"The Goodly Life"

Sheikh Muhammad Mukhtar Ash-Shinqiti

It's hours and seconds, days and years pass him by
Leading him (by his actions) to the Love and Good Pleasure of Allah
until he is amongst the people of Ultimate Success and the Gardens of Paradise
or they are against him, leading him (by his actions) to the Fires of Hell 
and to the Anger of the One, the Just Ruler [Allah]

Life, either it will make you laugh & rejoice for an hour
over which you will cry for an eternity (in the Hereafter)
or it will make you cry for an hour 
over which you will laugh & rejoice for an eternity (in the Hereafter)

Life, is either a great blessing for a person,
or an adverse affliction against him

This is a life which was lived by the earliest generations
by our fathers and forefathers
and by all those who preceded us
All of them, returned to Allah with what they used to do [their deeds]

"Life" refers to every single moment that is lived within it
and every hour spent within it
And within all of these, we live a life that is either for us or against us

Thus, the successful and happy person
is the one who sees life, and recognises it's reality and true nature
For by Allah, it is a life that frequently causes some people to weep, their tears never drying
and frequently makes others laugh, their laughs and joys then never to return

My beloved, Allah has made this life as a trial, a test,
an exam, in which is made apparent the true nature of His slaves
Thus happy is the one who is made successful (in this exam) by the Mercy of Allah
while miserable & banished (from salvation) is the one upon whom the Pleasure of Allah becomes forbidden (through this exam)

(Know) for every hour that you live, either Allah is pleased with you in this hour (by your deeds)
or the opposite, we seek refuge in Allah from that
Therefore (by this hour) either you come closer to Allah
or you stray further from Him

Thus it may be, that you live a single moment of love and obedience to Allah (by your actions)
by which are forgiven the inequities of your life
and a lifetime of sins
And it may be that you live a single moment in which you deviate purposely from the Path of Allah
distancing yourself from His obedience
which then becomes a cause of misery & distress, for the rest of your life
We ask Allah for His Safety and Pardoning

In this life there exist two seperate 'callers'
The first, is anything that calls to the Mercy, the Good Pleasure and the Love of Allah (be they thoughts or actions)
The second type of caller, is anything which invites to the opposite of that
(Such as) a desire or lust that incites one to evil
or a sudden sinful whim that may result in an evil ending (dying in bad or sinful circumstances)

Thus it may be, that a person within a moment of his life, weeps;
a weeping of regret and repentance over his negligence towards his Lord;
and by (these tears) Allah changes his evil deeds into good deeds (on his record)

But how many a people continue to commit sins?
how many a people still indulge in evil?
how many a people continue to distance themselves (from Allah),
frequently travelling away from their Lord (by their actions)?
Thus all of them are distant from the Mercy of Allah
unbeknownst to them, strangers to the Good Pleasure of Allah

Then comes upon them that hour, that exact moment (of penitence),
which is what we are referring to, by "the goodly life",
in order that they shed tears of regret and remorse,
and that a reason for anguish in the heart may be ignited,

Such that the person realises how long his alienation from Allah has been
and how long his absence from his Lord truly has been
so that he may then say, "Indeed I am turning to my Lord repentant, remorseful,
and in hope of His Mercy and Good Pleasure!"

This time (of penitence) is a person's key to happiness and contentment,
the time of regret.
It is as the scholars say,
"Indeed man sins a great deal,
but if he is truly sincere in his regret and repentance,
Allah will change his sins into good deeds"
Thus his life too then becomes pure and goodly,
by the purity and truthfulness of that regret and repentance
and by the sincerity in the very distress and pain felt within himself

We ask Allah the Greatest, Lord of the Honourable Throne, 
to give life to this blessed caller to His Mercy, within our hearts
and to the pain we should feel when we are neglectful towards Allah and His Commands

My beloved, every single one of us needs to ask themselves a question,
we need to ask ourselves day and night,
How many nights are spent awake in activity?
and how many hours are passed (in this way)?
How many have laughed in this life?
And (most importantly) was Allah Pleased with this laughter?

How much of this time was spent in entertainment and enjoyment in this life?
Was this enjoyment one that Allah was Pleased with?
How many nights were spent awake (in activity)?
Was this staying awake (and what you did in those nights), pleasing to Allah?

And so on and so forth,
(These are) questions that he should be asking within himself
But a person might wonder why he should be asking these questions (i.e. what's the point)?

Yes! You must ask yourselves these questions
as passes not the instant of a blinking of an eye,
nor a fleeting moment in your life, 
except that you are living in and experiencing the Blessings of Allah!

Thus it is from great respect and humility towards Allah
that a person remains constantly aware of the greatness of the Blessings bestowed upon him

From this humility is to truly feel and acknowledge that the food we eat, 
belongs to and is provided by Allah

And that we quench our thirst with a drink created by Allah
And that we are shaded and sheltered by a roof provided by Him
And that we walk forth upon a ground provided by Him
And that without doubt we are living in and experiencing His every Bounty and Mercy
So what could we possibly have to offer Him in return? 

(So it's important) a person asks himself these questions.

(For example) doctors say that there exists a substance in a person's heart,
that if it were to increase or decrease by 1%
he would die instantly...
So (think) in which courtesy and kindness, 
which mercy and compassion from Allah does mankind enjoy, experience and live in!

(Even if) a person asks himself about the Mercy of Allah alone,
When he wakes up in the morning,
possessing his hearing
possessing his sight
possessing his physical strength,
who is the one safeguarding his hearing?
Who is the One safeguarding his sight?
Who is the One safeguarding his intellect?
Who is the One safeguarding his very soul?

He must ask himself, who is the One protecting all of these things?
Who is the One who Bestowed him with good health and wellbeing?

(Think of) those who are sick, lying on white beds (in hospital)
those who are sighing and in pain (from illness),
By Allah, through these great blessings Allah conveys His Love for us,
The great blessings of good health, wellbeing, security and safety
All of these are provided purely so that we may live a goodly life

Allah, praised & exalted is He, desires two things from His slave:
The first is that he carry out his obligatory duties (e.g. prayer)
and the second, is the abandonment of all Allah has forbidden and held him back from

As for the one who claims that closeness to Allah
entails a life of suffering or limitations
Then such a person without doubt has erred greatly in how he perceives Allah

For, by Allah, if you do not purify and make good your life by closeness to your Lord,
you will never be able to do so by way of anything else

And if you do not purify and adorn your life by carrying out your obligatory duties to Him,
and abandoning all that He has forbidden,
Then by Allah, you will never be able to so by way of anything else

A person may experience every single pleasure life has to offer
but by Allah, he will never experience anything more pleasurable, 
more beautiful than servitude to Allah
by carrying out his obligations to Him
and leaving all that He has forbid him from

(In life) you are subjected to two choices,
whenever you are faced with a matter, 
you have the choice to either do it or not do it

If you decide to go forth and do anything in this life,
ask yourself, "Has Allah permitted you to do this thing, or not?"

Since the human being himself is owned by Allah
the hearts are all owned by Allah
and the souls are all owned by Allah

Thus a person should,
whenever he wants to do something or hold back from it,
ask himself, will Allah be pleased with you (by this action)?
If so, then let him proceed
Or, will Allah not be pleased by this action?
If not then he should hold himself back.

For, by Allah, a person does not proceed with an action nor hold back from it,
requesting Allah's Mercy (and counsel in the decision), 
except that he pleases his Lord in the process

Therefore true happiness and a goodly life are only to be found in closeness to Allah

Closeness to who?
To the King of Kings
the Controller of the Heavens & the Earth
To whom belongs the Ultimate Command, all creation 
and the perfect arrangement and measure of all that exists

Thus you may find that man is always
in a state of anxiety and weariness
You may find an individual who has everything he desires
But by Allah, you will find most of those who have all they desire
suffer from mental or psychological problems,
from anxiety and depression,
most of them are extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives

Go and look for the wealthiest person
and you'll most likely find him to be from 
the most miserable people in life

And has made the sweetness and savour of life to be found,
in being close to Him

And has placed the key to a pleasurable, amiable life,
in a pleasurable, amiable relationship with Him

(If we look at just) one prayer that a person performs
from the 5 obligatory daily prayers;
at the moment of completing his bowing and prostrating
and completing his servitude to his Lord,
then at leaving the place of prayer,
he feels a great sense of ease and peace within himself!

By Allah, even if he were to spend all the wealth on the earth
(in attempt to buy this feeling)
He would be unable to seek a way to it.

Thus the goodly life is found only in closeness to Allah
A pleasant, comfortable life will only be found by a closeness to Allah
If a person does not purify and make good his life
through this close relationship,
then by who (or what) will he....?

Life, is either for a person, or against him

Source: kalamullah.com

Jihaad an-Nafs: Striving Against the Soul

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

By Shaykh Hasan Ayyub – may Allah preserve him -

From the first chapter of his book 'Fiqh al-Jihad fil-Islam'

The world, in its overwhelming majority, is encountering waves upon waves of evil and is being struck by evil passions and trials and tribulations, and it is being overtaken by various kinds of destructive evils, and it is being governed by Satanic ideas and selfish, imposing laws, and concepts that destroy all aspects of the human being that can be considered virtuous and noble. We are surrounded by an environment that has deviated from the truth, submitted to its desires and has been put to trial by its forbidden passions. And the human being inherits all that those who came before him have left for him of corruption in belief, entrenchment in misguidance, submission to the Sharī'ah of the Devil, permitting the forbidden, forbidding the permissible, and beautifying the lowest of actions and the most disgusting sins. And he is - with this - longing to satisfy his desires as he has been surrounded by the devils of the humans and Jinn.

So, he is a product of the environment, culture, upbringing, thoughts and all that he is surrounded by, and affected by; beginning with his family, his people, all the way to the general human population.

This human being, if Divine Guidance was sent down for his sake, and Allāh showed him ways of living in happiness in this life and the next, and he was given from Allāh a Book, and He favored him – by His Favor – with a Messenger to take him by the hand to that which is better and higher, and organizes the affairs of his life on the basis of justice and mercy, and saves him from everything that could be a cause of his destruction in this life and the next; if all of this occurred, then his situation would be quite different.

From the people, however, are those who have been defeated by this accumulation in evil, and are pressured by these influences, so they don't pay any attention to the religion and give it not the slightest consideration. Rather, he belittles the religion, and mocks it, and has enmity to those who call to it, and fights all those who try to change his ways and plant a pure seed in his head in place of the filthy Satanic seed that is in place.

Allāh – the Exalted – said: {"Rather! On their hearts is the black spot of the sins that they used to earn…"} [al-Mutaffifīn; 14]

And He – the Exalted – said: {"And if it is said to them 'Come to that which Allāh has revealed and to the Messenger!' they said 'What we found our fathers upon is enough for us.' Were it not that their fathers knew nothing and were not guided…"} [al-Mā'idah; 104]

And He – the Exalted – said: {"Verily, those who disbelieve will not believe whether you warn them or not."} [al-Baqarah; 6]

And yet, there is another type of person that you might see who is ready to reflect calmly and with deep insight, and remove himself from any outside influences in order to look at the issues that are important, and puts aside all that he has been fed in order for his research to be upon clarity. So if he is guided and comes to know, he turns and changes and becomes another person.

This human being struggles against (yu jāhid) his soul that commands him with evil, as well as his overwhelming passions and transgressing innate nature, deviated desires, misguided cultural practices, and bad habits.

He says: there is none worthy of worship except Allāh, certain that it means: none is rightly deserving of being served or worshipped except for Allāh, and none deserves to be submitted to or humbled before except Allāh, and none has the right to command or forbid except Allāh, and there is no legislation of laws except by Allāh, and by Him – the Exalted – the Muslim takes his steps, and with this, he submits himself to Allāh in a complete manner – in every way, shape and form – so he is called a Muslim (a submitter).

And he believes in everything that Allāh has revealed - so he is called a Mu'min (believer).

And he stands watch over the devils among the humans and Jinn, so he does not allow them to affect him – so he is called a Sābir (an endurer).

And he stops at the limits set by Allāh, and does not cross them unless in a moment of heedlessness (in which case he repents) – so he is called a Murābit (one who guards his territory).

And he sacrifices himself and his wealth for the sake of his belief, and he lives as a fugitive who has been uprooted from his home – so he is called a Mujāhid (one who strives).

And regarding this, the Exalted says: {"And those who strive in Our cause, we will guide them to Our ways, and verily, Allāh is with those who do good."} [al-'Ankabūt; 69]

And He – the Exalted – says: {"O you who believe! Endure and be patient and guard your territory and fear Allāh so that you may be successful."} [Āl 'Imrān; 200]

This kind of person, wherever he is found in a land or amongst a certain group of people, he is like a rising sun who's rays are sweet-smelling perfume; by him, the Earth is connected to the Heavens, and upon him descends the Mercy of Allāh, and surrounding him are the Angels of the Most Merciful.

He has a heart with the innocence of children, and a tongue with the purity of water from a rain cloud, and a helping hand that extends as if it was sent from Allāh, and a face that shines with the truth as if it were the morning light, and firmness upon the religion of Allāh as if he himself was a firm mountain.

If you walk with him he benefits you, and if you befriend him he serves you, and if you consult him he advises you, and if you wrong him he excuses you, and if you comfort him he thanks you, and if you are at odds with him he forgives you. Truthful; easygoing; trustworthy; he fears Allāh, so he is as Allāh says regarding him: {"Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh, and those who are with him are harsh against the disbelievers and merciful between each other. You see them bowing and prostrating, seeking Favor from Allāh and His Pleasure. Their distinctive sign is the mark of prostration on their faces."} [al-Fat’h; 29]

And the struggle of the soul (jihād an-nafs) is the severest type of struggle, and the hardest and longest-lasting. It is a struggle at night, and during the day; in times of hardship, in times of ease; in times of relaxation and tension. It is a struggle in your beliefs and worship and interactions; while you are secluded from the people as well as when you are mixing with them. And it is a struggle by way of remembrance, prayer, fasting, and patience – as well as all things that strengthen your soul. And it is a struggle that calls for the person to be fully awake, aware and knowledgeable of the weak points of the enemy, the strategies of the Devil, the incoming waves of falsehood, the possible entrance points of doubts and confusions, as well as knowledge of the permissible and forbidden, and the commands of Allāh and his prohibitions, etc.

And without this struggle (Jihād) that polishes and purifies the soul, and changes everything in the life of the believer, and makes the Muslim a leader not a follower, and makes him a head and not a tail, and one who initiates change in others as opposed to one who is changed by others; without this type of struggle, a person is known simply as a Muslim – not a believer – and this is not a name that he would even be deserving of, and an outer image that does not reflect the inner truth.

And since this Muslim has given up on the struggle against his soul, he has also given up his Islāmic personality.

The struggle against the soul causes explosive changes – both internal and external – that give birth to a person that has been purified the utmost purification in comparison to the entire human race, so that the one who undergoes this change deserves to shine under the saying of Allāh:

{"You were the best nation brought out for the people."} [Āl 'Imrān; 110]

Source: kalamullah.com

Miracle of the Qur'an

Scientific exploration of facts from the Qur'an

Orbits

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

Cage - n. 1. a boxlike enclosure having wires, bars, or the like, for confining or displaying birds or animals. 2. anything that confines or imprisons; prison.

Over the years, I've had the pleasure of viewing the interiors of a variety of steel cages. I've been locked in cages in the basements of Boston courthouses; I've been caged across from a barn and stacks of hay in Oklahoma; I've enjoyed the view from rooftop cages surrounded by New York City skyscrapers - I was once even held in a cage on the other side of a wall from a softball field, where I could hear and smell people having a cookout. In total, I estimate that I've spent over 2,000 hours in one cage or another over the past five years.

What most of you dread is, for me, a getaway. One experiences things while locked in a cage that cannot be experienced while locked in a cell. For example, it's the place to go when interested in fresh oxygen. And although the view is generally obstructed by razor wire and steel mesh, you can turn your sight to the heavens and think...

It's a cool autumn night here in the Midwest, and the cage has been left unlocked past its scheduled closing time (they lock it early as the days get shorter, since we apparently can't be properly surveilled in the dark). As I walk out, I look up at the sky: {"You will see no discrepancy in the creation of the Merciful. Look again: do you see any rifts? Then look again and again - your sight will come back humbled and unable to find such rifts."} (67:3-4) Commenting on these verses, the great Yemeni scholar Muhammad ash-Shawkani wrote that when looking at the natural world around you, "you won't see any contradiction or disparity, crookedness or inconsistency. Rather, it is all smooth, consistent, firmly structured, and proof of the existence of its Creator. Even though the various parts of creation vary in form and detail, they are all nonetheless bound together in perfect harmony in this way."

If you stop and reflect, you'll find that everything in the Universe indeed shares a common structure. This is true from the submicroscopic level all the way to the stellar:

We and everything around us are composed of incalculable atoms. Each atom contains a nucleus, around which electrons orbit billions of times every millionth of a second; we likewise make tawaf around the Ka'bah on Earth; the Moon is likewise orbiting the Earth; as you are reading this, our planet is likewise orbiting the Sun at over 62,000 miles an hour; the Sun is likewise orbiting the center of the Milky Way at 136 miles each second; the Milky Way, composed of over 200 billion other stars, is part of a cluster of over thirty other galaxies (known as the Local Group), and is orbiting the center of this cluster at 372 miles each second; the Local Group is part of a larger family of over a hundred other such clusters (known as the Virgo Supercluster), and is orbiting the center of this supercluster; the Virgo Supercluster, over 110 million light years wide (one light year equaling roughly six trillion miles), is part of an even larger cluster of superclusters (known as the Pisces-Cetus Supercluster Complex), and is orbiting the center of this complex, and so on. And in a reversal of direction to our benefit, it's through the explosions of such faraway stars upon death that every life-essential chemical element buried in the Earth (e.g., carbon, oxygen, etc.) got to us.

Our lives share this structure with the Universe, consisting of seemingly unrelated events which likewise orbit in expanding rings around a nucleus. I can give plenty of examples from my own experiences, but suffice it to say that Allah has subtly embedded this pattern in the Qur'an, leaving us to discover this secret that unlocks the mysteries of so much that each of us encounters daily. In the story of Prophet Yusuf, for example, the nucleus is his shirt. The major events of his life orbit around this nucleus: As a young boy thrown in the well and separated from home, his shirt was taken to prove a lie to his father - his authority at the time (12:18); the circle expands to shortly before his imprisonment as a young man, when his shirt disproved a lie to al-'Aziz - his authority at the time (12:25-28); the circle expands again to after his release from prison, and to a reversal of direction to his benefit where his shirt was used to finally reunite him with his parents in Egypt - where he was now an authority (12:93).

As I begin to walk around in the cage, rain begins to fall. When the Prophet would see rain, he would say that "it is a mercy," and he would fold back some of his clothing to allow the raindrops to touch his skin. Water is a nucleus around which the very life of the Ummah revolves:

It's a condition for the existence of life itself (21:30, 24:45); purification with water is a condition for the acceptance of Salah; the opening du'a' of the Salah mentions water as a purifier of sins ("O Allah, wash me of my sins with water, snow, and hail"); the kuffar attacked the Prophets & their followers for being "people who purify themselves" (7:82); it's therefore fitting that water be used to purify the Earth of them, as occurred in the eras of Nuh and Musa. In fact, the major events of Musa's struggle against Fir'awn revolved around water: As a baby being hunted by Fir'awn, Musa's life was saved when his mother hid him in a river (28:7); the circle expands to him as a grown man and fugitive again being hunted by Fir'awn, finding refuge at a Madyan watering place (28:23); the circle expands again to Musa as the leader of an entire ummah, and to a reversal of direction to his benefit where he watched the seawater drown Fir'awn & his entire army (28:40). Thousands of years later, Allah sent rain upon the Mujahidin at Badr (8:11) - a battle which ended with the killing of "the Fir'awn of this ummah"; before 'Isa bin Maryam rules the world at the end of time, the Prophet described that Allah will send rain which "will wash the ground clean until it is left as shiny as a mirror."

Water is thus a precursor to life, to Salah, and to the establishment of Allah's rule on Earth. And just as Allah teaches us to thank Him for the ability to purify ourselves for Him (5:6), He teaches us to thank Him when He purifies the Earth for us:

Ibn Kathir wrote that the first Friday khutbah at al-Masjid al-Aqsa after Salah ad-Din retook it from the Crusaders was given by a man named al-Qadi Muhi ad-Din az-Zikki (grandfather of the great scholar Ibn 'Asakir). The very first words spoken in that khutbah were the following verse: {"So, the oppressors were obliterated, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe."} (6:45) The significance of the verse, ash-Shawkani pointed out, is that "it teaches the believers to thank Allah when blessings come their way. From the greatest of these blessings is the destruction of the oppressors who corrupt the Earth rather than rectify it, as they are more damaging to the believers than anything else."

Expanding on this theme of purification, Sayyid Qutb commented on the same verse by asking: "Could Allah be thanked for a gift greater than that of purifying the Earth of oppressors? Could He be thanked for a mercy greater than His mercy towards His worshippers in carrying out such a purification? Allah destroyed the nations of Nuh, Hud, Salih, and Lut - just as He destroyed the Pharaohs, the Greeks, the Romans, and others - through this sunnah: the sunnah of istidraj (gradual entrapment). Behind the blossoming-then-destruction of their civilizations lies that hidden secret of Allah's power, this manifest portion of His sunnah, and this divine explanation of known historical events."

He continued: "Those nations possessed such culture, power, and luxury that they in some ways exceeded what today's nations enjoy as they drown in their own authority and luxury, deluded by their possessions, and deluding others who are clueless as to the sunnah of Allah when it comes to hardship and ease. These nations are unaware that such a sunnah even exists, and they are unaware that Allah is gradually entrapping them in accordance with this sunnah. Those who swim in the orbit of such nations are dazzled by their temporary power; they are impressed by their abundant wealth; and they are deluded by the fact that Allah leaves these nations untouched for a while despite their refusal to worship or know Him, instead rebelling against His authority, claiming for themselves godlike attributes, corrupting the Earth, and oppressing other people after having transgressed against the authority of Allah Himself."

Sayyid then summarized his experience in America: "When I lived in the United States of America, I saw for myself a confirmation of Allah's words: {"So, when they ignored all of the warning signs sent to remind them, I opened for them the doors of every worldly pleasure..."} (6:44) The scene depicted in this verse is one of an outpour of endless resources and goods that are unlikely to exist anywhere on the planet as much as they do there (i.e., America). I saw those people deluded by their opulence, thinking it to be the rightful inheritance of the white man. I saw the arrogance and brutality with which they treated people of color, and the conceit with which they dealt with all of the other peoples of the world... especially if such colored people were Muslims. I would see all of this, and I would recall this verse and await the implementation of the sunnah of Allah, practically seeing its precursors make their way towards these heedless people: {"... until, when they became arrogant and boastful with what they had, I suddenly seized them, and they were plunged into despair. So, the oppressors were obliterated, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Universe."} (6:45)

He then observed that "although Allah has ceased His sunnah of completely wiping out nations since the mission of His Messenger (peace be upon him), He has left other types of punishment to remain. Humanity - particularly the nations which have had the doors of every material pleasure opened for them - tastes quite a bit of this despite the high level of productivity and wealth in their societies. The psychological, mental, and spiritual distress, the queer sexual practices, and the moral depravity suffered by these societies today - all of this drowns out the enjoyment resulting from that productivity and wealth. These punishments stain the lives of its citizens with depression, anxiety, and sadness."

It's as if he's living amongst us today...

And over a half century before the establishing of the Dawlah (may Allah continue to give it victory), Sayyid Qutb concluded: "But it should be pointed out that Allah's sunnah in destroying falsehood is that the truth is first manifested on Earth in the form of a nation. Through this nation, Allah then smashes falsehood, thereby annihilating it. So, the people of truth shouldn't sit lazily, waiting for events to run their course with no effort on their part. In such a case, they wouldn't actually be representing the truth or be from its people. The truth isn't manifested except in a nation that establishes Allah's rule on Earth, and repels those who violate it and claim for themselves godlike attributes."

On that note, the circle around water expands one more time, finally transcending this world and reaching into the next:

While the kuffar will be denied even a drop of water in Hell (7:50), the Prophet confirmed that the shuhada' who gave their lives throughout history to purify the Earth enjoy plenty of it as we speak, as they await their eventual entrance into Paradise. In an authentic hadith, he said: "The shuhada' are at Bariq (a river at the gates of Paradise), in a green domed structure. Their provision is brought out to them from Paradise day & night." Noting the disparity between the Muslims & kuffar in this context, Shaykh 'Abdullah 'Azzam commented that these provisions for the shuhada' "are presented to their souls such that they feel refreshed & happy, just as Fir'awn's people are exposed to the Fire day & night such that they feel pain (referring to 40:46)." Another source of pain for them will be water (6:70), while it's water that will physically illuminate us in the future, as the Prophet said that on the Day of Judgment, "I will look ahead of me, behind me, and to my right and left, and I will recognize my ummah amongst all the others." A man asked him how he would recognize them, to which he explained: "Their faces and limbs will be shining with the traces of wudu', and nobody else will be like that..."

Having spotted no rifts whatsoever, I turn my sight back down from the sky, and I walk out of the cage.

Written by: Tariq Mehanna

Source: kalamullah.com

Take Pride in Islam

In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful

al-Jumu'ah Magazine

In face of the attacks on Islam by the disbelievers, some Muslims turn to the defensive with an inner feeling of defeat as they try to show that the Islamic values are no different from the western ones. If they are told that the Islamic political system is dictatorial, they respond by trying to show it is democratic. If they are told that Islam spread with Jihad, they respond that Muslims fought only to defend themselves when attacked. If they are told that there is a problem with the status of women in Islam, they try to prove that Islam allows polygamy only under strict conditions which most men do not fulfill and hence they conclude it is virtually not allowed! Such apologetic attitudes should be put behind. Islam is a way of life given to us by Allah, it cannot be put on the same level as other man-made ideologies or corrupted revelations.

Muslims should have enough confidence in themselves to go on the offensive rather than stay on the defensive like an accused person. When Quraysh accused the Muslims of violating the sanctity of the sacred months on the occasion of the fight between the Muslim brigade of Abdullah bin Jahsh and the disbelievers, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala revealed:

“They ask you concerning fighting in the Sacred Months (these are the 1st, 7th, 11th and 12th months of the Islamic calendar). Say: ‘Fighting therein is a great transgression but a greater transgression in the Sight of Allah is to prevent mankind from following the Way of Allah, to disbelieve in Him, to prevent access to al-Masjid al-Haram (Makkah), and to drive out its inhabitants, and polytheism is worse than killing. And they will never cease fighting you until they turn you back from your religion if they can. And whosoever of you turns back from his religion and dies as a disbeliever, then his deeds will be lost in this life and in the Hereafter, and they will be the dwellers of the Fire. They will abide therein forever.” (Qur’an 2:217).

This is how the Qur’an argues with the disbelievers. The Qur’an starts by attacking them on their greatest crime: their disbelief in Allah and their association of partners with Him. One should not present a false interpretation of our religion for the purpose of pleasing the disbelievers.

Some Muslims try to hide their Islamic identity for fear of being labeled as “fundamentalist”. Men are shaving their beard and women are trying to make their hijab look like the latest fall fashion. If presented with food or drink that is haram, they say we are full at the moment, or they say we do not like the particular food. Only few say that they cannot eat it because it is unlawful in Islam. This is not the way of the companions of the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, behaved. When the companions accepted Islam, they became proud of it and felt that all other ideologies and ways of life are inferior to what has been revealed to them from above the seven heavens.

In the battle between the Muslims and the Persians, Rostom, the leader of the Persian army, asked to negotiate with the Muslims. Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas, the Muslim leader in that battle, sent a group of companions among which was Rabi`e ibn Amir. The Persian leader prepared a magnificent reception in order to impress those “Bedouins” and weaken their position. The Persians asked Rabi`e to enter without his arms. HE refused and entered with his arms and his horse and tied his horse next to Rostom. Rstom asked: “What brings you?” Rabi`e said: “Allah has sent us to convert mankind from the worship of people to the worship of Allah and from the narrowness of this life to its wideness and from the oppression of the religions to the justice of Islam. Allah has sent us to His creatures with His religion. Whoever accepts it, we accept from him and whoever refuses, we fight him until we get the Promise of Allah?” “And what is His Promise?” asked Rostom. “Paradise for those who die and victory for those who survive” answered Rabi`e. Rostom said: “Can you delay this matter until we think about it?” Rabi`e answered: “Yes. How many days you need, one or two?” Rostom said: “More. Until I write to my people.” Rabi`e said: “We can’t. Our Prophet does not authorize us to delay our enemies more than three days. So make up your mind."

This companion came from a society which was materially far behind the Persian empire. Nevertheless, he had in himself the seed of Truth and righteousness that allowed him not to be distracted or impressed with the glamour surrounding the Disbelievers.

Civilization starts with the correct belief and faith. The material aspects of civilization will come later as a by-product. On the other hand, the disbeliever, no matter how materially advanced he might be, is an uncivilized person and bears in his soul the germs of his own destruction. This is why you should take pride in your religion. This is why you should take pride in Islam.

Courtesy Of: Islaam.com

Source: kalamullah.com