of antics did not use his strength and allowed himself to be dropped. The elderly man mounted his chest thus entitling him to the prize.

That night, Junaid Baghdadi had a dream of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who said, "Oh Junaid, you have sacrificed your honour, your nationally acclaimed fame, your name and position which was heralded throughout Baghdad in the expression of your love for my children who were starving. As of today, your name is recorded in the register of the Auliya (friends of Allah)."

Thereafter, this great wrestler learnt to defeat his nafs (desires) and became one of the most eminent Auliya of his time!

Source: From the book "Tajalliat-e-Jazb" by Shaikh Hakim Muhammad Akhtar.

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A Sheet for the Prophet

2009-10-19T03:29:00.001-07:00

Narrated Abu Hazim: I heard Sahl bin Saad saying, "A woman brought a Burda (i.e. a square piece of cloth having edging). I asked, 'Do you know what a Burda is?' They replied in the affirmative and said, "It is a cloth sheet with woven margins." Sahl went on, "She addressed the Prophet and said, 'I have woven it with my hands for you to wear.' The Prophet took it as he was in need of it, and came to us wearing it as a waist sheet. One of us said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Give it to me to wear.' The Prophet agreed to give it to him. The Prophet sat with the people for a while and then returned (home), wrapped that waist sheet and sent it to him. The people said to that man, 'You haven't done well by asking him for it when you know that he never turns down anybody's request.' The man replied, 'By Allah, I have not asked him for it except to use it as my shroud when I die." Sahl added; "Later it (i.e. that sheet) was his shroud."

Source: Sahih Al Bukhari (Volume 3, Hadith# 306)

The person wanted to have the sheet for his shroud because he hoped that Allah will show mercy towards him after death as he is covered in a sheet that was worn by the Prophet. We can also hope for the same by dressing ourselves with the lifestyle of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as his simple lifestyle is the most beloved to Allah.

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The Righteous Beggar

2009-10-19T03:29:00.000-07:00

The following incident took place in Dhaka which is the capital city of Bangladesh.

There was a beggar in the city who used to beg beside a Masjid on Fridays after Jumah prayer. Begging was permissible for him due to his adverse condition. Though he was a beggar, he would pay attention to the sermons that were delivered during the Khutbah. One such sermons was about the importance of earning halal income. He learnt that supplications (dua) will not be accepted from those people whose income are from forbidden sources. He immediately decided to accept money from only those individuals that he knew had halal income. His daily earnings decreased as a result but he was committed to his decision.

Then came a day when the beggar died. Eventhough he lived as a beggar, his funeral was like that of a king. Many dignitaries of the area attended his funeral because they knew of that great sacrifice he used to make daily in order to keep up with the commandment of Almighty Allah.

Dear readers, we too should sincerely adopt the commandments of Allah in our lives regardless of our social status. In this way, Allah will elevate us in this world and in the hereafter.

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Prayer of a Sick Person

2009-10-19T03:13:00.000-07:00

Imam Baihaqi has stated on the authority of Hadhrat Ali (ra) who stated: "Once, I was present with the Prophet (peace be upon him). At that time, I had fallen so much sick that I prayed to Allah Almighty to grant me death if I am destined to die so that I may get relief from the sickness, otherwise, I may be restored to normal health from the sickness if I have to live for sometime. I, also, prayed for being granted patience if this sickness is a test for me from Allah Almighty." Hearing that, the Prophet beat Ali with his foot and observed: "Oh Ali! repeat what you were saying." Ali (ra) repeated his prayer. Then the Prophet prayed to Allah Almighty: "O Allah! Heal him from the sickness." Ali (ra) stated that he became healthy the same day and the pain never appeared again.

Source: From the book "The Miracles of the Prophet Muhammad" by Shaikh Ahmed Saeed Dehalvi.

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Thirst for Learning

2009-10-19T03:10:00.000-07:00

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says:

"After the passing away of the Prophet (peace be upon him), I said to an Ansari friend of mine: 'The Prophet is not now with us. But a large number of Sahabah are still among us. Let us go to them and get knowledge of the Islamic practices.' He said: ' Who is going to approach you for learning a regulation in the presence of these eminent Sahabah?' I was not discouraged. I kept up my quest for knowledge and approached every person who was supposed to have heard something from the Prophet. I managed to gather substantial information from the Ansar. If on my visit to someone of the Sahabah, I found him asleep, I spread my shawl at the gate and sat waiting. Sometimes my face and body would get covered with dust, but I kept sitting till they woke and I was able to contact them. Some of them said: 'Abdullah you are the cousin of the Prophet; you could have sent for us. Why did you take the trouble of coming to our places?' I said to them: 'I must come to you, for I am a student and you are my teachers.' Some people for whom I had waited said: 'Since when have you been waiting for us?' I informed them that I had been sitting there for a pretty long time. They said: 'What a pity! You could have awakened us from our sleep.' I said: 'I did not like to disturb you for my own sake.' I thus carried on my pursuits, till there came a time when people began to flock to me for learning. My Ansari friend realized this at that time and remarked: 'This boy has surely proved himself more sensible than us.'"

Source: From the book "Stories of the Sahabah" by Shaikh Muhammad Zakariyya Kaandhlawi.

Besides our quest for knowledge to earn a livelihood in this world, we must as well gain sufficient knowledge of Islam. No matter what age group we belong to at this moment, we should atleast have that much Islamic knowledge with which we can turn our 24 hours life into worship. Those with knowledge and practice will be exalted in this world and in the hereafter.

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The Fisherman

2009-10-19T03:08:00.000-07:00

An investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The investment banker complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, "Only a little while."

The investment banker then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

The fisherman said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The investment banker then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

The fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening and spend time with my family, I have a full and busy life."

The investment banker scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to a big town and eventually to the the city where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."

The fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"

To which the investment banker replied, "15 to 20 years."

"But what then?" asked the fisherman.

The investment banker laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions."

"Millions?...Then what?"

The investment banker said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings and spend time with your family."

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Army of Elephants

2009-10-19T03:05:00.000-07:00

The following incident is mentioned in Surah Feel of the Holy Quran and it happened during the period of the birth-year of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Abraha Al-Ashram was the governor of Yemen on behalf of the king of Ethiopia. He (Abrahah) thought to build a house (like the Kabah at Makkah) in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and call the Arabs to perform the pilgrimage there in Sana instead of the Kabah in Makkah, with the intention of diverting the trade and benefits from Makkah to Yemen. He presented his idea to the king of Ethiopia who agreed to it. So the house (church) was built and he named it Al-Qullais; there was no church of its like at that time. Then a man from the Quraish tribe of Makkah came there and was infuriated by it, so he relieved his nature (stools and urine) in it, soiled its walls and went away. When Abrahah Al-Ashram saw that, he could not control his anger and raised an army to invade Makkah and demolish the Kabah. He had in that army thirteen elephants and amongst them was an elephant called Mahmud which was the biggest of them. So that army proceeded and none amongst the Arab tribes that faced them (fought against them) but was killed and defeated, till it approached near Makkah. Then there took place negotiations between Abrahah Al-Ashram and the chief of Makkah (Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim, the grandfather of the Prophet), and it was concluded that Abrahah would restore the camels of Abdul Muttalib which he had taken away, and then he (Abrahah) would decide himself as regards the Kabah. Abdul Muttalib ordered the men of Makkah to evacuate the city and go to the top of the mountains along with their wives and children in case some harm should come to them from the invading oppressors. Then that army moved towards Makkah till they reached valley Muhassir. While the army was marching towards Makkah, in the middle of the valley, suddenly it was overtaken by flocks of birds, flocks after flocks, air-raiding that army with small stones slightly bigger than a lentil seed. There never fell a stone on a soldier except it dissolved his flesh and burst it into pieces. So they perished with a total destruction. Abrahah Al-Ashram fled away while his flesh was bursting into pieces till he died on the way (back to Yemen). Such was the victory bestowed by Allah, (the All-Majestic, All-Powerful) to the people of Makkah and such was the protection provided by Him for His House (Kabah in Makkah).

Source: Extracted from Tafsir of Surah Feel (Surah 105) by Ibn Kathir as found in Translation of the Noble Quran by Muhammad Muhsin Khan.

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Reward for Helping Others

2009-10-19T03:03:00.000-07:00

Ibn Abbas narrated, Once I was in a state of itikaaf in the Prophet's Mosque (Medina). A certain person came to me and sat down. I said to him, 'O so and so, you look sad'. He said, 'Yes of course, o fraternal brother of the Prophet. So-and-so has his due on me, and by the one who lies in eternal peace in the grave (i.e. Prophet Muhammad), I am not able to pay the debt' I said, 'Should I not talk to him about your debt?' He said, 'You can do so if you like' There upon I put my shoes on and went out of the mosque. The person asked him, 'Have you forgotten the state you were in (i.e. itikaaf)?' I replied, 'Not at all, but I have heard rom the one who lies in eternal peace in the grave [saying this his eyes became filled with tears], said:

"One who moves to fulfill any need of his brother, and makes effort for it, will find it better than itikaaf of ten years; and one who performs itikaaf for one day for the pleasure of Allah, he will create a distance of three ditches between him and the hell - and each ditch has a width which lies between East and West, or between the heaven and earth."

Source: Al Targhib Vol II p 272.

By the blessings of Allah, we are approaching another Ramadan. For most of us, we feel a little taste of hunger during this month only. But there are billions for whom it is a matter of daily life. Let us get immense rewards by helping our needy brothers and sisters around the world during this month of generosity.

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Better to Give

2009-10-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

A young man, a student in one of the universities, was one day taking a walk with a Professor, who was commonly called the student's friend, from his kindness to those who waited on his instructions.

As they went along,they saw lying in the path a pair of old shoes, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was employed in a field close by,and who had nearly finished his day's work.

The student turned to the professor, saying: "Let us play the man a trick: we will hide his shoes, and conceal ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his perplexity when he cannot find them."

"My young friend," answered the professor, "we should never amuse ourselves at the expense of the poor. But you are rich, and may give yourself a much greater pleasure by means of this poor man. Put a coin in each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and watch how this affects him."

The student did so and they both placed themselves behind the bushes close by. The poor man soon finished his work, and came across the field to the path where he had left his coat and shoes.

While putting on his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes, but feeling something hard, he stooped down to feel what it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his countenance. He gazed upon the coin, turned it around, and looked at it again and again.

He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and proceeded to put on the other shoe; but his surprise was doubled on finding the other coin.

His feelings overcame him; he fell upon his knees, looked up to the heavens and uttered aloud a fervent thanksgiving in which he spoke of his wife who was sick and helpless, and his children without bread, whom this timely bounty, from some unknown hand,would save from perishing.

The student stood there deeply affected, and his eyes filled with tears. "Now," said the professor, are you not much better pleased than if you had played your intended trick?"

The youth replied, "You have taught me a lesson which I will never forget. I feel now the truth of these words, which I never understood before: "It's more blessed to give than to receive."

Abdullah bin Abbas (radi Allahu anhu) reported that the Prophet (sallAllahu alaiyhi wassallam) said that encouraging good, prohibiting evil, lifting the burden of the weak person and removing an offensive thing from a path are all acceptable prayers to Allah.
[ibn Majah]

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A Thousand Camels

2009-10-19T02:58:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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Hachiko, the Faithful Dog

2009-10-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

In 1934, a bronze statue of a dog called Hachiko was erected at the Shibuya Train station in Tokyo, Japan. The story of this dog is mentioned below.

Hachiko was born in 1923 and was owned by Eisaburo Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. The professor used to take a train from the Shibuya Station every day to go to the university. Each day Hachiko accompanied the professor to the train station when he left for work. Upon returning, the professor would find the dog patiently waiting for his master and wagging its tail. This happy routine continued until one fateful day in 1925, when the professor was taken ill on the job and unfortunately died before he could return home. As usual, the dog waited at the train station that day for his master to return back. However, seeing that he wasn't coming back, Hachiko waited till night fell and retuned back home. The next day Hachiko went back to the train station again, waiting for his master to come back. He patiently waited till sunset and then retuned back home. The dog was so devoted to the professor that he continued to visit the train station everyday for the next 10 years! The people who passed the loyal dog each day were so touched by his story that they erected a statue in his honor in 1934.

In 1935, Hachiko died at the very same spot where he used to wait for his master.

Dear readers, we should take a lesson from this story for ourselves. By reciting the kalimah of Tawheed, all of us have taken an oath to be loyal to our Master, Allah Ta'ala. Now, we should look deep into ourselves and check to see how much love we really have for Allah in our hearts.

Source: Partially extracted from Wikipedia and Fabulous Travel.com.

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The Sight of Kabah

2009-10-19T02:49:00.000-07:00

One never tires of gazing at the sight of the House of Allah, the Kaa'ba. The site upon which the mercy and blessings of Allah are constantly descending. There is truly nothing comparable to the House of Allah on this Earth. People wish time would stand still so they could keep gazing at the Kaa'ba; their thirst is never quenched, rather it increases.

Once, while on a visit to Washington, people told me that a woman had accepted Islam and had some questions for me. They told me that many non-practicing Muslim women had started practicing again due to her. At prayer time she would dress in her best clothes as if readying herself for someone special, and would become oblivious to everything around her as soon she started praying.

After a brief question and answer session, I asked her what prompted her to accept Islam. She sighed and started explaining; "I was a Jew and my husband was a Christian who was posted in Saudi Arabia for some technical work. Everyday I used to see Muslim men and women dressed in white on their way somewhere. I asked my husband where they were going and he told me that they go to perform pilgrimage at the Muslim shrine of Kaa'ba. I expressed a desire to go but he told me that non-Muslims were not allowed. However, I was determined and so we both bought white clothes and set out. Fortunately no one stopped us and we reached Makkah, from where we found directions to the Kaa'ba. Upon seeing the Kaa'ba our eyes froze and time seemed to stand still. When we turned to look at each other after some time, we were both crying. With our eyes we told each other that this was the Truth and we should accept Islam. No one ever told me about Islam, but there were so many blessings descending on that House that they changed my life forever."

The blessings of Tawhid descend in Makkah, and the blessings of Prophethood descend in Madinah. One has seen nothing in life if he has not seen these two holy sites. May Allah give all Muslims the opportunity to visit to His House.

Source: Excerpt from a speech of Shaikh Zulfiqar - sacredlearning.com

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A World of Smile

2009-10-19T02:47:00.000-07:00

About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I was working as an intern at my University's Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.

As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of perched on her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and torso. She was wearing a little white dress with red polka dots.

As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink. As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the cutest, largest smile I have ever seen. All of a sudden her handicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and almost instantly gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world; a world of smiles, love and warmth.

That was ten years ago. I'm a successful business person now and whenever I get down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she taught me.

Source: Submitted by a Writer of AL-Islaah Publications.

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The Carpenter

2009-10-19T02:44:00.000-07:00

A highly skilled carpenter who had grown old was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire.

The employer was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter agreed to this proposal but made sure that this will be his last project. Being in a mood to retire, the carpenter was not paying much attention to building this house. His heart was not in his work. He resorted to poor workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the job was done, the carpenter called his employer and showed him the house. The employer handed over some papers and the front door key to the carpenter and said "This is your house, my gift to you."

The carpenter was in a shock! What a shame! If he had only known that he was building his own house, he would have made it better than any other house that he ever built!

Our situation can be compared to this carpenter. Allah Ta'la has sent us to this world to build our homes in paradise by obeying His commands. Now, we have to decide how well we wish to build the homes where we will live forever.

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Giant Ship Engine that Failed

2009-10-19T02:38:00.000-07:00

The following is an incident about an engine failure in a giant ship. The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"

So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap $ 9998.00

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference. Knowledge in Islam is highly valued. Knowledge will benefit us in this world and in the hereafter.

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A Brother Like That

2009-10-06T23:50:00.000-07:00

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

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

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

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

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

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