pearls of wisdom...

Truly in the heart there is a void...

2010-01-17T00:33:00.000Z

"Truly in the heart there is a void that can not be removed except with the company of Allah.

...And in it there is a sadness that can not
be removed except with the happiness of
knowing Allah and being true to Him.

And in it there is an emptiness that can not be
filled except with love for Him and by
turning to Him and always remembering Him.

And if a person were given all of the world and
what is in it, it would not fill this emptiness."

-Ibn Qayyim al Jawziyya

A beautiful hadith about giving up arguing

2007-08-11T18:09:00.000Z

Abu Umamah Al-Bahili (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said,

"I guarantee a house in Jannah for one who gives up arguing, even if he is in the right; and I guarantee a home in the middle of Jannah for one who abandons lying even for the sake of fun; and I guarantee a house in the highest part of Jannahfor one who has good manners.''

[Abu Dawud]

Imam Ghazzali said:

'If a man gives up contention when he is in the wrong, a house will be built for him within the Garden of Paradise; but if a man gives up contention even when he is in the right, a house will be built for him in the loftiest part of the Garden'

The Sunnah of wearing Kohl

2007-06-30T17:16:00.000Z

Chapter on the kohl of Sayyidina RasulullahSallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam

Shamaa-il Tirmidhi Contents

To apply (surmah, antimony, collyrium) in the eyes is mustabab. One should use kuhl with the intention of ajr (thawaab, reward). It benefits the eye and one receives ajr for following the sunnah also. Imaam Tirmidhi mentions five ahaadith in this chapter.

(48) Hadith Number 1

Ibn 'Abbaas Radiyallahu 'Anhu says:"Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam said: 'Use kuhl made of ithmid on the eye; it brightens the eyesight, and strengthens and increases the growth of the eye lashes'. (Sayyidina Ibn'Abbaas Radiyallahu'Anhu also used to say) 'Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam had a small container for keeping kohl, from which he applied kohl in each eye three times every night"'.

Commentary

Ithmid is a special type of kohl which is reddish black in colour. It is obtained in the Eastern countries. Some of the learned say it is the Isfahaani kuhl, and other say it is the Totiya. Some 'ulama say, it means those who have good eyesight and it should be used by those with whose eyesight it agrees, otherwise a sick person's eyes will pain more by its use. It is more beneficial to apply kohl at the time of sleeping as it will remain longer in the eyes, and will penetrate more into the pores. There are different narrations on the number of times it should be applied in each eye. In a few it is stated that it should be applied three times in each eye, as mentioned above.

In other narrations it is stated that it should be put three times in the right eye and two times in the left eye. It is supposed that the variations are because of the different times of the narrations. At a certain time, Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu alayhi Wasallam applied it in one manner and at another time in the other manner. Haafiz Ibn Hajar, Mulla 'Ali Qaari and other 'ulama have preferred the first method (as given in the hadith under discussion). the first method has been narrated many times from Sayyidina Rasulullah Sallallahu' Alayhi Wasallam, as will be seen in the narration that follow.

(49) Hadith Number 2

Ibn 'Abbaas Radiyallahu 'Anhu reports: "Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam applied kuhl of ithmid three times in each eye before sleeping'. In a narration also from Ibn 'Abbaas Radiyallahu 'Anhu, it is reported: "Rasuluilah Sallallahu'Alayhi Wasallam had a small container for keeping kuhl, from which he applied in each eye kuhl three times before sleeping'.

(50) Hadith Number 3

Jaabir bin 'Abdullah Radiyallahu 'Anhu says: "Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallam said: 'Use the kuhl made from ithmid for the eyes. It brightens the vision and strengthens the growth of the eye lashes'.

(51) Hadith Number 4

Ibn 'Abbaas Radiyallahu 'Anhu says: "Rasulullah Sallallah 'Alayhi Wasallam has said: 'The best from among all the kuhl used by you is the one made from ithmid. It brightens the eyesight and strengthens the growth of the eye lashes"'.

Commentary

One of the narrators in the chain of this hadith is Bishr bin Mufaddal RA. The 'ulama wrote that he performed four hundred rak'ahs nafl daily, and it was his permanent practice to fast every alternate day.

(52) Hadith Number 5

'Abdullah bin 'Umar Radiyallahu 'Anhu related the same hadith from Rasulullah Sallallahu 'Alayhi Wasallarn that: "Verily use the kuhl made from ithmid. It brightens the vision and strengthens the growth of the eye lashes".

Commentary

In all the above narrations the use of kuhl made from ithmid has be stressed. Only those eyes are meant, that agree with the use of it, otherwise, because of certain eye conditions kuhl does not agree with some people, as was mentioned previously. The 'ulama have written that due to these commands and practices it is sunnah to use kuhl, and it is better to use the one made from ithmid. If one uses kuhl made from any other substance it will be regarded as sunnah, but the virtue is obtained by using kuhl made of ithmid.

Source

Ten useless matters - Imam Ibn ul Qayyim al Jawziyyah

2007-05-24T18:11:00.000Z

Ten useless matters

1. Knowledge that is not acted on.

2. The deed that has neither sincerity nor is based on following the righteous examples of others.

3. Money that is hoarded, as the owner neither enjoys it during this life nor obtains any reward for it in the Hereafter.

4. The heart that is empty of love and longing for Allah, and of seeking closeness to Him.

5. A body that does not obey and serve Allah.

6. Loving Allah without following His orders or seeking His pleasure.

7. Time that is not spent in expiating sins or seizing opportunities to do good.

8. A mind that thinks about useless matters.

9. Serving those who do not bring you close to Allah, nor benefit you in your life.

10. Hoping and fearing whoever is under the authority of Allah and in His hand; while he cannot bring any benefit or harm to himself, nor death, nor life; nor can he resurrect himself.

However the greater of these matters are wasting the heart and wasting time. Wasting the heart is done by preferring this worldly life over the Hereafter, and wasting time is done by having incessant hope. Destruction occurs by following one’s desires and having incessant hope, while all goodness is found in following the right path and preparing oneself to meet Allah.

How strange it is that when a servant of Allah has a [worldly] problem, he seeks help of Allah, but he never asks Allah to cure his heart before it dies of ignorance, neglect, fulfilling one’s desires and being involved in innovations. Indeed, when the heart dies, he will never feel the significance or impact of his sins.

The Last Sermon

2007-05-19T14:36:00.000Z

The last sermon of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him)

In the name of Allah, the most merciful the most kind...

"O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TAKE THESE WORDS TO THOSE WHO COULD NOT BE PRESENT HERE TODAY.

O People, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your LORD, and that HE will indeed reckon your deeds. ALLAH has forbidden you to take usury (interest), therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Your capital, however, is yours to keep. You will neither inflict nor suffer any inequity.

Allah has Judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn 'Abd'al Muttalib (Prophet's uncle) shall henceforth be waived... Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.

O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah's trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be unchaste.

O People, listen to me in earnest, worship ALLAH, say your five daily prayers (Salah), fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in Zakat. Perform Hajj if you can afford to.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action. Learn that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly. Do not, therefore, do injustice to yourselves.

Remember, one day you will appear before ALLAH and answer your deeds. So beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. O People, NO PROPHET OR APOSTLE WILL COME AFTER ME AND NO NEW FAITH WILL BE BORN. Reason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the QURAN and my example, the SUNNAH and if you follow these you will never go astray.

All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. Be my witness, O ALLAH, that I have conveyed your message to your people".

Prophet 4 The Ghetto

2007-04-28T11:17:00.000Z

He was just not only a human beingin the darkness of this world he was the light chosen by Allah to be the final guide his memory is preserved because of the message he carried inside

the final prophet muhammad's* world was not so different to the one we face with endless volumes written about him in these times,

I ask myself why not tear out a few pages and implement something worthwhile in my life

Sometimes I cry at the thought of the young the messenger* himself was an orphan now there's over a billion muslims yet kids are still parentless within his nation

Shattered lives before they fully got to develop their mindsscarred by the thought of where their parents are gonedue to the worlds failures I wonderwhat the Prophet Muhammad* would have done

Allah knows that hearts are screaming for a changethe same one that came 1400 years ago in one man when the rich were getting richer and the poor were poorer he stood strong against the Quraysh

Now that materialism is a way of life so is depression,adultery & mass murder and suicide we all being fooled by the media machine showing the dominance of the white house along with America's riches

But the truth is a wave of anti-religion spreads in its streetsthe american satanic system got 40% living in poverty, in shanti towns next to train tracks and under bridges

So the next time you see in the streets someone sleeping on the floor remember the prophet* himself was poor but we hesitate to run towards goodness

due to our ego we're in a boxing match with shaytaan who's leaving us in stitches

In this darkness its really hard to do things rightwith guns in the streets and a war in the middle easti wonder what it would be like if the final messenger* was alive

The rising gang culture is no different to the arab tribes and yet there was room for peace to be sown

The feuding, the cursing, the war between west and east coastcould have been intellectually solved just like how the prophet* dealt with the issue of the blackstone

but about that part of his life, thats not known thats not propogated the media are trying to marry islam to terrorism portraying islam as a religion of hatred

that came in the arab landin the daybreak of what could have been a civil warhe came with the clarity of thought preaching Allah is one alongwith the brotherhood of man

thus sparing alot of bloodshed but the media are like vultures creating fictional characters like superman, batman No! the world had only had 1 outstanding hero his name was Muhammad*

* = Sallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam

Author

Surah Al Qamar

2007-04-26T21:38:00.000Z

Mishary Rasheed Al Afaasi

Sunnah of eating

2007-04-21T11:48:00.000Z

The Prophet, (saws) said: “A Believer eats in one intestine, whereas a non-believer eats in seven intestines,” (Narrated by Ibn Umar and collected in Saheeh Muslim)

‘When one of you eats, he should mention Allaah's name (i.e. say ‘Bismillaah); if he forgets to mention Allaah's name at the beginning, he should say (when he remembers): I begin in the name of Allah at the beginning and at the end of it ( Bismillah awwalahu wa Akhirahoo).” (Tirmidhi - Narrated by Aaisha and collected by Abu Dawood)

The Prophet, (saws) said: “Do not eat with your left hand for shaitaan eats with his left hand,” (Narrated by Jabir (RA) , Sahih Muslim)

Abu Hurairah, (RA) reported that the Prophet (saws) never found fault with food. If he liked it, he would eat it, but if he disliked it, he just left it. So we should instead be grateful as instructed by Allaah: “O You who believe! Eat of the good things that we have provided for you and be grateful to Allaah, if it is He you worship.” )Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 17)

The Prophet, (saws) commanded us never to waste food, because food that we waste is eaten by shaitaan. He (saws) said: “The shaitaan is present with everyone of you in everything he does; he is even present when he eats food, so if any on of you drops a mouthful, he should remove away anything filthy on it and eat it and not leave it for the devil; and when he finished, he should lick his fingers for he does not know in what portion of his food the blessing ties.” (Narrated by Jabir (RA), Sahih Muslim)

The Prophet, :saws: said: “A Believer eats in one intestine, whereas a non-believer eats in seven intestines,” (Narrated by Ibn Umar and collected in Saheeh Muslim)
Therefore it is not for us to eat till we are completely satiated; rather we should eat such that the hunger goes but there is still room for more.

When we have finished eating, we should always remember Allaah and be grateful to Him, for He is ar-Razzaaq, the Provider and our Sustainer. We should express this gratitude in the manner in which the Prophet (saws) taught us. He (saws) said: “One who has eaten some food and then says: ‘All praise is for Allaah, who has given me this (food to eat] and provided me without any effort or power on my part’, he will have his sins forgiven. (Alhamdulillaahil-lazee at’amanaa haadha warazaqeenee min ghairi hawlin minnee wala quwwah).” (Narrated by Mu’aadh Ibn Anas(RA), collected by at-Tirmidhee and others)

We have an excellent opportunity to transform an everyday practice of eating and drinking into an act of worship and a source of blessing for us. Every mouthful of food we take will serve as a reminder of Alaah's great favor upon us and His Mercy and this in turn will cause us to earn favor with Allaah, for the Prophet (saws) said: “Indeed Allah is pleased with His servant who, when he eats a morsel, praises Him for it, or drinks a sip and then praises Him for it.”(Narrated by Anas (RA) and collected in Saheeh Muslim)

May Allaah grant us the ability to become of His thankful servants. Ameen.
source

Ways To Strengthen One’s Memory

2007-04-09T21:52:00.000Z

It is human nature to be forgetful, as the Arab poet said:
“He is only called man (insaan) because of his forgetfulness (nasiyaan), and it is only called the heart (al-qalb) because it changes so rapidly (yataqallib).”
In the past they said that the first one to forget (awwal naasin) was the first man (awwal al-naas), meaning Adam, peace be upon him. Forgetfulness is something that varies from person to person according to each individual’s nature; some may be more forgetful than others. Some of the things that may help to combat forgetfulness are the following:

1. Keeping away from sin, because the bad effects of sin result in a bad memory and the inability to retain knowledge. The darkness of sin cannot co-exist with the light of knowledge. The following words were attributed to al-Shaafi‘ee, may Allah have mercy on him:
“I complained to [my shaykh] Wakee’ about my bad memory, and he taught me that I should keep away from sin. He said that knowledge of Allah is light, and the light of Allah is not given to the sinner.”
Al-Khateeb reported in al-Jaami‘ (2/387) that Yahya ibn Yahya said: “A man asked Maalik ibn Anas, ‘O Abu ‘Abd-Allah! Is there anything that will improve my memory?’ He said, "If anything will improve it, it is giving up sin.”
When a person commits a sin, it overwhelms him and this leads to anxiety and sorrow which keeps him busy thinking about what he has done. This dulls his senses and distracts him from many beneficial things, including seeking knowledge.

2. Frequently remembering Allah, may He be glorified, by reciting dhikr, tasbeeh (saying ‘Subhan Allah’), tahmeed (‘Al-hamdu Lillaah’), tahleel (‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allah’) and takbeer (‘Allahu akbar’), etc. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “…And remember your Lord when you forget…” [Qur’an al-Kahf 18:24]

3. Not eating too much, because eating too much makes one sleep too much and become lazy, and it dulls the senses, besides exposing one to the risk of physical diseases. Most of the diseases which we see result from food and drink.

4. Some of the scholars have mentioned certain foods which increase the memory, such as drinking honey and eating raisins and chewing certain kinds of gum resin.
Imaam al-Zuhree said: “You should eat honey because it is good for the memory.”
He also said: “Whoever wants to memorize hadeeth should eat raisins.” (From al-Jaami‘ by al-Khateeb, 2/394)
Ibraaheem ibn [sth. omitted] said, “You should chew resin gum, because it gives energy to the heart and gets rid of forgetfulness.” (From al-Jaami‘ by al-Khateeb, 2/397)
As they mentioned, too much acidic food is one of the causes of laziness and weak memory.

5. Another thing that can help the memory and reduce forgetfulness is cupping (hijaamah) of the head, as is well known from experience. (For more information see Al-Tibb al-Nabawi by Ibn al-Qayyim). And Allah knows best.
missionislam.com

Duas for Distress/Grief/Concern/Sorrow

2007-04-06T13:00:00.000Z

At times of distress the Messenger of Allah ( – may the peace & blessings of Allah be upon him) would say: "Laa ilaa ha il lal laah al-a'theem al-ha' leem, laa ilaa ha il lal laah rabbul arshil-atheem, laa ilaa ha il lal laah rab bus-sa maa waa ti wa rab bul-ardi wa rab bul-arshil-kareem"(Bukhari and Muslim) The English meaning is: There is no ilah (God) except Allah the Magnificent, The Forbearing. There is no Allah except Allah, Lord of the Magnificent Throne. There is no ilah except Allah Lord of the Heavens, Lord of the Earth, and Lord of the Noble Throne.

It is reported of the Prophet (SAWS) that if something distressed him he would say:

"Ya hayyu ya qay yoom, bi-rah matika as tagheeth"

(At Tirmidhi)

The English meaning is: O' Ever Living, O Sustainer, in your Mercy I plead for rescue (help, aid, assistance).

Abu Bakr (RA – may Allah be pleased with him) stated that the Messenger of Allah (SAWS) said "The supplications of the distressed are:

"Allah humma ra'hma taka ar joo, fa laa ta kil nee ilaa naf see tar fa ta a’yn, wa as li’h lee sha nee kul lah, laa ilaa ha il laa ant"

(Abu Dawud)

The English meaning is: O' my Allah it is your Mercy that I beseech, so do not entrust me to myself for even a twinkle of an eye, and correct for me all my affairs, there is no ilah other than You.

The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said to Asma bint Umaysin (ra): "Shall I not teach you a few words which you can say when you are distressed - or at the time of distress - "Allah Allah rab bee laa ush riku bihi shay an" (Abu Dawud) The English meaning is: Allah, Allah my Lord I associate nothing with Him.

The Messenger of Allah said: "The petition of Thin-Noon (Jonah) which he petitioned was when he was inside the whale: "Laa ilaa ha il laa an ta, sub ha’ naka in nee kun tu minath-thaa limeen"

(At-Tirmithi)

The English meaning is: There is no ilah except You, Glorified are Thee, I have been one of the unjust.

It is reported of the Prophet that he said: "No pre-occupying concern, or sadness inflicts a slave of Allah whereupon they says: "Allah humma in nee a'b duka, wabnu a'b dika, wabnu amatika, na siyatee biyadik, madhin fiyya hu'k muk, a'd lun fiyya qa dhaa uk, as aluka bikul lis min huwa lak, sam mayta bihi naf sak, aw an zal tahu fee kitabik, aw a'l lam tahu aha'dan min khal qik, aw is ta thar ta bihi fee i'l mil ghay bi in dak, an taj a'l al-qur aan rabee'a, qal bee, wa noora sad ree, wa jala'a hu'z nee, wa thahaba hammee"

(Ahmad and Ibn Hibban)

The English meaning is: O' Allah! I am your bondservant, son of your bondsman, and son of your bondwoman. My forelock is in your Hands; your judgement is continuously being carried out upon me; your sentence upon me is just. I ask You with every name that is yours, with which You have named yourself, brought down in your book, taught to one of your creation, or have preferred for Yourself in the hidden knoweldge, with You; that You make the Quran the spring of my heart, and the light of my chest, and the despellation of my sadness, and deportation of my (preoccupying) concern.

25 suggestions to add to your life

2007-04-06T12:54:00.000Z

1. Start off each day with 'azkar al-istiyqaz' (waking up supplications), thanking Allah for waking up in good shape.

2. Put Allah (swt) and then Prophet Mohammad (saw) before anything else in your life.

3. Broaden your horizons-learn 5 New verses from the Quran, travel to pray the Fajr in the mosque to brighten your day, take up a booklet having azkar-alsaba7 (morning supplications) and read them.

4. Pray Salat Al-duha (after sunrise) and also the remaining 4 obligatory salaat of the day.

5. If someone says something mean to you, just shrug it off and dismiss it in a friendly, laidback manner, and pray that Allah shall forgive him or her. They will probably get the message that they're not triggering your anger and they will stop.

6. When you get angry, remember Allah, and how short and worthless life is to waste in being Angry.

7. Remember that you can never have too many friends, but you can have few quality friends that help you fulfil the purpose of your creation (i.e live for Allah.)

8. When you're happy, try to share your happiness with others thank Allah for that, and pray its continuation.

9. When something bad or embarrassing happens to you, just think that it could always be worse, remember the reward of patience, and thank Allah that it's not worse than it is.

10. Do something extra of goodness once in a while, like feeding a poor person, or caressing an orphan's head.

11. Never stop believing that you can win Allah's love and thus work for it. Then you can win the love of Allah's slaves.

12. Spend some time thinking of Allah's amazing creation.

13. Always love those who love Allah unconditionally. This way you will ensure that you live for Him, love for Him, and hate for Him (those who are enemies of Him)

14. Find the righteous ways to express yourself, and if you think that what you are about to say shall cause no benefit, maintain silence (this is tough!)

15. Every now and then, give yourself a break. play sports, give time to your family, friends, but always remember Allah and watch that He is watching you (Ihsan).

16. Pray for blessings to come to your enemies, and pray Allah to guide them to the right path.

17. Show love to your parents and always obey them (except orders that are against Islam, which they’ll never do) especially to your mother as Junnah is under the feet of your mother.

18. Smile to everyone, to all brothers and sisters, for your smile makes a big difference to them and you are rewarded.

19. Forgive, forget and smile.

20. Tears are not for women only... tears are for all human beings with feelings remaining in them. Don't restrain your tears when remembering Allah.

21. When people criticize your actions and effort, revise your actions and see if they please Allah or not. If they do, then ignore those criticism and remember how the Prophet(s) and the Sahaba (ra) were criticized, made fun of and even physically harmed, so have patience.

22. Read the Quran daily and try to have a schedule for completing it every month (or as much as you could) as long as you open the Quran daily, and read with observing, try to understand and traansform them into action, not just passing your eyes through the words.

23. Don't let popularity go to your head, for it never lasts and you may lose from it more than gain.

24. Never look down on anybody, for they may be better than you in Allah's eyes.

25. After praying the salaatul Isha and before going to bed ask yourself whether you have gained some points for the day or are you loosing. Make repentance for things you have done wrong and think of ways to improve yourself in the following day.

Source

Increase your Share!

2007-04-06T12:41:00.000Z

How can the Believer increase his share of the trees of Paradise?

A l-Khalîl ar-Rahmân and the Father of the Prophets, Ibrâhîm (as) asked our Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aâlihi Wasallam) on the night of the Isrâ' to convey his greetings to this ummah and to tell them the way in which they could increase their share of the trees of Paradise. At-Tirmidhi reported with a Hasan Isnâd from Ibn Mas'ûd that the Messenger of Allâh(Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aâlihi Wasallam) said:

"I met Ibrâhîm...and he said, "O Muhammad, tell your ummah that Paradise is a land whose soil is good and its water is sweet. It is an empty plain, which will be planted with SubhânAllâh, Alhamdulillâh, and Allâhu Akbar"
[Sahîh al-Jâmi' as-Saghîr, 5/34, no. 5028]

I want SOMETHING back!

2007-03-13T19:03:00.000Z

You, Them & Allah(swt)

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and Allah. It never was between you and them anyway.Doesn't matter if the outcome isn't as expected or as wanted, because Allah will see, judge and reward Inshallah. We do things for other people...for the sake of Allah, we help, give, love, care, share, forgive etc for the sake of Allah. Our intentions should always be for His sake and pleasure. Inshallah.

...Then, whatever they do or say won't bring you down Inshallah, because it was for Allah anyway...

Source

Don't say you're not important

2007-02-19T13:02:00.000Z

Don't say you're not Important

It simply isn't true,
The fact that you were born,
Is proof, God has a plan for you.

The path may seem unclear right now,
But one day you will see,
That all that came before,
Was truly meant to be.

God wrote the book that is your life,
That's all you need to know.
Each day that you are living,
Was written long ago.

God only writes best sellers
,So be proud of who you are,Y
our character is important,
In this book you are the Star.

Enjoy the novel as it reads,
It will stand throughout the ages,
Savor each chapter as you go,
Taking time to turn the pages.

Source

The Dark Night by Babar Ahmed

2007-02-18T20:19:00.000Z

The Dark Night
By Babar Ahmad

The night is dark and there’s no sign of light.
The tunnel is long and there’s no end in sight.

The road is thorny and the path is steep,
There’s no time to rest and no time to sleep.

The air is thin and the rope is tight,
There isn’t much energy left to fight.

The ocean is deep and the brine is cold,
The lifeboats of rescue have all been sold.

The forest is thick and full of peril,
At every turn are snares of the devil.

Seething serpents in every crevice,
Snarling hisses full of menace,

With crocodile tears and a stiff upper lip,
And venomous bites that cause steel to rip,

With fake smiles and eloquent words,
As sweet as nightingale singing birds,

With shiny suits and well-groomed hair,
They entice victims into their lair.

The world is ruled by crocodiles and snakes.
The world is ruled by frauds and fakes.

Diversity and multiculturalism,
(Are just fancy words for state racism).

Fairness and honour are things now extinct,
Justice and power are two things distinct.

Power corrupts and gets to the head,
It enters the blood and turns gold into lead.

Years without trial incarceration,
In what is supposed to be a great nation!

The rule of law and human rights,
Have melted away into silent nights.

Those who claim moral superiority,
Only instil hatred into the minority.

Those who care fear more for themselves,
And thus leave their values on the bookshelves.

So where are the bearers of valour and nobility?
Where are those who stand tall in adversity?

Where are the men who stood up to power?
And dismiss the urge to hide and cower?

Where are the men who have a conscience?
Why don’t they put an end to this nonsense?

Where are the knights and where are the scholars?
Who worry about more than their pennies and dollars?

Why do they fear to correct that which is wrong,
Then justify it with words that are so long?

If they can’t walk the walk, they shouldn’t talk the talk,
But sit at the table with their knife and fork.

How can it be that men are born free,
Yet they prefer to live in slavery?

Grovelling and bowing to the snakes on thrones,
Slavering away until they turn into bones.

But what good is there in a life of disgrace,
Where every second is spent saving face?

What is in the dark must come to light,
All then their lies will be swept out of sight.

For truth is a stallion that never fails its master,
If it is suppressed it gallops even faster.

The victims of injustice are thorns in the side
,Like bleeding arteries they never subside.

Until the oppressed are returned their dues,
Their plights will remain headline news.

The Day is approaching in which tyrants will weep,
As they have sown so shall they reap.

That is the Day: Judgement Day,
When the One Most High will have His Say.

The night is dark but it will soon be dawn,Since the noose is tight so shall it be torn.
The night is dark but it will soon be dawn,
And there a new era….shall be born.

Dua's for studying

2007-02-11T12:41:00.000Z

DUA BEFORE STUDYING

Allahumma infa'nii bimaa O Allah! Make useful for me what You
'allamtanii wa'allimnii taught me and teach me knowledge
maa yanfa' unii that will be useful to me.
Allahumma inii as'aluka O Allah! I ask You for the understanding
fahmal-nabiyyen wa hifthal of the prophets and the memory of the
mursaleen al-muqarrabeen. messengers, and those nearest to You.
Allahumma ijal leesanee O Allah! Make my tongue full of
'amiran bi thikrika wa Your remembrance, and my heart
withqalbi bi khashyatika. consciousness of You.
Innaka 'ala ma-tasha'-u (O Allah!) You do whatever You wish,
qadeer wa anta hasbun-allahu and You are my Availer and
wa na'mal wakeel. Protector and the best of aid.

DUA AFTER STUDYING

Allahhumma inni astaodeeuka O Allah! I entrust You with what I
ma qara'tu wama hafaz-tu. have read and I have studied.
Faradduhu 'allaya inda (O Allah!) Bring it back to me when
hagati elayhi. I am in need of it.
Innaka 'ala ma-tasha'-u (O Allah!) You do whatever You wish,
qadeer wa anta hasbeeya and You are my Availer and
wa na'mal wakeel. Protector and the best of aid.

DUA WHILE STUDYING SOMETHING DIFFICULT

Allahumma la sahla illama O Allah! Nothing is easy except what
ja-'altahu sahla wa anta taj You have made easy. If You wish, You
'alu al hazana etha shi'ta sahla can make the difficult easy.

DUA FOR ANXIETY

Allahumma inni a'oodhoo bika O Allah! I seek refuge in You from anxiety
minal-hammi walhuzni, wal-'ajzi and sorrow, weakness and laziness,
wal-kasali wal-bukhli wal-jubni, miserliness and cowardice, the burden of
wa a udu bika min ghalabatie aldajnie wa khahrir al-rijal,debts and from being oppressed by men.

DUA FOR DISTRESS

Allahumma rahmataka arjoo falaa O Allah! It is Your mercy that I hope for
takilnee ilaa nafsee tarfata so do not leave me in charge of my affairs
'aynin wa aslih-lee sha'nee even for a blink of an eye and rectify
kullahu, laa ilaha illa anta for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You.

DUA FOR CONCENTRATION

Salla-l-laahu alaa Muhammad wa aal-e Muhammad. Allahumma inni as'aluka yaa mudhakkira-l khayr wa faa'ilahu wa-l-aamimira bihi dhakir-ni maa ansaani-hi-shaytan.

Blessings of god be upon Muhammad and his progeny. O god, I ask you, the one who mentions goodness and actualizes it and commands it, remind me of that which the shaytan makes me forget.

Sheikh al-Islam Ibn-Taymiyah

2007-02-11T11:39:00.000Z

Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah is a very famous Muslim scholar. To understand Ibn Taymiyah we need to understand the time that Ibn Taymiyah came at. Ibn Taymiyah came at a time when many people came into Islam but unfortunately wanted to bring some of the stuff from their old religions into Islam and make a mix. The result of that appeared as groups like the Shi3a & the Sufis and so on. At that time Islam was drifting away and the people started clinging to the things that were added to Islam not to Islam itself. Ibn Katheer in his most famous book "al-bidayah wal-nihayah (The starting and the beginning)" says that deviation and misguidance speed so much that Sunnah and true Islam was hard to find (much worst than today), and he actually gives examples of places and such. He said "and when we come to see the state of the people of Damascus that time, the people there were worst than the polytheist Kafirs like Christians and Sabians. Innovations and Shirk spread so commonly that it was thought to be Sunnah and it was defended vigorously against any kind of reform or return to the sundae."

At these times Ibn Taymiyah came. Obviously, this was around the time of the Crusader presence. Also, you have a significant of the Christian population becoming Muslim or forming certain sects and certain people who were already Muslims were forming certain sects. As one says, you are a product of your environment. A very large percentage of Syrians were Christian and joining Islam and they were bad influences. Ibn Taymiyah attacked the idea of having saints. The idea of saints originated from Catholicism and Christian Orthodoxy. As for Druze and Alawite, Ibn Taymiyah call for their persecution since they are worse polytheist than Christians are. The Mamelukes were not interested in the piety of Orthodox Sunni style. They favored the Mystical Dervish styles of the Sufis etc.... Today, with Mamelukes and Fatimite influence, Egypt still has heavy mystical influence and Sufism.

Ibn Taymiyah had one little magnificent idea: Islam was perfect and complete at the days of the companion, a lot of stuff was added to Islam afterwards by Sufis and others, since Islam WAS perfect before then these things we do no need. So, he wanted to revive the understanding of Islam according to what the Companions of the prophet (or al-Salaf al-Salih7) understood. Of course Ibn Taymiyah did not come up with that concept by himself, the concept was started by the prophet who used to say in every Friday that people will come and they will add to Islam, and that these additions are evil and are rejected, and that those who add them will not be forgiven and there will not get reward for their worship. The Companions understood that and they followed it perfectly. The guidelines of the concept are very apparent in all the 4 schools especially the last school (mathhab), the Hanbali which came at a time when deviations and innovations were many so It had a solid and clear methodology in fighting such things, Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal spent several years in the jails of Bani al-3abbas because of his stand against the deviant mu3tazillah when they claimed that the text of Quran was uttered by Gabriel not by Allah (fitnat khaliq al-Quran).

Anyway as Muslims got deeper and deeper into these deviations, Allah made their situation worse and worse. First Allah gave the shi3a the upper hand on the Sunnis and they founded states in Yemen (Zaidiya), eastern Arabia (Qaramita), Iran (Ismailis and Twelvers) and Egypt (Fatimites). Ibn Katheer says in the same book (al-bidayah wal-nihayah) that this was indeed the long due punishment that the people deserved with their leaving Islam. But the people still insisted on deviation and innovation so Allah sent both the Mongol and the Crusaders as punishments on the Muslims. At such times, came Ibn Taymiyah.

Ibn Taymiyah was a follower of the Hanbali School, his father was the head of that school but he died when Ibn Taymiyah was 17. When Ibn Taymiyah became 20 he was acknowledged to be the head of the Hanbali School by all Hanbali major scholars. The nature of the Hanbali school and the fact that it was the last lead remain away from all the innovation and deviation aground them. Many Hanbalis deviated too but for some time the only groups that slicked to pure Islam were a small group among the Hanbalis and the ever-small group of the students of Hadeeth. The rest were in dissension. Ibn Taymiyah started a revolution. He was sick and tired of all the innovation and deviation aground him, so he started a merciless war against everything that is not Islam yet claiming to be Islam. He attacked many people that the people considered holy like al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, Ibn Seena (philosopher from the Mu3tazila and many others. Ibn Taymiyah was set on living Islam like the Companions understood it and lived it, without the additions that people added and without taking anything away from Islam. He was able with his great ability at speech and great knowledge to gain a huge number of supporters in a short time. Indeed, Ibn Taymiyah enemies had no argument at all, anyone who studies Quran and Sunnah sees that everything Ibn Taymiyah called for was good and everything he fought was bad. The guy was so careful not to do or say anything unless he is sure of the strength of his argument.

Ibn Taymiyah attacked Ibn 3arabi, the famous Sufi that claimed for the first time that Allah exists everywhere and he claimed that Allah and his creations are the same thing. That is clearly in contradiction to Quran and Sunnah and to the understanding of the Companions (Qur'an 67:16). So Ibn Taymiyah declared him a Kafir (non-Muslim) because he attributed to Allah something that we were never told, and that is Kufr by the agreement of the Sunni Muslims. By doing this, Ibn Taymiyah made the Sufis his enemies. Ibn Taymiyah was merciless with the Sufis who instead or worshipping Allah and supplicating to Allah, were worshipping their Awlia' (their leaders) and the graves, yet he was fair to the few Sufis that were righteous at his time like Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (unfortunately those Sufis are almost nonexistent today). Ibn Taymiyah did not care how much that was man respected nor how many followers did he have, he attacked whoever he found deviating and he was extremely frank about it. He even would say that so and so contradicts himself and show how, or comment on the stupidity and silliness of the ideas and methodologies. He was devoted to the truth.

Ibn Taymiyah did not care who liked him and who hated him, he cared for what was right and what was wrong. Later on a person from 7Hama city asked Ibn Taymiyah about the issue of Allah being over the throne (al-istiwa') so in answer Ibn Taymiyah dictated his book "al-3aqeedah al-hamawiyah" which basically was based on what the Companions believed in regard to theme issues, and he gave extensive evidence for it from the sayings of the companions, the understanding of companions to Quran and from the narrated Sunnah. The fact was that at that time people in Sham (Syria) had a different view on this issue than the view of the Companions, their understanding was that to deny the attributes of Allah and make them symbolist to some other things. Ibn Taymiyah was able to clearly show how this is not what the Muslims for the first three generations believed in, and that this belief was added to Islam. By this Ibn Taymiyah also gained the asha3irah as another enemy. Then Ibn Taymiyah made his most famous Fatwa (religious verdict) with regards to promising to make divorce that those who promise "3alai al-talaq" not intending to really do, then it doesn't count. The three other schools of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) were in agreement on the contrary so they were so raged at his Fatwa, although" today all Muslims are in agreement that his Fatwa was indeed correct. But anyway the result of his Fatwa is that the leaders among the other schools became all against him. So, Ibn Taymiyah gathered against him the ash3aris, Sufis and the Sectarian and that meant trouble and conspiracies to come.

The 3 groups started making plans to get rid of Ibn Taymiyah from his position, so they went to the ruler and told him that Ibn Taymiyah claims that Allah is in the sky and that this is bad. The ruler was fair and held a debate between both sides: Ibn Taymiyah, all the judges, and all the others. At the end of the discussion the ruler said that Ibn Taymiyah was correct and that these scholars were misguided about where Allah is (ola'ika ada3u rabbabum).

Issues like this continued and later the 3 groups managed to get other rulers to be less sympathetic with Ibn Taymiyah and he was jailed several times. That is no shame of course since Imam Ahmad himself was put in jail and prophet Yusuf (Joseph) was put in jail too. Ibn Taymiyah also spent some of his time in Jihad against the Mongol. He also gave several motivating speeches to the armies that went to fight when he did not go with them himself.

Ibn Taymiyah, with his daring frank approach was very successful at exposing the zeal and deviation of many groups. He was one man who started with a few students but ended up with a huge group of followers returning to follow Islam like the Companions did. The prophet told us about such people when he said "Allah has put for my nation for every 100 years a man who will revive the forgotten and correct the deviation." and Insha' Allah Ibn Taymiyah is among those Reformers (Mujadids).

The efforts of Ibn Taymiyah soon lead to a righteous government by the Ayyubis to be formed. Bani Ayyub (children of Saladin/Salah al-Deen) adopted an Islamic reform policy that they are until today praised for, they followed much of what Ibn Taymiyah called for with a few exceptions, the most important one was that they were still ash3aris in their faith. But the fact that they were the only Sunni righteous government for a long time, and that they declared their Sunnism and a war against so many deviations shows that they are indeed a gigantic improvement over those who came before them.

As for his Fatwa regards the Isma3ilia (Isma'ilism) being Kafirs (non-Muslims), then that is true. He did declare them Kafirs, but then again so do ALL Muslims. The Isma3ilis believe Quranic texts have a hidden mending, and that there is a knowledge of the unseen, that only the Ismaili scholars can know about. That is known as Batiniyah (hidden religion), and the Sunni Muslims are in 110% agreement that this is s Kufr (disbelieving in Islam). Besides the fact that Ismailis believe that Quran is distorted, this is Kufr too. As for his Fatwa that the ruler should kill them all, then that is also not his opinion alone. Many scholars since the days of the Companions believed that a Zindeeq (the non-Muslim who claims himself to be a Muslim to attack Islam from inside) has no repentance in this life, that we must kill him, if he is under Islamic law. And this is by the way, the opinion of the majority, but the Ismailis hate Ibn Taymiyah so much because only the students of Ibn Taymiyah are the ones that refute these groups and expose their Kufr to all the people so that they will not be fooled by them.

Ibn Taymiyah died young but he left a lot of books. Many of Ibn Taymiyah students became big time scholars like Ibn al-Qayim and al-Thahabi. Ibn Taymiyah efforts are until today very useful, his guideline are until today used by the Muslims who want to follow Islam like it was at the days of the companions, without any additions and without any deletions.

Shaikh al-Islam Ibn-Taymiyya was the best when it comes to debating with Christians. If you read his debate with Christian scholars, you will find him supper. He showed very clearly their contradiction and man-made modification to their Bible. His book "Al-Jawab Al-Sahih Liman Baddala Qaula al-Maseeh (The right answer to those who changed the message of the Messiah)" is the best ever book that was written against the missionary Christians. May Allah bless his soul, he was a great man. I have to say that all Damascus attended his funeral including all these who he was in-dispute with them about some branches in Islamic practices like the Sufis and other schools. Muslims prayed at him even in far countries such as Yemen and China. Ibn-Taymiyah was one of the greatest men in Islamic teaching he is one of very few Imams who fought on the front-line side by side with Muslim soldiers. He was school in Fiqh and Jihad at the same time.

Source: IslamicWeb

2007-02-10T19:33:00.000Z

Return of the Pharoah by Zaineb
al-Ghazali

Zaynab al-Ghazali is a woman of another kind. Like Aisha Abd al-Rahman, she is Egyptian and defends the rights of Muslim women in accordance with what she perceives to be the correct Islamic doctrine, and like her she is the daughter of an Azhar-educated father. But she has been an organizer of women and an Islamic activist, rather than an Islamic scholar. Early in her youth, she was an active member of the Egyptian Feminist Union, founded by Huda al-Sha`rawi in 1923. She resigned her membership in disagreement with the ideas and ideals of the women's liberation movement and, at the age of eighteen in 1936, she founded the Muslim Women's Association in order to organize women's activities according to Islamic norms and for Islamic purposes.

The Society of the Muslims Brothers, founded by Hasan al-Banna in 1928, was thinking of creating a division of the Muslim Sisters at the time, and Hasan al-Banna asked Zaynab al-Ghazali to head that division and incorporate into it her new Muslim Women's Association. She and her association's general assembly rejected the offer, but promised cooperation. After the Society of the Muslim Brothers was dissolved in 1948, she gave personal pledge of allegiance to Hasan al-Banna in 1949 to support him and back his efforts to establish an Islamic state. Though he was assassinated soon afterwards, she continued her personal allegiance to his successors in the society and helped their members, particularly after they went underground during Abd al-Nasir's regime in the 1950s and 1960s.

In an interview at home in Heliopolis, Egypt in 1981 Zaynab al-Ghazali said:

"Islam has provided everything for both men and women.
It gave women everything--freedom, economic rights, political rights, social
rights, public and private rights. Islam gave women rights in the family granted
by no other society. Women may talk of liberation in Christian society, Jewish
society, or pagan society, but in Islamic society it is a grave error to speak
of the liberation of women. The Muslim woman must study Islam so she will know
that it is Islam that has given her all her rights. "

This is the core of Zaynab al-Ghazali's thought regarding the status of women as expressed in her public lectures and her articles in al-Da`wa magazine, for which she was editor of a section devoted to the ideals of a good Muslim home. The thrust of her activism and that of her association is an educational one: to instill the doctrines of Islam in women's minds, teach them about their rights and duties and call her change in society leading to the establishment of an Islamic state which rules by the Quran and the Sunna of the Prophet (SAW).

Zaynab al-Ghazali believes that Islam permits women to take an active part in public life, to hold jobs, enter politics and express their opinion. She believes Islam permits them to own property, do business and be anything they wish to be in the service on an Islamic society. Yet she believes that a Muslim woman's first duty is to be a mother and a wife, and that no other activity should interfere with this role of hers, for this should have priority over everything else. If she has free time to participate in public life after her first duty is fulfilled, she may do so because Islam does not forbid her.

Zaynab al-Ghazali strongly believes in the religious and social duty of being married. In her first marriage, her husband did not agree with her Islamic activism and so she got a divorce in accordance with a marriage precondition. Her second husband was more understanding and undertook in writing to assist her and never to prevent her from fulfilling her mission in the service of the Islamic cause. In her autobiographical book, Ayyam min Hayati, she tells how, though worried about her, her husband continued to support her in her activities; she emphasizes, however, that she never neglected him or her family duties, even as she continued to be president of the Muslim Women's Association, to work long hours at its headquarters and to be personally involved in the clandestine activities of the Society of the Muslim Brothers. After her second husband's death, she felt that she had done her duty in marriage and was free to devote all her time to the cause of Islam.

Like many Muslim activists disenchanted with the 1952 Egyptian revolution which many of them supported at the beginning, Zaynab al-Ghazali considered Abd al-Nasir and his regime to be enemies of Islam. After some members of the Society of the Muslim Brothers were sentenced to death and many others imprisoned, she started programs to take care of their orphans and widows, to cater to the needy and unemployed among those released or at large, to help their families and in general to sue her position as president of the Muslim Women's Association to do social work that was greatly needed. She also intensified her educational activities and participated in secret Islamic study groups guided by the leadership of the Muslims Brothers in prison. By 1962, she had established contact with Sayyid Qutb in prison through his two sisters and received his approval of an Islamic course of readings in commentaries on the Quran and the Hadith as well as in Islamic jurisprudence. She also received from him sections of a book he was writing in prison, later to be published under the title Ma`alim fil Tariq.

Pages from this book and instructions from Sayyid Qutb in prison, along with the set verses from the Quran, would be studied by groups of five to ten young men meeting at night in the home of Zaynab al-Ghazali or elsewhere. Discussions followed and views were established and opinions formed. With the agreement of Sayyid Qutb and the Muslim Brother's leadership, it was decided that this Islamic training program should continue for thirteen years, which is the duration of Prophet Muhammad's call in Mecca before he moved to Medina and established the Islamic state. It was also decided that at the end of this period, a survey would be conducted in Egypt to find whether at least 75 percent of Egyptian men and women were convinced on the necessity of establishing an Islamic state. If so, they would call for one; if not, they would continue their study and learning for another thirteen years--this to be repeated again and again until the nation was ready to accept Islamic rule, implementing Islamic law in accordance with the Quran and the Sunna of the Prophet (SAW).

When the Egyptian government became suspicious and these secret groups looked to it like seditious political cells, a crackdown on Muslim Brothers took place in 1965. Muslim Sisters were not spared, the Muslim Women's Association was dissolved, and Zaynab al-Ghazali among others, was imprisoned. She was brought to trial with several others in 1966 and sentenced to hard labor for life, but she was released in 1971. In the open Islamic resurgence in Egypt which became stronger after the death of Abd al-Nasir in 1970 and since Sadat replaced him as Egyptian president, she was continued to be an active speaker and teacher of Islam, calling for the establishment of an Islamic state as the ideal toward which all Muslims should strive in order to have a society which is divinely guided by the Quran and the Sunna of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Zaynab al-Ghazali's ideas regarded the would-be Islamic state are very general and lack specificity on many points. Her believe in it, however, is no weaker for that reason. She believes there is no Islamic state on earth at present, i.e., one totally bound by the Shari`a and implementing it fully; not even Pakistan or Saudi Arabia qualifies to be called an Islamic state in her view. She supports the Iranian revolution and hopes its regime will soon become settled so tat it can devote its efforts to solving its internal and external problems. The penal code of the Islamic Shari`a should not be applied now, but it should rather be postponed until an Islamic state is established and the Shari`a can be fully implemented. Allegiance should be given to an Islamic ruler by general election or by the group traditionally knows as ahl al-Hall wal `aqd who are honest, wise, experiences and righteous people who, according to her, could be chosen, appointed or elected, no specific system being involved. She believes Islam forbids that the headship of the Islamic state be a hereditary position. One who is head may be called a caliph or a president, and it is conceivable that there could be two caliphs at one time because of the expanse of the Islamic world; but the two should be united and their two armies should fight for the same cause. A caliph should have a council of advisers who are experts in various fields so that he can remain trustworthy and acceptable to the people who elected him. According to her, Islam does not accept a multi-party system because it has its own self-contained system, the Muslim people having the right in it to chose their ruler and the duty to obey him so long as he adheres to the true path of Islam. Other systems or regimes are man-made and inferior to Islam's, which is made by God. Non-Muslim believers will be treated by the Islamic state in accordance with the prescriptions of the Quran and the Sunna, and non-believers likewise. Zaynab al- Ghazali believes the Islamic system will bring justice to everyone, but Muslims must first be united. There can be differences of opinion among Muslims on issues over which their ranks will not be divided: they may differ on means but not on ends, where the goal should always remain unity.

Source: http://www.weneedtounite.com/ghazali.htm

A poem by Babar Ahmad

2007-02-09T19:01:00.001Z

Where Would I Be Without The Quran?

A Poem By Babar Ahmad
Date: 21-Sep-2004

Where would I be without the Quran?
Would I be guided?
Would I be strong?
Would I be protected from evil and wrong?
Would I hear my Creator’s Words?
Would I hear Him describe the birds?
Would I know the stories of the old?
Would I realise their worth in gold?

Where would I be without the Quran?
Would I find safety when others fear?
Would I find peace whilst sitting here?
Would I be happy when others are sad?
Would I be protected from going mad?
Would I be patient when things get tough?
Would I be firm when the seas are rough?

Where would I be without the Quran?
Would I get to know the One above?
Would I increase for him my love?
Would I be aware of the Day to come?
Would I value what is worthless to some?
Would I be able to sleep at night?
Would I be able to see with His light?

Where would I be without the Quran?
Would I have examples to follow?
Would I rejoice when others are in sorrow?
Would I have fear of the Burning Fire?
Would I be at the bottom of the sea, And have hope, that one day, my Lord will release me?

ONE FLAW IN WOMEN

2007-02-09T18:32:00.000Z

ONE FLAW IN WOMEN

Women have strengths that amaze men.

They bear hardships and they carry burdens,but they hold happiness, love and joy.

They smile when they want to scream.

They sing when they want to cry.

They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in.

They stand up to injustice.

They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.

They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.

They love unconditionally.

They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear abouta birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.

They grieve at the loss of a family member,yet they are strong when theythink there is no strength left.

They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.

They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.

They bring joy, hope and love.

They have compassion and ideas.

They give moral support to theirfamily and friends.

Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN, IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR OWN WORTH.

knowledge...a pearl of wisdom

2007-01-30T18:55:00.000Z

"In 2004 a third (33 per cent) of Muslims of working age in Great Britain had
no qualifications – the highest proportion for any religious group. They were
also the least likely to have degrees or equivalent qualifications (12 per
cent). "
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=963

During the year 1400, the much revered Islamic Empire existed. The empire of faith, the empire of light. Where as Europeans were engrossed in duets over trivial issues, Muslims a few thousand miles down the road were engrossed in study of the sciences. While in Europe, public baths, soap and running water was unheard of, their neighbours in Spain were enjoying all of that. While those under Muslim rule enjoyed a literate, cultured and safe life, their counterparts in the non-Muslim world were suffering the wrath of illiteracy. While libraries in the Muslim cities were bustling with hundreds of books, Europeans churches would be lucky to even have more than 2 books. Street lamps, paper and advanced sciences were all over the Muslim world – paper which came from the Chinese, and advanced sciences that has the Greeks, Indians and other ancient civilisations to thank for. Our architecture was expansive, complex and beautiful, while those in the non-Muslim world were still producing wooden huts.

WHY STUDY?...its an obligation for all Muslims

The first words revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) were: Read: in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from something which clings. Read and your Lord is the most generous. Who taught with pen. Taught man what he knew not..." (96:1-5)

Allah also says in the Quran: And certainly We gave knowledge to Dawood and Sulaiman, and they both said: Praise be to Allah, Who has made us to excel many of His believing servants. And Sulaiman was Dawood's heir, and he said: O men! we have been taught the language of birds, and we have been given all things; most surely this is manifest grace. (27:15-16)

"and say: `My Lord! Increase me in knowledge" [Quran, 20:114]

“It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allaah.” (Faatir 35: 28)

"Allah will exalt in degree those of you who believe, and those who have been granted knowledge." Surah Al-Mujadilah, (Verse 11)

Sayings of the Prophet Peace and blessings upon him

"If Allah wants good for someone, He helps him learn the deen." (Bukhari)

"When a man dies, all his deeds come to an end except for three — an ongoing charity, beneficial knowledge or a righteous child who will pray for him." (Muslim)

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah(PBUH) said, "He who does not acquire knowledge with the sole intention of seeking the Pleasure of Allah but for worldly gain, will not smell the fragrance of Jannah on the Day of Resurrection.''
[Abu Dawud].

Quotes from scholars

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah[2]- rahimahullaah - said:
"There are six stages to knowledge:
Firstly: Asking questions in a good manner.
Secondly: Remaining quiet and listening attentively.
Thirdly: Understanding well.
Fourthly: Memorising.
Fifthly: Teaching.
Sixthly- and it is its fruit: Acting upon the knowledge and keeping to its limits."

Poem by Abu Hanifa: Whoever strives for knowledge for the life to come obtains great gain in righteousness. But he is in utter loss who seeks [knowledge] to obtain an advantage over people!

"Indeed our words remain dead until we die in their cause, then they become alive to remain amongst the living." - Sayyid Qutb

Seeking knowledge at an Young age is like engraving on a stone.- Hasan al-Basri

Seeking knowledge
Books are key to wisdom; You should try to obtain as many of the books you need as you can, because they are the tools of learning. Do not make getting and keeping a lot of them (without benefiting from them) the only share of knowledge that you have, and collecting them the only share of understanding that you have. You also have to use and benefit from them as much as you can.

However, I understand that books are not the only way to aquire knowledge; strive to choose righteous friends who are preoccupied with seeking knowledge and are of a good nature, who can help you in achieving your aim, add to the benefits you have already gained, encourage you to seek more knowledge and stop you from feeling bored and tired; friends who are religiously-committed, trustworthy and of good character, who are sincere towards Allah and who are not merely messing about.

The Prophet (pbuh) said that seeking knowledge is a way leading to Paradise. He said: "Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allaah will make a path to Paradise easy for him." (Al-Bukhaari)