All praise be to Allah and peace be upon His messenger, Muhammad.
The information which I wish to share with you may seen a bit extensive, but when you consider the capacity of the human brain and the capacity that it can store, I am sure that a few pages in tonight's talk will not overburden you.
I am honored to have this opportunity and I would like to begin by saying that all of you have an equal responsibility. That responsibility is to listen with an open heart and an open mind. In a world filled with prejudice and cultural conditioning, it is very hard to be able to find people to take a moment to think about life objectively and try to arrive at the truth about this world and the real purpose of our lives.
Unfortunately, when you ask most people the question: "What is the purpose of life?" (such a fundamental and important question), they will not tell you what they have concluded through observation or analytical reasoning. Rather, in most cases, they will simply tell you what someone else said, or they will tell you what is "commonly presumed" by others, i.e., What my father said purpose of life is, what the minister of my church said the purpose of life is, what my teacher in school said, what my friend said, etc. If I ask anyone about the purpose of eating or why do we eat, everyone will say [in one word or another] that it is for nutritional purposes, because nutrition sustains life. If I ask anyone why they work, they will say because it's a necessity in order to support themselves and to provide for the needs of their families. If I ask anyone why they sleep, why they wash, why they dress, etc., they will answer with appropriate answers, for these are common necessities for all human beings. We can follow this line of questioning with a hundred questions and receive the same or similar answers from anyone in any language from any place in the world. Then I ask you the question: Why, when we ask the question, "What is the goal and purpose of life?" that we get many different answers? It is because people are confused; they don't really know. They are stumbling in the dark, and rather than say, "I don't know"; they just offer any answer they have been programmed to give. Think about it. Is our purpose in this world simply to eat, sleep, dress, work, acquire some material things and enjoy ourselves? Is this our purpose? Why are we born? What is the object of our existence? What is the wisdom behind the creation of man and this tremendous universe? Think about those questions. Some people argue that there is no proof of any diving origin; no proof that there is a god and there is no proof that this universe has come about through any divine purpose. There are people who argue this way, and they say that perhaps this world came about by chance. A big bang, and this great world [with all its orchestration] just came together. They argue that life doesn't have any definite purpose, and that there is nothing that can prove [either through logic or science] that there is a god, or a purpose or any divine reason behind this world.
Here I would like to mention a few verses from the Holy Quran that address this subject. We seek the protection of Allah from every evil thing. Allah mentions to us in the Holy Quran, "And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Allah is over all things competent. Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of understanding-Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or [lying] on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, [saying], "Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You [above such a thing]; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire." Surah 3: Ayahs 189-191
Now here in these verses, Allah draws our attention to the creation of the heavens and earth, the alternation of the night and the day, the creation of the universe. HE calls our attention to their creation and their precision, and mentions those who contemplate the wonders of creation and realize that this was not created for any foolish purpose, [that Allah is exalted above doing such a thing] and they seek refuge with Allah from the punishment of Hell. Truly, when you see the design of all that Allah created, you realize it is very powerful and very precise. Something very powerful and very precise; something beyond your own calculation and imagination, cannot be foolish. It cannot be just "thrown together".
There are many examples of things that happen by chance. Let me offer one situation. If you took ten colored marbles, then numbered them one to ten and you put them inside a bag. Next, you shook that bag to mix them up. Then, closing your eyes and reaching into the bag, you tried to pull out the marbles in order-1 to 10. What is the chance of pulling out the marbles in order? Do you know what the chances are? It is twenty six million to one (26,000,000 to 1). And this is something within our ability to do. So now I ask you, what is the chance that the heavens and the earth just came together as they are [with the exact precision and orchestration in their existence]?
My dear respected brothers and sisters, we have to ask ourselves a further question. When you see a bridge, a building or an automobile, you automatically consider the person or company that constructed it. When you see a large ship, an airplane, a rocket, a satellite; you also think about how incredible it is. [You know by its design who the maker is.] When you see a super international airport, nuclear plant or an orbiting space station you have to be thoroughly impressed with the engineering dynamics that are involved. Yet, these are just things that are manufactured by human beings. So what about the human body with its massive and intricate control systems? Think about it. Think about the brain: how it thinks, functions, analyzes, retrieves and stores information, as well as distinguishes and categorizes information in a millionth of a second, all of this constantly. Think about the brain for a moment. (And don't forget the fact that you are using your brain to consider itself!) This is the brain that made the automobile, the rocket ships, the boats, and so on. Think about the brain and who made that! Think about the heart. Think about how it pumps continuously for sixty or seventy years [taking in and discharging blood throughout the body] maintaining steady precision throughout the life of the person. Think about the kidneys and the liver and the various functions they perform. The purifying instruments of the body that perform hundreds of chemical analyses simultaneously and also controls the level of toxicity in the content of the body. All of these are done automatically. Think about your eyes, the human cameras, that adjust, focus, interpret, evaluate, discern color automatically, naturally receiving and adjusting to light and distance. Think about it-Who created them? Who has mastered their design and function? Who plans and regulates their function? Human beings do this? No, of course not. What about this universe? Think about this. This earth is one planet in our solar system, and our solar system is one [of possible many] solar systems. Our galaxy, The Milky Way, is one of the galaxies. There are ONE HUNDRED MILLION GALAXIES in the universe. They are all in order and they are all precise. They are not colliding with each other. They are not conflicting with on another. They are swimming along in an orbit that has been set for them. Did human beings set that into motion and are human beings maintaining that precision? No, of course not. Think about the oceans, the fish, the insects, the birds, the plants, bacteria, and chemical elements that have not yet been discovered and cannot be detected even with the most sophisticated instruments. Yet each of them has a law that they follow. Did all of this synchronization, balance, harmony, variation, design, maintenance, operation and infinite numeration happen all by chance? Do these things function perfectly and perpetually also by chance? No, of course not. That would be totally illogical and foolish. In the least, it indicates that however it came to exist-it exists beyond the realm of human capability. We will all agree to that. The Being, The Almighty Power, God, The Creator who has the knowledge to design and proportion crated all of this and is responsible for maintaining it. HE is the only one that deserves praise and gratitude.
If I were to give each one of you one hundred dollars for no reason, you would at least say thank you. What about your eyes, your kidneys, your brain, your children, and your life: Who gave you all of that? Is He not worthy of praise and thanks? Is He not worthy of your worship and recognition?
My brothers and sisters, in a nutshell, this is the goal and purpose of this life. Allah said to us in the Holy Quran: "And I did not create the jinn* and mankind except to worship Me." [Surah 51: Ayah 56] this is what the Almighty said. Our purpose in this life is to recognize The Creator, to be grateful to Him, to worship Him, to surrender ourselves to Him and to obey the laws that He has determined for us. It means worship is our purpose in life. Whatever we do in the course of that worship, [i.e., the eating, the sleeping, the dressing, the working, the enjoying,] between birth and death is consequential and subject to His orders. But the main reason for our creation is worship. I don't think anyone who is analytical or scientific will have much of an argument with that purpose. They may have some other reason with themselves-but that is something they have to deal with between themselves and Almighty God.
Khalid Yasin Lecture in Jeddah K.S.A.
*Jinn are one of the creations of Allah, as are people and angels. While people were created from clay, angels from light, the jinn are created from fire. Like angels, they are not seen by humans.
Courtesy Of: al-Haramayn Islaamic Foundation
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Friday, December 31, 2010
How to be a Muslim
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Again and again will those who disbelieve, wish that they had bowed (to Allah's will) in Islam. [Soorah al-Hijr (15):02]
This is Islam
Islam means “submission to God”. Islam is the belief that there is only One God, whose proper name is Allah, which means “ the God”. Islam is the same message given to all the prophets, from Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and finally to the Prophet Muhammad, the last messenger (peace and blessings be upon them). They all brought the same message: worship only God, and stop worshipping human beings and their ideas.
Become a Muslim Now
If you believe there is only One God who should be worshipped, and no one/nothing else has that right but Him, and you believe Muahmmad, peace be upon him, was a messenger who brought the same message as all the prophets before him, then you are basically a Muslim.
Do Not Hesitate
If someone receives the message of Islam and dies rejecting it, they are forever destined to Hellfire. Anyone who truly believes in the message of Islam, their previous sins are forgiven and they will spend eternity in Paradise . If you have belief, act on it. Do not worry about what anyone else thinks. Your eternal life is at stake.
To become a Muslim, simply declare the following:
Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallaah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.
I testify there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, and I testify Muhammad is His slave and messenger.
Courtesy, Kalamullah
Again and again will those who disbelieve, wish that they had bowed (to Allah's will) in Islam. [Soorah al-Hijr (15):02]
This is Islam
Islam means “submission to God”. Islam is the belief that there is only One God, whose proper name is Allah, which means “ the God”. Islam is the same message given to all the prophets, from Adam, Noah, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and finally to the Prophet Muhammad, the last messenger (peace and blessings be upon them). They all brought the same message: worship only God, and stop worshipping human beings and their ideas.
Become a Muslim Now
If you believe there is only One God who should be worshipped, and no one/nothing else has that right but Him, and you believe Muahmmad, peace be upon him, was a messenger who brought the same message as all the prophets before him, then you are basically a Muslim.
Do Not Hesitate
If someone receives the message of Islam and dies rejecting it, they are forever destined to Hellfire. Anyone who truly believes in the message of Islam, their previous sins are forgiven and they will spend eternity in Paradise . If you have belief, act on it. Do not worry about what anyone else thinks. Your eternal life is at stake.
To become a Muslim, simply declare the following:
Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illallaah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.
I testify there is nothing worthy of worship except Allah, and I testify Muhammad is His slave and messenger.
Courtesy, Kalamullah
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Faith In Predestination ( Qada Wa Qadar)
In the Name of Allâh, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Belief in pre-destination (Qada wa Qadar) is an undisputed article of faith in Islam. For some people, this belief leads to contentment and satisfaction, even in the face of hardship and adversity. But for others, it provides justification for their wrongdoings: how often do we hear people arguing that they should not be blamed for their disobedience since it has already been decreed by Allah that they will sin?
The following two articles in this booklet attempt to answer those people who genuinely wonder whether Man has any control over his actions in this life or whether he is forced to do everything that he does. The first article was originally compiled in Arabic by Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaimin, a renowned scholar from Saudi Arabia ; the second was a reply by Mr. Adil Salahi to a question which appeared on the religious pages of the daily "Arab News" of Jeddah.
It is hoped that this booklet will help to clarify the difficult issue of pre-destination.
Pre-destination and the Responsibility of man
In this article, we want to deal with an important matter that concerns all Muslims: decree and pre-destination by Allah (Qada and Qadar), a subject which has been a point of contention for scholars throughout the ages. It has been reported that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) once found his Companions arguing about Qadar. He forbade them from indulging in such a debate and told them that communities before them had been destroyed for that reason[1].
However, by the grace of Allah, our pious ancestors were able to understand the issue and form a moderate view based on equity and justice. In their understanding, the issue of Qada and Qadar stems from the Unity of Allah's attribute of Cherishing (Tawhid ar-Rububiyah). This is one of three kinds of Allah's Unity:
Unity of Divinity (Tawhid Al-Uluhiyah), which is to direct all forms of worship to Allah alone.
Unity in the matter of Cherishing the whole universe (Tawhid ar-Rububiyah), which means to believe that all creation, sovereignty and planning belong to Allah.
Unity in the matter of Allah's names and attributes.
Faith in pre-estimation is implied by Allah's attribute of nourishing and sustaining the whole universe. Imam Ahmad has said:"Qadar (pre-estimation) is the power of Allah. It is one of the secrets which no one except Allah knows, as it has been recorded in the well-guarded tablet. We do not know what Allah has destined, either for or against us or concerning all his creation, except after the event has occurred or has been told by the Prophet himself".
Regarding this issue, the people of the Muslim Ummah have divided into three factions:
The first group is so extreme in its attempts to prove pre-estimation that it has completely deprived man of any power and any ability to choose. For them, Man has no independence but is coerced into doing all that he does; he is a helpless being, at the mercy of Fate. There is no doubt that this group is wrong. By using our powers of reason and the tenets of our faith, we know that there is a difference between the things that happen without our will and those in which we play an active part.
The second group goes to the extreme of attributing complete power and freedom of choice to the individual, at the expense of denying Allah any role in process, by saying that the Almighty does not know of an action until after it has occurred! This view is also mistaken.
Allah has guided others to a more moderate and sensible view, and we, the people of the Sunnah and Jama'ah have adopted it because it is based on legal as well as rational evidence. We agree that everything that happens in this universe falls into one of these two categories:Allah has guided others to a more moderate and sensible view, and we, the people of the Sunnah and Jama'ah have adopted it because it is based on legal as well as rational evidence. We agree that everything that happens in this universe falls into one of these two categories:
The things that Allah does and in which no-one else has any power of intervention, e.g. the falling of rain, the growth of vegetation, life and death, illness and health.
The actions done by all the creatures that have the power of will. These actions are a consequence of their efforts and their choice, a power that has been given to them by Allah. He thus says in the Qur' an:“ To whomever among you wills to go straight” (81:28), “ Among you are some that desire this world and some that desire the Hereafter” (3:152).
Man knows very well the difference between what he does from his own free will and what he does because of external force. The person who reaches safely the bottom of a flight of stairs knows that this is because he walked down carefully. However, if he is pushed down from the top, he has no power over how he lands at the bottom. The first instance is an example of choice; the second is clearly one of compulsion. Similarly, a person who suffers from incontinence of urine knows that the urine is passed without his will and that if he did not have this illness, he would be able to control the discharge. The difference between the two requires no further explanation.Man knows very well the difference between what he does from his own free will and what he does because of external force. The person who reaches safely the bottom of a flight of stairs knows that this is because he walked down carefully. However, if he is pushed down from the top, he has no power over how he lands at the bottom. The first instance is an example of choice; the second is clearly one of compulsion. Similarly, a person who suffers from incontinence of urine knows that the urine is passed without his will and that if he did not have this illness, he would be able to control the discharge. The difference between the two requires no further explanation.
It is a mercy of Allah that there are certain actions which are in the voluntary power of the individual but are recorded as if they are not, and so he is not held answerable for them, e.g. actions done out of forgetfulness or during sleep. Allah says in the story of the People of the Cave:“ And We turned them on their right and on their left sides” ( 18:18 ).
The men themselves are turning over, but Allah Almighty attributes their movements to Himself, since a sleeping person has no control over his action. The Prophet (Blessings & Peace be upon him) said:“ The one who forgets while fasting and eats or drinks, he should complete his fast because Allah is the One who feeds him and gives him the drink”[2].
Thus, actions done in a state of forgetfulness are also treated as if the person is acting outside his own will and are attributed to Allah Himself.
If we were to agree with the first group mentioned earlier (those who give Man no free will whatsoever), we would be distorting the facts. We would not be able to praise someone for his good actions or castigate someone who voluntarily does wrong, because we would have attributed all their actions to the will of Allah. Another dangerous implication of this argument is that the Almighty behaves unjustly if he punishes the disobedient and rewards the good, as He alone is the source of all these actions. Not only is such reasoning nonsensical, but contradictory to the Qur'an as well:If we were to agree with the first group mentioned earlier (those who give Man no free will whatsoever), we would be distorting the facts. We would not be able to praise someone for his good actions or castigate someone who voluntarily does wrong, because we would have attributed all their actions to the will of Allah. Another dangerous implication of this argument is that the Almighty behaves unjustly if he punishes the disobedient and rewards the good, as He alone is the source of all these actions. Not only is such reasoning nonsensical, but contradictory to the Qur'an as well:“ And his companion (angel) will say: Here is (this Record) ready with me! (And it will be said): Both of you throw (Order from Allah to the two angels) into Hell, every stubborn disbeliever (in the Oneness of Allah, in His Messengers, etc.). Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter. Who set up another ilah (god) with Allah, then (both of you) cast him in the severe torment. His companion (Satan - devil) will say: Our Lord! I did not push him to transgress, (in disbelief, oppression, and evil deeds) but he was himself in error far astray. Allah will say: Dispute not in front of Me, I had already, in advance, sent you the threat. The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed, and I am not unjust (to the least) to the slaves” (50:23-29).
Almighty Allah clearly states that the punishments He inflicts are not cruel but just, since He has already warned His creatures and sent them guidance. He has clearly defined the two paths of piety and disobedience, just as He has defined the consequences of following each path. Man thus has total freedom to choose either path, remembering that if he opts for the path of disobedience, he will not have the excuse of ignorance to offer Allah on the Day of Judgement. The Qur'an says in this regard:“ Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers” (4:165).
The Qur'an and reality also refute those who go to the other extreme of giving Man complete freedom of action, leaving no role for Allah. We are told that the will of Man follows the will of Allah:“ To whomever among you wills to go straight. But you shall not will except as Allah, The Lord of the Worlds, wills” (81:28,29), “ And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses” (28:68), “ But Allah calls to the home of peace and guides whom He wills to a Straight Path” (10:25).
Those who hold this view are thus rejecting Allah's Omniscience, one of His essential attributes, by effectively claiming that in His Kingdom, there are many things which He does not wish or does not create. But Allah the Magnificent wills everything, creates everything and predestines for everything! It is impossible to conceive of anything happening that He does not wish to happen. This poses problems for us, such as what is the fate of someone whom Allah wishes to misguide? It surely cannot be his fault that he did not receive the message of truth. The answer is that Allah guides those who want to be guided, and misguides those who do not wish to receive guidance. We read this in the Qur'an:Those who hold this view are thus rejecting Allah's Omniscience, one of His essential attributes, by effectively claiming that in His Kingdom, there are many things which He does not wish or does not create. But Allah the Magnificent wills everything, creates everything and predestines for everything! It is impossible to conceive of anything happening that He does not wish to happen. This poses problems for us, such as what is the fate of someone whom Allah wishes to misguide? It surely cannot be his fault that he did not receive the message of truth. The answer is that Allah guides those who want to be guided, and misguides those who do not wish to receive guidance. We read this in the Qur'an:“ Then when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the Right Path)” (61:5), “ But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard: they change the words from their (right) places and have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them” (5:13).
In other words, the wish to be pious emanates from the individual himself, and Allah guides him because of this. The issue can be further explained by comparing it to the acquisition of knowledge or to the earning of a living. Allah has decreed the amount of understanding or wealth a person will be able to acquire in his life. This does not mean that the individual can thus sit at home and wait for the wealth or learning to come walking into his arms: only when he goes out searching for it and works hard for it will he get it. The amount of wealth or learning he receives will be proportional to the effort put in, and this is just as true for guidance. The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said in this regard:“ Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's belly for forty days in the form of seed, then he is a clot of blood for a like period, then a morsel of flesh for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows the breath of life into him and who is commanded about four matters: to write down his means of livelihood, his life span, his actions, and whether happy or unhappy” (It was related by Bukhari and Muslim).
Just as we make all conceivable sacrifices for the nourishment of the stomach, so should we work hard for the sustenance of the soul. When ill, we are prepared to travel the world in search of a doctor who can cure us, but when our souls are diseased, we leave them to rot, waiting for Allah to send down guidance on a plate!
The correct opinion is thus that there are many routes open to the discretion of Man, and it is up to him to choose the one he wishes to follow. He is like a merchant with many commodities in front of him, and it is his choice which one to trade in. He will obviously pick the one which he thinks will be most profitable. The difference is that the merchant is uncertain and has no guarantee of success; his commodity may have a market and he may make a profit, but he could just as easily lose all his capital.
The believer, on the other hands, is completely sure that if he follows the path of guidance, there will undoubtedly be success and reward waiting for him at the other end because Allah has promised so, for Allah never breaks His word. Similarly, the disbeliever can be sure that only pain and punishment await him at the end of his path.
I would like to add that what has so far been said has been agreed upon and adopted by us, the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah, as our belief. Man does what he wants, but his will follows that of Allah. We also believe that Allah's will does not act on its own but is strongly linked to His Wisdom, one of His attributes. As a Wise and Just ruler, He decrees guidance for the person who wants guidance and truth, who wishes to be close to Allah, and who aims to follow the Straight Path. For anyone who does not want the truth, Allah decrees error and misguidance; were Islam to be presented to him, his heart would constrict as if he was ascending to the sky (6:125). Allah's Wisdom declines to offer guidance to such a person unless the person changes his attitude.
The Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah say that Allah's decree and predestination has four components. The first is Knowledge: Man must believe with total certainty that Allah has knowledge of everything; He knows the minute as well as the general details of all that happens, whether it is of His own doing or of His creatures.
The second constituent of Qadar is Writing. Allah has written all His knowledge of the fate of His creatures in the Preserved Tablet, as He tells us in the Qur'an:“ Know you not that Allah knows all that is in heaven and on earth? Indeed it is (all) in the Book (Al-Lauh Al.-Mahfuz), and that is easy for Allah” (22:70).
In one Hadith, the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) is reported to have said:“ Indeed the first thing that Allah created was the pen. He said, Write! It said, What should I write? He said, Write down everything that is going to happen. So at that moment flowed everything that would happen until the Day of Judgement” At this the Prophet was asked whether the actions we do are new actions or are actions that have been decreed already. He replied:“ They are already decreed” The Companions said:“ O Prophet of Allah, should we then not do and just depend?” He said:“ Do, and everything that was created for you will be made easy” The Prophet added:“ Do, O my brother, do and what was created for you will be facilitated for you” Then followed the words of the Almighty:“ As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him, and believes in the best, We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness). But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient, and gives lie to the best, We will make smooth for him the path for evil” (92:5-10).
The third component of Qadar is that of Will. Allah wills the presence or absence of everything in the heavens and in the earth. Nothing can exist without His Will. This is reiterated in the Qur'an:“ To whomever among you wills to go straight. But you shall not will except as Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, wills” (81:28,29).
“ If your Lord had so willed, they would not have done it” (6:112).
“ If Allah had willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah does what He likes” (2:253).
Allah also relates that His actions always yield to His own Will:“ And if We had willed, surely We would have given every person his guidance” (32:13).
“ And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely have made mankind one nation” (11:118).
Thus, true faith is not complete unless we believe that Allah's Will is total and all-embracing.
The fourth component of Qadar is Creation. This means that we believe that Allah is the Creator of everything and anything, even Death, although it is the absence of Life. The Qur'an says:“ He Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed” (67:2).
The skies, the mountains, the winds, the vapors, the growth of living organisms, the droughts - all are the creation of Allah.
A difficulty arises: how can we claim that our actions and words are products of our own free will when they are in fact creations of Allah? The answer is that our actions and utterances are the result of our ability and desire to do them. Since Allah alone is the one who created us and gave us the ability and the will to distinguish, choose, and act, our actions are His creations; He created the cause which generates the result, so He is the creator of the result as well as of the cause. But, this does in no way belittle our choice and will. For example, fire burns. The One who gave this power to fire is Allah, as fire on its own does not have the capability to burn. We see an instance of this in the Qur'an:“ We (Allah) said: O fire! be you cool, and safety for Ibrahim!” (21:69).
Thus the fire did not burn Ibrahim in this case. It is Allah who gives fire the power to burn, just as He gives Man the power to choose and act according to his decision.
Finally, I would like to say that were it not for the increasing number of questions that have been raised about this issue and the ensuing controversy, we would not have entered into the debate. However, we felt there was a need for clarification and so spoke out.
I ask Allah Almighty to facilitate the good actions that have been decreed for His pious creatures and to record for us and for them righteousness in this world and in the next. All Praise is due to the Lord of the Universe. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, on his family and on all his Companions.
[1] See Ibn Majah.
[2] See Muslim.
Predestination And Free Will
Q. A question which has bothered me for some time is whether man acts and behaves according to his own free will or to what has been destined for him by Allah. In other words, is the choice in any given situation completely ours, or is it pre-determined for us? Is there for every one of us a destiny towards his life, and from which he cannot escape? Or is it true that by our own choices we mould our future?
A. This is a question which really speaks of man's position in relation to Allah. In order to answer it properly, we need to establish a basis for our discussion which takes into account certain essential facts which must be accepted at the outset. Otherwise, there can be no common ground between the one who poses the question and the one who tries to answer it.
These facts are:
Allah is the creator of all things, great and small, magnificent and petty, physical and abstract.
Allah is just. He administers His justice on the basis of His knowledge.
Allah's knowledge is perfect and absolute. He knows the most secret of thoughts in the same way as He knows the most public of events. Nothing escapes His knowledge as He sees all and hears all, without restrictions or impediments.
Allah always tells the truth, the plain and complete truth. He never says something and means another. What He says must always be taken at face value, because He does not need to wrap His meaning or to make use ambiguity.
Within the framework which these facts establish, we find that the answer to your question is an easy one. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that every human being accepts the faith or denies it according to his own will. He instructs His messenger to say to people:“ And say: The truth is from your Lord. Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve” (18:29).
This verse tells us that man chooses for himself whether to believe in Allah or not. This is the most important choice a man ever makes. If he has free choice over this particular question, then he must have the same over matters which are less serious. We cannot imagine a situation in human life where man can reach a higher stage without passing through a primary one. The sophisticated always includes the elementary. For man to be able to make a choice in a subject which affects all his life, he must have adequate training in exercising his ability to choose in simpler and less serious matters.
Allah also tells that He rewards man according to his actions. Numerous verses in the Qur'an tell us that no action will be allowed to pass unnoticed. For example:“ So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it” (99:7,8).
If our actions carry a reward, good or bad, then they must be of our own choosing. If they were imposed on us through predestination, then we cannot be held responsible for them. Otherwise, the divine attribute of justice could not be fulfilled. Suppose you are a shopkeeper and employ an assistant to attend to customers' needs when you are absent. Suppose that you come to the shop one evening after having been absent all day and your assistant tells you that he tried to reach you everywhere to ask your permission to give a discount of 10 percent to a customer who wanted to buy a very large quantity of goods. When the customer could not get that desired discount, he bought the goods from one of your competitors. Now, if you were to scold, reproach or punish your assistant for not acting in what you may describe as "a responsible manner," you are unfair. He has acted within the restrictions you have imposed on him. You have left him no choice and he should never be punished for not exercising a choice which is not his.
The fact that our actions are either rewarded or punished by Allah means, by logic and necessity, that we have complete control over them. Otherwise, the reward and punishment cannot be fair.
Moreover, Allah has created us and equipped us with an ability to choose. That ability is set into operation and we can see its effects every minute of our lives. You have only to look at what you do and what you omit. When you are awakened by your alarm in the morning, whether you rise and get ready to go to work or you switch it off and go back to sleep is your own choice. If you do the latter and you are reproached by your employer for being late, you do not complain. When you open your wardrobe you choose the shirt and trousers you will wear that day. It is you who decides whether to go to work walking, by your car or to use public transport. No one imposes on you that you should invite your friend to dinner, and when you accept someone else's invitation, that again is your own choice. These are simple matters and I have chosen these examples advisedly. When you realize that it is always your choice that determines what you do in such matters, it is easy to understand that we also exercise a choice in more complicated matters.
A person who does not fast in Ramadhan can never claim that he has made that choice under duress. Nor does the one who fasts accept any suggestion that he is compelled to fast. The same applies to prayers and zakah, no matter how much is said about anyone's need to maintain appearances. Even that is one's own choice. Without this free choice, the whole idea of action and reward becomes impossible. Moreover, it would not fit with Allah's justice. There is no doubt, then, that we have free choice, and we exercise it freely, and we bear the consequences.
What makes this question seem, at times, an intricate one is that people confuse Allah's prior knowledge of everything that may take place in the universe with predestination. We state very clearly that Allah knows what we are going to choose in any situation and what we will do or say before we actually do it or say it. His prior knowledge, however, does not signify any imposition on us to comply. Perhaps we will find it easier to understand this point if we remember that time, as we know it, does not apply to Allah or to His knowledge. Time on earth is a coincidental thing, by which man is able to calculate time on the basis of the succession of day and night. That a day consists of 24 hours is something determined by man. That a week consists of a succession of seven days and seven nights is also something that people have agreed. If we were to live on some other planet, we will find that all this calculation of time is irrelevant. Even in our solar system, one night and day on one planet is equal to several years on another. Then we have to exclude this notion of time when we speak of Allah' s prior knowledge. When we are able to do so, we can easily understand that His knowledge does not constitute an imposition on us.
Having said that, however, I should add that there are certain things in our lives over which we can exercise no choice. We do not choose when we are born or when we die. Nor can we choose whether or not to react to natural elements such as rain, wind and temperature. We cannot determine how our bodies react in different situations. We are affected by illness in a way over which we exercise no control. In such matters, we earn no reward and incur no punishment. This fits with Allah's justice which attaches those to our free choice.
Moreover, Allah has placed us on earth and given it its potentials and created its environment. We can tap those potentials and make use of them, and we can deal in a limited way with the environment. What we can do through our own choosing is part of what we are responsible for. What we cannot alter has no effect on our final outcome. But we should understand, however, that our lives are affected by conditions and environmental influences which are part of Allah's system of creation. There are causes and effects. When we can influence a cause, we are responsible for the effect which results from our action. When we are influenced by a cause over which we have no control, we bear no liability.
Perhaps an element of ambiguity arises from the fact that Muslims often use such words as," By Allah's Will", " What has been written cannot be changed", and similar phrases. These can easily be understood in the light of the foregoing, when we relate them to Allah's prior knowledge on the one hand, and to His overall will on the other. It is Allah who has willed that there be cause and effect, and it is His will that such causes as affect our lives are there to affect it. Furthermore, it is His will that we should have free will of our own. Our own will, then, is exercised within the framework of His absolute and overall will which has determined that man can have free choice of his own. The two are by no means mutually exclusive. Indeed, man's free will is a manifestation of Allah's absolute will.
From abdurrahman.org
Belief in pre-destination (Qada wa Qadar) is an undisputed article of faith in Islam. For some people, this belief leads to contentment and satisfaction, even in the face of hardship and adversity. But for others, it provides justification for their wrongdoings: how often do we hear people arguing that they should not be blamed for their disobedience since it has already been decreed by Allah that they will sin?
The following two articles in this booklet attempt to answer those people who genuinely wonder whether Man has any control over his actions in this life or whether he is forced to do everything that he does. The first article was originally compiled in Arabic by Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Salih Al-Uthaimin, a renowned scholar from Saudi Arabia ; the second was a reply by Mr. Adil Salahi to a question which appeared on the religious pages of the daily "Arab News" of Jeddah.
It is hoped that this booklet will help to clarify the difficult issue of pre-destination.
Pre-destination and the Responsibility of man
In this article, we want to deal with an important matter that concerns all Muslims: decree and pre-destination by Allah (Qada and Qadar), a subject which has been a point of contention for scholars throughout the ages. It has been reported that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace be upon him) once found his Companions arguing about Qadar. He forbade them from indulging in such a debate and told them that communities before them had been destroyed for that reason[1].
However, by the grace of Allah, our pious ancestors were able to understand the issue and form a moderate view based on equity and justice. In their understanding, the issue of Qada and Qadar stems from the Unity of Allah's attribute of Cherishing (Tawhid ar-Rububiyah). This is one of three kinds of Allah's Unity:
Unity of Divinity (Tawhid Al-Uluhiyah), which is to direct all forms of worship to Allah alone.
Unity in the matter of Cherishing the whole universe (Tawhid ar-Rububiyah), which means to believe that all creation, sovereignty and planning belong to Allah.
Unity in the matter of Allah's names and attributes.
Faith in pre-estimation is implied by Allah's attribute of nourishing and sustaining the whole universe. Imam Ahmad has said:"Qadar (pre-estimation) is the power of Allah. It is one of the secrets which no one except Allah knows, as it has been recorded in the well-guarded tablet. We do not know what Allah has destined, either for or against us or concerning all his creation, except after the event has occurred or has been told by the Prophet himself".
Regarding this issue, the people of the Muslim Ummah have divided into three factions:
The first group is so extreme in its attempts to prove pre-estimation that it has completely deprived man of any power and any ability to choose. For them, Man has no independence but is coerced into doing all that he does; he is a helpless being, at the mercy of Fate. There is no doubt that this group is wrong. By using our powers of reason and the tenets of our faith, we know that there is a difference between the things that happen without our will and those in which we play an active part.
The second group goes to the extreme of attributing complete power and freedom of choice to the individual, at the expense of denying Allah any role in process, by saying that the Almighty does not know of an action until after it has occurred! This view is also mistaken.
Allah has guided others to a more moderate and sensible view, and we, the people of the Sunnah and Jama'ah have adopted it because it is based on legal as well as rational evidence. We agree that everything that happens in this universe falls into one of these two categories:Allah has guided others to a more moderate and sensible view, and we, the people of the Sunnah and Jama'ah have adopted it because it is based on legal as well as rational evidence. We agree that everything that happens in this universe falls into one of these two categories:
The things that Allah does and in which no-one else has any power of intervention, e.g. the falling of rain, the growth of vegetation, life and death, illness and health.
The actions done by all the creatures that have the power of will. These actions are a consequence of their efforts and their choice, a power that has been given to them by Allah. He thus says in the Qur' an:“ To whomever among you wills to go straight” (81:28), “ Among you are some that desire this world and some that desire the Hereafter” (3:152).
Man knows very well the difference between what he does from his own free will and what he does because of external force. The person who reaches safely the bottom of a flight of stairs knows that this is because he walked down carefully. However, if he is pushed down from the top, he has no power over how he lands at the bottom. The first instance is an example of choice; the second is clearly one of compulsion. Similarly, a person who suffers from incontinence of urine knows that the urine is passed without his will and that if he did not have this illness, he would be able to control the discharge. The difference between the two requires no further explanation.Man knows very well the difference between what he does from his own free will and what he does because of external force. The person who reaches safely the bottom of a flight of stairs knows that this is because he walked down carefully. However, if he is pushed down from the top, he has no power over how he lands at the bottom. The first instance is an example of choice; the second is clearly one of compulsion. Similarly, a person who suffers from incontinence of urine knows that the urine is passed without his will and that if he did not have this illness, he would be able to control the discharge. The difference between the two requires no further explanation.
It is a mercy of Allah that there are certain actions which are in the voluntary power of the individual but are recorded as if they are not, and so he is not held answerable for them, e.g. actions done out of forgetfulness or during sleep. Allah says in the story of the People of the Cave:“ And We turned them on their right and on their left sides” ( 18:18 ).
The men themselves are turning over, but Allah Almighty attributes their movements to Himself, since a sleeping person has no control over his action. The Prophet (Blessings & Peace be upon him) said:“ The one who forgets while fasting and eats or drinks, he should complete his fast because Allah is the One who feeds him and gives him the drink”[2].
Thus, actions done in a state of forgetfulness are also treated as if the person is acting outside his own will and are attributed to Allah Himself.
If we were to agree with the first group mentioned earlier (those who give Man no free will whatsoever), we would be distorting the facts. We would not be able to praise someone for his good actions or castigate someone who voluntarily does wrong, because we would have attributed all their actions to the will of Allah. Another dangerous implication of this argument is that the Almighty behaves unjustly if he punishes the disobedient and rewards the good, as He alone is the source of all these actions. Not only is such reasoning nonsensical, but contradictory to the Qur'an as well:If we were to agree with the first group mentioned earlier (those who give Man no free will whatsoever), we would be distorting the facts. We would not be able to praise someone for his good actions or castigate someone who voluntarily does wrong, because we would have attributed all their actions to the will of Allah. Another dangerous implication of this argument is that the Almighty behaves unjustly if he punishes the disobedient and rewards the good, as He alone is the source of all these actions. Not only is such reasoning nonsensical, but contradictory to the Qur'an as well:“ And his companion (angel) will say: Here is (this Record) ready with me! (And it will be said): Both of you throw (Order from Allah to the two angels) into Hell, every stubborn disbeliever (in the Oneness of Allah, in His Messengers, etc.). Hinderer of good, transgressor, doubter. Who set up another ilah (god) with Allah, then (both of you) cast him in the severe torment. His companion (Satan - devil) will say: Our Lord! I did not push him to transgress, (in disbelief, oppression, and evil deeds) but he was himself in error far astray. Allah will say: Dispute not in front of Me, I had already, in advance, sent you the threat. The Sentence that comes from Me cannot be changed, and I am not unjust (to the least) to the slaves” (50:23-29).
Almighty Allah clearly states that the punishments He inflicts are not cruel but just, since He has already warned His creatures and sent them guidance. He has clearly defined the two paths of piety and disobedience, just as He has defined the consequences of following each path. Man thus has total freedom to choose either path, remembering that if he opts for the path of disobedience, he will not have the excuse of ignorance to offer Allah on the Day of Judgement. The Qur'an says in this regard:“ Messengers as bearers of good news as well as of warning in order that mankind should have no plea against Allah after the Messengers” (4:165).
The Qur'an and reality also refute those who go to the other extreme of giving Man complete freedom of action, leaving no role for Allah. We are told that the will of Man follows the will of Allah:“ To whomever among you wills to go straight. But you shall not will except as Allah, The Lord of the Worlds, wills” (81:28,29), “ And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills and chooses” (28:68), “ But Allah calls to the home of peace and guides whom He wills to a Straight Path” (10:25).
Those who hold this view are thus rejecting Allah's Omniscience, one of His essential attributes, by effectively claiming that in His Kingdom, there are many things which He does not wish or does not create. But Allah the Magnificent wills everything, creates everything and predestines for everything! It is impossible to conceive of anything happening that He does not wish to happen. This poses problems for us, such as what is the fate of someone whom Allah wishes to misguide? It surely cannot be his fault that he did not receive the message of truth. The answer is that Allah guides those who want to be guided, and misguides those who do not wish to receive guidance. We read this in the Qur'an:Those who hold this view are thus rejecting Allah's Omniscience, one of His essential attributes, by effectively claiming that in His Kingdom, there are many things which He does not wish or does not create. But Allah the Magnificent wills everything, creates everything and predestines for everything! It is impossible to conceive of anything happening that He does not wish to happen. This poses problems for us, such as what is the fate of someone whom Allah wishes to misguide? It surely cannot be his fault that he did not receive the message of truth. The answer is that Allah guides those who want to be guided, and misguides those who do not wish to receive guidance. We read this in the Qur'an:“ Then when they turned away (from the Path of Allah), Allah turned their hearts away (from the Right Path)” (61:5), “ But because of their breach of their covenant, We cursed them, and made their hearts grow hard: they change the words from their (right) places and have abandoned a good part of the Message that was sent to them” (5:13).
In other words, the wish to be pious emanates from the individual himself, and Allah guides him because of this. The issue can be further explained by comparing it to the acquisition of knowledge or to the earning of a living. Allah has decreed the amount of understanding or wealth a person will be able to acquire in his life. This does not mean that the individual can thus sit at home and wait for the wealth or learning to come walking into his arms: only when he goes out searching for it and works hard for it will he get it. The amount of wealth or learning he receives will be proportional to the effort put in, and this is just as true for guidance. The Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) said in this regard:“ Verily the creation of each one of you is brought together in his mother's belly for forty days in the form of seed, then he is a clot of blood for a like period, then a morsel of flesh for a like period, then there is sent to him the angel who blows the breath of life into him and who is commanded about four matters: to write down his means of livelihood, his life span, his actions, and whether happy or unhappy” (It was related by Bukhari and Muslim).
Just as we make all conceivable sacrifices for the nourishment of the stomach, so should we work hard for the sustenance of the soul. When ill, we are prepared to travel the world in search of a doctor who can cure us, but when our souls are diseased, we leave them to rot, waiting for Allah to send down guidance on a plate!
The correct opinion is thus that there are many routes open to the discretion of Man, and it is up to him to choose the one he wishes to follow. He is like a merchant with many commodities in front of him, and it is his choice which one to trade in. He will obviously pick the one which he thinks will be most profitable. The difference is that the merchant is uncertain and has no guarantee of success; his commodity may have a market and he may make a profit, but he could just as easily lose all his capital.
The believer, on the other hands, is completely sure that if he follows the path of guidance, there will undoubtedly be success and reward waiting for him at the other end because Allah has promised so, for Allah never breaks His word. Similarly, the disbeliever can be sure that only pain and punishment await him at the end of his path.
I would like to add that what has so far been said has been agreed upon and adopted by us, the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah, as our belief. Man does what he wants, but his will follows that of Allah. We also believe that Allah's will does not act on its own but is strongly linked to His Wisdom, one of His attributes. As a Wise and Just ruler, He decrees guidance for the person who wants guidance and truth, who wishes to be close to Allah, and who aims to follow the Straight Path. For anyone who does not want the truth, Allah decrees error and misguidance; were Islam to be presented to him, his heart would constrict as if he was ascending to the sky (6:125). Allah's Wisdom declines to offer guidance to such a person unless the person changes his attitude.
The Ahlus Sunnah wal Jama'ah say that Allah's decree and predestination has four components. The first is Knowledge: Man must believe with total certainty that Allah has knowledge of everything; He knows the minute as well as the general details of all that happens, whether it is of His own doing or of His creatures.
The second constituent of Qadar is Writing. Allah has written all His knowledge of the fate of His creatures in the Preserved Tablet, as He tells us in the Qur'an:“ Know you not that Allah knows all that is in heaven and on earth? Indeed it is (all) in the Book (Al-Lauh Al.-Mahfuz), and that is easy for Allah” (22:70).
In one Hadith, the Prophet (Blessings and Peace be upon him) is reported to have said:“ Indeed the first thing that Allah created was the pen. He said, Write! It said, What should I write? He said, Write down everything that is going to happen. So at that moment flowed everything that would happen until the Day of Judgement” At this the Prophet was asked whether the actions we do are new actions or are actions that have been decreed already. He replied:“ They are already decreed” The Companions said:“ O Prophet of Allah, should we then not do and just depend?” He said:“ Do, and everything that was created for you will be made easy” The Prophet added:“ Do, O my brother, do and what was created for you will be facilitated for you” Then followed the words of the Almighty:“ As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah and fears Him, and believes in the best, We will make smooth for him the path of ease (goodness). But he who is greedy miser and thinks himself self-sufficient, and gives lie to the best, We will make smooth for him the path for evil” (92:5-10).
The third component of Qadar is that of Will. Allah wills the presence or absence of everything in the heavens and in the earth. Nothing can exist without His Will. This is reiterated in the Qur'an:“ To whomever among you wills to go straight. But you shall not will except as Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, wills” (81:28,29).
“ If your Lord had so willed, they would not have done it” (6:112).
“ If Allah had willed, they would not have fought each other; but Allah does what He likes” (2:253).
Allah also relates that His actions always yield to His own Will:“ And if We had willed, surely We would have given every person his guidance” (32:13).
“ And if your Lord had so willed, He could surely have made mankind one nation” (11:118).
Thus, true faith is not complete unless we believe that Allah's Will is total and all-embracing.
The fourth component of Qadar is Creation. This means that we believe that Allah is the Creator of everything and anything, even Death, although it is the absence of Life. The Qur'an says:“ He Who has created death and life, that He may test you which of you is best in deed” (67:2).
The skies, the mountains, the winds, the vapors, the growth of living organisms, the droughts - all are the creation of Allah.
A difficulty arises: how can we claim that our actions and words are products of our own free will when they are in fact creations of Allah? The answer is that our actions and utterances are the result of our ability and desire to do them. Since Allah alone is the one who created us and gave us the ability and the will to distinguish, choose, and act, our actions are His creations; He created the cause which generates the result, so He is the creator of the result as well as of the cause. But, this does in no way belittle our choice and will. For example, fire burns. The One who gave this power to fire is Allah, as fire on its own does not have the capability to burn. We see an instance of this in the Qur'an:“ We (Allah) said: O fire! be you cool, and safety for Ibrahim!” (21:69).
Thus the fire did not burn Ibrahim in this case. It is Allah who gives fire the power to burn, just as He gives Man the power to choose and act according to his decision.
Finally, I would like to say that were it not for the increasing number of questions that have been raised about this issue and the ensuing controversy, we would not have entered into the debate. However, we felt there was a need for clarification and so spoke out.
I ask Allah Almighty to facilitate the good actions that have been decreed for His pious creatures and to record for us and for them righteousness in this world and in the next. All Praise is due to the Lord of the Universe. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, on his family and on all his Companions.
[1] See Ibn Majah.
[2] See Muslim.
Predestination And Free Will
Q. A question which has bothered me for some time is whether man acts and behaves according to his own free will or to what has been destined for him by Allah. In other words, is the choice in any given situation completely ours, or is it pre-determined for us? Is there for every one of us a destiny towards his life, and from which he cannot escape? Or is it true that by our own choices we mould our future?
A. This is a question which really speaks of man's position in relation to Allah. In order to answer it properly, we need to establish a basis for our discussion which takes into account certain essential facts which must be accepted at the outset. Otherwise, there can be no common ground between the one who poses the question and the one who tries to answer it.
These facts are:
Allah is the creator of all things, great and small, magnificent and petty, physical and abstract.
Allah is just. He administers His justice on the basis of His knowledge.
Allah's knowledge is perfect and absolute. He knows the most secret of thoughts in the same way as He knows the most public of events. Nothing escapes His knowledge as He sees all and hears all, without restrictions or impediments.
Allah always tells the truth, the plain and complete truth. He never says something and means another. What He says must always be taken at face value, because He does not need to wrap His meaning or to make use ambiguity.
Within the framework which these facts establish, we find that the answer to your question is an easy one. Allah tells us in the Qur'an that every human being accepts the faith or denies it according to his own will. He instructs His messenger to say to people:“ And say: The truth is from your Lord. Then whosoever wills, let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve” (18:29).
This verse tells us that man chooses for himself whether to believe in Allah or not. This is the most important choice a man ever makes. If he has free choice over this particular question, then he must have the same over matters which are less serious. We cannot imagine a situation in human life where man can reach a higher stage without passing through a primary one. The sophisticated always includes the elementary. For man to be able to make a choice in a subject which affects all his life, he must have adequate training in exercising his ability to choose in simpler and less serious matters.
Allah also tells that He rewards man according to his actions. Numerous verses in the Qur'an tell us that no action will be allowed to pass unnoticed. For example:“ So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it” (99:7,8).
If our actions carry a reward, good or bad, then they must be of our own choosing. If they were imposed on us through predestination, then we cannot be held responsible for them. Otherwise, the divine attribute of justice could not be fulfilled. Suppose you are a shopkeeper and employ an assistant to attend to customers' needs when you are absent. Suppose that you come to the shop one evening after having been absent all day and your assistant tells you that he tried to reach you everywhere to ask your permission to give a discount of 10 percent to a customer who wanted to buy a very large quantity of goods. When the customer could not get that desired discount, he bought the goods from one of your competitors. Now, if you were to scold, reproach or punish your assistant for not acting in what you may describe as "a responsible manner," you are unfair. He has acted within the restrictions you have imposed on him. You have left him no choice and he should never be punished for not exercising a choice which is not his.
The fact that our actions are either rewarded or punished by Allah means, by logic and necessity, that we have complete control over them. Otherwise, the reward and punishment cannot be fair.
Moreover, Allah has created us and equipped us with an ability to choose. That ability is set into operation and we can see its effects every minute of our lives. You have only to look at what you do and what you omit. When you are awakened by your alarm in the morning, whether you rise and get ready to go to work or you switch it off and go back to sleep is your own choice. If you do the latter and you are reproached by your employer for being late, you do not complain. When you open your wardrobe you choose the shirt and trousers you will wear that day. It is you who decides whether to go to work walking, by your car or to use public transport. No one imposes on you that you should invite your friend to dinner, and when you accept someone else's invitation, that again is your own choice. These are simple matters and I have chosen these examples advisedly. When you realize that it is always your choice that determines what you do in such matters, it is easy to understand that we also exercise a choice in more complicated matters.
A person who does not fast in Ramadhan can never claim that he has made that choice under duress. Nor does the one who fasts accept any suggestion that he is compelled to fast. The same applies to prayers and zakah, no matter how much is said about anyone's need to maintain appearances. Even that is one's own choice. Without this free choice, the whole idea of action and reward becomes impossible. Moreover, it would not fit with Allah's justice. There is no doubt, then, that we have free choice, and we exercise it freely, and we bear the consequences.
What makes this question seem, at times, an intricate one is that people confuse Allah's prior knowledge of everything that may take place in the universe with predestination. We state very clearly that Allah knows what we are going to choose in any situation and what we will do or say before we actually do it or say it. His prior knowledge, however, does not signify any imposition on us to comply. Perhaps we will find it easier to understand this point if we remember that time, as we know it, does not apply to Allah or to His knowledge. Time on earth is a coincidental thing, by which man is able to calculate time on the basis of the succession of day and night. That a day consists of 24 hours is something determined by man. That a week consists of a succession of seven days and seven nights is also something that people have agreed. If we were to live on some other planet, we will find that all this calculation of time is irrelevant. Even in our solar system, one night and day on one planet is equal to several years on another. Then we have to exclude this notion of time when we speak of Allah' s prior knowledge. When we are able to do so, we can easily understand that His knowledge does not constitute an imposition on us.
Having said that, however, I should add that there are certain things in our lives over which we can exercise no choice. We do not choose when we are born or when we die. Nor can we choose whether or not to react to natural elements such as rain, wind and temperature. We cannot determine how our bodies react in different situations. We are affected by illness in a way over which we exercise no control. In such matters, we earn no reward and incur no punishment. This fits with Allah's justice which attaches those to our free choice.
Moreover, Allah has placed us on earth and given it its potentials and created its environment. We can tap those potentials and make use of them, and we can deal in a limited way with the environment. What we can do through our own choosing is part of what we are responsible for. What we cannot alter has no effect on our final outcome. But we should understand, however, that our lives are affected by conditions and environmental influences which are part of Allah's system of creation. There are causes and effects. When we can influence a cause, we are responsible for the effect which results from our action. When we are influenced by a cause over which we have no control, we bear no liability.
Perhaps an element of ambiguity arises from the fact that Muslims often use such words as," By Allah's Will", " What has been written cannot be changed", and similar phrases. These can easily be understood in the light of the foregoing, when we relate them to Allah's prior knowledge on the one hand, and to His overall will on the other. It is Allah who has willed that there be cause and effect, and it is His will that such causes as affect our lives are there to affect it. Furthermore, it is His will that we should have free will of our own. Our own will, then, is exercised within the framework of His absolute and overall will which has determined that man can have free choice of his own. The two are by no means mutually exclusive. Indeed, man's free will is a manifestation of Allah's absolute will.
From abdurrahman.org
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Best website for Muslims
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There is this link below that has some books link from that site. http://www.islamicboard.com/islamic-multimedia/35198-download-islamic-books-your-choice-inshaaallaah-pdf-4.html
May Allah bless those muslims behind the site, it has lots of books that one might not find readly available but above all, read the books with care and may He guide you all to understand what you read. amin
i will also make sure i promote the site on my blog at www.iaaazislam.blogspot.com insha Allah. it is definately a great site for knowledge seekers.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Six things cause backbitting and their cure!
Satisfying Anger
This is done by backbiting the person who kindles his anger. Every time the person makes him angry, he subsides it by backbiting the person. Through this (the backbiting), he feels he is getting even with the other person.
The cure for this is the advice of the Messenger (pbuh) when a man came to him and said advise me, "(Laa Taqhdab) Do not become angry!"
Wanting to Make or Keep Friends
In order to maintain friendship with others, a person indulges in backbiting. As he is afraid of losing their friendship, he does not reprimand them when they backbite, but indulges in it with them.
To cure this he must remember the saying of the Messenger (pbuh) "Whoever seeks the pleasure of men by displeasing Allah, Allah will abandon him to the people." [At-Tirmidhi]
Playing Around, Joking and Making Fun of Others
This could involve mockery and sarcasm. It is enough to remind those indulging in this practice of what Allah, the Most High said: "O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter is better than the former..." [Al-Hujuraat 49:11] It could very well be that Allah loves them and does not love us.
Anger for the Sake of Allah
A person may become angry because of a sin committed by another person, and so he talks about it mentioning that person's name instead of concealing it
Sufyaan ibn al-Husayn narrates: I was sitting with Iyaas ibn Mu'aawiyah when a man walked by and I said ill of that man. "Keep Quiet!" Iyaas said to me. "Have you fought the Romans?" I said no. He asked, "Have you fought the Turk?" I said no. He then said, "The Romans were saved from you and likewise the Turk were saved from you. But your own Muslim brother was not saved!" Sufyaan said, "After that I never backbited anyone."
Having Too Much Spare Time
This can cause a person to fall into backbiting, because it is easy for an idle mind to become busy with men, and their faults. To correct this, a person must spend his time in acts of obedience to Allah, worship, seeking knowledge, and teaching others etc.
Conceit and Lack Of Awareness Of One's Faults
People should think about their own faults and try to correct themselves and feel ashamed to criticize others when they have many faults themselves.
It was said to Rabee' ibn Khaytham, "We never see you finding fault in others." He replied, "I am not satisfied with myself enough to dedicate my time to finding faults in others."
Uqbah ibn Aamir narrates: I said, "O RasulAllah! What is salvation?" He (pbuh) said, "Hold your tongue! Your house should suffice you! And cry over your (own) faults!" – authentic, narrated by Tirmidhi.
Shaykh Al-Qarnee narrates in one of his lectures: Abu Bakr once disputed with another companion about a tree. During the dispute Abu Bakr said something that he rather would not have said. He did not curse, he did not attack someone's honor, he did not poke a fault in anyone, all he said was something that may have hurt the companion's feelings.
Immediately, Abu Bakr ordered him, "Say it back to me!" The companion said, "I shall not say it back." "Say it back to me," said Abu Bakr, "Or I shall complain to the Messenger of Allah." The companion refused to say it back and went on his way.
Abu Bakr went to Rasul Allah and told what had happened and what he said. Rasul Allah called that companion and asked him, "Did Abu Bakr say so and so to you?" He said, "Yes." He said, "What did you reply." He said, "I did not reply it back to him." Rasul Allah said, "Good, do not reply it back to him (do not hurt Abu Bakr). Rather say, `May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!'"
The Companion turned to Abu Bakr and said, "May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!" Abu Bakr turned and cried as he walked away.
How can we revive this air of mercy and love and brotherhood that the companions lived? The Messenger of Allah showed us in the following
ways:
Having Eman in Allah and doing acts of goodness.
"On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will the Most Gracious bestow love." Surah Maryam 96
Spreading Salam to those whom you know and those whom you do not
In Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah: RasulAllah said, "You shall not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe until you love one another. Shall I not guide you to something that – if you do it – you shall love one another? Spread Salam amongst yourselves."
And in Bukhari and Muslim, from AbdAllah ibn Amr: a man came to Rasul Allah and asked him, "Which Islam is the best?" He said, "To feed the hungry and to give salam to those you know and those you don't know."
Giving gifts to your brothers and sister Suffice is the statement of Rasul Allah, "Tahaaddu Tahaabbu. (Give Gifts and you shall love one another)." – narrated by Imam Bukhari in his book al-Adab al-Mufrad. Saheeh lishawaahidih.
Telling your brother or sister that you love them for the sake of Allah
This is one of the ways to solidify the brotherhood/sisterhood when your brother or sister knows that you love them.
These days people are loved for the clothes they wear, so they buy more expensive clothes. Others are loved for the cars they drive, so they buy newer models. But how many are loved for the sake of Allah, and what kind of effect would that have?
Conclusion: If you cannot say good things about a person, keep quiet.
Source-http://itaqulaah.com/
This is done by backbiting the person who kindles his anger. Every time the person makes him angry, he subsides it by backbiting the person. Through this (the backbiting), he feels he is getting even with the other person.
The cure for this is the advice of the Messenger (pbuh) when a man came to him and said advise me, "(Laa Taqhdab) Do not become angry!"
Wanting to Make or Keep Friends
In order to maintain friendship with others, a person indulges in backbiting. As he is afraid of losing their friendship, he does not reprimand them when they backbite, but indulges in it with them.
To cure this he must remember the saying of the Messenger (pbuh) "Whoever seeks the pleasure of men by displeasing Allah, Allah will abandon him to the people." [At-Tirmidhi]
Playing Around, Joking and Making Fun of Others
This could involve mockery and sarcasm. It is enough to remind those indulging in this practice of what Allah, the Most High said: "O you who believe! Let not a group scoff at another group, it may be that the latter is better than the former..." [Al-Hujuraat 49:11] It could very well be that Allah loves them and does not love us.
Anger for the Sake of Allah
A person may become angry because of a sin committed by another person, and so he talks about it mentioning that person's name instead of concealing it
Sufyaan ibn al-Husayn narrates: I was sitting with Iyaas ibn Mu'aawiyah when a man walked by and I said ill of that man. "Keep Quiet!" Iyaas said to me. "Have you fought the Romans?" I said no. He asked, "Have you fought the Turk?" I said no. He then said, "The Romans were saved from you and likewise the Turk were saved from you. But your own Muslim brother was not saved!" Sufyaan said, "After that I never backbited anyone."
Having Too Much Spare Time
This can cause a person to fall into backbiting, because it is easy for an idle mind to become busy with men, and their faults. To correct this, a person must spend his time in acts of obedience to Allah, worship, seeking knowledge, and teaching others etc.
Conceit and Lack Of Awareness Of One's Faults
People should think about their own faults and try to correct themselves and feel ashamed to criticize others when they have many faults themselves.
It was said to Rabee' ibn Khaytham, "We never see you finding fault in others." He replied, "I am not satisfied with myself enough to dedicate my time to finding faults in others."
Uqbah ibn Aamir narrates: I said, "O RasulAllah! What is salvation?" He (pbuh) said, "Hold your tongue! Your house should suffice you! And cry over your (own) faults!" – authentic, narrated by Tirmidhi.
Shaykh Al-Qarnee narrates in one of his lectures: Abu Bakr once disputed with another companion about a tree. During the dispute Abu Bakr said something that he rather would not have said. He did not curse, he did not attack someone's honor, he did not poke a fault in anyone, all he said was something that may have hurt the companion's feelings.
Immediately, Abu Bakr ordered him, "Say it back to me!" The companion said, "I shall not say it back." "Say it back to me," said Abu Bakr, "Or I shall complain to the Messenger of Allah." The companion refused to say it back and went on his way.
Abu Bakr went to Rasul Allah and told what had happened and what he said. Rasul Allah called that companion and asked him, "Did Abu Bakr say so and so to you?" He said, "Yes." He said, "What did you reply." He said, "I did not reply it back to him." Rasul Allah said, "Good, do not reply it back to him (do not hurt Abu Bakr). Rather say, `May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!'"
The Companion turned to Abu Bakr and said, "May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr! May Allah forgive you O Abu Bakr!" Abu Bakr turned and cried as he walked away.
How can we revive this air of mercy and love and brotherhood that the companions lived? The Messenger of Allah showed us in the following
ways:
Having Eman in Allah and doing acts of goodness.
"On those who believe and work deeds of righteousness, will the Most Gracious bestow love." Surah Maryam 96
Spreading Salam to those whom you know and those whom you do not
In Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah: RasulAllah said, "You shall not enter Jannah until you believe, and you shall not believe until you love one another. Shall I not guide you to something that – if you do it – you shall love one another? Spread Salam amongst yourselves."
And in Bukhari and Muslim, from AbdAllah ibn Amr: a man came to Rasul Allah and asked him, "Which Islam is the best?" He said, "To feed the hungry and to give salam to those you know and those you don't know."
Giving gifts to your brothers and sister Suffice is the statement of Rasul Allah, "Tahaaddu Tahaabbu. (Give Gifts and you shall love one another)." – narrated by Imam Bukhari in his book al-Adab al-Mufrad. Saheeh lishawaahidih.
Telling your brother or sister that you love them for the sake of Allah
This is one of the ways to solidify the brotherhood/sisterhood when your brother or sister knows that you love them.
These days people are loved for the clothes they wear, so they buy more expensive clothes. Others are loved for the cars they drive, so they buy newer models. But how many are loved for the sake of Allah, and what kind of effect would that have?
Conclusion: If you cannot say good things about a person, keep quiet.
Source-http://itaqulaah.com/
Ten tips to ensure healthy diets during the festive season
Everyone puts on weight over the holidays, but it need not be as bad as you fear. These hints from a dietitian will show you what foods to avoid, what to eat more of, and how to keep yourself from indulging too much.
“Weight gained during the holidays often comes from eating foods that are high in sugar and fat,” warns Joan Daniels, a dietitian.
“The good news is that you can still enjoy these special occasions as long as you use a bit of restraint and keep yourself from indulging too much.”
Ten Tips for Eating a Healthy Diet During the Holidays
Ms. Daniels and the dietitian team at the Comprehensive Cancer Center suggest following these simple tricks to help you enjoy the holiday season while keeping a balanced and healthy diet.
1. Take the edge of your hunger before you go. Eating a snack or light meal , especially one high in protein, like cottage cheese, nuts or chicken will help you eat less later. Fasting ahead of time, leaving room for a big meal, or planning extra trips to the buffet table often leads to overeating.
2. Fiber is your friend. Choose appetizers that will help you meet the recommended guideline of five to 10 servings of vegetables and fruits a day. The fiber in salads, vegetable dishes and fruits will help you feel full, while you benefit from their vitamins.
3. Small is good. Take smaller servings of dishes that appeal to you. This is especially important at a buffet, where you may want to try everything. Choose the items you want to try the most, and eat a small portion of each.
4. Take your time to enjoy the taste. Many times, people eat so fast that their stomachs do not have enough time to register they’re full. Eat slower, savoring each bite and enjoying the taste of the food. Chances are you will eat less and not overeat.
5. Stay away from fast food. Don’t let a hectic holiday schedule force you to rely on eating fast food often. Plan ahead and prepare and freeze quick healthy meals to help stay out of the fast food trap.
6. Bring a low-calorie dish to holiday parties. Your host will appreciate it – after all, you’re not the only person concerned about putting on weight! Plus you’ll know that at least one healthy item will be on the table.
7. Avoid alcoholic drinks. Regular eggnogs and other drinks made with syrups contain a high amount of calories. Wines and spirits are also high calorie, and can encourage you to eat more. Try replacing alcoholic drinks with flavored, calorie-free waters, sparkling fruit juice, low-sodium vegetable juices or hot cider instead.
8. Get some exercise. Find ways to incorporate some daily physical activity during the holidays. Enjoy a brisk walk, either outside or at an indoor mall. Exercise can be a huge stress reliever and will burn up some of those calories.
9. Be realistic about the chances of gaining weight. It is useless to try to diet during the holidays. Instead, set a goal to maintain your present weight.
10. Be kind to yourself: Even with planning and the best intentions, you will probably fall off the healthy wagon at some point. Pick yourself up, forgive yourself and get back into the healthy lifestyle
Mohammed S.A.W.'s Birth & Forty Years prior to Prophethood'
HIS BIRTH:
Muhammad (Peace be upon him), the Master of Prophets, was born in Bani Hashim lane in Makkah on Monday morning, the ninth of Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, the same year of the Elephant Event, and forty years of the reign of Kisra (Khosru Nushirwan), i.e. the twentieth or twenty-second of April, 571 A.D., according to the scholar Muhammad Sulaimân Al-Mansourpuri, and the astrologer Mahmûd Pasha.
Ibn Sa‘d reported that Muhammad S.A.W.’s mother said: “When he was born, there was a light that issued out of my pudendum and lit the palaces of Syria.” Ahmad reported on the authority of ‘Arbadh bin Sariya something similar to this.
His mother immediately sent someone to inform his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib of the happy event. Happily he came to her, carried him to Al-Ka‘bah, prayed to Allâh and thanked Him. ‘Abdul-Muttalib called the baby Muhammad (S.A.W.), a name not then common among the Arabs. He circumcised him on his seventh day as was the custom of the Arabs.
BABYHOOD:
It was the general custom of the Arabs living in towns to send their children away to Bedouin wet nurses so that they might grow up in the free and healthy surroundings of the desert whereby they would develop a robust frame and acquire the pure speech and manners of the bedouins, who were noted both for chastity of their language and for being free from those vices which usually develop in sedentary societies.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was later entrusted to Haleemah bint Abi Dhuaib from Bani Sa‘d bin Bakr. Her husband was Al-Harith bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza called Abi Kabshah, from the same tribe.
Traditions delightfully relate how Haleemah and the whole of her household were favoured by successive strokes of good fortune while the baby Muhammad (Peace be upon him) lived under her care. Ibn Ishaq states that Haleemah narrated that she along with her husband and a suckling babe, set out from her village in the company of some women of her clan in quest of children to suckle.
She said:
It was a year of drought and famine and we had nothing to eat. I rode on a brown she-ass. We also had with us an old she-camel. By Allâh we could not get even a drop of milk. We could not have a wink of sleep during the night for the child kept crying on account of hunger. There was not enough milk in my breast and even the she-camel had nothing to feed him. We used to constantly pray for rain and immediate relief. At length we reached Makkah looking for children to suckle. Not even a single woman amongst us accepted the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) offered to her. As soon as they were told that he was an orphan, they refused him. We had fixed our eyes on the reward that we would get from the child’s father. An orphan! What are his grandfather and mother likely to do? So we spurned him because of that. Every woman who came with me got a suckling and when we were about to depart, I said to my husband: “By Allâh, I do not like to go back along with the other women without any baby. I should go to that orphan and I must take him.” He said, “There is no harm in doing so and perhaps Allâh might bless us through him.” So I went and took him because there was simply no other alternative left for me but to take him. When I lifted him in my arms and returned to my place I put him on my breast and to my great surprise, I found enough milk in it. He drank to his heart’s content, and so did his foster brother and then both of them went to sleep although my baby had not been able to sleep the previous night. My husband then went to the she-camel to milk it and, to his astonishment, he found plenty of milk in it. He milked it and we drank to our fill, and enjoyed a sound sleep during the night. The next morning, my husband said: “By Allâh Haleemah, you must understand that you have been able to get a blessed child.” And I replied: “By the grace of Allâh, I hope so.”
The tradition is explicit on the point that Haleemah’s return journey and her subsequent life, as long as the Prophet (Peace be upon him)stayed with her, was encircled with a halo of good fortune. The donkey that she rode when she came to Makkah was lean and almost foundered; it recovered speed much to the amazement of Haleemah’s fellow travellers. By the time they reached the encampments in the country of the clan of Sa‘d, they found the scales of fortune turned in their favour. The barren land sprouted forth luxuriant grass and beasts came back to them satisfied and full of milk. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) stayed with Haleemah for two years until he was weaned as Haleemah said:
We then took him back to his mother requesting her earnestly to have him stay with us and benefit by the good fortune and blessings he had brought us. We persisted in our request which we substantiated by our anxiety over the child catching a certain infection peculiar to Makkah. At last, we were granted our wish and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) stayed with us until he was four or five years of age.
When, as related by Anas in Sahih Muslim, Gabriel came down and ripped his chest open and took out the heart. He then extracted a blood-clot out of it and said: “That was the part of Satan in thee.” And then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a gold basin. After that the heart was joined together and restored to its place. The boys and playmates came running to his mother, i.e. his nurse, and said:
“Verily, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has been murdered.” They all rushed towards him and found him all right only his face was white.
BACK TO HIS COMPASSIONATE MOTHER:
After this event, Haleemah was worried about the boy and returned him to his mother with whom he stayed until he was six. In respect of the memory of her late husband, Amina decided to visit his grave in Yathrib (Madinah).
She set out to cover a journey of 500 kilometers with her orphan boy, woman servant Umm Ayman and her father-in-law ‘Abdul-Muttalib. She spent a month there and then took her way back to Makkah. On the way, she had a severe illness and died in Abwa on the road between Makkah and Madinah.
BACK TO HIS COMPASSIONATE GRANDFATHER:
‘Abdul-Muttalib brought the boy to Makkah. He had warm passions towards the boy, his orphan grandson, whose recent disaster (his mother’s death) added more to the pains of the past. ‘Abdul- Muttalib was more passionate with his grandson than with his own children. He never left the boy a prey to loneliness, but always preferred him to his own kids. Ibn Hisham reported: A mattress was put in the shade of Al-Ka‘bah for ‘Abdul-Muttalib. His children used to sit around that mattress in honour to their father, but Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to sit on it. His uncles would take him back, but if ‘Abdul-Muttalib was present, he would say: “Leave my grandson. I swear by Allâh that this boy will hold a significant position.” He used to seat the boy on his mattress, pat his back and was always pleased with what the boy did.
When Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was eight years, two months and ten days old, his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib passed away in Makkah. The charge of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was now passed on to his uncle Abu Talib, who was the brother of the Prophet’s father.
Abu Talib took the charge of his nephew in the best way. He put him with his children and preferred him to them. He singled the boy out with great respect and high esteem. Abu Talib remained for forty years cherishing his nephew and extending all possible protection and support to him. His relations with the others were determined in the light of the treatment they showed to the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
BAHIRA, THE MONK:
When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was twelve years old, he went with his uncle Abu Talib on a business journey to Syria. When they reached Busra (which was a part of Syria, in the vicinity of Howran under the Roman domain) they met a monk called Bahira (his real name was Georges), who showed great kindness, and entertained them lavishly. He had never been in the habit of receiving or entertaining them before. He readily enough recognized the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and said while taking his hand: “This is the master of all humans. Allâh will send him with a Message which will be a mercy to all beings.” Abu Talib asked: “How do you know that?” He replied:
“When you appeared from the direction of ‘Aqabah, all stones and trees prostrated themselves, which they never do except for a Prophet. I can recognize him also by the seal of Prophethood which is below his shoulder, like an apple. We have got to learn this from our books.” He also asked Abu Talib to send the boy back to Makkah and not to take him to Syria for fear of the Jews. Abu Talib obeyed and sent him back to Makkah with some of his men servants.
MUHAMMAD S.A.W.'S EARLY JOB:
Muhammad (Peace be upon him), had no particular job at his early youth, but it was reported that he worked as a shepherd for Bani Sa‘d and in Makkah. At the age of 25, he went to Syria as a merchant for Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) Ibn Ishaq reported that Khadijah, daughter of Khwailid was a business-woman of great honour and fortune. She used to employ men to do her business for a certain percentage of the profits. Quraish people were mostly trades-people, so when Khadijah was informed of Muhammad (Peace be upon him), his truthful words, great honesty and kind manners, she sent for him. She offered him money to go to Syria and do her business, and she would give him a higher rate than the others. She would also send her hireling, Maisarah, with him. He agreed and went with her servant to Syria for trade.
HIS MARRIAGE TO KHADIJAH:
When he returned to Makkah, Khadijah noticed, in her money, more profits and blessings than she used to. Her hireling also told her of Muhammad’s good manners, honesty, deep thought, sincerity and faith. She realized that she homed at her target. Many prominent men had asked for her hand in marriage but she always spurned their advances. She disclosed her wish to her friend Nafisa, daughter of Maniya, who immediately went to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and broke the good news to him. He agreed and requested his uncles to go to Khadijah’s uncle and talk on this issue. Subsequently, they were married. The marriage contract was witnessed by Bani Hashim and the heads of Mudar. This took place after the Prophet’s return from Syria. He gave her twenty camels as dowry. She was, then, forty years old and was considered as the best woman of her folk in lineage, fortune and wisdom. She was the first woman whom the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) married. He did not get married to any other until she had died.
Khadijah bore all his children, except Ibrahim: Al-Qasim, Zainab, Ruqaiyah, Umm Kulthum, Fatimah and ‘Abdullah who was called Taiyib and Tahir. All his sons died in their childhood and all the daughters except Fatimah died during his lifetime. Fatimah died six months after his death. All his daughters witnessed Islam, embraced it, and emigrated to Madinah.
REBUILDING AL-KA'BAH AND THE ARBITRATION ISSUE:
When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was thirty five, Quraish started rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah. That was because it was a low building of white stones no more than 6.30 metres high, from the days of Ishmael. It was also roofless and that gave the thieves easy access to its treasures inside. It was also exposed to the wearing factors of nature — because it was built a long time ago — that weakened and cracked its walls. Five years before Prophethood, there was a great flood in Makkah that swept towards Al-Ka‘bah and almost demolished it. Quraish was obliged to rebuild it to safeguard its holiness and position. The chiefs of Quraish decided to use only licit money in rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah, so all money that derived from harlotry, usury or unjust practices was excluded. They demolished the walls until they reached the basis laid by Abraham. When they started rebuilding its walls, they divided the work among the tribes. Each tribe was responsible for rebuilding a part of it. The tribes collected stones and start work. The work went on in harmony till the time came to put the sacred Black Stone in its proper place. Then strife broke out among the chiefs, and lasted for four or five days, each contesting for the honour of placing the stone in its position. Daggers were on the point of being drawn and great bloodshed seemed imminent. Luckily, the oldest among the chiefs Abu Omaiyah bin Mugheerah Al-Makhzumi made a proposal which was accepted by all. He said:
“Let him, who enters the Sanctuary first of all, decide on the point.” It was then Allâh’s Will that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) should be the first to enter the Mosque. On seeing him, all the people on the scene, cried with one voice: “Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) has come. We are content to abide by his decision.” Calm and self-possessed, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) received the commission and at once resolved upon an expedient which was to conciliate them all. He asked for a mantle which he spread on the ground and placed the stone in its centre. He then asked the representatives of the different clans among them, to lift the stone all together. When it had reached the proper place, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) laid it in the proper position with his own hands. This is how a very tense situation was eased and a grave danger averted by the wisdom of the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
Quraish ran short of the licit money, they collected, so they eliminated six yards area on the northern side of Al-Ka‘bah which is called Al-Hijr or Al-Hateem. They raised its door two metres from the level ground to let in only the people whom they desired. When the structure was fifteen yards high they erected the roof which rested on six columns.
A RAPID REVIEW OF MUHAMMAD'S BIOGRAPHY BEFORE COMMISSIONING OF THE
PROPHETHOOD:
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was, in his youth, a combination of the best social attributes. He was an exemplary man of weighty mind and faultless insight. He was favoured with intelligence, originality of thought and accurate choice of the means leading to accurate goals. His long silence helped favourably in his habit of meditation and deep investigation into the truth. His vivid mind and pure nature were helpfully instrumental in assimilating and comprehending ways of life and people, individual and community-wise. He shunned superstitious practices but took an active part in constructive and useful dealings, otherwise, he would have recourse to his self-consecrated solitude. He kept himself aloof from drinking wine, eating meat slaughtered on stone altars, or attending idolatrous festivals. He held the idols in extreme aversion and most abhorrence. He could never tolerate someone swearing by Al-Lat and Al-‘Uzza. Allâh’s providence, no doubts, detached him from all abominable or evil practices. Even when he tried to obey his instinct to enjoy some life pleasures or follow some irrespectable traditions, Allâh’s providence intervened to curb any lapse in this course. Ibn Al Atheer reported Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as saying: “I have never tried to do what my people do except for two times. Every time Allâh intervened and checked me from doing so and I never did that again.” Once I told my fellow-shepherd to take care of my sheep when we were in the upper part of Makkah. I wanted to go down to Makkah and entertain myself as the young men did. I went down to the first house of Makkah where I heard music. I entered and asked: ‘What is this?’ Someone answered: ‘It is a wedding party.’ I sat down and listened but soon went into deep sleep. I was awakened by the heat of the sun. I went back to my fellow-shepherd and told him of what had happened to me. I have never tried it again.”
Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that he said: “While the people were rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) went with ‘Abbas to carry some stones. ‘Abbas said: ‘Put your loincloth round your neck to protect you from the stones.’ (As he did that) the Prophet (Peace be upon him) fell to the ground and his eyes turned skyward. Later on he woke up and shouted: ‘My loincloth... my loincloth.’ He wrapped himself in his loincloth.” In another report: “His loins were never seen afterwards.”
The authorities agree in ascribing to the youth of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) modesty of deportment, virtuous behaviour and graceful manners. He proved himself to be the ideal of manhood, and to possess a spotless character. He was the most obliging to his compatriots, the most honest in his talk and the mildest in temper. He was the most gentle-hearted, chaste, hospitable and always impressed people by his piety-inspiring countenance. He was the most truthful and the best to keep covenant. His fellow-citizens, by common consent, gave him the title of Al-‘Ameen (trustworthy). The Mother of believers, Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) once said: He unites uterine relations, he helps the poor and the needy, he entertains the guests and endures hardships in the path of truthfulness.
Muhammad (Peace be upon him), the Master of Prophets, was born in Bani Hashim lane in Makkah on Monday morning, the ninth of Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, the same year of the Elephant Event, and forty years of the reign of Kisra (Khosru Nushirwan), i.e. the twentieth or twenty-second of April, 571 A.D., according to the scholar Muhammad Sulaimân Al-Mansourpuri, and the astrologer Mahmûd Pasha.
Ibn Sa‘d reported that Muhammad S.A.W.’s mother said: “When he was born, there was a light that issued out of my pudendum and lit the palaces of Syria.” Ahmad reported on the authority of ‘Arbadh bin Sariya something similar to this.
His mother immediately sent someone to inform his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib of the happy event. Happily he came to her, carried him to Al-Ka‘bah, prayed to Allâh and thanked Him. ‘Abdul-Muttalib called the baby Muhammad (S.A.W.), a name not then common among the Arabs. He circumcised him on his seventh day as was the custom of the Arabs.
BABYHOOD:
It was the general custom of the Arabs living in towns to send their children away to Bedouin wet nurses so that they might grow up in the free and healthy surroundings of the desert whereby they would develop a robust frame and acquire the pure speech and manners of the bedouins, who were noted both for chastity of their language and for being free from those vices which usually develop in sedentary societies.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was later entrusted to Haleemah bint Abi Dhuaib from Bani Sa‘d bin Bakr. Her husband was Al-Harith bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza called Abi Kabshah, from the same tribe.
Traditions delightfully relate how Haleemah and the whole of her household were favoured by successive strokes of good fortune while the baby Muhammad (Peace be upon him) lived under her care. Ibn Ishaq states that Haleemah narrated that she along with her husband and a suckling babe, set out from her village in the company of some women of her clan in quest of children to suckle.
She said:
It was a year of drought and famine and we had nothing to eat. I rode on a brown she-ass. We also had with us an old she-camel. By Allâh we could not get even a drop of milk. We could not have a wink of sleep during the night for the child kept crying on account of hunger. There was not enough milk in my breast and even the she-camel had nothing to feed him. We used to constantly pray for rain and immediate relief. At length we reached Makkah looking for children to suckle. Not even a single woman amongst us accepted the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) offered to her. As soon as they were told that he was an orphan, they refused him. We had fixed our eyes on the reward that we would get from the child’s father. An orphan! What are his grandfather and mother likely to do? So we spurned him because of that. Every woman who came with me got a suckling and when we were about to depart, I said to my husband: “By Allâh, I do not like to go back along with the other women without any baby. I should go to that orphan and I must take him.” He said, “There is no harm in doing so and perhaps Allâh might bless us through him.” So I went and took him because there was simply no other alternative left for me but to take him. When I lifted him in my arms and returned to my place I put him on my breast and to my great surprise, I found enough milk in it. He drank to his heart’s content, and so did his foster brother and then both of them went to sleep although my baby had not been able to sleep the previous night. My husband then went to the she-camel to milk it and, to his astonishment, he found plenty of milk in it. He milked it and we drank to our fill, and enjoyed a sound sleep during the night. The next morning, my husband said: “By Allâh Haleemah, you must understand that you have been able to get a blessed child.” And I replied: “By the grace of Allâh, I hope so.”
The tradition is explicit on the point that Haleemah’s return journey and her subsequent life, as long as the Prophet (Peace be upon him)stayed with her, was encircled with a halo of good fortune. The donkey that she rode when she came to Makkah was lean and almost foundered; it recovered speed much to the amazement of Haleemah’s fellow travellers. By the time they reached the encampments in the country of the clan of Sa‘d, they found the scales of fortune turned in their favour. The barren land sprouted forth luxuriant grass and beasts came back to them satisfied and full of milk. Muhammad (Peace be upon him) stayed with Haleemah for two years until he was weaned as Haleemah said:
We then took him back to his mother requesting her earnestly to have him stay with us and benefit by the good fortune and blessings he had brought us. We persisted in our request which we substantiated by our anxiety over the child catching a certain infection peculiar to Makkah. At last, we were granted our wish and the Prophet (Peace be upon him) stayed with us until he was four or five years of age.
When, as related by Anas in Sahih Muslim, Gabriel came down and ripped his chest open and took out the heart. He then extracted a blood-clot out of it and said: “That was the part of Satan in thee.” And then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a gold basin. After that the heart was joined together and restored to its place. The boys and playmates came running to his mother, i.e. his nurse, and said:
“Verily, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has been murdered.” They all rushed towards him and found him all right only his face was white.
BACK TO HIS COMPASSIONATE MOTHER:
After this event, Haleemah was worried about the boy and returned him to his mother with whom he stayed until he was six. In respect of the memory of her late husband, Amina decided to visit his grave in Yathrib (Madinah).
She set out to cover a journey of 500 kilometers with her orphan boy, woman servant Umm Ayman and her father-in-law ‘Abdul-Muttalib. She spent a month there and then took her way back to Makkah. On the way, she had a severe illness and died in Abwa on the road between Makkah and Madinah.
BACK TO HIS COMPASSIONATE GRANDFATHER:
‘Abdul-Muttalib brought the boy to Makkah. He had warm passions towards the boy, his orphan grandson, whose recent disaster (his mother’s death) added more to the pains of the past. ‘Abdul- Muttalib was more passionate with his grandson than with his own children. He never left the boy a prey to loneliness, but always preferred him to his own kids. Ibn Hisham reported: A mattress was put in the shade of Al-Ka‘bah for ‘Abdul-Muttalib. His children used to sit around that mattress in honour to their father, but Muhammad (Peace be upon him) used to sit on it. His uncles would take him back, but if ‘Abdul-Muttalib was present, he would say: “Leave my grandson. I swear by Allâh that this boy will hold a significant position.” He used to seat the boy on his mattress, pat his back and was always pleased with what the boy did.
When Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was eight years, two months and ten days old, his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib passed away in Makkah. The charge of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was now passed on to his uncle Abu Talib, who was the brother of the Prophet’s father.
Abu Talib took the charge of his nephew in the best way. He put him with his children and preferred him to them. He singled the boy out with great respect and high esteem. Abu Talib remained for forty years cherishing his nephew and extending all possible protection and support to him. His relations with the others were determined in the light of the treatment they showed to the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
BAHIRA, THE MONK:
When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was twelve years old, he went with his uncle Abu Talib on a business journey to Syria. When they reached Busra (which was a part of Syria, in the vicinity of Howran under the Roman domain) they met a monk called Bahira (his real name was Georges), who showed great kindness, and entertained them lavishly. He had never been in the habit of receiving or entertaining them before. He readily enough recognized the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and said while taking his hand: “This is the master of all humans. Allâh will send him with a Message which will be a mercy to all beings.” Abu Talib asked: “How do you know that?” He replied:
“When you appeared from the direction of ‘Aqabah, all stones and trees prostrated themselves, which they never do except for a Prophet. I can recognize him also by the seal of Prophethood which is below his shoulder, like an apple. We have got to learn this from our books.” He also asked Abu Talib to send the boy back to Makkah and not to take him to Syria for fear of the Jews. Abu Talib obeyed and sent him back to Makkah with some of his men servants.
MUHAMMAD S.A.W.'S EARLY JOB:
Muhammad (Peace be upon him), had no particular job at his early youth, but it was reported that he worked as a shepherd for Bani Sa‘d and in Makkah. At the age of 25, he went to Syria as a merchant for Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) Ibn Ishaq reported that Khadijah, daughter of Khwailid was a business-woman of great honour and fortune. She used to employ men to do her business for a certain percentage of the profits. Quraish people were mostly trades-people, so when Khadijah was informed of Muhammad (Peace be upon him), his truthful words, great honesty and kind manners, she sent for him. She offered him money to go to Syria and do her business, and she would give him a higher rate than the others. She would also send her hireling, Maisarah, with him. He agreed and went with her servant to Syria for trade.
HIS MARRIAGE TO KHADIJAH:
When he returned to Makkah, Khadijah noticed, in her money, more profits and blessings than she used to. Her hireling also told her of Muhammad’s good manners, honesty, deep thought, sincerity and faith. She realized that she homed at her target. Many prominent men had asked for her hand in marriage but she always spurned their advances. She disclosed her wish to her friend Nafisa, daughter of Maniya, who immediately went to Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and broke the good news to him. He agreed and requested his uncles to go to Khadijah’s uncle and talk on this issue. Subsequently, they were married. The marriage contract was witnessed by Bani Hashim and the heads of Mudar. This took place after the Prophet’s return from Syria. He gave her twenty camels as dowry. She was, then, forty years old and was considered as the best woman of her folk in lineage, fortune and wisdom. She was the first woman whom the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) married. He did not get married to any other until she had died.
Khadijah bore all his children, except Ibrahim: Al-Qasim, Zainab, Ruqaiyah, Umm Kulthum, Fatimah and ‘Abdullah who was called Taiyib and Tahir. All his sons died in their childhood and all the daughters except Fatimah died during his lifetime. Fatimah died six months after his death. All his daughters witnessed Islam, embraced it, and emigrated to Madinah.
REBUILDING AL-KA'BAH AND THE ARBITRATION ISSUE:
When the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) was thirty five, Quraish started rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah. That was because it was a low building of white stones no more than 6.30 metres high, from the days of Ishmael. It was also roofless and that gave the thieves easy access to its treasures inside. It was also exposed to the wearing factors of nature — because it was built a long time ago — that weakened and cracked its walls. Five years before Prophethood, there was a great flood in Makkah that swept towards Al-Ka‘bah and almost demolished it. Quraish was obliged to rebuild it to safeguard its holiness and position. The chiefs of Quraish decided to use only licit money in rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah, so all money that derived from harlotry, usury or unjust practices was excluded. They demolished the walls until they reached the basis laid by Abraham. When they started rebuilding its walls, they divided the work among the tribes. Each tribe was responsible for rebuilding a part of it. The tribes collected stones and start work. The work went on in harmony till the time came to put the sacred Black Stone in its proper place. Then strife broke out among the chiefs, and lasted for four or five days, each contesting for the honour of placing the stone in its position. Daggers were on the point of being drawn and great bloodshed seemed imminent. Luckily, the oldest among the chiefs Abu Omaiyah bin Mugheerah Al-Makhzumi made a proposal which was accepted by all. He said:
“Let him, who enters the Sanctuary first of all, decide on the point.” It was then Allâh’s Will that the Messenger of Allâh (Peace be upon him) should be the first to enter the Mosque. On seeing him, all the people on the scene, cried with one voice: “Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) has come. We are content to abide by his decision.” Calm and self-possessed, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) received the commission and at once resolved upon an expedient which was to conciliate them all. He asked for a mantle which he spread on the ground and placed the stone in its centre. He then asked the representatives of the different clans among them, to lift the stone all together. When it had reached the proper place, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) laid it in the proper position with his own hands. This is how a very tense situation was eased and a grave danger averted by the wisdom of the Prophet (Peace be upon him).
Quraish ran short of the licit money, they collected, so they eliminated six yards area on the northern side of Al-Ka‘bah which is called Al-Hijr or Al-Hateem. They raised its door two metres from the level ground to let in only the people whom they desired. When the structure was fifteen yards high they erected the roof which rested on six columns.
A RAPID REVIEW OF MUHAMMAD'S BIOGRAPHY BEFORE COMMISSIONING OF THE
PROPHETHOOD:
Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was, in his youth, a combination of the best social attributes. He was an exemplary man of weighty mind and faultless insight. He was favoured with intelligence, originality of thought and accurate choice of the means leading to accurate goals. His long silence helped favourably in his habit of meditation and deep investigation into the truth. His vivid mind and pure nature were helpfully instrumental in assimilating and comprehending ways of life and people, individual and community-wise. He shunned superstitious practices but took an active part in constructive and useful dealings, otherwise, he would have recourse to his self-consecrated solitude. He kept himself aloof from drinking wine, eating meat slaughtered on stone altars, or attending idolatrous festivals. He held the idols in extreme aversion and most abhorrence. He could never tolerate someone swearing by Al-Lat and Al-‘Uzza. Allâh’s providence, no doubts, detached him from all abominable or evil practices. Even when he tried to obey his instinct to enjoy some life pleasures or follow some irrespectable traditions, Allâh’s providence intervened to curb any lapse in this course. Ibn Al Atheer reported Muhammad (Peace be upon him) as saying: “I have never tried to do what my people do except for two times. Every time Allâh intervened and checked me from doing so and I never did that again.” Once I told my fellow-shepherd to take care of my sheep when we were in the upper part of Makkah. I wanted to go down to Makkah and entertain myself as the young men did. I went down to the first house of Makkah where I heard music. I entered and asked: ‘What is this?’ Someone answered: ‘It is a wedding party.’ I sat down and listened but soon went into deep sleep. I was awakened by the heat of the sun. I went back to my fellow-shepherd and told him of what had happened to me. I have never tried it again.”
Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that he said: “While the people were rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) went with ‘Abbas to carry some stones. ‘Abbas said: ‘Put your loincloth round your neck to protect you from the stones.’ (As he did that) the Prophet (Peace be upon him) fell to the ground and his eyes turned skyward. Later on he woke up and shouted: ‘My loincloth... my loincloth.’ He wrapped himself in his loincloth.” In another report: “His loins were never seen afterwards.”
The authorities agree in ascribing to the youth of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) modesty of deportment, virtuous behaviour and graceful manners. He proved himself to be the ideal of manhood, and to possess a spotless character. He was the most obliging to his compatriots, the most honest in his talk and the mildest in temper. He was the most gentle-hearted, chaste, hospitable and always impressed people by his piety-inspiring countenance. He was the most truthful and the best to keep covenant. His fellow-citizens, by common consent, gave him the title of Al-‘Ameen (trustworthy). The Mother of believers, Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) once said: He unites uterine relations, he helps the poor and the needy, he entertains the guests and endures hardships in the path of truthfulness.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Living The Quran
The Record
Ya Sin - Chapter 36: Verse 12
"We shall surely raise the dead to life and We record what they did and the traces of their deeds that they have left behind. We have encompassed that in a Clear Book."
One learns from this that the record of one's deeds consists of the following three types of entries:
1. All that one does, good or bad, is recorded.
2. All the impressions that one leaves on the objects around her or on the organs of her own body are recorded. All these will, at a given time, stand out with utter clarity. As a result, it will be possible to hear the words she spoke in the past in her own voice. It will also be possible to observe a person's ideas, intentions and motives in their fullness for all this will appear as though inscribed on her mind's tablet. Thus it will be possible to have a full picture of a person's good and bad deeds, and of all her movements.
3. The full impact of a person on others, both good and evil: the impact on her own future generations, on her society and on mankind at large, will also be entered in this record.
As long as a person's impact lasts, it will be credited to her account. A complete record of her impact after her demise on subsequent generations, on her own society and on humanity at large, with all its ramifications, will be entered into her record. The good or bad upbringing of her children, the contributions she made to spreading good or evil in her society and among mankind will also be maintained and will be kept as long as her deeds continue to affect human behaviour in the world.
Compiled From:
"Towards Understanding the Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi, Vol. 9, pp. 245,24
Ya Sin - Chapter 36: Verse 12
"We shall surely raise the dead to life and We record what they did and the traces of their deeds that they have left behind. We have encompassed that in a Clear Book."
One learns from this that the record of one's deeds consists of the following three types of entries:
1. All that one does, good or bad, is recorded.
2. All the impressions that one leaves on the objects around her or on the organs of her own body are recorded. All these will, at a given time, stand out with utter clarity. As a result, it will be possible to hear the words she spoke in the past in her own voice. It will also be possible to observe a person's ideas, intentions and motives in their fullness for all this will appear as though inscribed on her mind's tablet. Thus it will be possible to have a full picture of a person's good and bad deeds, and of all her movements.
3. The full impact of a person on others, both good and evil: the impact on her own future generations, on her society and on mankind at large, will also be entered in this record.
As long as a person's impact lasts, it will be credited to her account. A complete record of her impact after her demise on subsequent generations, on her own society and on humanity at large, with all its ramifications, will be entered into her record. The good or bad upbringing of her children, the contributions she made to spreading good or evil in her society and among mankind will also be maintained and will be kept as long as her deeds continue to affect human behaviour in the world.
Compiled From:
"Towards Understanding the Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi, Vol. 9, pp. 245,24
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Self Confidence
What is self confidence?
“realistic confidence in one’s own judgment, ability, power, etc … belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities”
The word confidence originates from the Latin “confidere”, meaning to trust. Trusting and believing in ourselves, having faith in our ability in whatever situation we need to perform.
Building Self Confidence
To be more confident then, we have to somehow generate this faith or trust in our abilities. Unfortunately, we are constantly being challenged by new situations full of variables we cannot control. In building confidence, we cannot eliminate this uncertainty.
A common approach to build confidence is good preparation. If I have to give a speech tomorrow, I would carefully prepare what I was going to say. I could reassure myself, challenging my automatic negative thoughts. However, even though I've given speeches before, there are always going to be variables that I cannot eliminate or control.
At the heart of building self confidence and becoming more confident is this conundrum of uncertainty, our inability to control the world around us. Whilst there are many other techniques and ideas that we will cover in this blog, the first and most important is to accept this lack of control.
You can build self confidence by not letting the feelings generated by uncertainty take over. We have an built in system to protect us from danger – "fight or flight" – that creates what we identify as anxiety symptoms when threatened. Tolerate that feeling of anxiety, recognise that uncertainty is a challenge rather than a threat. Once you start to do that, then you're on the way to building confidence and generally being more confident.
“realistic confidence in one’s own judgment, ability, power, etc … belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities”
The word confidence originates from the Latin “confidere”, meaning to trust. Trusting and believing in ourselves, having faith in our ability in whatever situation we need to perform.
Building Self Confidence
To be more confident then, we have to somehow generate this faith or trust in our abilities. Unfortunately, we are constantly being challenged by new situations full of variables we cannot control. In building confidence, we cannot eliminate this uncertainty.
A common approach to build confidence is good preparation. If I have to give a speech tomorrow, I would carefully prepare what I was going to say. I could reassure myself, challenging my automatic negative thoughts. However, even though I've given speeches before, there are always going to be variables that I cannot eliminate or control.
At the heart of building self confidence and becoming more confident is this conundrum of uncertainty, our inability to control the world around us. Whilst there are many other techniques and ideas that we will cover in this blog, the first and most important is to accept this lack of control.
You can build self confidence by not letting the feelings generated by uncertainty take over. We have an built in system to protect us from danger – "fight or flight" – that creates what we identify as anxiety symptoms when threatened. Tolerate that feeling of anxiety, recognise that uncertainty is a challenge rather than a threat. Once you start to do that, then you're on the way to building confidence and generally being more confident.
Arabs rule out new peace talks
Arab foreign ministers have said there will be no more negotiations between the Palestinians and Israelis unless the United States makes a "serious offer" for resolving the conflict.
"The negotiation track between the Palestinians and Israelis is futile," a statement released after a meeting of Arab League minister meeing in Cairo on Wednesday said.
"There is no return to talks. Any resumption is conditioned on a serious offer that ensures the end to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on the peace process references."
The US last week abandoned attempts to persuade Israel to freeze settlement building in the occupied West Bank.
Direct talks, brokered in September, have been stalled since the Palestinians refused to take part over Israel's failure to extend a 10-month moratorium on the construction of the settlements, which are illegal under international law.
The Arab ministers said Washington's failure on the issue "demands that the American administration declares clearly the two states' borders be based on the 1967 borders".
Israel captured the land that the Palestinians want for an independent state - the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem - during the 1967 Middle East war.
'Two-way conversations'
The US has said it will now concentrate on mediating indirect talks between the two sides over the so-called "core issues" - including the borders of a Palestinian state, the future of East Jerusalem and security arrangements.
Earlier on Wednesday, George Mitchell, the US envoy to the Middle East, said: "In the days ahead, our discussions with both sides will be substantive, two-way conversations with an eye towards making real progress in the next few months on the key questions of an eventual framework agreement."
But Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, the Qatari foreign minister and prime minister, questioned whether any talks could be successful after Washington abandoned its proposal on settlements.
"There is a real problem facing the peace process especially given that the American mediator has abandoned its pledges and adopted the Israeli point of view," he said after chairing the Arab League meeting.
The Arab ministers have said that they could now take the settlements issue to the UN security council.
"We know there will be an American veto if we go to the security council but this veto will not stop us from going," al-Thani said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
"The negotiation track between the Palestinians and Israelis is futile," a statement released after a meeting of Arab League minister meeing in Cairo on Wednesday said.
"There is no return to talks. Any resumption is conditioned on a serious offer that ensures the end to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on the peace process references."
The US last week abandoned attempts to persuade Israel to freeze settlement building in the occupied West Bank.
Direct talks, brokered in September, have been stalled since the Palestinians refused to take part over Israel's failure to extend a 10-month moratorium on the construction of the settlements, which are illegal under international law.
The Arab ministers said Washington's failure on the issue "demands that the American administration declares clearly the two states' borders be based on the 1967 borders".
Israel captured the land that the Palestinians want for an independent state - the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem - during the 1967 Middle East war.
'Two-way conversations'
The US has said it will now concentrate on mediating indirect talks between the two sides over the so-called "core issues" - including the borders of a Palestinian state, the future of East Jerusalem and security arrangements.
Earlier on Wednesday, George Mitchell, the US envoy to the Middle East, said: "In the days ahead, our discussions with both sides will be substantive, two-way conversations with an eye towards making real progress in the next few months on the key questions of an eventual framework agreement."
But Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani, the Qatari foreign minister and prime minister, questioned whether any talks could be successful after Washington abandoned its proposal on settlements.
"There is a real problem facing the peace process especially given that the American mediator has abandoned its pledges and adopted the Israeli point of view," he said after chairing the Arab League meeting.
The Arab ministers have said that they could now take the settlements issue to the UN security council.
"We know there will be an American veto if we go to the security council but this veto will not stop us from going," al-Thani said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/
It Begins With You
There is an interesting advert that was on television for quite some time. I have also seen it on web sites. The closing words of that advert were:
"Imagine the possibility of an HIV free generation,
it begins with you."
If this is true, then I want to challenge you that for all that you either desire for yourself, family, community, state, country or the world, it all begins with you.
• Imagine the possibility of a lawless you,
it begins with you!
• Imagine the possibility of a happy family,
it begins with you!
• Imagine the possibility of a progressive community,
it begins with you.
• Imagine the possibility of a corruption free state,
it begins with you.
• Imagine the possibility of smooth traffic from one country to another without visas,
it begins with you.
• Imagine the possibility of a peaceful world,
it begins with you.
I do not want to be self-centered; my very last words in this piece will be that for every desire of ours truly begins with "you" - that "you" is "You and Me and everybody".
"Imagine the possibility of an HIV free generation,
it begins with you."
If this is true, then I want to challenge you that for all that you either desire for yourself, family, community, state, country or the world, it all begins with you.
• Imagine the possibility of a lawless you,
it begins with you!
• Imagine the possibility of a happy family,
it begins with you!
• Imagine the possibility of a progressive community,
it begins with you.
• Imagine the possibility of a corruption free state,
it begins with you.
• Imagine the possibility of smooth traffic from one country to another without visas,
it begins with you.
• Imagine the possibility of a peaceful world,
it begins with you.
I do not want to be self-centered; my very last words in this piece will be that for every desire of ours truly begins with "you" - that "you" is "You and Me and everybody".
What is /are Life issues?
Life issues are common challenges, issues and/or crises that happen to ordinary people living normal lives. Examples include managing one's emotion so that they are healthy and functional, surviving disabilities, loss and self-esteem issues, personal finance issues among others. These are some of the issues for discussion on this blog.
Welcome to my world; Touching and improving lives
Now that the changes is now a reality, i intend to highlight the aspect of life issues i will major on and it is that aspect that will in one way or the other affect somebody's life positively.
Changes in the blog
i am changing my business success blog to a life issue blog so as to enable me to blog on other aspect of life apart from business. i decided not to open another blog for that purpose because i might not be able to maintain all the blogs.i am doing this because i want something that will enable me to touch and improve lives.
Your comments on how it can be a better blog will be highly appreciated
Happy reading
Your comments on how it can be a better blog will be highly appreciated
Happy reading
Thursday, December 16, 2010
UN ends last sanctions on Iraq
The UN Security Council on Wednesday ended key international sanctions imposed on Iraq in a move to bring closure to the Saddam Hussein era.
Three council resolutions ended sanctions over weapons of mass destruction and ended the UN oil-for-food program for Iraq.
Iraq will now be able to pursue a civilian nuclear program, in a symbolic step to restore the country to the international standing it held before Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Joe Biden, US vice president, and Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary general, led praise for the efforts of Iraq's democratically elected government, while warning that Iraq must make a final peace with neighbouring Kuwait and that the country still has major security challenges.
One resolution passed lifted sanctions imposed in 1991 to stop Iraq building the feared, but never located, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons used to justify the US-led invasion in 2003.
A second resolution formally ended the oil-for-food program which allowed the late Iraqi dictator to use billions of dollars of oil money to buy food and medicine between 1996 and 2003.
A third resolution extended UN protection by six months for hundreds of millions of dollars in the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), which was set up after the 2003 war to handle oil and other revenues.
The council also voted to return control of Iraq's oil and natural gas revenue to the government on June 30, 2011.
Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler, reporting from the United Nations, said there were still some provisions in place allowing international military intervention in Iraq.
"There is also the possibility - with the [civilian] nuclear technology - of a one-year review that has international inspectors come in," our correspondent said.
US catharsis
While the votes concentrated on weapons of mass destruction and the oil-for-food program, the meeting was intended by the United States as a symbolic recognition of the political changes in Iraq.
Biden told the meeting the Iraqi people have "flatly rejected the grim future offered by extremists".
He said the number of violent attacks was now at a low since the US-led invasion in 2003.
"Iraq is on the cusp of something remarkable - a stable, self-reliant nation," Biden said.
A Security Council statement welcomed changes in Iraq and "recognises that the situation now existing in Iraq is significantly different from that which existed at the time of the adoption of resolution 661" in 1990 after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
But the UN leader stressed that Iraq must make efforts to agree a border with Kuwait and to agree on a dispute over war reparations to Iraq if all sanctions are to be ended.
Iraq still pays five per cent of revenues from its oil sales into a fund which pays reparations to Kuwait, which has demanded that Iraq pay another $22bn.
Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said normalisation with Kuwait would "top the agenda" of the new Iraqi government.
While recognising the changes, Ban said that "Iraq remains a challenging environment" which will need political and financial support, particularly after the departure of remaining US troops in 2011.
"You have suffered too much for too long, I pay tribute to your resilience," Ban said in a message to the Iraqi people.
The meeting started with a minute's silence for US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, architect of the Daytona peace accords to end the Balkan wars of the 1990s, who died this week. Biden called him "one of America's greatest warriors for peace".
Three council resolutions ended sanctions over weapons of mass destruction and ended the UN oil-for-food program for Iraq.
Iraq will now be able to pursue a civilian nuclear program, in a symbolic step to restore the country to the international standing it held before Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Joe Biden, US vice president, and Ban Ki-moon, UN secretary general, led praise for the efforts of Iraq's democratically elected government, while warning that Iraq must make a final peace with neighbouring Kuwait and that the country still has major security challenges.
One resolution passed lifted sanctions imposed in 1991 to stop Iraq building the feared, but never located, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons used to justify the US-led invasion in 2003.
A second resolution formally ended the oil-for-food program which allowed the late Iraqi dictator to use billions of dollars of oil money to buy food and medicine between 1996 and 2003.
A third resolution extended UN protection by six months for hundreds of millions of dollars in the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI), which was set up after the 2003 war to handle oil and other revenues.
The council also voted to return control of Iraq's oil and natural gas revenue to the government on June 30, 2011.
Al Jazeera's Scott Heidler, reporting from the United Nations, said there were still some provisions in place allowing international military intervention in Iraq.
"There is also the possibility - with the [civilian] nuclear technology - of a one-year review that has international inspectors come in," our correspondent said.
US catharsis
While the votes concentrated on weapons of mass destruction and the oil-for-food program, the meeting was intended by the United States as a symbolic recognition of the political changes in Iraq.
Biden told the meeting the Iraqi people have "flatly rejected the grim future offered by extremists".
He said the number of violent attacks was now at a low since the US-led invasion in 2003.
"Iraq is on the cusp of something remarkable - a stable, self-reliant nation," Biden said.
A Security Council statement welcomed changes in Iraq and "recognises that the situation now existing in Iraq is significantly different from that which existed at the time of the adoption of resolution 661" in 1990 after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
But the UN leader stressed that Iraq must make efforts to agree a border with Kuwait and to agree on a dispute over war reparations to Iraq if all sanctions are to be ended.
Iraq still pays five per cent of revenues from its oil sales into a fund which pays reparations to Kuwait, which has demanded that Iraq pay another $22bn.
Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, said normalisation with Kuwait would "top the agenda" of the new Iraqi government.
While recognising the changes, Ban said that "Iraq remains a challenging environment" which will need political and financial support, particularly after the departure of remaining US troops in 2011.
"You have suffered too much for too long, I pay tribute to your resilience," Ban said in a message to the Iraqi people.
The meeting started with a minute's silence for US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, architect of the Daytona peace accords to end the Balkan wars of the 1990s, who died this week. Biden called him "one of America's greatest warriors for peace".
Prophetic Quotes
1. Actions will be judged according to intentions.
2. The proof of a Muslim's sincerity is that he payeth no heed to that which is not his business.
3. No man is a true believer unless he desireth for his brother that which he desireth for himself.
4. That which is lawful is clear, and that which is unlawful likewise, but there are certain doubtful things between the two from which it is well to abstain. OF ABSTINENCE: Remember the Lord in retirement from the people and make prayer thy sleep, and hunger thy food.
OF ABSTINENCE: Kill not your hearts with excess of eating and drinking.
OF ABSTINENCE: Illumine your hearts by hunger, and strive to conquer yourself by hunger and thirst; continue to knock at the gates of Paradise by hunger.
OF ABSTINENCE: The world is sweet in the heart, and green to the eye; and verily God hath brought you, after those that went before you: then look to your actions, and abstain from the world and its w
OF ABSTINENCE: The nearest to me are the abstinent, whoever they are, wherever they are.
2. The proof of a Muslim's sincerity is that he payeth no heed to that which is not his business.
3. No man is a true believer unless he desireth for his brother that which he desireth for himself.
4. That which is lawful is clear, and that which is unlawful likewise, but there are certain doubtful things between the two from which it is well to abstain. OF ABSTINENCE: Remember the Lord in retirement from the people and make prayer thy sleep, and hunger thy food.
OF ABSTINENCE: Kill not your hearts with excess of eating and drinking.
OF ABSTINENCE: Illumine your hearts by hunger, and strive to conquer yourself by hunger and thirst; continue to knock at the gates of Paradise by hunger.
OF ABSTINENCE: The world is sweet in the heart, and green to the eye; and verily God hath brought you, after those that went before you: then look to your actions, and abstain from the world and its w
OF ABSTINENCE: The nearest to me are the abstinent, whoever they are, wherever they are.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Fast of Aashura
The Messenger of Allah Muhammad [Peace be upon him] has encouraged his Ummah to fast on the day of Ashura. He was reported to have said:
"This fast[Aashura] is a compensation for the sins of the past year ((minor sins)."(Hadith-Muslim)
He the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu-Alayhi-Wasallam) equally advised that the Ummah should Fast either on the 9th and 10th or 10th and 11th Muharram "Observe the fast of Ashura and oppose the Jews. Fast a day before it or a day after."(Baihaqi)
May Allah strenten us to be able to be part of those that will observe the fast.amin
'Ashura - Lest We Forget
The tenth day of the first month of the Islamic lunar calendar marks a significant day in the Muslim calendar.
'Ashura, then and now
The tenth of Muharram is the day on which, according to some reports, Allah saved Prophet Moses/Musa (pbuh) from the tyrannical Pharaoh, that prototype of despotic authority. There are many pharaoh-like authorities who have appeared through history and there were those incorrigible standard-bearers of justice who opposed them. In the post-Prophetic period, one such person was Imam Husayn who took on the corruption of despotic Yazid and laid down his life on tenth Muharram in 61 AH (680 CE); an event that serves as a milestone in the history of the faithful; the martyrdom of the beloved grandson of the Prophet Muhammad at Karbala in Iraq.
Moses & Pharoah, Husayn & Yazid
The valiant Prophet Moses did not fight Pharaoh to become king, neither did the righteous Imam Husayn take on the army of the corrupt Yazid merely to become caliph. Their effort was in fulfillment of moral obligation which serves as a universal message which has left a lasting legacy of struggle and resistance against corruption and injustice. The lesson is not only in that they were prepared to fight for what is right, but were also willing to die for it; selflessness not selfishness, humility not ego, principle not power.
Such Musawi and Husayn struggle has always raged on in a corrupted world. As 'allama Iqbal said; Musa-o Fira'un Shabbīr-o Yazīd In do quwwataz hayat āmad padīd. "Ever since the beginning, two opposing forces have been at war - virtue and vice. Thus, Prophet Musa rose against Pharoah and Shabbir (Imam Husayn) rose against Yazid"
Tragic Event
So cowardly and gruesome was the killing of Imam Husayn that the renowned Arab historian Al-Fakhri wrote: "This is a catastrophe, whereof I care not to speak at length, deeming it a like too grievous and too horrible. For it was indeed a catastrophe so odious that a more shameful incident has not occurred in Muslim history. There occurred such a foul massacre as to cause any person's flesh to creep with horror. Again I have dispensed with my long description of this horrific incident because of its notoriety, for it is the most lamented of all catastrophes. " Western historian, Dr Edward Browne in his 'a Literary History of Persia' writes: "as a reminder, the blood-stained field of Karbala where the grandson of the apostle of God fell at length, tortured by thirst and surrounded by the bodies of his murdered family; has been at any time since then been sufficient to evoke, even in the most lukewarm and heedless, the deepest emotion, the most frantic grief and the exaltation of spirit before which pain, danger, and death shrink to unconsidered trifles." Professor E. Gibbon writes , "Ina distant age and clime the tragic scene of the death of Husayn will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader." [Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire]
Tragedy Compounded
To compound the tragedy, it was the grandson of the final Messenger (and his close relatives) who were brutally killed. It was a massacre of the progeny of the final Prophet of Allah.
*
That family of the prophet of whom Allah invokes us through the Qur'an;
"Say (to the people, O Muhammad)! I ask of you no reward except that you love my family." [Qur'an 42:23].
It was regarding this Qur'anic verse that Imam Shaf'i wrote in his poetry ..
Yaaala-bayti Rasulillahi hubbakum
Fardun minaalhi fil Qur'ani anzalah
Yakfikum min 'azimil fakhri annakum
Man lam yusalli 'alaykum la salata lah
"O Family of the Prophet! Allah has made it obligatory on us in the Qur'an to love you. It is a matter of pride for you that without saluting you our salutations (salawaat) are invalid."
*
That Husayn who, together with his brother, is considered by the Prophet as sayyida shabābiahlil Jannah "leaders of the youth of Paradise" [Sunanal-Tirmidhi]
*
That Husayn who carried the traits of the Prophet and who many companions considered as an image of his grandfather. In the words of the poet Josh Mahalbadi É
Of the attributes of the Prophet, the perceiver was Husayn,
Of the holiness of the Prophet, the inheritor was Husayn.
*
That Husayn of whom the Prophet said,
"Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn. Allah loves whoever loves Husayn." [Sunanal-Tirmidhi]
Yet, Imam Husayn was martyred at the hands of those who considered themselves followers of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, those who claimed to act in the name of Islam yet unremorsefully and shamelessly were prepared to obliterate its true exponent; those who (like so many today) are prepared to kill for Islam yet are unable to live by it. Yes, Imam Husayn was martyred at the hands of those who would kiss the Black Stone (because the Prophet kissed it), yet cut off the precious head of that dear grandson of the Prophet, a head which the Prophet so often caressed and kissed with affection
Continuing the Abrahamic Tradition
We bade farewell to the old year by celebrating Prophet Ibrahim's commitment to Allah characterized by his valor against Nimrud, and proven through his willingness to sacrifice his patient son, Prophet Isma'il (pbuh). Now we welcome the new year by commemorating the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad's beloved grandson, Imam Husayn who fought to uphold the principles of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad and his forefather Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh).
(O Allah, Bless Our Master Muhammad and the family of our Master Muhammad as You blessed our forefather Ibrahim and the family of our forefather Ibrahim.) The Makkan struggle for the manifesting and upholding the values of Islam was founded with love and veracity by the family of Ibrahim and continued with loveand patience through the family of Muhammad (pbuh), as 'allama Iqbal says;
Sidq-e Khalil bhi hay ishq, sabr-e Husayn bhi hay ishq Ma'rika-e-wujud mayn Badr-o-Hunayn bhi hay ishq
"The veracity of Prophet Ibrahim is love, so too the patient perseverance of Imam Husayn is love. Just as Prophet Muhammad's selfless struggle at Badr and Hunayn too was love (for Allah, truth and justice)."
Iqbal thus concluded; Gharib-o sada o- rangeen hay dastane haram, nehayat is ki Husayn, ibtida hay Isma'il"
"Strange, simple yet colorful is the story of the haram. It begins with Prophet Isma'iland ends with Imam Husayn."
Outstanding Example of Husayn
The special status of Imam Husayn in Muslim history has in large measure been due to the his sacrifice of family, possession, and life itself in the cause of justice in the way of Allah. His courage, sincerity, steadfastness, dignity, and unwavering devotion in times of great crisis - have inspired and continues to inspire people ofall walks of life. His struggle and eventual martyrdom became a source of strength and endurance for the oppressed in times of suffering, persecution and oppression. He has been morally on the side of every person against unjust rulers, reproaching tyrants and encouraging the oppressed to persist in their struggle for justice, freedom and dignity. "No battle in the modern and past history of mankind has earned more sympathy and admiration as well as provided more lessons than the martyrdom of Husayn in the battle of Karbala." [antoine Bara in 'Husayn in Christian Ideology']
Perhaps the most fitting of all epithets regarding Imam Husayn was by one of the greatest spiritual luminaries the world has ever known, Khwajah Mo'inuddin Chisti (may Allah sanctify his status), who said É
Shahast Hussain, badshahast Hussain,
Deenast Hussain, deen-e panahast Hussain,
Sar dad, na dad dast, dar dast-e-yazid,
Haqa key binaey La ilaha ilallahast Hussain
Husayn is the master, Husayn is the king,
Husayn is the symbol of faith, Husayn is the defender of faith,
He gave his life rather than allegiance to Yazid
Verily the foundation of La'illah illa-allah is Husayn.
Call of 'Ashura
We must reflect on that monumental moment, over thirteen hundred and fifty years ago, on the 10th day of Muharram 61 AH (680 CE) just before 'Asr prayer, when Imam Husayn stood on a sand-dune at Karbala in Iraq. Blood was flowing all over his body from the wounds he had suffered; having lost virtually everything that day. He had carried several dead bodies into his camp and even buried his dear infant child. He looked at the murdered bodies of his loved ones. Tears flowed from his eyes. He looked skyward and prayed; "O Allah! In You I place my trust amid all grief. You are my hope amid all violence. You are my Refuge and Provider in everything that happens. How many grievances are there that weaken the heart, leaving me with no means to respond; during which friends desert me while enemies rejoice."
Then, this beloved grandson of the Prophet and the apple of his eye, raised a call: "Is there anyone who will come to assist us? Is there anyone who will respond to our call for help?" He turned directions and repeated the call several times. Who was he calling out to? Surely he was not expecting anyone there to come to his aid since those who he had relied upon had already betrayed him? Perhaps it was a call to people of conscience of every period, every generation in every land. It was a call for help against corruption which everywhere in every age rears its ugly head to oppress justice and undermine the truth.
Everyday and Everywhere
Imam Husayn's martyrdom at Karbala provides evidence of the moral victory of right over wrong, of virtue over vice, of principle over compromise, of the oppressed over the oppressor, of the denied over the denier; the ultimate victory of blood over sword. A lesson teaching humankind through the inscription of blood on the scrolls of human history, how he conveyed to the world, through his struggle, the meaning of life; that that living is truly of value which offers itself for a cause greater than its self; that to die with honor is better than living in subjugation to injustice.
For those conscious of their moral obligations, consistently striving against injustice and oppression; EVERY DAY IS 'ASHURA AND EVERY PLACE IS KARBALA. In the words of Moulana 'Ali Gouhar, Qatle Husayn asl mein marge yazid hay Islam zinda hotahay har Karbala ki ba'd "The killing of Husayn is in fact the death knell of Yazid, as Islam is revived after every such Karbala".
Remember Never to Forget
The commemoration of 'Ashura on the 10th of Muharram every year serves to remind us of the sacrifices of the righteous throughout our glorious history. It reconnects us with our spiritual and moral legacy making us aware of the people, then and now, who bravely stood up for what was right; as well as those who tried to destroy the family of the Prophet and the noble ideals that the family stood for. More than that, it exposes those who watched what was happening, knew what was right; and yet did nothing.
How many are there even today who shy away; not only from mentioning the struggleat Karbala, but from the very memory of Husayn. God forbid that we ever become of those who forget.
Seven stages of life in Islam
Islam = submission to the Will of Allah (GOD).
Islam has beginning and end. Those who embrace Islam are called Muslims. The word Muslim is derived from the word Peace. The traditional muslim greeting is peace be unto you.
Who is Allah? Allah is The One and The Only God who created the worlds, Angels (created by light), Jinn (created by Fire), Satan (devil) is an outcast Jinn, man (created from sounding clay), animals and contents of the universes. Allah is One, there is no God other than Him, without any partners, He is eternal without a beginning and enduring without end, Absolute, Self-Sufficient, Self-Existing, never dies, not borne nor gives birth, has no companion and nothing is comparable to Him. He never sleeps nor slumbers. All-Knowing, All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Nothing happens except what He wills. He gives life and death. He is The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful. He is intensively and continuously merciful to his creatures even though Non Muslims do not believe in him. He is far above from any created being. He is The Creator of everything in the universe, heaven and earth and its content. He will never perish or come to an end. When Allah wants anything to happen he says "Be" and it is. Muslims do not believe that Allah assumed Human form and came down to this earth. Human body form has animal properties and animal characteristics are created by Allah. Allah is high above all the creations.
Creation of Mankind
The first Man's (Adam ) body was created from sounding clay. His companion woman "Hava " was created from Adam's rib. All his descendant's bodies are created by sperm of man and ovum of women. Jesus (Prophet ISA) son of Mariam (Mary) was created by Allah's word (Be and it is) like Adam but in Mariam's womb. Jesus was a human prophet and not son of God. He was not crucified but taken up alive (Holy Quran).
Allah breathed into the body of man part of His spirit called (Ruh) Soul . When the soul enters the body it becomes alive. When this soul is withdrawn from the body it dies and the body decays, putrefies and is eaten by microorganisms. Every day man experience temporary death at night when he sleeps and resurrects when he wakes up. Allah keeps his soul in a safe place during his sleep. Allah has appointed angels as guardians to the right and left side and allowed satan to disturb humans. All these facts are described in Holy Quran.
Stage 1. Life in Lau Ho Mahfuz.
Allah created all the souls of the descendants of Adam and Hava who were predestined to come to this earth. Everything about the universes and our soul before and after creations are documented and recorded in the tablet (book) board in heaven(Lau Ho Mahfuz).
Allah once asked all the created souls, "who is your Lord?". All the souls said "You are our Creator our Lord". But souls forget the covenant when they descend to the earth. Some have faint or vague memory of Allah (God) in the inner core of the heart. At times of life threatening danger man will automatically shout "Oh God !". But who is that God? If no one tells him he will not know. At that time they usually do not address false gods. They usually point up to the heaven and say Almighty God meaning ALLAH.. If they say that many times they will forget false gods. That is the inner instinct of Humans.
Stage 2. Life in the mother's womb.
The soul is sent down to this earth into the body of fetus developed in the mother's womb and the fetus becomes alive. The fetus was swimming in the amniotic fluid inside the uterus like a fish. It does not breathe air. The fetus was fed by the blood through the placenta of the mother and supplied to the body of the fetus by means of umbilical cord. In pregnant women there is no menstruation until the baby is born. Do we remember how we lived 9 months inside the mother's womb?
Stage 3. Life in this world.
At the fetal age of 36 to 40 weeks (pregnancy) the baby is born. The baby breaths the first time and cries. Whereas the nurses, friends, parents and relatives laugh, are happy and praise the baby. When the same baby become old and dies, the relatives and friends cry. Some practice infanticide (kill babies) if the baby is female. Islam does not allow infanticide and abortion. The newly born baby is clean, innocent , free from sins, grows, develops , learns and is brought up in muslim families or in non-muslim families. The soul in the baby forgot Allah and the promise (covenant) given in the heaven that Allah is his Creator and Lord.
The babies brought up in muslim families will be taught Quran and reminded about Allah and Islam to worship only The One Allah. To avoid worshipping false gods. False gods are either made by man from wood or stone or the creation of Allah (such as sun , moon, tree, fire, water, animals , spirits, the content of the universe). Muslims only worship one creator (Allah) but not the creations. Muslims do not associate anything with Allah. Allah has sent 124,000 Prophets from the time of Adam to the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the last Prophet, to remind all mankind to worship one God Allah. There were divine revelations (books) sent down through Prophets including Abraham, David , Solomon, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (Pbuh).
Muslims believe all the Prophets and their books (psalms, Torah, Bible and Quran). Quran is the latest divine revelation (words of Allah) revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) 1400 years ago and is preserved without any flaws and amendments done by humans up to date. Whereas all the other Holy books were altered or corrected by humans and the original statements were corrupted and become doubtful. Allah said in Quran he will preserve the Holy Quran until the end of the world so no man can alter it. Quran is preserved in the hearts of Hafizs (Those who have memorized the whole book Holy Quran by heart). There are millions of Hafizs in this world. Burning all the copies of Quran will not make miraculous Quran disappear from this world. Quran is revealed in Arabic language whereas the Bible was revealed in Hebrew language. Quran updates all the previous holy books and teaches mankind about universal laws, moral concepts and narratives. The Quran's timeless text remains a miracle, an inspiration and guide to all humanity.
Muslims believe in Quran and follow Prophet's saying and example of his way of life. Those who believe in one Allah, his prophets, his books, his angels, the last day of judgment, the next life, good or bad come from predestined decree of Allah, the existence of hell and heaven, reward for good people and punishment of bad people are called Muslims. All souls are provided with limited free will to choose. There is no compulsion in Islam. All souls have to taste death. When the soul leaves the body, relatives and friends cry. The soul of man will be extracted by the angel of death either gently or roughly when the time is ripe. When a soul is pulled out from the body man must remember his faith in Allah (that Allah is his Creator) otherwise he will be sent to hell.
Satan, the devil is proud and cast out by Allah because he is jealous of Adam, disobeyed Allah, and became avowed enemy of Mankind. He has the power to disturb man from the front, behind, by the sides and can enter the body, whisper evil in Man's heart as approved by Allah. Satan, the devil's job is to mislead man to hell. It is easy for Satan to mislead non-muslims to worship other than Allah but not true Muslims. Satan will destroy Muslims by using many tactics but especially by 1. Jealousy and 2. Greediness . Satan was punished because of jealousy and Adam was punished because of greed. Satan certainly will try to persuade muslims at the time of death when a person is in semi conscious state to say that there are other gods than Allah. If Satan succeeds the soul of Muslim or non Muslim will go out from the body at the time of death without faith and that soul will enter hell.
Muslims therefore practice and profess "there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" (in Arabic "La ilaaha illallah Muhammadur Rasullulah") it must be said by mouth and believed in the heart all the time and practiced all the time to make it habitual during sleep or while awake or in shock or distress. Allah has provided a way for mankind to drive away Satan by uttering the divine revelation 'A-'oo thu bil-laa-hi mi-nash-shai-¬taa-nir ra-jeem. Bis-mil-laa-hir- Rah-maa-nir Ra-heem." meaning "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast, In the name of Allah , The Most Gracious , The Most Merciful". Whenever a Muslim starts to do anything e.g. eat, drink, sleep, travel, switch on the computer, open the book to read or write, enter bath room , twilight , travel, enter into vehicle, sleep with his wife, gets up from sleep, he recites this verse to drive away Satan.
Muslims always say in good or bad status Alhamdulillah (All praises and thank be to Allah), that is submission to the Will of Allah. Muslims will say to Allah "Thee do we worship and Thine aid we seek. Please show us the right way." Muslims must understand that we are tourists travelling and not permanent in this world. We must love Allah more than our life. Family and other worldly things come next. Allah says in Holy Quran "Man and Jinn are created for nothing except to worship (serve) Allah". So our first priority is to serve Him and to please Him with good intention. Allah will not accept the worship or service if performed without good intention e.g. To Pay charity or pray to show off will not be accepted. Intention of doing any good must be to please Allah. Muslims are Vicegerent (representatives) of Allah. Muslims always say Insha Allah (God willing) before they plan to do things. Masha Allah (will of God) to appreciate things.
In order to die as a Muslim with faith one must also practice virtues of Islam (good practice) such as the 5 pillars of Islam.
1. Faith ("Laa ilaha illallah Muhamadur Rasullulah") "there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah", it must be believed in the heart and said by mouth repeatedly to become habitual and to not forget at the time of accident or sleep or distress or death. This is the most important faith. This is the visa to enter paradise. Without faith one may not enter paradise. The biggest tug of war inside our soul is faith. A muslim will not bow his head to anything living or non living to worship except Allah.
2. Pray five times a day (dawn, afternoon, evening, sunset and night).
3. Pay Zakat (poor man's money Alms)
4. Fasting one month in Ramadan
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) once in a life time.
The first two are compulsory and a must for all muslims. The other three depends upon one's health and wealth. The above practice with good intention will make a muslim the best person on the earth and remember Allah at the time of death. At the time of death if a muslim or a non-muslim remembers Allah and utters "La ilaaha illallah Muhamadur Rasullulah" ("there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"), he will be taken to paradise and otherwise to hell. So non-muslims may remember The Creator just before death and enter paradise because Allah has kept open His door of forgiveness and mercy until before his death. A Muslim cannot point at the non-muslims and say he is going to hell because he himself is not sure about hell or paradise.
Therefore this stage 3 is very important testing ground for human being. It is the duty of muslims to remind each other and his non-muslim friends about Allah, death, the next life (resurrection), reward and punishment, hell and paradise. Muslims are like living in jail in this temporary world. Muslims must obey the laws stated in Quran, avoid adultery, alcohol, gambling, cheating, observe Halal (lawful) and Haram (unlawful) food and Halal and Haram money and usury, etc. Muslims must undergo many tests and practice Islam. Muslims must be patient constantly, must bear and accept that good and bad are preordained and decreed by Allah and say Alhamdullilah (All praise and thank be to Allah) all the time in order to enjoy reward in the Hereafter, which is everlasting. Muslims must work hard in this third stage temporary world with fear, repentance , ask forgiveness for wrong doing mistakes with hope and mercy from God to prevent from hell fire and enjoy reward in the next life. Muslims will say "Our prayers, our good deeds, our life and death are for Allah our Lord, Creator of the Worlds." Allah created evil but He does not like it. Allah created good and He likes it. He encourages us and guides us to do good. He will guide and protect the obedient servants. But those who refuse to accept Allah's revelation sent to prophets, and follow Satan, Allah will not guide them any more. They will go astray. Allah will forgive all kinds of sins except Polytheism.
Stage 4. Death.
After the soul is drawn from the body Allah keeps it in a place called Alam Barzaak. Good people's soul are kept in a good place and bad people's soul in a bad place until Kiyamat (Judgment day) arrives, when everything is destroyed except Allah. There will be resurrection of all Mankind
Stage 5. Resurrection on the Judgment day.
All souls will get up from the graves. Obedient souls will go to paradise for ever. Disobedient souls will go to hell for punishment. Those who ignore or reject or refuse to believe Allah and who worshipped false gods rather than Allah, The Creator , in this world , will go to Hell forever in the next world. Muslims do not believe in Incarnation (reborn again) to this world.
Stage 6. The end stage for disobedient soul is to enter Hell fire.
Stage 7. The end stage for obedient soul is peaceful to enter paradise in the form of new creation with different forms. Allah said that it is easy for Him to do so (Holy Quran). In paradise they will be free from sickness, illness and will at all times be healthy, clean, peaceful and satisfied with provisions, with beautiful young companions and of no ageing, to dwell in forever. This is because Allah is satisfied with the soul who is obedient to His Divine laws and the soul is also satisfied with Allah.
by
Prof Dr Hj Mohd Ebrahim Sulaiman
Islam has beginning and end. Those who embrace Islam are called Muslims. The word Muslim is derived from the word Peace. The traditional muslim greeting is peace be unto you.
Who is Allah? Allah is The One and The Only God who created the worlds, Angels (created by light), Jinn (created by Fire), Satan (devil) is an outcast Jinn, man (created from sounding clay), animals and contents of the universes. Allah is One, there is no God other than Him, without any partners, He is eternal without a beginning and enduring without end, Absolute, Self-Sufficient, Self-Existing, never dies, not borne nor gives birth, has no companion and nothing is comparable to Him. He never sleeps nor slumbers. All-Knowing, All-Hearing, All-Seeing. Nothing happens except what He wills. He gives life and death. He is The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful. He is intensively and continuously merciful to his creatures even though Non Muslims do not believe in him. He is far above from any created being. He is The Creator of everything in the universe, heaven and earth and its content. He will never perish or come to an end. When Allah wants anything to happen he says "Be" and it is. Muslims do not believe that Allah assumed Human form and came down to this earth. Human body form has animal properties and animal characteristics are created by Allah. Allah is high above all the creations.
Creation of Mankind
The first Man's (Adam ) body was created from sounding clay. His companion woman "Hava " was created from Adam's rib. All his descendant's bodies are created by sperm of man and ovum of women. Jesus (Prophet ISA) son of Mariam (Mary) was created by Allah's word (Be and it is) like Adam but in Mariam's womb. Jesus was a human prophet and not son of God. He was not crucified but taken up alive (Holy Quran).
Allah breathed into the body of man part of His spirit called (Ruh) Soul . When the soul enters the body it becomes alive. When this soul is withdrawn from the body it dies and the body decays, putrefies and is eaten by microorganisms. Every day man experience temporary death at night when he sleeps and resurrects when he wakes up. Allah keeps his soul in a safe place during his sleep. Allah has appointed angels as guardians to the right and left side and allowed satan to disturb humans. All these facts are described in Holy Quran.
Stage 1. Life in Lau Ho Mahfuz.
Allah created all the souls of the descendants of Adam and Hava who were predestined to come to this earth. Everything about the universes and our soul before and after creations are documented and recorded in the tablet (book) board in heaven(Lau Ho Mahfuz).
Allah once asked all the created souls, "who is your Lord?". All the souls said "You are our Creator our Lord". But souls forget the covenant when they descend to the earth. Some have faint or vague memory of Allah (God) in the inner core of the heart. At times of life threatening danger man will automatically shout "Oh God !". But who is that God? If no one tells him he will not know. At that time they usually do not address false gods. They usually point up to the heaven and say Almighty God meaning ALLAH.. If they say that many times they will forget false gods. That is the inner instinct of Humans.
Stage 2. Life in the mother's womb.
The soul is sent down to this earth into the body of fetus developed in the mother's womb and the fetus becomes alive. The fetus was swimming in the amniotic fluid inside the uterus like a fish. It does not breathe air. The fetus was fed by the blood through the placenta of the mother and supplied to the body of the fetus by means of umbilical cord. In pregnant women there is no menstruation until the baby is born. Do we remember how we lived 9 months inside the mother's womb?
Stage 3. Life in this world.
At the fetal age of 36 to 40 weeks (pregnancy) the baby is born. The baby breaths the first time and cries. Whereas the nurses, friends, parents and relatives laugh, are happy and praise the baby. When the same baby become old and dies, the relatives and friends cry. Some practice infanticide (kill babies) if the baby is female. Islam does not allow infanticide and abortion. The newly born baby is clean, innocent , free from sins, grows, develops , learns and is brought up in muslim families or in non-muslim families. The soul in the baby forgot Allah and the promise (covenant) given in the heaven that Allah is his Creator and Lord.
The babies brought up in muslim families will be taught Quran and reminded about Allah and Islam to worship only The One Allah. To avoid worshipping false gods. False gods are either made by man from wood or stone or the creation of Allah (such as sun , moon, tree, fire, water, animals , spirits, the content of the universe). Muslims only worship one creator (Allah) but not the creations. Muslims do not associate anything with Allah. Allah has sent 124,000 Prophets from the time of Adam to the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the last Prophet, to remind all mankind to worship one God Allah. There were divine revelations (books) sent down through Prophets including Abraham, David , Solomon, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (Pbuh).
Muslims believe all the Prophets and their books (psalms, Torah, Bible and Quran). Quran is the latest divine revelation (words of Allah) revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) 1400 years ago and is preserved without any flaws and amendments done by humans up to date. Whereas all the other Holy books were altered or corrected by humans and the original statements were corrupted and become doubtful. Allah said in Quran he will preserve the Holy Quran until the end of the world so no man can alter it. Quran is preserved in the hearts of Hafizs (Those who have memorized the whole book Holy Quran by heart). There are millions of Hafizs in this world. Burning all the copies of Quran will not make miraculous Quran disappear from this world. Quran is revealed in Arabic language whereas the Bible was revealed in Hebrew language. Quran updates all the previous holy books and teaches mankind about universal laws, moral concepts and narratives. The Quran's timeless text remains a miracle, an inspiration and guide to all humanity.
Muslims believe in Quran and follow Prophet's saying and example of his way of life. Those who believe in one Allah, his prophets, his books, his angels, the last day of judgment, the next life, good or bad come from predestined decree of Allah, the existence of hell and heaven, reward for good people and punishment of bad people are called Muslims. All souls are provided with limited free will to choose. There is no compulsion in Islam. All souls have to taste death. When the soul leaves the body, relatives and friends cry. The soul of man will be extracted by the angel of death either gently or roughly when the time is ripe. When a soul is pulled out from the body man must remember his faith in Allah (that Allah is his Creator) otherwise he will be sent to hell.
Satan, the devil is proud and cast out by Allah because he is jealous of Adam, disobeyed Allah, and became avowed enemy of Mankind. He has the power to disturb man from the front, behind, by the sides and can enter the body, whisper evil in Man's heart as approved by Allah. Satan, the devil's job is to mislead man to hell. It is easy for Satan to mislead non-muslims to worship other than Allah but not true Muslims. Satan will destroy Muslims by using many tactics but especially by 1. Jealousy and 2. Greediness . Satan was punished because of jealousy and Adam was punished because of greed. Satan certainly will try to persuade muslims at the time of death when a person is in semi conscious state to say that there are other gods than Allah. If Satan succeeds the soul of Muslim or non Muslim will go out from the body at the time of death without faith and that soul will enter hell.
Muslims therefore practice and profess "there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" (in Arabic "La ilaaha illallah Muhammadur Rasullulah") it must be said by mouth and believed in the heart all the time and practiced all the time to make it habitual during sleep or while awake or in shock or distress. Allah has provided a way for mankind to drive away Satan by uttering the divine revelation 'A-'oo thu bil-laa-hi mi-nash-shai-¬taa-nir ra-jeem. Bis-mil-laa-hir- Rah-maa-nir Ra-heem." meaning "I seek refuge in Allah from Satan the outcast, In the name of Allah , The Most Gracious , The Most Merciful". Whenever a Muslim starts to do anything e.g. eat, drink, sleep, travel, switch on the computer, open the book to read or write, enter bath room , twilight , travel, enter into vehicle, sleep with his wife, gets up from sleep, he recites this verse to drive away Satan.
Muslims always say in good or bad status Alhamdulillah (All praises and thank be to Allah), that is submission to the Will of Allah. Muslims will say to Allah "Thee do we worship and Thine aid we seek. Please show us the right way." Muslims must understand that we are tourists travelling and not permanent in this world. We must love Allah more than our life. Family and other worldly things come next. Allah says in Holy Quran "Man and Jinn are created for nothing except to worship (serve) Allah". So our first priority is to serve Him and to please Him with good intention. Allah will not accept the worship or service if performed without good intention e.g. To Pay charity or pray to show off will not be accepted. Intention of doing any good must be to please Allah. Muslims are Vicegerent (representatives) of Allah. Muslims always say Insha Allah (God willing) before they plan to do things. Masha Allah (will of God) to appreciate things.
In order to die as a Muslim with faith one must also practice virtues of Islam (good practice) such as the 5 pillars of Islam.
1. Faith ("Laa ilaha illallah Muhamadur Rasullulah") "there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah", it must be believed in the heart and said by mouth repeatedly to become habitual and to not forget at the time of accident or sleep or distress or death. This is the most important faith. This is the visa to enter paradise. Without faith one may not enter paradise. The biggest tug of war inside our soul is faith. A muslim will not bow his head to anything living or non living to worship except Allah.
2. Pray five times a day (dawn, afternoon, evening, sunset and night).
3. Pay Zakat (poor man's money Alms)
4. Fasting one month in Ramadan
5. Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) once in a life time.
The first two are compulsory and a must for all muslims. The other three depends upon one's health and wealth. The above practice with good intention will make a muslim the best person on the earth and remember Allah at the time of death. At the time of death if a muslim or a non-muslim remembers Allah and utters "La ilaaha illallah Muhamadur Rasullulah" ("there is no God except Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"), he will be taken to paradise and otherwise to hell. So non-muslims may remember The Creator just before death and enter paradise because Allah has kept open His door of forgiveness and mercy until before his death. A Muslim cannot point at the non-muslims and say he is going to hell because he himself is not sure about hell or paradise.
Therefore this stage 3 is very important testing ground for human being. It is the duty of muslims to remind each other and his non-muslim friends about Allah, death, the next life (resurrection), reward and punishment, hell and paradise. Muslims are like living in jail in this temporary world. Muslims must obey the laws stated in Quran, avoid adultery, alcohol, gambling, cheating, observe Halal (lawful) and Haram (unlawful) food and Halal and Haram money and usury, etc. Muslims must undergo many tests and practice Islam. Muslims must be patient constantly, must bear and accept that good and bad are preordained and decreed by Allah and say Alhamdullilah (All praise and thank be to Allah) all the time in order to enjoy reward in the Hereafter, which is everlasting. Muslims must work hard in this third stage temporary world with fear, repentance , ask forgiveness for wrong doing mistakes with hope and mercy from God to prevent from hell fire and enjoy reward in the next life. Muslims will say "Our prayers, our good deeds, our life and death are for Allah our Lord, Creator of the Worlds." Allah created evil but He does not like it. Allah created good and He likes it. He encourages us and guides us to do good. He will guide and protect the obedient servants. But those who refuse to accept Allah's revelation sent to prophets, and follow Satan, Allah will not guide them any more. They will go astray. Allah will forgive all kinds of sins except Polytheism.
Stage 4. Death.
After the soul is drawn from the body Allah keeps it in a place called Alam Barzaak. Good people's soul are kept in a good place and bad people's soul in a bad place until Kiyamat (Judgment day) arrives, when everything is destroyed except Allah. There will be resurrection of all Mankind
Stage 5. Resurrection on the Judgment day.
All souls will get up from the graves. Obedient souls will go to paradise for ever. Disobedient souls will go to hell for punishment. Those who ignore or reject or refuse to believe Allah and who worshipped false gods rather than Allah, The Creator , in this world , will go to Hell forever in the next world. Muslims do not believe in Incarnation (reborn again) to this world.
Stage 6. The end stage for disobedient soul is to enter Hell fire.
Stage 7. The end stage for obedient soul is peaceful to enter paradise in the form of new creation with different forms. Allah said that it is easy for Him to do so (Holy Quran). In paradise they will be free from sickness, illness and will at all times be healthy, clean, peaceful and satisfied with provisions, with beautiful young companions and of no ageing, to dwell in forever. This is because Allah is satisfied with the soul who is obedient to His Divine laws and the soul is also satisfied with Allah.
by
Prof Dr Hj Mohd Ebrahim Sulaiman
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