The Holy Qur,an is the greatest miracle of Allah. This is a challenge from Almighty to the disbelievers of all times by asking them to produce a sura like it if they are truthful. Obviously, it is quite impossible for the whole human race to produce a verse like that as one can find in the Holy Quran.
Now, I would like to narrate some true stories that have taken from Al-Qur,an, Hadith and other sources:
Now, I would like to narrate some true stories that have taken from Al-Qur,an, Hadith and other sources:
- Did You Thank Allah for Your Eyesight?
A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
•Junaid Baghdadi and Love for Allah
Once at the time of Hajj, there was a gathering in Mecca of some friends of Allah; the youngest among whom was Junaid Baghdadi (ra). In that gathering, there was a discussion on the subject of 'Love for Allah' and as to who is the lover of Allah. Many of them expressed their views on the subject, but Junaid (ra) kept quiet. He was pressed to say something.
With his head bowed down and tears in his eyes, he said, "The lover of Allah is he who forgets his own self, remains engaged in Allah's remembrance with due regard to all its requirements; sees Allah with the eyes of his heart, which is burnt by the heat of Allah's fear; Allah's remembrance affects him like a cup of wine, he speaks the word of Allah as if All-Mighty Allah speaks through his mouth; if he moves, he does so under the command of Allah; he gets peace of mind only through the obedience of Allah; and when such a stage is reached, his eating, drinking, sleeping, awakening and, in short, all his actions are for the pleasure of Allah; he neither pays heed to the worldly customs, nor does he attach any importance to unfriendly criticism by people."
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"
The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it."
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing?
Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
"It is He, Who has created for you (the sense of) hearing (ears), sight (eyes), and hearts (understanding). Little thanks you give." [surah Al-Mu'minun; 78] - Should We Really Laugh?
- Only for Allah
- 500 Years of Worship ?
- A Young Man's Fear of Allah
- The King and the Poor Man
- The Ability to Eat
- Not Afraid of Losing the Job
- Death of a Friend
- A Man Argues that Wine Should be Halal
Hasan al-Basri (rahimaullah) was an eminent scholar and pious individual of his time. He would rarely laugh due to his remembrance of death and the punishment of hell. One day he was going somewhere when he saw a young man indugled in laughter. Hasan al-Basri asked the youth, "Young man, have you already crossed the bridge of Sirath? Have you already found out whether you are going to paradise or hell?" The young man replied, "No." Hasan al-Basri told him, "Then why are you laughing so much?" After that, no one saw this young man laughing again as he came to know the reality of this life.
Source: Story extracted from the book "Tambihul Ghafileen" by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.
Many hours or probably days have passed away from our lives in laughter and jokes. It is a sign that we have forgotten the life of the hereafter. The sahabah used to do good deeds all day but still cry during the night to Allah. On the other hand, we do sins all day and still have no concerns! It is permissible to laugh at amazing things and smile while being in company of others.
There was a pious man among the Banu Israel who always remained busy in the worship of Allah. A group of people came to him and told him that a tribe living nearby worshipped a tree. The news upset him, and with an axe on his shoulder he went to cut down that tree. On the way, Satan met him in the form of an old man and asked him where he was going. He said he was going to cut a particular tree. Satan said, "You have nothing to be concerned with this tree, you better mind your worship and do not give it up for the sake of something that does not concern you." "This is also worship," retorted the worshipper. Then Satan tried to prevent him from cutting the tree, and there followed a fight between the two, in which the worshipper overpowered the Satan. Finding himself completely helpless, Satan begged to be excused, and when the worshipper released him, he again said, "Allah has not made the cutting of this tree obligatory on you. You do not lose anything if you do not cut it. If its cutting were necessary, Allah could have got it done through one of his many Prophets." The worshipper insisted on cutting the tree. There was again a fight between the two and again the worshipper overpowered the Satan. "Well listen," said Satan, "I propose a settlement that will be to your advantage." The worshipper agreed, and Satan said, "You are a poor man, a mere burden on this earth. If you stay away from this act, I will pay you three gold coins everyday. You will daily find them lying under your pillow. By this money you can fulfil your own needs, can oblige your relative, help the needy, and do so many other virtuous things. Cutting the tree will be only one virtue, which will ultimately be of no use because the people will grow another tree." This proposal appealed to the worshipper, and he accepted it. He found the money on two successive days, but on the third day there was nothing. He got enraged, picked up his axe and went to cut the tree. Satan as an old man again met him on the way and asked him where he was going. "To cut the tree," shouted the worshipper. "I will not let you do it," said Satan. A fight took place between the two again but this time Satan had the upper hand and overpowered the worshipper. The latter was surprised at his own defeat, and asked the former the cause of his success. Satan replied, "At first, your anger was purely for earning the pleasure of Allah, and therefore Almighty Allah helped you to overpower me, but now it has been partly for the sake of the gold coins and therefore you lost."
Source: From the book "Ihyaa-ul Uloom Ud Deen" by Imam Ghazzali (ra).
Angel Jibrail (as) told Rasulullah (peace be upon him) the follwing incident about a man in the past who worshipped Allah Ta'ala continuously for 500 years. He was granted a shelter on top of a mountain that was surrounded by salty water. However, Allah caused a stream of sweet water to flow through the mountain for that individual. The man would drink from this water and use it to make ablution. Allah Ta'ala also raised a pomegranate tree from which the man would eat one fruit every day.
One day, this person supplicated to Allah that, "Oh Allah, bring my death while I am in the state of prostration." Allah accepted this dua of his. Whenever Jibrail (as) came down to the Earth, he found this man prostrating to Allah. Jibrail (as) said that on the day of Judgement, Allah will tell the angels to take this individual to Paradise through His mercy. However, this man will insist that he should enter paradise through the good deeds that he had performed.
Then, Allah will tell the angels to compare his good deeds with the blessings that were given to him in the world. It will be seen that 500 years of his worship does not even equal to the gift of eye sight that was given to him by Allah. The angels will be asked to take him towards the hell fire. Then the man will plead, "Oh Allah! Enter me into Paradise only through Your mercy." At that point, the following discussion will take place between Allah and that man.
Allah: Oh my servant, who created you?
The worshipper: Oh Allah, You have created me.
Allah: Were you created because of the good deeds you have done or because of My mercy?
The worshipper: Because of Your mercy.
Allah: Who granted you the ability to worship for 500 years?
The worshipper: Oh the Almighty! You have granted me that ability.
Allah: Who placed you on the mountain surrounded by the ocean? Who caused a stream of sweet water to flow in between the salty water? Who caused a pomegranate tree to grow for you? Who granted you death while in the state of prostration?
The worshipper: Oh the Sustainer of the Worlds! You have done all of these.
Then Allah will say, "All these have happened due to My mercy and you too will enter Paradise only through My Mercy."
Source: Obtained from the book "Tambihul Ghafileen" by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.
We can never thank Allah for the blessings that He has given us. Let us use these blessings to recognize Allah before our death.
One day, Malik bin Dinar (rahimaullah) was passing by a place when he noticed a young man wearing old clothes and crying by the roadside. His name was Uthbah. Sweat was dripping down his body even though the temperature was very cold at that time. Malik bin Dinar became very surprised at this scene and asked Uthbah, "Oh young man, why are you crying? And why are you sweating during this cold temperature?"
Uthbah replied, "Once, I committed a sin at this place. Today, as I was passing by this place, I remembered that sin."
Source: Obtained from the book "Tambihul Ghafileen" by Shaikh Abul Laith Samarkandi.
Look how pious were the early Muslims. Today, we are committing thousands of sins, yet, we are walking around with happiness and joy as if we have nothing to worry about.
There was a king who decided to take a tour of his country. As he passed by different places, everyone rushed to see him. However, while passing by a certain place, he noticed a poor old man who did not pay any attention to the king's arrival and remained engaged in his own activities. The king went up to this poor man and asked why he did not join the people to see him. The poor man replied, "Before you, there was another king who once passed by this place. Everyone gathered to see him as well. But, few days later he died and was buried in a place nearby. A poor man also died during that time and was buried near the king's grave. After some time, a strong flood passed through that area causing those graves to overturn. As a result, the bones of the poor man became mixed up with those of the king's. We could not differentiate between them any longer. After seeing this, it does not matter to me anymore as to who is a king and who is a beggar. In the end, our home is the same."
Narrated by brother Ayyub from Toronto, Canada during one of his lectures.
SHORT STORIES
' PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S (PBUH) LOVE AND SENTIMENT TOWARDS CHILDREN
THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S (PBUH) LOVE AND SENTIMENT TOWARDS CHILDREN
"Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in Allah and the latter day and remembers Allah much" Qur'an (33: 21).
"And We have not sent thee (O Muhammad) but as a mercy to the nations" (Qur'an 21:107).
"And surely thou hast sublime morals" (Qur'an 68:4).
As found in the Hadith: (reported sayings of the Prophet Muhammad)
Narrated By Abu Qatada: The Prophet came out towards us, while carrying Umamah, the daughter of Abi Al-As (his grand-daughter) over his shoulder. He prayed, and when he wanted to bow, he put her down, and when he stood up, he lifted her up. (Bukhari 73:25)
Narrated Anas bin Malik: "I never prayed behind an Imam who was more brief or more perfect in his prayer than God's Messenger. If he heard a baby crying, he would shorten the prayer for fear that the mother might be distressed." (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Number 676)
Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abi Qatada: My father said, "The Prophet said: "When I begin the prayer, I intend to make it long, but I hear a baby crying and shorten the prayer, being aware of the Mother's emotion because of the crying."' (Bukhari Volume 1, Book 11, Number 675)
Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: I never saw anyone more like the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) in respect of gravity, calm deportment, pleasant disposition… When she (Fatima, daughter of the Prophet) came to visit him (the Prophet) he got up to (welcome) her, took her by the hand, kissed her and made her sit where he was sitting; and when he went to visit her, she got up to (welcome) him, took him by the hand, kissed him, and made him sit where she was sitting. (Bukhari Book 41, Number 5198)
Concerning the death of the Prophet’s two year old son, Ibrahim, we read: Anas b. Malik reported that Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: …He stopped and Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) called for the child. He embraced him and said what Allah had desired. Anas said: I saw that the boy breathed his last in the presence of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him). The eyes of Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) shed tears and he said: Ibrahim, our eyes shed tears and our hearts are filled with grief, but we do not say anything except that by which Allah is pleased. O Ibrahim, we are grieved for you. (Sahih Muslim Book 030, Number 5733)
Anas b. Malik reported: I have never seen anyone more kind to one's family than Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him)…(Sahih Muslim Book 030, Number 5734)
Abu Hurairah reported that al-Aqra' b. Habis saw Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him) kissing Hasan. He said: I have ten children, but I have never kissed any one of them, whereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: He who does not show mercy (towards his children), no mercy would be shown to him. (Sahih Muslim Book 030, Number 5736)
Narrated Aisha: A bedouin came to the Prophet and said, "You (people) kiss the boys! We don't kiss them." The Prophet said, "I cannot put mercy in your heart after Allah has taken it away from it." (Sahih Bukhari 73:27)
His love for his grandsons, Hasan and Husain (ra) is household. He used to carry them on his shoulders. When an onlooker once remarked: '.What a ride he is having!", the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) promptly said: "And how majestic is the rider!" (Tirmidhi).
Anas and 'Abdullah reported God's Messenger as saying, "All [human] creatures are God's children, and those dearest to God are those who treat His children kindly." (Baihaqi)
Narrated by Jabir ibn Samurah I prayed along with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) the first prayer. He then went to his family and I also went along with him when he met some children (on the way). He began to pat the cheeks of each one of them. He also patted my cheek and I experienced a coolness or a fragrance of his hand as if it had been brought out from the scent bag of a perfumer. (Sahih Muslim Book 030, Number 5758)
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: When the Prophet arrived at Mecca, the children of Bani 'Abdul Muttalib received him. He then mounted one of them in front of him and the other behind him. (Bukhari Volume 7, Book 72, Number 848)
Narrated by Anas ibn Malik The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) came to some children who were playing: He greeted them lovingly. (Sunan of Abu-Dawood 5183)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "He is not of us who does not have mercy on young children, nor honor the elderly" (Tirmidhi)
Bukhari Volume 3, Book 34, Number 333: Narrated Abu Hurairah Ad-Dausi: Once the Prophet went out during the day. Neither did he talk to me nor I to him till he reached the market of Bani Qainuqa and then he sat in the compound of Fatima's house and asked about the small boy (his grandson Al-Hasan) but Fatima kept the boy in for a while. I thought she was either changing his clothes or giving the boy a bath. After a while the boy came out running and the Prophet embraced and kissed him and then said, 'O Allah! Love him, and love whoever loves him.'
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said'Allah has indeed said your children shall be a temptation to you,' and he said to the boys (his grandchildren, Hasan and Hussein), 'dear little ones, it is because of you that a man could forget his tasks he must do. You are the perfume of Allah!'
Abu Hurairah reported Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying to Hasan (grandson):O Allah, behold, I love him. Thou too love him and love one who loves him. (Sahih Muslim Book 031, Number 5951)
Sahih Muslim Book 031, Number 5952: Abu Hurairah reported: I went along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) at a time during the day but he did not talk to me and I did not talk to him until he reached Bazar of Banfi Qainuqal. He came back to the tent of Fatima and said: Is the little chap (meaning Hasan) there? We were under the impression that his mother had detained him in order to bathe him and dress him and garland him with a sweet garland. Not much time had passed that he (Hasan) came running until both of them embraced each other, thereupon Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: O Allah, I love him; love him Thou and love one who loves him (Hasan).
Sahih Bukhari Volume 8, Book 73, Number 24: Narrated 'Aisha: (the wife of the Prophet) A lady along with her two daughters came to me asking me (for some alms), but she found nothing with me except one date which I gave to her and she divided it between her two daughters, and then she got up and went away. Then the Prophet came in and I informed him about this story. He said, "Whoever is in charge of (put to test by) these daughters and treats them generously, then they will act as a shield for him from the (Hell) Fire."
Narrated By 'Umar bin Al-Khattab Some Sabi (i.e. war prisoners, children and woman only) were brought before the Prophet and behold, a woman amongst them was milking her breasts to feed and whenever she found a child amongst the captives, she took it over her chest and nursed it (she had lost her child but later she found him) the Prophet said to us, "Do you think that this lady can throw her son in the fire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (in the fire)." The Prophet then said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this mother to her son." (Sahih Bukhari 073:28)
Narrated By Usama bin ZaidAllah's Apostle used to put me on (one of) his thighs and put Al-Hasan bin 'Ali on his other thigh, and then embrace us and say, "O Allah! Please be Merciful to them, as I am merciful to them." (Sahih Bukhari 73: 32)
Narrated By Sahl bin Sa'd The Prophet said, "I and the person who looks after an orphan and provides for him, will be in Paradise like this," putting his index and middle fingers together. (Sahih Bukhari 073:34)
A Farmer in Bangladesh
A farmer in Bangladesh was preparing his land for planting crops. As he dug through the soil the equipments kept getting stuck in one place. Out of curiosity he decided to check out what was in there. He dug the ground and discovered a big box. The farmer quickly opened the box to see what was in it but to his disappointment, there were only black stones inside the box. He decided to throw those stones at the birds when they come to eat the crops at the time for harvesting.
Eventually, a day came when the crops were ready and the birds come to eat them. So, he started throwing the stones at the birds from where ever they showed up.
One day a man was walking by the field who sells precious stones such as pearls, diamonds, rubies etc. Two stones happened to fall right in front of him when the farmer threw them at the birds. The man brought the stones to the farmer and asked if he was willing to sell them to him for $5,000 each.
The farmer thought that the man was joking so he replied, "No."
Then the man offered $50,000 for each stone and explained that they were precious jewels.
Now the farmer started crying saying that he had only 1 or 2 stones left and the rest were thrown away.
This story is mentioned in the book "20 Reminders" by Muhammad Abu Yusuf.
In fact, every second of our time is very valuable. Today, we are just throwing them away here and there. But on the Day of Judgement, we will realize how valuable they were but it will be too late. Now is the chance to use our time properly.
A Good Neighbor
For your neighbors, lend a hand
Show them that you understand
They have rights we must protect
Show them kindness and respect
For your neighbors try to care
When they're troubled, help repair
Lend an ear and listen too
If they're worried, help them through
For your neighbors give a smile
Spend time with them for a while
Look after your neighbor's needs
And Allaah will reward your deeds
A Lift of Iman (Faith)
On resurrection day God will say
What did you do with the strength and energy that your
food gave you on earth?
How did you use your eyes?
What did you make with you five senses while
they were dimming and flaying out?
I gave you hands and feet as tools for preparing the
ground, for planting, sewing the seed of righteous acts
to be harvested in the Akhira
You will not be able to stand when you hear those questions
You will bend double with shame and finally acknowledge
the glory of Allah(swt)
God will then say:
Lift your head and answer these questions
Your head will rise a little and slump again
Look at me! Tell me what you've done!
You try, but you fall back, flat as a snake
I want every detail, tell me!
Eventually you'll be able to get to a sitting position
Be plain and clear, I have given you such gifts
What did you do with them?
Then you will turn to the right looking to the prophets
for help, as though to say I am stuck in the mud
of my life, help me out of this
Humanity now is stuck in the mud of it's own
pride, help me out of this
They're asking the prophets for help when
they should have taken their help in this world
And the prophets will answer:
The time for helping is passed
the plow stands there in the field
you should have used it
Then you will turn to the left where your
family is, they will say:
Don't look at us, this question is between you and your creator.
Then you will pray the prayer
that is the essence of every ritual;
God I have no hope, I am torn into shreds
You are my first, my last and my only refuge
And they recognize that there was no refuge from Allah(swt)
Except to Allah(swt)
A MU'MIN IS A MIRROR TO A MU'MIN
It is related from Prophet Muhammad (SAW): A Mu'min (believer) is a mirror to a Mu'min.
The qualities of a mirror:
1. For it to show the actual image of a person, a mirror must be clean and clear itself. Thus a Mu'min/ah is required to purify his/her heart, thoughts and actions, to qualify to be a mirror of her/his brother/sister.
2. A mirror always shows you your actual image. It doesn't hide your imperfections (May Allah (SWT) forgive us for using this term for His perfect creation). The mirror isn't in a quest to make us happy or sad by showing us otherwise. It simply reflects how we are. It is that honest and truthful.
3. Once you move away from the mirror, on your return it doesn't remind you of the situation it saw you before. If you had just woken up from sleep, and looked at it with disheveled looks, once well groomed, it will not tell you of your past. It is forgiving. It doesn't hold grudges. It doesn't remind you of your shameful past.
4. The mirror keeps secrets. Once you moved away from it, your image is gone with you. It will not display your image to the next person that comes along. No matter how much time you spent in front of it, and how many secrets you told it. It shall bury your secrets in itself, and never tell others.
5. Along with your faults, the mirror shows you your beauty and perfection. Thus it is fair and encouraging. When you smile at it, it tells you what a healthy habit you have.
May Allah (SWT) give us the wisdom to be a mirror to our brothers/sisters.
And may He surround us with those who want to be mirrors. Aameen.
ALLAH! Grant
The serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
Aameen
A Pious and Intelligent Woman from the Banû Isrâ'îl
Muhammad bin Ka‘b relates that there was a great ‘âlim and ‘âbid in the Banû Isrâ'îl. He loved his wife very much. Co-incidentally, she passed away. This person was so grieved by this that he locked his door and abstained from meeting and conversing with people.
A woman from the Banû Isrâ'îl heard about this so she went to him. She informed those who were guarding the entrance to his house that she wants to ask him a mas'ala and that it can only be asked directly to him. Saying this, she sat down stubbornly by the door. The person was informed of this and eventually permitted her to enter.
She said: "I want to ask you a mas'ala."
He replied: "Go ahead."
She said: "I have a neighbor from whom I borrowed some jewelry. I am wearing it for quite some time now. Thereafter she sent a person asking for her jewelry. The question I want to ask you is that do I have to give it back to her?"
The ‘âlim replied: "Yes, you have to give it back to her."
The woman replied: "That jewelry was with me for a very long time. How can I give it?"
The ‘âlim replied: "In such a case, you should give it even more happily because it was out of her kindness that she allowed you to use it for such a long time."
When he said this, the woman replied: "May Allah have mercy on you? Why, then, are you so sad? Allah had loaned you something and when He wished, He took it back. (Because) it belongs to Him."
Upon hearing this, the ‘âlim realized his mistake and benefited tremendously from this conversation.
Lesson: Look at how this woman put some sense into this man who was a great ‘âlim. We should also bear this in mind when we encounter any difficulty or calamity. We should also explain this to others.
The Woman Who Was The Master Of Bayazid Bestami (ra)
It is said that when Bayazid Bestami was asked who his master was, he explained:
She was an old woman.
One day, I was possessed by such ecstacy and yearning and sense of unity that not even a hair of anything else could be found in me. In this selfless mood, I went for a stroll in the desert, where I happened to meet an elderly lady burdened with a bag of flour.
She asked me to carry the flour for her, but I was incapable of taking it, so I beckoned to a lion to take the load. The lion came up to me and I laid the sack upon its back. I then asked the old lady what she intended to say to the townspeople since I did not want them to apprehend who I was.
"I'll tell them," she replied, "that I met a vain tyrant."
"What are talking about?" I exclaimed.
The lady explained thus, first asking: "Has the lion been put to trouble or not?"
"No," I answered. -
"Except for the fact that you burden down those whom God Himself has not burdened!" she objected. "Is that not oppression?"
"So it is", I admitted.
"And, despite this", she continued, "still you desire the townspeople to know that you have subjected a lion and are a miracle worker. Is that not vanity?"
"Yes, it is", I confessed.
So I repented, experiencing abasement from my former exaltation. Indeed that old woman's words performed the function of a spiritual guide and master for me.
SOURCE: Attar, Tadhkerat al-auliya
Story using very bad language
Mahmud was a very pious man, but he was not very attractive looking. One day, he was walking along the road, minding his own business, when a lady came up to him, and started calling him names and abusing him. This lady kept saying all kinds of nasty things, and Mahmud just listened to her patiently. Finally, when she was finished calling him names and abusing him, Mahmud just greeted her, smiled, and said
"and a nice day to you," and continued on his way.
Why did Mahmud, the pious man, behave this way?
It is because he knew that everything she said was just a reflection of her own inner self.
If you use bad language, you are just making obvious to everybody how far away you really are from Allah, since your words are in reality a reflection of your own inner self.
from Irshad
by Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi
Hazrat Hassan Al-Basri (ra) Impresses An Unbelieving Neighbour
Hazrat Hasan al-Basri once fell sick. His neighbour, an unbeliever, came to pay him a visit.
"O Imam," he exclaimed, "I detect a bad smell." The Imam told him it was caused by illness, but the neighbour insisted: "That is not the odor of sickness. It is a lavatory smell. For the love of Allah, tell me what it is!"
He had not noticed that sewage was leaking from his house into that of the Imam.
When the neighbour pressed him, the Imam finally said: "For some months your drain has been seeping through to our side. I tried to fix it, but without success."
His neighbour asked why he had not told him before, but the venerable Imam said: "I might have offended you."
The unbeliever was so impressed by this ethical refinement that he was ennobled with True Faith, for he recognized the Imam's morality as a ray of Islam.
from Irshad
by Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi
The Shepherd
Once upon a time, there lived in Basra an old man whose only occupation was caring for and loving his only son who was a handsome young man. The old man invested all his money on his son's education. The young man went away for a few years and acquired an education at a well known university under the great scholars of that age.
The day had arrived for the son to return from his studies and the old man waited at the door for his son. When the son came and met his father, the old man looked into his eyes and felt great disappointment. "What have you learnt my son?" he asked, "I have learnt everything there was to be learnt, father", he said. "But have you learnt what cannot be taught?" asked the father. "Go, my son and learn what cannot be taught", said the old man.
The young man went back to his master and asked him to teach him what cannot be taught.
"Go away to the mountains with these four hundred sheep and come back when they are one thousand", said the master.
The young man went to the mountains and became a shepherd. There for the first time he encountered a silence. He had no one to talk to. The sheep did not understand his language. In his desperation, he would talk to them but they would look back at him as if to say he was stupid. Slowly but surely he began to forget all his worldly knowledge, his ego, his pride and he became quiet like the sheep and great wisdom and humility came to him.
At the end of two years when the number of sheep had grown to one thousand, he returned to his master and fell on his feet. "Now you have learnt what cannot be taught," said the master.
NB. It is interesting to note that the Nabis of Allah Taala (Alayhimus salaam) at some time in their lives, generally before Nubuwwat, tended to sheep, and other such animals.
from
http://www.jamiat.org.za, Jamiat of South Africa
About Struggling...
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a
small opening appeared. He sat and watched the
butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its
body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop
making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten
as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took
a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit
of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a
swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because
he expected that, at any moment, the wings would
enlarge and expand to be able to support the
body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the
rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body
and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not
understand was that the restricting cocoon and
the struggle required for the butterfly to get
through the tiny opening were Allah's way of
forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into
its wings so that it would be ready for flight
once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in
our lives. If Allah allowed us to go through our
lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could
have been. We could never "fly"!
I asked for Strength.........
And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........
And Allah gave me Danger to overcome.
I asked for Love..........
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours.........
And Allah gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted ........
I received everything I needed!
"fatabâraka-LLahu aHsanu-l khâliqîn"
"So blessed be Allah, the best of creators!"
Sura The Believer (23) verse 14
Why Science Fails to Explain God
"Professing to be wise, they became fools . . .. "
"LET ME EXPLAIN THE problem science has with God."
The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before
his class and then asks
one of his new students to stand.
"You're a Muslim, aren't you, son?"
"Yes, sir."
"So you believe in God?"
"Absolutely."
"Is God good?"
"Sure! God's good."
"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"
"Yes."
"Are you good or evil?"
"The Koran says I'm not always so good."
The professor grins knowingly. "Ahh! THE KORAN!" He
considers for a
moment.
"Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person
over here and you can
cure him. You can do it. Would you help them?
"Would you try?"
"Yes sir, I would."
"So you're good...!"
"I wouldn't say that."
"Why not say that? You would help a sick and maimed
person if you
could...
in fact most of us would if we could... but God doesn't.
[No answer.]
"He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Muslim who
died of cancer even
though he
prayed to God to heal him. How is this God good?
Hmmm?
Can you answer that one?"
[No answer]
The elderly man is sympathetic. "No, you can't, can
you?"
He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to
give the student time to
relax. In philosophy, you have to go easy with the
new ones.
"Let's start again, young fella." "Is God good?"
"Er... Yes."
"Is Satan good?"
"No."
"Where does Satan come from?" The student falters.
"From... God..."
"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?" The
elderly man runs his bony
fingers
through his thinning hair and turns to the smirking,
student audience.
"I think we're going to have a lot of fun this
semester, ladies and
gentlemen."
He turns back to the Muslim. "Tell me, son. Is there
evil in this world?"
"Yes, sir."
"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? Did God make
everything?"
"Yes."
"Who created evil?
[No answer]
"Is there sickness in this world? Immorality?
Hatred? Ugliness? All the
terrible things - do they exist in this world? "
The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."
"Who created them? "
[No answer]
The professor suddenly shouts at his student. "WHO
CREATED THEM? TELL ME,
PLEASE!
"The professor closes in for the kill and climbs
into the Muslim's face.
In a still small voice: "God created all evil,
didn't He, son?"
[No answer]
The student tries to hold the steady, experienced
gaze and fails.
Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace the front
of the classroom like an
aging panther.
The class is mesmerized.
"Tell me," he continues, "How is it that this God is
good if He created all
evil throughout time?"
The professor swishes his arms around to encompass
the wickedness of the
world.
"All the hatred, the brutality, all the pain, all
the torture, all the death
and ugliness and all the suffering created by this
good God is all over the
world, isn't it, young man?"
[No answer]
"Don't you see it all over the place? Huh?"
Pause.
"Don't you?" The professor leans into the student's
face again and
whispers, "Is God good?"
[No answer]
"Do you believe in God, son?"
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes,
professor. I do." The old
man shakes his head sadly. "Science says you have
five senses you use to
identify and observe the world around you. Have
you? "
"Yes, of course sir, I do have five senses".
Then, slowly raising his voice, the professor continues:
"Have you ever seen your God?"
"No, sir. I've never seen Him."
"Then tell us if you've ever heard your God?"
"No, sir. I have not."
"Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God or
smelt your God...
in fact, do you have any sensory perception of your God
whatsoever?"
[No answer]
"Answer me, please."
"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."
"You're AFRAID... you haven't?"
"No, sir."
"Yet you still believe in him?"
"...yes..."
"That takes FAITH!" The professor smiles sagely at
the underling.
"According to the rules of empirical, testable,
demonstrable protocol,
science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say
to that, son?
Where is your God now?"
[The student doesn't answer]
"Sit down, please."
The Muslim sits...Defeated.
Another Muslim raises his hand. "Professor, may I
address the class?"
The professor turns and smiles. "Ah, another Muslim
in the vanguard!
Come, come, young man. Speak some proper wisdom to
the gathering."
The
Muslim looks around the room. "Some interesting
points you are making, sir.
Now I've got a question for you. Is there such
thing as heat?"
"Yes," the professor replies. "There's
heat."
"Is there such a thing as cold?"
"Yes, son, there's cold too."
"No, sir, there isn't."
The professor's grin freezes. The room
suddenly goes very cold.
The second Muslim continues. "You can have lots of
heat, even more heat,
super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or
no heat but we don't
have anything called 'cold'.
We can hit 458 degrees below zero, which is no
heat, but we can't go any further after that.
There is no such thing as
cold, otherwise we would be able to go colder than
458 - You see, sir, cold
is only a word we use to describe the absence of
heat. We cannot measure
cold. Heat we can measure in
thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not
the opposite of heat, sir,
just the absence of it."
Silence. A pin drops somewhere in the
classroom.
"Is there such a thing as darkness, professor?"
"That's a dumb question, son. What is night if
it isn't darkness?
What are you getting at...?"
"So you say there is such a thing as darkness?"
"Yes..."
"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something,
it is the absence of
something. You can have low light, normal light,
bright light, flashing
light but if you have no light constantly you have
nothing and it's called
darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to
define the word. In
reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be
able to make darkness
darker and give me a jar of it. Can you...give me a
jar of darker
darkness, professor?"
Despite himself, the professor smiles at the young
effrontery before
him.
This will indeed be a good semester. "Would
you mind telling us what
your point is, young man?"
"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical
premise is flawed to
start with and so your conclusion must be in
error...."
The professor goes toxic. "Flawed...? How dare
you...!""
"Sir, may I explain what I mean?" >
The class is all ears.
"Explain... oh, explain..." The professor
makes an admirable effort
to regain control. Suddenly he is affability
itself. He waves his
hand to silence the class, for the student to
continue.
"You are working on the premise of duality," the
Muslim explains. "That for
example there is life and then there's death; a good
God and a bad God.
You are viewing the concept of God as something
finite, something we can
measure.
Sir, science cannot even explain a thought. It uses
electricity and
magnetism but has never seen, much less fully
understood them. To view
death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of
the fact that death
cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not
the opposite of life,
merely the absence of it."
The young man holds up a newspaper he takes from the
desk of a neighbor who
has been reading it. "Here is one of the most
disgusting tabloids this
country hosts, professor. Is there such a thing as
immorality?"
"Of course there is, now look..."
"Wrong again, sir. You see, immorality is merely
the absence of
morality.
Is there such thing as injustice? No. Injustice is
the absence of justice.
Is there such a thing as evil?" The Muslim pauses.
"Isn't evil the absence
of good?"
The professor's face has turned an alarming color.
He is so angry
he is temporarily speechless.
The Muslim continues. "If there is evil in the
world, professor, and we all
agree there is, then God, if he exists, must be
accomplishing a work
through the agency of evil. What is that work, God
is accomplishing? The
Bible tells us it is to see if each one of us will,
of our own free will,
choose good over evil."
The professor bridles. "As a philosophical
scientist, I don't vie this
matter as having anything to do with any choice; as
a realist, I absolutely
do not recognize the concept of God or any other
theological factor as
being part of the world equation because God is not
observable."
"I would have thought that the absence of God's
moral code in this world is
probably one of the most observable phenomena
going," the Muslim replies.
"Newspapers make billions of dollars reporting it
every week! Tell me,
professor. Do you teach your students that they
evolved from a monkey?"
"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary
process, young man,
yes, of course I do."
"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes,
sir?"
The professor makes a sucking sound with his teeth
and gives his student a
silent, stony stare.
"Professor. Since no-one has ever observed the
process of evolution at work
and cannot even prove that this process is an
on-going endeavor, are you
not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a
scientist, but a
priest?"
"I'll overlook your impudence in the light of our
philosophical discussion.
Now, have you quite finished?" the professor hisses.
"So you don't accept
God's moral code to do what is righteous?"
"I believe in what is - that's science!"
"Ahh! SCIENCE!" the student's face splits into a
grin.
"Sir, you rightly state that science is the study of
observed phenomena.
Science too is a premise which is flawed..."
"SCIENCE IS FLAWED..?" the
professor splutters.
The class is in uproar.
The Muslim remains standing until the commotion has
subsided.
"To continue the point you were making earlier to
the other student, may I
give you an example of what I mean?"
The professor wisely keeps silent.
The Muslim looks around the room. "Is there anyone
in the class who has
ever seen the professor's brain?". The class breaks
out in laughter.
The Muslim points towards his elderly,
crumbling tutor.
"Is there anyone here who has ever heard the
professor's brain...,
felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the
professor's brain?".
No one appears to have done so.
The Muslim shakes his head sadly.
"It appears no-one here has had any sensory
perception of the professor's
brain whatsoever. Well, according to the rules of
empirical,
stable, demonstrable protocol, science, I DECLARE
that the professor has no brain."
The class is in chaos.
The Muslim sits... Because that is what a chair is for.
Story provided by Mahomed, Feroz,
Feroz.Mahomed@hulamin.co.za
Author unknown
True Story....
There was once a man who was an enemy to Islam. He had three famous questions that no person could answer. No Islamic scholar in Baghdad could answer his three questions...thus he made fun of Islam in public. He constantly ridiculed Islam and the Muslims. One day a small boy, who`s age was 10, came along and heard the man yelling and screaming at Muslims in the street. He was challenging people openly to answer the three questions.
The boy stood quietly and watched. He then decided that he would challenge the man. He walked up and told the man, "I will accept your challenge".
The man laughed at the boy and ridiculed the Muslims even more by saying, "A ten year old boy challenges me. Is this all you people have to offer!"
But the boy patiently reiterated his stance. He would challenge the man, and with Allah`s help and guidance, he would put this to an end. The man finally accepted.
The entire city gathered around a small "hill" where open addresses were usually made. The man climbed to the top, and in a loud voice asked his first question.
"What is your God doing right now?"
The small boy thought for a little while and then told the man to climb down the hill and to allow him to go up in order to address the question.
The man says "What? You want me to come down?"
The boy says, "Yes. I need to reply, right?"
The man made his way down and the small boy, age 10, with his little feet made his way up.
This small child`s reply was "Oh Allah Almighty! You be my witness in front of all these people. You have just willed that a Kafir be brought down to a low level, and that a Muslim be brought to a high level!"
The crowd cheered and screamed "Takbir"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"
The man was humiliated, but he boldly asked his Second question... "What existed before your God?"
The small child thought and thought.
Then he asked the man to count backwards. "Count from 10 backwards."
The man counted..."10, 9 ,8 , 7 , 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,0"
The boy asked, "What comes before 0 ?"
The man: "I don`t know...nothing."
The boy: "Exactly. Nothing was before Allah, for He is eternal and absolute."
The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!!"
The man, now completely frustrated, asked his final question. "In which direction is your Allah facing?"
The boy thought and thought.
He then asked for a candle. A candle was brought to him. The blessed child handed it to the man and asked him to light it.
The man did so and remarked, "What is this supposed to prove?"
The young boy asked, "In which direction is light from the candle going?"
The man responded, "It is going in all directions."
The boy: "You have answered your own question. Allah`s light (noor) goes in all directions. He is everywhere. There is no where that He cannot be found.
"The crowd cheered again...."Takbir!"...."Allah-hu-akbar!!!"
The man was so impressed and so moved by the boy`s knowledge and spirituality, that he embraced Islam and became a student of the young boy.
So ended the debate.
Who was the young boy?
The young boy was one of our leaders and one of the greatest scholars, Imam Abu Hanîfa (May Allah bless him).
Ibrahim ibn Adham (ra) giving advice against disobedience
A man came to Ibrahim ibn Adham, may Allah be pleased with him, and said, "Abu Ishaq, I am unable to control myself. Please give me something to help me with it"
"If you accept five conditions," said Ibrahim, "and are able to put them into practice, your disobedience will not cause you any problem."
"Just tell me what they are, Abu Ishaq!" the man said. "The first is that when you want to disobey Allah you do not eat anything He provides." "Then how will I get anything to eat? Everything on the earth is from Him!" "So is it right to eat His provision and disobey Him at the same time?" replied Ibrahim.
"No, it is not. What is the second condition?" "When you want to disobey him, move off His land."
"That is even more difficult! Exclaimed the man. "In that case where will I live?"
"Is it right to eat his provision and live on His land and then to disobey Him?" asked Ibrahim. "No, it is not."
"What is the third condition?" "When you want to disobey Him in spite of eating His provision and living on His land, find a place where He will not see you and disobey Him there."
"What do you mean, Ibrahim? He knows everything that happens even in the most hidden places!" "So is it right to disobey Him when you eat His provision and live on His land and when you know that He can see everything you do?" "It certainly is not!" the man replied.
"Tell me the fourth condition." "That when the Angel of Death arrives to take your soul, you say to him, 'Give me a reprieve so that I can repent and act righteously for Allah.'"
"But he won't listen to me!" "Then if you cannot ward off death long enough to give yourself time to repent, and you know that when it comes there will be no reprieve, how can you hope to be saved?"
"What is the fifth?" "That when the angels of the Fire come to you to take you to the Fire, you do not go with them." "They will take me whether I like it or not!" exclaimed the man.
"So how can you hope to be saved?"
"Enough, enough, Ibrahim! I ask Allah's forgiveness and I turn to Him!"
The man's repentance was sincere and from that time on he was assiduous in his worship and avoided acts of disobedience until the day he died.
The Atheist Teacher
A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to her class of small children that she is an atheist. She asks her class if they're atheists too. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy fireworks. There is, however, one exception. A beautiful girl named Zainab has not gone along with the crowd. The teacher asks her why she has decided to be different. "Because I'm not an atheist."
Then, asks the teacher, "What are you?" "I'm a Muslim." The teacher is a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Zainab why she is a Muslim. "Well, I was brought up knowing and loving God. My mom is a Muslim, and my dad is a Muslim, so I am a Muslim."
The teacher is now angry. "That's no reason," she says loudly, "what if your mom was a moron,and your dad was a moron, - what would you be then?" She paused, and smiled. "Then," says Zainab, "I'd be an atheist."
[a moron is a dum, stupid person]
The Shaikh And A Pigeon
A friend of mine told me this story: When I was young I had a shaikh, one of the greatest human beings I have ever known. I had met him quite by accident. He lived in a small shack in a poor neighborhood. I had to deliver some medicine for my father's pharmacy. Once inside this man's quarters I realized I was in the presence of someone quite unusual. For one thing, he possessed the relics of several great shaikhs of different orders. The day I met him he was having a conversation with two other young men about my own age. Their names were Metin and Refik. After hearing their conversation I began to lose interest in the things that had occupied me. I wanted only to attend these conversations. The three of us were learning so much that we wished that more and more people could also hear these conversations.
We begged our sheikh to allow the size of our circle to increase. One day we were attending the prayers at a great mosque. It was the feast of Ashura, the twelfth of Muharram. We were just leaving the mosque when our teacher paused on the steps because he noticed that a pigeon had just dropped dead from the sky. He picked up the poor bird, which was totally lifeless, held it tenderly in his hands, breated a long Huuuuuuu...and the bird came back to life and flew off into the sky. Well, this act did not go unnoticed and before long there were many people intersted in our shaikh. Many of them asked to attend his conversations and our circle grew.
It was not long before we found that we had very little time with our beloved shaikh. He was too busy to see us, attending to the needs of so many people. Then one day, while doing the night prayer after our zhikr, our shaikh let out a loud and smelly fart. People were astounded that this holy man could do such a thing. In a short period of time most of them had lost their faith in him and our circle returned to nearly the size it had been originally. One night when just the three of us were sitting together, our shaikh remarked: "You see my sons, those who come because of a pigeon, leave because of a fart!"
From a book catalog put out by the brs. and srs. at the Threshold Society (www.sufism.org)...taken from Kabir Helminski's "The Knowing Heart"
The story of Abu Hanifa (radi Allahu 'anhu), and his neighbor
It is well known that Abu Hanifa (radi Allahu 'anhu), did tahajjut every night. He would spend his night reciting the Quran. He had a neighbor who was an alcoholic, and he used to drink a lot and sing love poems. This used to bother the imam.
But one day, the imam did not hear this man's revelry, so he went and asked about him. They said, "Oh, so-and-so. They took him to jail." So, the very well respected imam went to the jail. He was the most respected imam and qaadi at the time in that place. When the ruler found out the imam went to the jail, he asked for the reason and was told that the imam was concerned about his neighbor who had been arrested. So, the ruler said to release the man, and he was released.
The neighbor then asked Abu Hanifa why he did that, and he replied, "Because you have a right upon me as a neighbor, and I have not been neglectful of that." That was the reason that the neighbor made tauba to Allah subhâna wa ta'âla [that is: embraced islam].
From LINK: Muslims Living in Non-Muslim Lands by Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah
The story of Mullah Nasruddin and his ring
Mullah Nasruddin had lost his ring, so he set out to search for it under the street light.
Others came to help him search.
Finally when asked if he was certain he had dropped it in this spot, he said,
"No, I lost it there," and pointed to his house.
The others asked incredulously:
"Then why are you looking for it here?"
Mullah Nasruddin said, while trying to look clever:
"Because it is dark where I lost it, and it is light out here!"
From Juz `Amma; Sh. Fadhlalla Haeri; Zahra Publ; 1985
The Triple Filter Test
During the golden Abbasid period, one of the scholars in Baghdad, the capital of Muslim caliphate at that time, was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
"Hold on a minute," the scholar replied. "Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
"Triple filter?"
"That's right," the scholar continued. "Before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say.
That's why I call it the triple filter test.
The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and.."
"All right," said the scholar. "So you don't really know if it's true or not.
Now let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
"No, on the contrary..."
"So," the scholar continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of usefulness.
Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
"No, not really."
"Well," concluded the scholar, "if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"
"O ye who believe! Let not some men among you laugh at others: It may be that the (latter) are better than the (former)" ... (to end of surah) Hujurat 49.12
"And spy not on each other behind their backs..." (to end of surah) Hujurat 49.13
Praise be to Allah that we are Muslims...
The Caravan to Mecca
Around the turn of the century, Shaykh Mahboob was on his way to the pilgrimage in Mecca, on a camel caravan from Syria. He was accompanying his teacher, Shaykh Ahmed Mekki. The journey took three months and along the way, there were many difficulties, non-the least desert robbers.
On one afternoon, they came across another caravan heading east to China. They shared camp that evening exchanged stories of their lands and experiences. The leader of the caravan warned the pilgrims to be very careful in the next few days, as there were reports of the presence of an infamous thief in the area. His infamy was on the fact that he was a ruthless man, not caring whom he robbed or killed and not even sparing the caravans of pilgrims.
The next day, while having traveled for many miles, the Shaykh's caravan stopped to perform the afternoon prayer of Asr. As they were doing their ablutions, shouts were heard from all quarters of the caravan. Soon there were shots heard and the caravan was under siege by the band of thieves under the leadership of the infamous marauder, who they had been warned about the night before.
The thieves were relentless in their appetite for blood. Many Hajjis' were killed and the caravan was ransacked. Shaykh Mahboob could see the chief thief in the distance. Like a proud king or landowner, he remained away from the camp, until most of the damage was done. Then he entered the camp to survey the booty his men had collected. As he moved through the crowds of the vanquished Hajji's, all heads bowed in fear of catching his eye and disfavor, risking death or a beating.
As he came closer, Shaykh Mahboob lifted his head and challenged the chief thief. He admonished him for laying siege on a caravan of helpless Hajji's on their way to the holy pilgrimage. Most were astonished at the courage and bold stance the Shaykh had taken. Fear ran through most though; fear that this would be the invitation of their deaths. The thief addressed the Shaykh, saying, "Do you know who I am? Do you know that I have killed men for less than what you have done today!' The Shaykh answered, " I only fear Allah, my life is in His hands and in His hands only. If it be that I should die today having challenged evil, than let it be so."
The thief dismounted his camel and approached the Shaykh. He addressed the Shaykh saying: "I fear no man or God, but I am the one feared by all" The Shaykh answered "Then I pity your illusion, and I will pray for you to repent". The thief was so impressed with the Shaykh's courage, that he had all his men gather around Shaykh Mahboob to introduce him as an equal to himself. He extolled the Shaykh's courage in standing up, and speaking to himself. In respect to Shaykh Mahboob, he let him live and brought to him a gift of three camels, gladdened with gold and silver. Shaykh Mahboob asked his Shaykh if he could accept the three camels of gold and silver from the infamous thief. His Shaykh was clear and direct in his response. He could not accept these gifts, as they were surely, stolen from others. It would be haram, or forbidden.
As Shaykh Mahboob returned to where the thief was to refuse the gifts, the Shaykh surprised everyone when he in fact, accepted the gifts. The thief was gratified and with his men disappeared into the desert. Shaykh Mahboob had now become an outcast. His Shaykh refused to see him and he was sent with his camels to the end of the caravan, forbidden to eat, or fraternize with the rest of the caravan's Hajji's. He even was stoned and spat on several occasions.
After many days, the Shaykh's caravan came across the royal caravan from the Khalifa of Turkey. There was blood everywhere. The infamous thief had laid them siege to several days before. He had stolen all the gift supplies that the Khalifa had sent to Mecca and Medina to help for the Hajj. There were also three camels of gold and silver taken. This was a special gift from the Khalifa, intended to feed and clothe the poor Hajji's on pilgrimage. From the back of the caravan, Shaykh Mahboob came forward with the three camels of gold and silver, and placed their reins on the hands of their rightful guardians. A roar and cheer went up throughout the two caravans. Shaykh Mahboob was now a hero. As the roar and shouts praising his insight and courage died down, his own Shaykh emerged from the crowd. As he approached Shaykh Mahboob he bowed slightly, taking Shaykh Mahboob's hand and kissing it, saying from this day forward you are a Shaykh of Tariqa.
Eight Things to Learn
One time a scholar asked one of his students, "You have spent a long time with me, what have you learned?"
He said I learned eight things:
First, I looked to the creation. Everyone has a loved one. When he goes to the grave, he leaves his loved one. Therefore, I made my loved one my good deeds; that way, they will be with me in the grave.
Second, I looked to the verse, "But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrained his soul from lust," therefore, I struggled against my desires so I could stay obeying Allah.
Third, I saw that if anyone has something with him that is worth something, he will protect it. Then I thought about the verse,"That which you have is wasted away; and that which is with Allah remains," therefore, everything worth something with me I devoted to Him so it would be with Him for me.
Fourth, I saw the people seeking wealth, honor and positions and it was not worth anything to me. Then I thought about Allah's words, "Lo, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most aware of Allah, so I did my best to become aware of Allah in order to gain nobility in his sight.
Fifth, I saw the people being jealous towards each other and I looked at the verse, "We have apportioned among them their livelihood in the life of the world", so I left jealousy.
Sixth, I saw the people having enmity and I thought about the verse, "Lo, the devil is an enemy for you, so take him as an enemy", so I left enmity and I took the Satan as my only enemy.
Seventh, I saw them debasing themselves in search of sustenance and I thought about the verse, "And there is not a beast in the earth but the sustenance thereof depends on Allah", so I kept myself busy with my responsibilities toward Him and I left my property with Him.
Eighth, I found them relying on their business, buildings and health and I thought about the verse, "And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, He will suffice him", therefore, I put my trust only on Allah.
Translated by: Jamal Zarabozo
If you want the Rainbow, you got to put up with the rain....
The story of the rose sent to the caliph Harun Rashid
There is a story that Charlemagne sent a most perfect rose as a gift to the caliph Harun Rashid.
He gave it to his gardener and told him to plant it with great care and as soon as the first rose came from it to bring it to him. The gardener carefully planted the rose in a beautiful part of the garden.
The next day a crow came and ate the rose. Trembling, the gardener told the news to Harun Rashid. He told the gardener not to worry for the punishment of the crow will be the same as that of the rose.
A few days later a snake came upon the crow and killed him. The gardener told the news to the caliph who again told him that the fate of the snake will be the same as the crow.
The next day the gardener was working in the garden when he spotted the snake. He picked up an axe and killed the snake. The caliph told him that his fate would be the same.
As it happened the gardener did something wrong and was thrown in jail. The day he was to be hanged he requested to see Harun Rashid.
He reminded the caliph of the rose, the crow and the snake and said that if the caliph would show forgiveness toward him, then he would save himself from a like fate.
Poem Of The End
It was early in the morning at four,
When death knocked upon a bedroom door,
Who is there? the sleeping one cried.
I'm Azrael, let me inside.
At once, the man began to shiver,
As one sweating in deadly fever,
He shouted to his sleeping wife,
Don't let him take away my life.
Please go away, O Angel of Death!
Leave me alone, I'm not ready yet.
My family on me depends,
Give me a chance, O please prepense!
The angel knocked again and again,
Friend! I'll take your life without a pain,
Tis your soul Allah requires,
I come not with my own desire.
Bewildered, the man began to cry,
O Angel I'm so afraid to die,
I'll give you gold and be your slave,
Don't send me to the unlit grave.
Let me in, O Friend! The Angel said,
Open the door, get up from your bed,
If you do not allow me in,
I will walk through it, like a jinn.
The man held a gun in his right hand,
Ready to defy the Angel's stand.
I'll point my gun, towards your head,
You dare come in, I'll shoot you dead.
By now the Angel was in the room,
Saying, O Friend! prepare for you doom.
Foolish man, Angels never die,
Put down your gun and do not sigh.
Why are you afraid! Tell me O man,
To die according to Allah's plan?
Come smile at me, do not be grim,
Be Happy to return to Him.
O Angel! I bow my head in shame,
I had no time to take Allah's Name.
From morning till dusk,I made my wealth,
Not even caring for my health.
Allah's command I never obeyed,
Nor five times a day I ever prayed.
A Ramadan came and a Ramadan went,
But no time had I to repent.
The Hajj was already FARD on me,
But I would not part with my money.
All charities I did ignore,
Taking usury more and more.
Sometimes I sipped my favourite wine,
With flirting women I sat to dine.
O Angel! I appeal to you,
Spare my life for a year or two.
The Laws of Quran I will obey,
I'll begin SALAT this very day.
My Fast and Hajj, I will complete,
And keep away from self conceit.
I will refrain from usury,
And give all my wealth to charity,
Wine and wenches I will detest,
Allah's oneness I will attest.
We Angels do what Allah demands,
We cannot go against His commands.
Death is ordained for everyone,
Father, mother, daughter or son.
I'm afraid this moment is your last,
Now be reminded, of your past,
I do understand your fears,
But it is now too late for tears.
You lived in this world, two score and more,
Never did you, your people adore.
Your parents, you did not obey,
Hungry beggars, you turned away.
Your two ill-gotten, female offspring,
In night-clubs, for livelihood they sing.
Instead of making more Muslims,
You made your children non-Muslims.
You ignored the Mua'dhin Adhaan,
Nor did you read the Holy Quran.
Breaking promises all your life,
Backbiting friends, and causing strife.
From hoarded goods, great profits you made,
And your poor workers, you underpaid.
Horses and cards were your leisure,
Money-making was your pleasure.
You ate vitamins and grew more fat,
With the very sick, you never sat.
A pint of blood you never gave,
Which could a little baby save.
O Human, you have done enough wrong,
You bought good properties for a song.
When the farmers appealed to you,
You did not have mercy, tis true.
Paradise for you? I cannot tell,
Undoubtedly you will dwell in hell.
There is no time for you to repent,
I'll take your soul for which I am sent.
The ending however, is very sad,
Eventually the man became mad
With a cry, he jumped out of bed,
And suddenly, he fell down dead.
O Reader! Take moral from here,
you never know, your end may be near
change your living and make amends
For heaven, on your deeds depends.
If this poem inspires you,
it can help someone too.
[Laila]
The Idiot, The Wise Man And The Jug
An idiot may be the name given to the ordinary man, who consistently misinterprets what happens to him, what he does, or what is brought about by others. He does this so completely plausibly that - for himself and his peers - large areas of life and thought seem logical and true.
An idiot of this kind was sent one day with a pitcher to a wise man, to collect some wine.
On the way the idiot, through his own heedlessness, smashed the jar against a rock.
When he arrived at the house of the wise man, he presented him with the handle of the pitcher, and said:
"So-and-so sent you this pitcher, but a horrid stone stole it from me."
Amused and wishing to test his coherence, the wise man asked:
"Since the pitcher is stolen, why do you offer me the handle?"
"I am not such a fool as people say," the idiot told him, "and therefore I have brought the handle to prove my story."
told by Idries Shah in Tales of the Dervishes
at: onlineislamicstore.com
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Once Imam Ali (r.a.) saw his coat of mail in the possession of a Christian. He took him in the court of a judge named Shurayh so that he might give a decision regarding its ownership. When both of them appeared before the judge Ali (r.a.) said: "This coat of mail is mine. I have neither sold nor gifted it to anyone". The judge asked the other person:
"What have you to say about the claim made by the Commander of the Faithful?" The Christian said: "This
coat of mail is mine. In spite of this, however, I do not consider the Commander of the Faithful to be a liar".
Then the judge Shurayh turned to Ali (a.s.) and said: "Can you produce any witness who should depose that this coat of mail is yours?" Ali (a.s.) smiled and said: "Shurayh is right.I cannot produce any such witness".
The judge gave a judgment in favour of the Christian who took the coat of mail and departed. The Commander of the Faithful kept looking at him from behind. After having gone a few steps, however, he returned and said:
"I testify that such an order resembles the order of the prophets, because one who is the Commander of the
Faithful has appeared along with a person like myself in the court of the judge who is also his subordinate and the judge has given a judgement against him". (Voice of Human Justice, George Jordac)
During the Caliphate of Hadhrat Ali (r.a.), once a governor was invited to a feast. The governor accepted the invitation and participated in the party. When Hadhrat Ali (r.a.) came to know about this he reprimanded the governor severely saying: "Entertaining a governor is bribe. Why was this bribe given? If it was given to establish a right it is the duty of a governor to give the entitled persons their right without taking bribe, or this bribe was given to validate something invalid. If that be the case it is not lawful for a governor to do any such thing even though the entire world may be offered to him as bribe.
The second thing is: Why did the governor participate in a feast to which the rich were invited but the indigent were ignored and thus a discrimination was made between the slaves of Allah? This discrimination pained many persons and also grieved Ali. Of course if the society is prosperous and the people are well-to-do there is no harm in inviting only some persons to a party to the exclusion of others. However, when the conditions are such that there are poor as well as rich persons in the society, does the extension of an invitation to a governor to participate in a feast not amount to giving him bribe?
(Voice of Human Justice)
Friday, March 11, 2011Logic of Bohlol
Bohlol was a very wise and a witty man once he went into a mosque where Abu Hanifa was lecturing to his students. Buhlol heard him saying, “I cannot understand three things that Imam J’afar Sadiq (A.S.) says, viz,
(1) God will not be seen even on the Day of Judgment. But you know that if something exists and is present, it would very definitely be seen:
(2) Shaitan will be burned in hell fire. But you all know that Shaitan was created from the element of fore. How can a fire burn or hurt fire?
(3) Man is a free agent and is responsible for all his deeds. But the truth is that man is not free. Whatever he appears to do, is something that was dictated by God.”
Bohlol heard these arguments of Abu Hanifa and he was amused by them. He then went out of the mosque and stood waiting for Abu Hanifa to come out. When Abu Hanifa came out, Bohlol, threw a little rock at him in the face and hurt him, Abu Hanifa’s students seized Bohlol and took him to the court. They told the judge what he had done. When the judge asked him why he had hurt Abu Hanifa’s, He said that he did not hurt him and that he was innocent. Thereupon, Abu Hanifa shouted; “You threw the rock in my face. How can you be innocent.” Bohlol said, “No, I did not. God did. You were saying only a little while ago that God does everything.”
Abu Hanifa said; “My face is hurting and you are joking. I have so much pain.”
Bohlol said; “Pain? Show me the pain. I would like to see it.” Abu Hanifa said, “But pain is something one feels; it is not something that one can see with one’s eyes,”
Bohlol; “But you said that whatever exists and is present, will definitely be seen. If your pain exists and is present, you should be able to show it to me. Furthermore, you said that Shaitan is made from fire, and that fire of Hell cannot, therefore, burn or hurt him (Shaitan). But you were made from dust, and the clod which struck you, was also a lump of dust. If fire, then how can dust hurt dust? You ought to feel no pain at all; after dust hit dust.”
Abu Hanifa was embarrassed. Bohlol had used a little rock to demolish all the arguments of Abu Hanifa. He proved and also demonstrated that man is responsible for his own deeds, and that he cannot blame God for them and their consequences.
Note: To know more about Imam Abu Hanifa CLICK
Tuesday, March 8, 2011The Dodging Truth
A simple man
A man was brought to the second caliph hadhrat Omar.
People had asked this man, that how he started his day.
The man had replied: I started my day to the likeness of Fitna (temptation), dislike for the truth,
giving credence to Judaism and Christianity,
believing to the unseen and accepting a thing which does not exists.
Hadhrat Omar asked his servant to call Hadhrat Ali (a.s.) to solve this.
When Ali (a.s.) arrived, he was informed about the beliefs (misguided) of this man.
Imam Ali (a.s.) said: What this man is saying is right.
This man says that he loves Fitna (temptation), Allah says "Indeed your wealth and your children are Fitna."
He dislikes Truth. Allah says "The time of death and the final breath is Truth, and it will certainly come."
He testifies the Jews and the Christians. Allah says "Jews say that Christians have no foundation and Christian believe that the Jews have no base."
He believes in the unseen, that is "God".
A thing which he accepts that has not come into existence is Qayamat (Day of Judgement).
I mentioned to Abu `Abd Allah (al-'Imam al-Sadiq) (rah.a.) about a man afflicted with (doubts about) wudu' (ritual ablutions) and salat; remarking that he was a man of intellect (`aqil)- Abu `Abd Allah (A) said: `What kind of intellect has he 'when he obeys Satan! ' I said: `How does he obey Satan?' He said: `Ask him about its cause and he will tell you that it is the work of Satan.'
Ibne Sina, the genius
A group of our companions, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from al-Haytham ibn Abi Masruq al-Nahdi [7]; from al-Husayn ibn Khalid [8], from Ishaq ibn `Ammar [9], who said:
I asked Abu `Abd Allah (A): `How is it that certain people understand everything on being told a little (about some matter) and some people are such that they hear the whole thing and respond to it; but there are some others who on being told (about a matter) ask one to repeat it again?'
The Imam (A) said: `O Ishaq, do you know why that is so? The man who understands the whole (matter) on hearing a little is one whose intellect was kneaded with his (substance) at the spermatic stage.
The one who hears the whole thing and responds in accordance with what you had told him, is one whose intellect developed in his mother's womb.
And the man who requests you to repeat is one whose intellect developed after he grew up.'
Muhammad b. Yahya reports from Ahmad b. Muhammad from al-Hasan b. Mahbub from Salih b. Sahl from Abi 'Abd Allah (the 6th Imam) (as)-
That a group of Quraysh said to the Messenger of Allah (sa)
"Through what merit do you precede the prophets while you were sent as the last of them and as their seal?"
So he said-
"I was the foremost in bringing faith in my Lord and the first to respond as Allah extracted the testimony of the prophets and [as he] made them witnesses upon their souls, saying 'am I not your Lord?' I was the first prophet to say yes [o Lord]. Thus I preceded them all in giving testimony to Allah"
When passing through a mountain pass, a bedouin once came across an old man who was blind and who seemed to be afflicted with various ailments all over his body. It was clear that he was wasting away. He was even paralyzed and was constantly forced to remain in a seated position. The Bedouin could clearly hear him say, “All praise is for Allah, Who has kept me safe from ailments with which He has tesed many among His creation; and He has indeed preferred me over many among those that He created.”
“My brother!” exclaimed the bedouin. “What have you been saved from? By Allah, I think that you have been afflicted with every single kind of ailment!”
“Go away from me,” said the old man, as he raised his head. “Do I not still have a tongue with which I can pronounce His Oneness, and with which I can remember Him every single moment? And do I not still have a heart with which I can know Him?”
These words of the old man were enough for the bedouin to repent to Allah for his sins and ask Him for forgiveness.
Once boils came out on Abbaside Caliph, Mutawakkil’s body. His condition was so critical that no surgeon dared to put a knife on his wound. His mother made a vow that if her son recovered from the disease, she would hand over a good deal of properties to the Imam (rah.a.).
Fath ibn Khaqan proposed that they send someone to the 10th Imam, Imam Hadi (r.a.) to ask him for a drug to heal the boil. They sent someone to the Imam (r.a.) and he came back with the following prescription:
Soak dung in rose water and place it on the boil. It will definitely fall if Allah wishes.
Upon hearing this, some of those who were present by Mutawakkil’s side burst into laughter. But Fath ibn Khaqan told them: What will be the harm if we practiced what he said? They did what Imam (AS) had said. The boil burst and all the pus came out.
Mutawakkil’s mother sent 10,000 dinars to the Imam (r.a.) when her son Mutawakkil regained his health.
A Junior Youth reading Holy Qur'an
This story was sent by a reader sharing his personal (useful) experience.
Since last night my young son has been unwell. When I got back from Work this evening I decided to take him to hospital despite my exhaustion.
There were many waiting; perhaps we will be delayed by more than an hour. I took my number and sat down in the waiting room. There were many faces, young and old, but all silent. Some brothers made use of the many booklets available in the waiting room.
Some of those waiting had their eyes closed, while others were looking around. Most were bored. Once in a while the long silence was broken by a nurse calling out a number. Happiness appears on the one whose turn it is, and he gets up quickly; then silence returns.
A young man grabbed my attention. He was reading a pocket-sized Qur`an continuously; not raising his head even once. At first I did not think much about him. However, after one hour of waiting my casual glances turned into a deep reflection about his lifestyle and how he utilizes his time. One hour of life wasted! Instead of making benefit of that hour, it was just a boring wait. Then the call for prayer was made. We went to prayer in the hospital's Masjid. I tried to pray close to the man who was reading the Qur'an earlier in the waiting room.
After the prayer I walked with him. I informed him of how impressed I was of him and how he tries to benefit from his time. He told me that most of our time is wasted without any benefit. These are days that go from our lives without being conscious of them or regretting their waste.. He said that he started carrying the pocket-sized Qur`an around when a friend encouraged him to make full use of his time. He told me that in the time other people waste he gets to read much more of the Qur`an than he gets to read either at home or in the masjid. Moreover, besides the reward of reading the Qur`an, this habit saves him from boredom and stress.
He added that he has now been waiting for one and a half hours. Then he asked, when will you find one and a half hours to read the Qur`an? I reflected; How much time do we waste? How many moments of our lives pass by, and yet we do not account for how they passed by? Indeed, how many months pass by and we do not read the Qur`an? I came to respect my companion, and I discovered that I am to stand for account and that time is not in my hand; so what am I waiting for?
My thoughts were interrupted by the nurse calling out my number; I went to the doctor. But I want to achieve something now. After I left the hospital I quickly went to the bookshop and bought a pocket-sized Qur`an. I decided to be mindful of how I spend the time. If this information is beneficial to you, then please do forward it to your friends and relatives.
A man woke up early in the morning in order to perform the Fajr Prayer.
He got dressed, made his ablution and was on his way to the Masjid.
On his way to the Masjid, the man fell down and his clothes got dirty.
He got up, brushed himself off, and headed home.
He changed his clothes, made his ablution once again on his way to the Masjid.
On his way he fell again and at the same spot!
He, again, got up, brushed himself off and headed home.
Once again, he changed his clothes, made his ablution and was on his way to the Masjid.
On his way to the Masjid, he met a man holding a lamp.
He asked the man of his identity and the man replied 'I saw you fall twice on your way to the Masjid, so I brought a lamp so I can light your way.'
The first man thanked him profusely and the two where on their way to the Masjid.
Once at the Masjid, the first man asked the man with the lamp to come in and pray Fajr with him. The second man refused.
The first man asked him a couple more times and, again, the answer was the same.
The first man asked him why he did not wish to come in and pray.
The man replied: "I am Shaitaan"(devil/ evil). The man was shocked at this reply.
Shaitan went on to explain:
'I saw you on your way to the Masjid and it was I who made you fall. When you went home, cleaned yourself and went back on your way to the Masjid, Allah forgave all of your sins.
I made you fall a second time, and even that did not encourage you to stay home, but rather, you went back on your way to the Masjid.
Because of that, Allah forgave all the sins of the people of your household.
I was afraid if I made you fall one more time, then Allah will forgive the sins of the people of your village, so I made sure that you reached the Masjid safely..'
So do not let Shaitan benefit from his actions.
Do not put off a good that you intended to do as you never know how much reward
your might receive from the hardships you encounter while trying to achieve that good.
A teacher had many good students in his class but had particular regard and high respect for one of them. Some of the students one day asked the teacher the reason for this. In reply he said, I shall tell you tomorrow."
The next day, he handed to each of those students one live chicken. He asked them to take the chickens to a place where they would not be seen by anyone and then slaughter them. After a while, they returned with their chicken duly slaughtered. But his favourite student came back with his chicken alive.
The teacher asked him why he had not slaughtered it. He replied. "You had asked me to go to a place where nobody would see me. I tried hard to find a place where God Almighty could not see me. But I failed. Everywhere went I was sure that God could see me and I could not hide from Him. So I could not carry out your instructions.
On hearing this, the teacher turned to the other students and remarked, "The reason why I respect this student more is because of his constant awareness of the existence of God who can always see him, no matter where he is. Consequently, he does not commit any sin".
The sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq (rah.a.), said to one of his friends, lshaq Bin Ammar, "Fear God as if you are able to see Him because He sees you. And if you think that He is not able to see you, then you become a non-believer. And if you believe that He sees you and you commit a sin in His presence, then you consider Him as the lowest of those seeing you".
TIT FOR TAT
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It is a law of nature that whatever action we take in this world, there is always a reaction. If we do good, we stand to gain a good reward. If we do bad, we should expect a bad outcome ultimately. "What you sow, so you reap" is a popular saying.
The Holy Qur'an has also guided us on this subject. It says:
If you do good, you do good to yourselves. (likewise)
If you do evil, you do evil to yourselves.
(Qur'an: Chapter 17, Verse 7)
One of the companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) was very fond of this verse of the Qur'an. He used to recite it loudly and repeatedly wherever he went.
A Jewish woman who had heard him once wanted to prove him wrong and thus make him unpopular among his people. She thought up a plot against him.
She prepared some sweets mixed with poison and sent them to him as a present. When he received them, he went out of the city with them. On the way, he met two men who were returning home from a long journey. They appeared tired and hungry, so he thought of doing them a good turn. He offered them the sweets. Of course, he was not aware that they were secretly mixed with poison. No sooner had the two travellers taken the sweets, they collapsed and died. When the news of their death reached Medina, the city where the Prophet resided, the man was arrested. He was brought in front of the Prophet and he related what had actually happened. The Jewish woman who had mixed poison with the sweets was also brought to the court of the Prophet. She was stunned to see the two dead bodies of the travellers there. They in fact turned out to be her own two sons who had gone away on a journey.
She admitted her evil intention before the Prophet and all the people present. Alas, the poison she had mixed in the sweets to kill the companion of the Prophet had instead killed her own two sons.
What a splendid example of a tragic reaction to a bad action. It shows how one reaps what he sows.
"Do as you would be done by" are words of wisdom from the learned and wise men of the past. They teach us to do good to others in the same way as we like others to do good to us.
CO-OPERATION THE KEY TO SUCCESS
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Co-operation is to work together far a common good. It is to undertake a job in which everyone plays his part sincerely to finish it. People in co-operation pool their resources for their common benefit. We come to hear or see co-operative societies established in many countries. Their benefit has been dignity of labour and self-dependence. The co-operative movement has been the cause of rapid economic progress in many countries.
There is a story of an old man who was on his death-bed. He called his sons and asked them to break a bundle of sticks which was bound together. Although the sons were strong and tried hard to break it, they failed. The old man then advised them to untie the bundle and to break the sticks separately. Everyone of them could do so very easily. The bundle of sticks is like co-operation and working together in unity which cannot be destroyed. Thus co-operation is strength.
The Prophet of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (saw). was once travelling with his companions. They stopped at a place to have something to eat and then rest. They decided to slaughter a sheep and roast it.
One of them said, "I shall do the slaughtering."
The other said, "I shall remove the skin."
The third one said, "I shall do the roasting."
Each one of them volunteered to do one piece of work.
The Prophet of Islam said, "I shall collect and bring the firewood from the forest."
The companions said, "Oh Prophet! You need not take the trouble. We shall attend to everything."
The Prophet said, "I know you can do everything. But I do not like to enjoy a preferential treatment from you. God Almighty does not like to see a person distinguishing himself from his companions." Thus the Prophet went and brought firewood from the forest;
This is one of the examples set by the Prophet of Islam on co-operation and working together for a common good.
Abu Baseer was once in the company of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (rah.a.) when a woman came and said to the Imam, "I have come to ask a question. I am ill. Physicians in Iraq have told me to take liquor. Now I want to know what to do in such circumstances?"
The Imam asked her, "Why don't you drink what the doctors have prescribed for you?"
She replied, "As I am your follower, I shall obey what you say. If you permit me, I shall drink it; if not, I shall keep away from it; so that if I am asked by the Almighty God on the Day of Judgement why I did so, I shall reply that I followed the instructions of the Imam of the day."
Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a) turned to Abu Baseer and said: "O Abu Baseer. Did you listen to what this woman has to say? Are you not moved by her faith? Inspite of her illness, she is refraining from taking liquor without the Imam's permission."
The Imam then turned to the woman and said, "By God, I do not permit you to drink. If you do so, you shall be sorry when your soul reaches your throat (that is at the time of death)".
So saying the Imam pointed at her throat; and asked her three times if she understood what he had said. The woman nodded her head.
One of the things which Islam has strongly forbidden is the taking of any intoxicating drink, like beer, wine. They are harmful to the body and mind. Under their influence one loses one's senses and is apt to commit criminal acts. We read of fatal accidents and crimes committed because of drinks.
Even trading in liquor and sitting in bars where people are drinking are also forbidden in Islam so that there is no temptation in the way of people to taking them.
The Holy Qur'an says, "O Believers, Intoxicants and games of chance, idols and divining arrows, are abominations devised by Satan. Avoid them, so that you may prosper. Satan desires to stir up enmity and hatred among you by means of intoxicants and gambling, and to keep you from the remembrance of Allah and from your prayers. Will you not abstain from them?" (Chapter 5, Verses 90, 91)
The above verses from the Qur'an warn us of the effects of drinking.
The first Imam, Ali (r.a.), said, "Suppose a drop of liquor is put in a well and from its water a land is irrigated. Grass grows on the land and a sheep grazes there. That sheep then gets mixed in a flock of other sheep who have grazed elsewhere. If all the sheep are slaughtered making it difficult to identify the meat of the sheep who had grazed on a land which was irrigated from the water of the well, then I shall not eat any of that meat."
Thus Imam Ali (r.a.) has emphasized the evil of alcohol.
For the sake of our own physical, mental and spiritual welfare, we should always keep away from drinks.
Kisra, A Persian King, was once asked, "How did you learn justice?"
He replied, "Because I know for sure that every man will he judged according to his deeds."
He was then asked: "How do you know that?"
He replied: "One day when I was on my way in the forest, I saw a gazelle. I sent my dog after it and it caught the gazelle by the leg. But the dog did not catch the gazelle in the usual way, for it bit and broke the gazelle's leg.
Not long after, the dog was in front of a horse, that kicked it in the leg and the dog's leg was broken.
Soon after, the horse's leg slipped into a hole and it broke.
Therefore, I realised that every person's award depends upon his deeds. When he does a good deed, he will be rewarded for it, and if he does an evil deed, he will be punished. Hence, I always do good deeds."
God does no wrong or evil. Anybody who commits wrong or injustice does so either because he does not know that it is wrong (but God knows everything or because he needs something which cannot be obtained without wrong doing (but God has no need) or because he has been compelled by somebody else to commit that wrong (but God is All-Powerful and nobody can compel Him to do anything. So it makes sense that it is impossible for God to do any injustice or wrong.
So logically we say that God is Adil, meaning that he is just. He is neither cruel nor does he do anything that lacks in wisdom. Whatever he does be it endowing life or giving sustenance or depriving us of anything, it has inherent benefit in it; though the Benefit may not be apparent to us.
For example, when a doctor treats an illness, we know the patient benefits from the treatment, though we do not know how the treatment brings about the benefit. Thus, when we see God endowing one with riches, while leaving another in poverty, or granting one person greatness while denying it to the other, or bestowing health on one while the other is stricken with disease, we have to accept that these actions are based on rationalism even though we may not be able to understand the wisdom behind them.
"And Allah is not in the least unjust to His servants" - Qur'an: (Chapter 8 Verse 51)
FROM THE SHADOW OF A TREE TO THE SHADOW OF ISLAM
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Taif is a fertile green area around Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It has plenty of fruit gardens and a pleasant climate.
The people of the tribe of Bani Sakeef used to relax under the shadow of fruit trees in the Taif area. From the travellers of Mecca passing by, they used to hear reports about the mission of Prophet Muhammad (s). They came to learn from them how truthful, trustworthy and kind the Prophet of Islam was. They also came to know that among women Hazrat Khadija, the Prophet's wife and among the men Imam Ali (r.a.) - the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law were the first to declare faith and accept Islam.
They were also informed that the followers of the Prophet were still very few. That majority of the people from the tribe of Quraish did not yet accept Islam and were opposing the spread of the religion. They had even offered Prophet Muhammad (saw) bribes of large sums of money and high post if he would stop preaching against idol worship.
One day when the people were resting under the shadow of fruit trees, they received news that Abu Talib, his uncle had come and told the Prophet "O my Nephew! the leaders of Quarish say that whatever wealth you demand they are willing to give provided you abandon the teaching of Islam."
The Quraish tried again by sending Ataba to persuade the Prophet and offered everything that he would wish to have. In reply the Prophet recited this verse from the Holy Qur'an:
"Say: I am only a man like you, it is revealed unto me that your God is but one God. Therefore, whoever desires to meet his Lord, he should do good deeds, and not join any one in the service of his Lord."
Ataba was very moved to hear this and returned to the Quraish saying, "From Muhammad (s) I have heard words which did not at all sound like a poem nor witchcraft"! He advised the Quraish to leave him on his own and added: "Muhammad grew up among you and has always been most trustworthy and of good character. Now that he has come out with a message of one God, it is not fair to accuse him of witchcraft or lying. Do not molest him and let us see what will happen!"
Thus the Prophet of Islam went on preaching the message of one God and persuaded people to abandon the worship of Idols. On the other hand, the people of Quraish continued to interfere and oppress him and the new followers of Islam.
They asked everyone to boycott and not to have any dealings with them. They wrote the following orders on the skin of a sheep and hung it on the door of Ka'aba in Mecca.
"Do not buy or sell to Muslims."
"Do not salute the Muslims nor speak to them."
"Do not give or take daughters in marriage from any Muslim. Do not have any dealing with them."
Thus the people of Quraish went on oppressing and torturing the Prophet and his followers. They would throw dirt on him when he walked on the streets of Mecca.
One day Prophet Muhammad (s) secretly went out of Taif to convey the message of Islam to the people there. But the leaders of that place laughed and jeered at the Prophet. They were always intoxicated by drinking wine made from the grapes. The Prophet was persuading them to leave this bad habit and was saying that drinking wine has no benefit, it makes man senseless, it badly affects health and more so, it draws man far away from God.
That day, the Prophet having conveyed to the people of Taif what he wished to about Islam, decided to return to Mecca. But on the way the children threw stones and laughed at him, When he managed to be rid of them, he took shelter and rested under the shadow of a grape tree. He raised his face toward the sky and said:
"Oh God! I complain to Thee for my inability."
"Oh God! I pray to Thee to lead these people to the right path."
"Oh God! You are the Forgiver and Kind".
Incidentally Atba and his brother Shaiba were in the same garden. On hearing this prayer of the Prophet, they felt sorry.
They called their servant Adas and gave him a plate full of sweet grapes and asked him to deliver them to the Prophet so that he may recover from fatigue.
Adas took the plate of grapes and presented it to the Prophet. Before he started eating the grapes, the Prophet said "Bismillah" (in the name of one God).
Adas was an Iraqi Arab. On hearing this, he began to wonder and asked what are these words. "I have never heard them before!"
Prophet Muhammad (s) asked, "Where are you from?"
Adas replied, "I have come from Nainawa" (a region in Iraq presently known as Kerbala.
The Prophet asked, "Have you heard of the Prophet Yunus?"
Adas said, "Yes! Yunus was a Prophet. But why have you mentioned his name to me?"
The Prophet replied, "I, like Yunus, also am a Prophet and have come from the One God for the guidance of mankind."
Adas had already heard before of the truthfulness and trustworthiness of Prophet Muhammad (saw). Now he became attracted towards him because of his kindness and good character. With tearful eyes he said: "Oh Muhammad I put my faith in your Prophethood, because no one would be willing to face such torture and trouble unless he was on the right path and had come to lead others on the path!"
This is how Adas, a pagan unbelieving Arab accepted the religion of Islam whilst under the shadow of a grape tree and joined the Islamic brotherhood.
Thus Islam spread gradually, not with compulsion or at the point of a sword, but through noble character and kindness of Prophet Muhammad (s).
THE ANT PRAYS FOR RAIN
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Once there was a big famine in Palestine. It was during the time of the Prophet, Prophet Sulaiman (King Solomon). He came out with his people and proceeded to an open place in the desert to pray for the rains to come. Suddenly, he saw an ant standing on its two legs, raising its hands up towards the sky and saying, "Oh Allah! We are but very small among all Thy creatures. We cannot survive without Thy grace. Please bestow upon us Thy sustenance and do not punish us because of the sins of human beings. Please send down the rains so that trees can grow, farms become green and grains become available and we have our food to eat."
Prophet Sulaiman knew the language of all animals. He told his people, "Let us go home. The prayer of this ant is enough." It then rained heavily and all the land became green and productive.
The ant is an intelligent creature. During warm days it collects and stores grain inside the holes. It knows that during wet and cold months, it would not be able to go out to search for food. For fear that grain may start growing because of wetness, it splits it into two or more pieces. At times, during moonlit nights, it brings the split grains out of the stores for drying and preservation against decay. The holes under the ground are made very carefully and covered with shelter to prevent the rain water from getting inside the holes. The ant, unlike the other animals, can lift a burden twice its own weight. It is not a selfish creature. When an ant finds some store of food grains, it runs up to its group and takes its fellow ants to that place. It shows everyone of them its own find of the store. They always behave in this manner. They work and live in co-operation with each other.
This shows how the ant works for the group and how each of them fulfils the needs and livelihood of its fellow-beings. How shameful it is for a man, who has no regard for another man; who has no concern for his fellow human beings who could be starving because of want of food.
Once, while Prophet Sulaiman was travelling together with hosts of men, jinn and birds, they reached a valley of ants.
When the chief of these ants witnessed the pomp and the glory with which Prophet Sulaiman and his companions were approaching toward it. He warned all the ants to get into their holes lest they got trampled and crushed unknowingly by the approaching men and Jinn. Prophet Sulaiman smiled at this warning sounded by the ants' chief, and ordered his companions to wait till the ants went inside their holes. "None of us should hurt any ant while passing over their land", he said.
It is said that Prophet Sulaiman addressed the chief of the ants and said: "How could my people hurt you or your fellow ants when they are floating through air! Don't you know that I am a messenger of God and would never act unfairly?" The chief of the ants replied: "O Messenger of God! My cautioning the ants was not for any hurt that they would suffer but to prevent them getting astray and forgetting the glory of God after seeing your pomp and show."
There is a deep meaning in this event. It shows that even the most humble and smallest of creatures has been endowed with the necessary wisdom to live safely and avoid being hurt as far as possible. It also shows, how even a small ant does have the natural understanding of the true position of Allah. It imparts a lesson that one should not forget the true might and glory of Allah when one experiences a great power and dignity of any creature in this world.
Thus an Ant is one of the most wonderful small creatures in this world. Sura "Naml" (the Ant) in the Holy Qur'an is a chapter named after this creature. Over 1300 years ago, Imam Ali (r.a.) was giving a sermon in Kufa, in which he was describing the beauties of creation in various forms of life. He was referring to small creatures and asking man to study how God made them so small yet so sturdy and strong. He described the ant in these words:
'Look at an ant. How tiny is its body and how delicate are its features! It is such a small creature that it often escapes the eye, and few people care to attach any importance to it among the living beings found on this earth. Look at it and study its ways of life; how it crawls, how it attacks its food; how it lifts a grain so many times heavier than its body, carries it to its hole; how it stores grains; and how in summer it gathers and stocks food for winter and rainy days.'
PROPHET SULAIMAN (SOLOMON) THE KING PROPHET
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For the guidance of mankind, Allah honoured four famous Prophets by revealing to them four Holy Books as under:
1) Taurat to Prophet Musa (Moses):
2) Zaboor (Psalms) To Prophet Dawood (David);
3) Injeel (Evangel) To Prophet Isa (Jesus);
4) Qur'an To Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw).
The commandments of Allah are contained in these books. The first three books were for the earlier times. The Holy Qur'an is the last book of God and is for the guidance of entire mankind till the Day of Judgement.
Prophet Dawood eventually became King of his people. He had 19 sons. Each of them hoped to inherit the father's throne. Allah revealed to Prophet Dawood a few questions and their answers and commanded him to put the questions to each one of his sons. Whosoever answered those questions correctly, would inherit the throne of the father, Prophet Dawood.
One day Prophet Dawood called all his sons in the presence of the scholars and the chiefs of the tribes of his kingdom. He then put forward the following questions:
1) Which thing is closest (nearest) to man?
2) Which is the farthest thing?
3) Which two things are attached to each other?
4) Which is the most awe-creating thing?
5, Which two things remain unchanged?
6) Which two things are always different?
7) Which two things are opposed to each other?
8) What is the action the result of which is good?
9) What is that action the result of which is bad?
The sons of Prophet Dawood felt helpless and could not answer any of these questions. Then the youngest of the sons, Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) stood up and gave the following answers:
The nearest things to a man is the hereafter (Life and Death - as one may die any moment);
The farthest things is the time which has passed away (which is not to come again);
The two things that are attached to each other is man's body with the soul;
The most awe-creating is the man's body (dead) without soul;
The two things which remain the same are the sky and the earth;
The two things which are different are the day and night;
The two things which are opposed to each other are life and death;
The action - the end of which is good - is patience and forbearance at the time of anger;
The action - the end of which is bad is haste at the time of anger.
Prophet Dawood obviously, was very much impressed with these correct answers and appointed Prophet Sulaiman as his successor.
Thus it will be seen that it was the supreme knowledge and understanding that made Prophet Sulaiman succeed his father and become the Great King Prophet.
HERE COMES AL-AMIN - THE TRUSTWORTHY
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It had rained heavily and continuously for a long period, and the water poured down towards the Holy Ka'aba in Masjid-ul-Haram, the big mosque in Mecca, The Ka'aba was in the lower section of Mecca. It had become old and collapsed.
So the rebuilding was started. The work progressed well enough until al-Hajar-ul-Aswad, the Black Stone, was to be put back in its place.
Each quarter of the Ka'aba was being built by one leading family of Quraish - the big and prominent tribe of Mecca. Each family of Quraish felt the honour of placing the Black Stone belonging to it.
The disagreement became deeper, and led to a lot of argument, shouting and abuse. The members of each big family were thinking that a war was going to break out, None of them was willing to change his position. They regarded it as a great insult if they didn't have that special honour of putting the Black Stone back in its place.
One member stood up and said, "I have a suggestion, let us wait till tomorrow and see who enters the Masjid-ul-Haram first in the morning; then let him decide". All agreed, since that sounded like a good suggestion.
They anxiously waited next morning to see who was the first to come and enter Ka'aba. Suddenly they heard footsteps heading towards them. It was Muhammad (s), the son of Abdulla. Everyone, of course, knew, loved, admired and respected Muhammad (s). So with a loud voice, everyone said, "Here comes Al-Amin" and the voice echoed through the place over and over again.
He was surprised to hear of that title with which they called him. He was told about what the people of Quraish were fighting for. It was all silent for a while. Everyone thought his family was going to be favoured. Their hearts were beating hard and they were getting anxious and impatient.
Muhammad (s) put his robe on the floor, took the sacred Black Stone and put it in the centre of the robe and said. "The chief of each family will take one corner of the robe and lift it together". With that, each understood a marvellous example of justice in sharing the honour. It showed how Muhammad's intelligence far exceeded those around him. It also showed his great capacity to solve difficult problems with such ease.
When the robe with the Black Stone was lifted to a reasonable height. Muhammad (saw) took the Black Stone and put it in its proper place by his own hands. None felt insulted and each had his share of the privilege and honour.
This is how Muhammad (saw) the Prophet of Islam succeeded in uniting the ever-fighting and ignorant Arabs with his honesty, justice and noble character.
HERCULES AND ISLAM
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Arabia, during the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), was a country without any central authority. It was a country far from the civilised nations of those days.
At the time Prophet Muhammad (saw) was spreading Islam; asking people to turn away from worshipping idols to worshipping Allah, the Almighty, the All-Knower, the Master.
The Prophet sent letters of invitation to Kings and Rulers of various countries in the world, inviting them to embrace Islam. Many of the letters were met with a favourable response whilst others were rejected. In many cases, the messengers of the Prophet were badly treated and abused. But the Prophet was not worried by these setbacks. He was inviting people to the right path and a few setbacks could not deter him from propagating Islam.
Abu Sufyan a leader of the tribe of Quraish and the arch enemy of the Prophet was in Constantinople on a business trip, when the Prophet's letter of invitation reached Hercules, the Byzantine emperor of Eastern Roman Empire. Hercules, at the time was in his court at Constantinople celebrating his victory over the Persians.
Hercules read the letter through an interpreter and then asked the people in his court, to find out if there was someone in the city, who knew the Prophet. Abu Sufyan with his companions was brought into the court.
The emperor asked Abu Sufyan, "What kind of family does Muhammad belong to?"
"Noble", replied Abu Sufyan
"Has there been a king in his family?" Hercules asked.
"No," said Abu Sufyan
"Are the people who have accepted his religion poor or rich?", Hercules questioned again.
"They are poor", replied Abu Sufyan.
Hercules was now becoming more and more interested and he went on asking questions.
His next question was, "Are his followers on the increase or decrease?"
"Increasing", Abu Sufyan replied shortly.
"Have you known him to tell lies"? asked Hercules.
"No", admitted Abu Sufyan.
"Does he ever go against his convents?", Hercules once again asked.
"Not so far. But we have to see whether he carries out the new agreement made between us and him", Abu Sufyan answered lengthily for a change.
"Have you ever fought him in wars?" Hercules questioned.
"Yes", answered Abu Sufyan
"What has been the result?" Hercules asked, getting more and more interested.
"Sometimes we have won, sometimes he", replied Abu Sufyan.
"What does he teach?" asked Hercules
"Worship One God, join no partners with Him, carry out your prayers, be chaste, speak the truth and keep union with your relatives", answered Abu Sufyan, even surprised at his own answer as it sounded like he was preaching Islam.
Hercules stood up and said, "If all you said is true, then I am sure that this Prophet's Kingdom will reach here where I am standing. I was certain that a Prophet was coming, but I didn't know that he would be born in Arabia. If I were to go there, I would embrace Islam and wash the Prophet's feet with my own hands."
This was the way in which the Prophet spread Islam. He impressed them by his truthfulness, honesty, noble character and dedication in the service of Allah. He did not compel people to accept Islam under threat of waging wars, nor did he compel people to accept Islam by the force of the sword. He fought only in defence, and only when the enemies waged war on him.
JA'FAR AL-TAYYAR - THE REFUGEE WHO BROUGHT ISLAM TO AFRICA
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When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s) began to preach religion of Islam in Mecca, those who did not believe in him and his message, opposed and troubled him. They called him a lunatic and a sorcerer. They offered bribes to persuade him to stop preaching the religion. When all these ways failed, they used harsh threats against the Prophet and the new Muslim converts.
During all these years, the Holy Prophet enjoyed the protection of his uncle Abu Talib. He always stood by his nephew and did not let anyone harm him. The sons of Abu Talib, one by one, accepted Islam. Imam Ali (r.a.) was right, from his childhood, under the care of the Prophet and was the first one to declare his true faith, Islam, when the Prophet proclaimed his Prophethood. He always stood by the Prophet firmly and faithfully both in good and difficult times. Among the other sons of Abu Talib (r.a.), Ja'far also accepted Islam and so did Aqeel, the other son of Abu Talib.
The torture and oppression which the Holy Prophet and the small group of his followers had been subjected to, had increased so much that life became unbearable. The Holy Prophet decided on an action which not only saved the lives of his followers but also spread the message of Islam to other countries. He therefore, decided to send some of his followers to Abyssinia, which was just across the Red Sea, to the south of Mecca.
The Holy Prophet had great faith in Ja'far the son of Abu Talib (a) and brother of Imam Ali (r.a.). A handful of Muslim refugees including men and women under the leadership of Ja'far crossed the Red Sea. This is known to be the first migration in the history of Islam, which occurred in the fifth year after the Prophet had proclaimed Islam in 615 A.D. They were joined by more immigrants who had become the victims of the enemies of Islam. The number of the refugees rose to eighty-two men and eighteen women.
On arrival at the capital of Abyssinia, Ja'far and his companions paid a visit to the Emperor Negus. The Emperor was very much impressed with the knowledge, behaviour and the politeness of Ja'far and he received him with much honour and entertained him as a respected guest.
When the non-believers of Quraish in Mecca came to know of this, Abdulla Bin Rabih and Amr Bin 'Aas together with some other people took some expensive gifts and arrived at the court of the Emperor Negus. On entering the court, they prostrated (bowed in sajda before the Emperor and presented him with the gifts. Then they said, "Someone in our country has invented a new religion and some people have joined him. We tried to stop this, but some of his followers have taken refuge in your country. Now, we appeal to you to throw them out and hand them over to us." The Emperor replied that he had already given protection to them and would not throw them out of the country, but he would ask them to come there before them. So saying, the Emperor called in the Muslim refugees.
Hazrat Ja'far took with him some close companions and arrived at the court. But he did not prostrate (bow in sajda) before Negus. People in the court criticised him for this and asked him why he had not bowed down before the Emperor as was customary. Hazrat Ja'far promptly retorted, "We do not bow down before anybody except God. The Emperor knew that this was the true and basic teaching of divine religions. He called Ja'far and gave a respectful place near him. He then informed Ja'far that some people from his country of origin had come there with a complaint that he had deserted his old religion and started a new one which rejected the original idol-worship. Hazrat Ja'far(r.a.) in very impressive language, replied:
"O King! We were in deep ignorance and barbarism: we adored idols, we lived in unchastity; we ate dead animals, we disregarded the duties of hospitality and neighbourhood; At that time, God raised among us a man, who is pure, truthful and honest. He called us to believe in One God and taught us not to associate anything with Him. He forbade us to worship idols, enjoined us to speak the truth, to be faithful to our trusts, to be merciful and to regard the rights of neighbours. He forbade us to speak evil of women. He ordered us to keep away from vices, to offer prayers, to pay alms and to observe the fast."
Negus told Ja'far to recite some words from the Holy Qur'an. Ja'fer commenced with Bismillah and proceeded to recite a few lines from Surah Maryam with such sincerity and sweet voice that the Emperor and his people were very much moved and began to weep. When the Emperor heard the verse concerning Prophet Isa (Jesus), he was very touched and said that the words resembled those which were bestowed upon Prophet Musa(a.s.) (Moses) and Prophet Isa(a.s) (Jesus).
The Emperor rejected the appeal of the Quraish and ordered Amr bin 'Aas to take away the gifts he had brought. Amr bin 'Aas went away but having thought of something, he returned to the court the next day. He made a cunning move by suggesting to the Emperor to ask the Muslims as to what their belief was concerning Prophet Isa? Hazrat Ja'fer was called to the court again and was given a very respectful welcome. The Emperor then asked: "What does your Prophet (Muhammad) say about Prophet Issa(a.s) (Jesus)
The Muslims became worried but Hazrat Ja'far, with great peace of mind, replied: "O King! Our Prophet is guided by God in what he says." Saying this, he proceeded to show an Ayat from the Holy Qur'an and requested Negus to read it: "The messiah (Isa), son of Maryam is only a messenger of Allah and His word and His spirit which He sent to Maryam."
Negus was extremely pleased to learn this and said: "This actually is also there in our book of Injil." He then expelled Amr bin 'Aas and the infidels of Quraish from Abyssinia. From then onwards, Negus had high regard for and faith in Islam.
Thus Ja'far had done a great service to Islam. He preached the true message of Islam in Abyssinia and stayed there for fifteen years before returning to Madina.
PROPHET IBRAHIM AND THE IDOL WORSHIP
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During the olden times, people everywhere used to carve stones and make idols for worship. These statues were considered as gods, and people bowed and prayed before them. Namrud, the King of Babylonia, was once informed by his astrologers that someone was going to be born who would destroy his kingdom. He would teach people another religious concept: that of worshipping none but only one God.
On hearing that, Namrud gave orders that no woman would conceive, hence no child would be born in his kingdom. If any child was born, it would be killed immediately. The mother of Prophet Ibrahim became pregnant. But by the will of Allah, no sign of pregnancy was to be seen. When the time of birth of the child came nearer, she went out of the town and hid in a cave. There, Prophet Ibrahim was born. She then covered the child with a cloth, closed the mouth of the cave with stones and returned home without the child. She told nobody of what had happened.
The child was alone in the cave with no one to care for him. He was sucking the milk which flowed of his fingers - by the grace of Almighty God. The child grew up under Allah's protection. From time to time, his mother would come secretly to the cave to watch him. This went on for thirteen years. On one occasion when the mother visited the son, he beseeched her to take him out of the cave. The mother warned that he would be killed by the King it he came to know about him. But the child insisted that he be brought out of the cave as 13 years had been a long time.
Thus Prophet Ibrahim came out of the cave for the first time. It was late in the evening when the sun was setting. When the night grew dark, he saw a star and he said, "Is this my Lord?" But when it set, he said, "I love not the setting ones." Then, when he saw the moon rising he said: "Is this my Lord?" But when it set, he said, "If my Lord had not guided me I would have certainly been among the mistaken ones. Then he saw the sun rising and said, "Is this my Lord?" Is this the greatest?". But when it also set, he said, "O, my people! Surely. I am clear of what you set up with Allah. Surely, I have turned myself wholly to the One Who created the heavens and the earth. I am not of the ones who believe and worship anything else other than Allah - the one God.
The people, at that time were not only idol-worshippers but they were also worshipping the stars, the sun, the moon etc. All the time, he was making them realise their error in their choice of 'gods'. He was showing his people what they called a god, did not deserve to be called god and worshipped if it disappeared at times. So Prophet Ibrahim started preaching the belief of One God and persuading his people not to worship anything else but Allah, the one and only God.
Once, it was the time of annual festival in the town and according to their custom, Namrud, the King, went out of town with all his people to celebrate the day. Prophet Ibrahim did not accompany them but stayed behind. He went to the temple where all the idols were kept, and broke all of them one by one. He left the biggest idol untouched, but put the axe on its shoulder.
When the King and his people returned they were very angry to see their idols destroyed. He said that he would kill the person who had caused that damage. The people told him that it must be a young man, named Ibrahim who always preached against the worship of idols. He must have destroyed them.
When Prophet Ibrahim was asked if it was he who broke the idols. He replied, "Why do you not ask the chief (of the idols) who is standing safe. Perhaps he has done it, that is if your idol gods can speak, ask them as to who broke them." Thus Prophet Ibrahim did not utter a lie denying what he had done. He only wanted the people to first ask their own idols as to who had done it?
Namrud got very angry and asked his people their opinion. Every one suggested that Prophet Ibrahim be punished by burning him alive in a big fire.
So, Prophet Ibrahim was jailed, while Namrud ordered that all available firewood in the forest be collected and be heaped up in one open place. When this was done, it was set alight. The fire burnt fiercely and widely for days and days. It had generated so much heat that no bird dared to fly nearby. At the appointed day on which Prophet Ibrahim was to be put in the fire and burnt, Namrud with his large army and followers came out to that place to watch. On seeing the huge fire and the intense heat, he began to ponder as to how it would be possible to convey Prophet Ibrahim into the fire. Suddenly Satan, the devil, came and suggested that a type of a crane be prepared which could be used to hurl Prophet Ibrahim into the fire. This would cut out the need of any assistance of human hands to do the risky job of delivering the Prophet into the raging fire.
The crane was constructed and Prophet Ibrahim was lifted and readied to be dumped into the fire. On seeing this tragic happening. the angels in the heaven and all the creatures in the sky became deeply upset. Taking permission from Almighty Allah, one by one, they all came to Prophet Ibrahim to inquire if they could be of any help to him. The Prophet said that he was seeking help and protection from none of them. The one from whom he expected help (that is Almighty Allah), was fully aware of the dangerous situation in which he was and would help him if need be.
Just then, the angel, Jibrail came to the Prophet and gave him a ring on which the following was inscribed (written):
"There is no God but Allah"
"Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah"
"I depend and rely upon Allah"
"I submit my affair to the will of Allah."
Prophet Ibrahim put the holy ring on his finger and the grace and blessing of Allah began to be showered upon him. Then came the command from Allah, "O fire! Be nothing but coolness and peace for Ibrahim."
Thus the burning fire instantly lost its heat and no harm came to the Prophet.
It is related that when Prophet Ibrahim was being thrown into the fire, the angels in the heaven and the birds in the air cried in protest. One of them, a small weak bird decided to burn itself along with the Prophet. As it was flying towards the fire, the angel Jibrail was sent by Allah to inquire the reason why it was going to commit suicide! The angel stopped the bird on the ground and asked it to explain its strange action - that of trying to burn itself along with Prophet Ibrahim. The bird said: "Don't you know that the friend of God is to be burnt in the fire? As it is not within my strength to save him, I am showing my sorrow and sympathy by accompanying him into the fire!"
The angel conveyed this incident to Allah. Then came a command from Allah to tell the bird that it would be rewarded for its sincere feeling shown for the Prophet. It was asked what it wished to have so that the wish be fulfilled. The bird in reply said: "I do not wish to have anything from this world. All I wish is to constantly remember Allah in prayer. There are a thousand and one names of Allah. I know hardly a hundred names. I wish to be taught the remaining names. Almighty Allah fulfilled its desire. As it flew from tree to tree, it went on singing the names of Allah, thus remembering Him day and night.
To respect and sympathise with the friends of Allah; to remember Allah constantly in prayer is better than fulfilling worldly desires. This is what the little weak bird has shown to us. These are the acts of virtue which would one day undoubtedly earn great rewards from Allah.
THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD (s) ENTERS MADINA
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The camel has, since olden times, proved to be a very useful animal for desert journeys. It has shown to be dependable and sturdy animal for desert transport. The reason is that it has been created with certain special features which are not to be found in any other animal. It can walk in the hot desert under scorching sun for days and days without feeling tired or thirsty and arrive at the intended destination with his rider - the traveller. Hence the Arabs have named this animal as the 'Ship of the Desert'.
It was this same animal which had fulfilled in excellent manner the task of conveying the Prophet of Islam from Mecca to Madina. It had also served well in the cause of Islam.
The Prophet, tired of the tortures by the disbelieving Quraish, decided to migrate from Mecca to Madina. He had hidden himself in the cave of Thaur to protect himself against the enemies who wanted to kill him.
Imam Ali (a) sent three camels with a guide to the cave. The Prophet, mounting one of the camels, left the cave in the dark of the night, destined for Madina. On the way, several miracles took place which showed that God's help was always there to protect the Prophet against the attacks of his enemies.
The distance between Mecca and Madina is about three hundred fifty kilometres. In those days, it used to take eleven days to travel between the two places. But in this instance, the camel carrying the Prophet took only eight days to reach Madina. The Prophet (s) travelled at night, resting during the day-time. He was doing so to protect himself against the desert heat as well as to keep from being seen by the enemies.
On the eighth day, the Prophet along with his companions reached a place known as Quba, just two kilometres outside Madina. There he rested for several days, awaiting Imam Ali (a) and family members. After their arrival they proceeded to enter the city. On seeing the date trees on the outskirts of the holy city, they felt happy and relieved to have finally come out safe from the tortures of their enemies.
The people of Madina keenly awaited his arrival. Suddenly someone from the top of a hill announced that the Prophet had arrived. On hearing this, the people became wild with extreme joy and recited "Allahu Akbar!", "Allahu Akbar!" - "God is Great!", "God is Great!"
The Prophet dismounted the camel just outside Madina and sat down under a date tree. People rushed forward to greet and welcome him to their city. He was loved by all and everyone was keen to salute him. After the traditional welcome ceremony, the Prophet mounted his came to enter the holy city. All around, there were expressions of great joy. The children got together and in loud voices chanted the following welcoming poem:
"TALA-AL BADRU ALAINA
MIN THANAYATIL WADAI
WAJABA-SHUKRU ALAINA
MA DA'ALLAHA DA'I"
"The full moon is shining on us from the area of gardens. We must offer thanks (to Allah) so long as anyone prays before Allah."
"AYUHAL MAB-UTHU FIINA
JE'TA BIL AMRIL MUTAI
JE'TA SHAR-RAFTAL MADINA
MARHABAN YA KHAIRA DAI"
"O' the one sent to us, you have come with commands which we shall obey. You came and graced Madina, we salute and welcome you, 'O' the best caller (towards Allah). "
It was hardly three years since the people of Madina had embraced Islam and had started to worship Allah. The young boys in the city were given a job to eradicate the worship of idols. Wherever they saw an idol, they destroyed it and set fire to it.
One day, the youths came to know that Omar bin Janah, the chief of Bani Salma tribe, had still preserved his idol and worshipped it. In order to impress upon him the uselessness of worshipping idols made of wood, they removed it from his place and threw it down a pit. The chief, on tracing the idol to where it was lying, brought it back, washed it and kept it in its original place. But the next day again it was removed and thrown into the pit.
The chief was very much disturbed at this. For the last lime he brought home this idol and cleaned it. He then put his sword around its neck and said to the idol: "If henceforth anybody comes to you, promptly take action and kill him with the sword."
On the next day, the idol was again missing. This time he found it tied to a dead body of a dog. There was no effect at all of the sword which he had tied around the neck of the idol. This incident made him lose faith in his man-made wooden idol. He abandoned the idol-worship altogether. On becoming a Muslim, he uttered a poem as under:
"Alas! O' my idol! If you were my god, you would not have reached this stage and I would not have seen you in the pit along with a dead dog. I have now put my faith in the Almighty Allah, from Whom come all blessings. It is He Who has freed me from darkness of ignorance."
This is one of the examples of how the young Muslim volunteers of Madina helped the Prophet in putting an end to idol worship and spread the true message of Islam.
When the Prophet entered the city amid great rejoicing, every one wanted him to stay at his house. Particularly, the chiefs of all the tribes were keen to have the Prophet as their guest. Everyone insisted but the Prophet ordered: "Let the reins of the camel loose and I shall get down and stay where it stops by itself."
The camel went ahead further and further till it stopped at a big open land. It was a place where people used to dry their dates and other farm produce. It knelt there and sat The Prophet dismounted and asked the people, whose land it was. They replied that it belonged to two small children by the name of SAHL and SUHAIL. Nearby was the house of ABU AYYUB. ABU AYYUB'S mother came forward and took away the luggage of the Prophet to her house. People again persuaded him to put up in their house but the Prophet asked: "Where is my luggage?" The reply was that the mother of ABU AYYUB had taken them to her house. And the Prophet said: "One has to go to stay at a place where one's luggage and belonging go to."
Some time later, the name of Yathrib was changed to 'Madina-tun-Nabi' i.e. 'the City of the Prophet.' He named the people of that city as ANSAR (helpers) and those who had migrated from Mecca as MUHAJIREEN (immigrants). All these people, i.e. the Ansar and the muhajireen got together and united in the common bond of brotherhood of Islam.
NAZR: A VOW WITH ALLAH TO BE FULFILLED
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Imam Hasan (a) and Imam Husain (a) were still very young probably in their fifth to sixth year of age. Once, both of them fell sick and their parents, Imam Ali (a) and Bibi Fatima (a) were grieved to see them in unhealthy condition.
The Holy Prophet Prophet Muhammad (s) came to see them. He loved them very much and on seeing them sick, he also was much grieved. They all prayed for their quick recovery. The Holy Prophet suggested to the parents to keep a Nazr for the restoration of the health of the children. Thereupon. Imam Ali (a) and Bibi Fatima (a) made a Nazr (a vow) that they would fast three days upon the recovery of the children.
Allah accepted their prayers and granted their Nazr. Both the children recovered from their illness. Imam Ali (a) and Bibi Fatima (a) decided to fast in fulfilment of the Nazr. When the two children came to know of this, they too decided to fast. The maid-servant in the house, Bibi Fizza, who loved the children very much also decided to join in the fast on the happy occasion of their recovery.
On the first day of the fasting, Imam Ali (a) went out in the morning and brought 3 sa'a wool for spinning and 3 sa'a barley as its wages. Bibi Fatima (a) spinned 1 sa'a wool, then ground 1 sa'a barley, and prepared five loaves of bread. In the evening, all of them gathered to break the fast and each of them had a loaf placed before him. When they heard the Adhan (call to prayers), they prayed and sat to break the fast. Suddenly, a poor man knocked on their door and asked for something to eat. All of them, one by one, passed their loaves to the beggar. There was no other food in the house, so all of them had to be content with water. They went to bed and slept without food. The next day they fasted again in fulfilment of the Nazr, but yet with almost empty stomach.
Second day, Bibi Fatima (a) again spinned 1 sa'a of wool, ground 1 sa'a of barley, and again baked 5 loaves. Again they sat together to break the fast with the usual one loaf of bread for each. As they were about to break the fast, an orphan came all of a sudden to their door and asked for food saying he was very hungry. Although the inmates of the house were themselves hungry for two days, they were happy to feed the boy. Everyone gave his or her bread to the orphan. They again slept without any food.
On the third day as they sat down to break the fast, a prisoner knocked at their door asking for something to eat. Although the people of the house of the Holy Prophet had been suffering from near starvation for the last three days, they again gave away all the bread to the prisoner and contented themselves only with water for the third day in succession.
It was in appreciation of these sacrifices, that Almighty Allah revealed the whole 'Surah al-Dahr', which contains, among other things, the following Ayat:
"They (Ahlul Bait) fulfil vow and fear a day the evil of which shall be spreading far and wide" (Surah Al-Dahr - Verse7)
This is how Ahlul Bait, the people of the household of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (s), kept and fulfilled their their Nazr (vow). They also set example of sacrifice by feeding the poor and caring for those who were in need.
The tradition of Nazr is a very old one. During the time of Bani Israel, centuries back, in the name of God, people used to present their sons at Baitul-Muqaddas, in the service of the pious people there, They used to stay within the walls of the mosques.
Once Imran, the father of Hazrat Maryam (Mary) got the good news that Almighty would bless him with a child. The child would be so gifted that with the command of God, he would cure the sick, restore sight to the blind, bring life back unto the dead and he shall also be a Prophet of God. When Bibi Hanna, the mother of Hazrat Maryam, heard this news, she vowed that she would free the child from the worldly attachments (to spend life in the service of Allah). The following Ayat in the Qur'an refers to this event:
"When said (Hanna) the wife of lmran, 'My Lordl Verily I have vowed to thee what is in my womb to be (dedicated) for Thee (exclusively for Thy service) freed (from all worldly responsibilities), therefore accept (it) from me; Verily Thou Ant the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing'". (Sura Ale-Imran - V.35)
Over 2000 years ago people worshipped idols in Arabia. There was a King by the name of Hasan who decided to destroy the Holy Ka'aba. Because of this evil intention, he fell sick and ended being a leper. Upon realising his mistake, he begged pardon from God and vowed that if his health was restored, he would place Ghilaf (Covering) over the Holy Ka'aba. This wish of his was fulfilled and he, in turn placed the Ghilaf made of palm leaves, For many years a new black cover made of thick cloth is being placed on Ka'aba every year.
Thus Nazr is a media by which a human being seeks assistance and pleasure of God. Whenever one prays to God for assistance, it is recommended that one uses a media which can take him to God. Nazr is one of such medias.
Whenever a person keeps a Nazr and prays for something from God and upon being granted his wish when he fulfills the Nazr which he had pledged, his faith in Allah is enhanced. As faith increases, one tries to refrain from sins and endeavours to do more virtuous deeds in order to please and be nearer to Allah.
THE LEARNED MAN AND THE HUNGRY DOG
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Isphahan is a beautiful city in Persia. In this lovely city there once lived a very great learned man. He was also very poor. His name was Muhammad Baqar. Because he lived in Isphahan he is known as Mohammad Baqar-e-Isphahani which means Muhammad Baqar of Isphahan city.
Muhammad Baqar-e-Isphahani was poor and therefore he could not afford good food. He had no money to buy rich food. For many years he had been living on simple food. Once he felt like eating liver. Food made from liver is tasty and rich in strength. So he began to save money each day from his small earnings so that he could buy a pound of liver and thus satisfy his desire.
After many days he saved enough money to buy a pound of liver He was happy. He went to the bazaar and bought a nice piece of his favourite liver.
Feeling very, very happy he was returning home from market with the parcel in his hands. On the way home, near a ruined house, he saw a dog with her puppies. The dog with her young ones looked very hungry. Her stomach had gone deep inside. She was not able even to give milk to her little ones and feed them. The dog and her puppies were also shivering from the cold climate.
Mohammad Baqar-e-Isphahani felt sorry for the poor animals. He went near them and stroked them kindly. Then he opened his parcel of liver and cut small pieces and then piece by piece fed them.
The dog while eating looked thankfully at Mohammad Baqar-e- Isphahani and then at the sky as if she was thanking Allah for the favour and praying for the generous and kind man.
Having fed the animals Mohammad Baqar-e-lsphahani went home. Tired and hungry he slept that night shivering in the cold. But, somehow he felt happy.
Soon after this incident the learned man began to get rich. Gradually he became richer and richer until he was a millionaire. He became go rich that once when the King of Isphahan was in need of money, Muhammad Baqar-e-Isphahani gave him a loan of 20,000 dinars.
Moral: Kindness is never wasted.
THE FIVE LOAVES
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Zarr Bin Hobeish relates this story.
Two travellers sat together on the way to their destination to have a meal. One had five loaves of bread. The other had three. A third traveller was passing by and at the request of the two joined in the meal.
The travellers cut each of the loaf of bread in three equal parts. Each of the travellers ate eight broken pieces of the loaf.
At the time of leaving the third traveller took out eight dirhams and gave to the first two men who had offered him the meal, and went away. On receiving the money the two travellers started quarrelling as to who should have how much of the money.
The five-loaf-man demanded five dirharns. The three-loaf-man insisted on dividing the money in two equal parts.
The dispute was brought to Imam Ali lbn Abi Talib (the Caliph of the time in Arabia) to be decided.
Imam Ali (a) requested the three-loaf-man to accept three dirhams. The man refused and said that he would take only four dirhams. At this Imam Ali (a) returned, "You can have only one dirham. You had eight loaves between yourselves. each loaf was broken in three parts. Therefore, you had 24 equal parts. Your three loaves made nine parts out of which you have eaten eight portions, leaving just one to the third traveller. Your friend had five loaves which divided into three made fifteen pieces. He ate eight pieces and gave seven pieces to the guest. As such the guest shared one part from your loaves and seven from those of your friend. So you should get one dirham and your friend should receive seven dirhams.
A CALL TO PRAYERS ON A COLD WINTRY MORNING
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It was a wintry morning with much snow falling coupled with the blowing of a strong cold wind. It was not easy to come out in the open air. Yet one could see people rushing to their work and students with books in their hands hastening to their schools.
In one of the mosques in Hamadan - Iran, religious students were assembling in order to attend a morning class. It was an important school of Islamic theology and the tutor was also a very great learned one. His discourses were indeed very thought-provoking and so were his students quite intelligent.
The tutor was none else but the world famous and a great Persian thinker and philosopher 'lbn Sina', popularly known in Europe as Avicenna. His lectures and writings on various science subjects had become the standard text books for hundreds of years in the universities of Europe. Students admired his deep philosophical thinking. They felt honoured to sit in his class and hear his inspiring lectures.
That cold morning, students had already assembled in the mosque and were still anxiously awaiting the arrival of their learned tutor. They were wondering if the intense cold weather that day had delayed his coming.
A few minutes had passed when suddenly the students witnessed the graceful arrival of 'lbn Sina', their great learned tutor. They felt very happy and stood up as a mark of reverence and respect for him. He sat down at his usual place and exchanged greetings with his students. He commenced his discourse in his usual lucid manner that held his students spellbound. He also gave satisfactory answers to their questions.
Among the students was one very young and enthusiastic by name 'Bahman Yar'. He was much more close and attached to 'lbn Sina' the learned tutor. He was also the foremost among the clever and advanced students of the class. Every time he listened to the lectures of his tutor, he became more and more fascinated with his deep philosophy and knowledge on every subject. He would say to his class-mates: "I wonder why our tutor 'lbn Sina' does not claim to be a prophet despite his supreme intelligence and magic personality"
It is said that one day by chance 'lbn Sina' was standing at a baker and loaf-seller shop. His attention was drawn to a very smart young boy who was displaying signs of much intelligence. The boy was saying to the baker: "My mother is requesting for a little fire." The baker responded: "Have you brought any pot to carry the fire?" "No! But I know how to carry it", replied the boy instantly. So saying he applied some ash over his palm and stretched his hand to the baker who placed a piece of burning firewood over his palm. Without any hesitation, the boy took it and went home.
'lbn Sina' was rather amazed to see the intelligence and courage of this boy. He thought of having him for special training and education under his personal care. The proposal was communicated to the parents who agreed and entrusted the boy to his full care. Thus 'Bahman Yar' since then was staying at no other place except at the house of his tutor and care-taker, 'lbn Sina'. They were all the time to be seen together. The boy being highly intelligent derived the best of the knowledge that his tutor could impart.
Years passed and 'Bahman Yar' grew up not only in age but also in knowledge and understanding under the patronage of his tutor. The learned tutor was also very proud of this most capable student.
It was one of the coldest nights of the wintry season. Midnight had passed and the snow-falling was very heavy. Both 'lbn Sina' and 'Bahman Yar' were sleeping in one room under warm thick blankets. The light in the room was already extinguished but the student was still asking intricate questions on some deep subjects. The tutor was replying in his usual impressive manner. Fascinated by the supreme knowledge and deep philosophy of his tutor, he again made the suggestion which he had made before:
"Oh my learned tutor!" he pleaded, "with all this high status of knowledge that you enjoy and being master of all the sciences, why not declare yourself a prophet? Sir! Don't you think that you even excel some of the previous prophets in knowledge and your status today is unparalleled in the world! Should you decide to claim prophethood, no one would dare challenge you. Let me assure you that I shall be the first to offer my allegiance and would serve you with full faith."
Since 'Bahman Yar' was still young and immature, his above proposal to his tutor was rather emotional than logical. 'lbn Sina' smiled but did not give any reply.
That night the cold weather had become extreme and there was heavy snow-falling. Both were already fast asleep. It was past midnight and suddenly 'lbn Sina' woke up and raised his head out of the warm blanket. Incidentally he was very thirsty and the water-mug in the room was empty. So he decided to wake up his student to go out and bring him some water.
"Oh 'Bahman Yar'! My son 'Bahman Yar'! Please wake up and bring me some drinking water from outside", he said repeatedly.
"Why is there no water in the water-mug near your goodself, Sir?" asked 'Bahman Yar.'
"No!" replied 'lbn Sina.'
'Bahman Yar' raised his head and saw heavy snowfall outside. The thrilling sound of the strong cold wind also made him nervous to go out. Again 'lbn Sina' grumbled:
"Oh 'Bahman Yar'! Why the delay? Bring me some water, I am too thristy."
'Bahman Yar' dared not come out of the warm blankets to face the cold weather outside the room. He was, therefore, putting forward lame excuses to his tutor.
"Oh my respected tutor! It is harmful for you to drink water now that you have just come out of the warmth of thick blankets. It is better you go to sleep again till the early morning which is not far off", said 'Bahman Yar'.
"My son! Bring me water, I am too thirsty. I myself am a medical expert and know better what is harmful than you do. I am unable to sleep, please bring me some water from outside", again appealed 'Ibn Sina'
In response 'Bahman Yar' again put forward excuses and argued that he would catch cold and fall sick if he were to go out in that extreme cold weather. So saying he went back to sleep.
There was dead silence everywhere and no sound of anything was to be heard. Outside it was still pitch dark except the first light of Subhe Sadiq (true dawn) in the eastern horizon had commenced to appear. Suddenly the silence broke with a melodious voice of a muezzin - caller to prayer from the top of a minaret at the nearby mosque. After reciting some verses of the, Holy Qur'an, the muezzin in a loud voice said, "Allaho Akber" - Allah is the Greatest. "Ash-hado an la ilaha illallah" - I bear witness that there is no god except Allah.
Both the tutor and his student quietly listened to the melodious voice of the muezzin. The call to prayers then proceeded to the words "Ash-hado anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah" - I bear witness that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah. On hearing this, 'Ibn Sina' thought of taking the opportunity of responding to the repeated proposal made to him by 'Bahman Yar'. He said:
"Listen to me, oh my son 'Bahman Yar'. Now I wish to reply to your repeated suggestion". The student sat up to hear attentively of what his learned tutor abruptly wanted to say. 'Ibn Sina' then proceeded:
"You have been suggesting to me several times to claim prophethood, that people would put full faith in me and that you would be the first one to do so. Now look, you have been my close student for several years and benefited from me a great deal, yet you did not think it prudent to obey me by coming out of your warm bed for a moment and bring me water that I badly needed to quench my thirst. Instead you chose to put forward lame excuses."
"But think of this man who is now calling to prayers at the top of the minaret after coming out in the coldest weather and making ablution with cold water in the early hour of this morning. It is for no other purpose but in obedience to and respect for the command of Allah as conveyed by His apostle Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (s) some four hundred years ago.
"What a great difference there is between me and that Prophet sent by Allah!"
BAHLOOL PROVES THE THREE FACTS
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Abu Hanifa was once teaching Islamic beliefs to his students. He was arguing and challenging the validity of some of the statements which had been proclaimed by Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a) Bahlool happened to be present as well. Abu Hanifa proclaimed that he could not agree with the three understated statements as made by the Imam.
The first one was that "Allah can never be seen." According to Abu Hanifa it was impossible for a thing to exist and yet be invisible!
The second things that the Imam had stated was that "Satan (devil) will be thrown in the inferno of Hell which will scorch him bitterly." Abu Hanifa argued: "How was it possible for fire to hurt 'fire', the fact that Satan was created from fire itself!"
The third statement of the Imam was that "Man alone is responsible for his actions and Allah - the most powerful - has nothing to do with his actions." "How is it possible, when Allah alone guides the destiny of man without Whose will nothing can happen?" This was Abu Hanifa's third challenge.
As soon as the speaker, Abu Hanifa, had made these three criticisms, Bahlool got up, took a piece of brick and aiming at Hanifa, let it go and cracked Abu Hanifa head.
Bahlool was caught and taken before the Caliph for punishment. In his defence, he pleaded that he had done nothing else except reply to the three criticisms which Abu Hanifa had made against the Imam.
The Caliph asked him to explain as to how and why he chose to reply by hitting and injuring Abu Hanifa. Bahlool said, "This man claims that if God is there, then he must be seen. He is now complaining of pain in his head due to the brick having hurt him. If the pain is definitely there, can he show me where it is? Well! just as pain can be there without being seen Allah also exists without being seen."
"Secondly, he says that fire cannot burn fire. It is a fact that man is made out of clay and this brick with which I hit his head is also made out of clay, if clay can inflict pain and hurt clay, why can't fire do the same to fire?"
"The third thing he says is that man is not responsible for his own actions but Allah does all things. If this is so, then why does he want justice from you and why does he want me to be punished for hurting him? He might as well transfer the punishment to Allah Who, according to him - is responsible for all the actions of man!"
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: September 29, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / Geni3 Comments
Khalifah Haroon Rashid Rahmatullah alaihe had a son, about sixteen years of age, who used to associate frequently with the ascetics and spiritual leaders of those times. He would often go to the graveyard, sit by the graves and say, “There was a time when you inhabited this world and you were its masters. But [...]
Tags: Awliya Allah, Haroon Rashid, islamic stories, Khalifah, Sahaba, spiritual stories, Sufism
King Solomon and the Jinn
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 28, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / GeniLeave a Comment
And now listen, those that have ears, to a tale of Solomon the King. Yes, Solomon, the mightiest and wisest ruler of the earth that ever was or shall be. Wealthy beyond measure was Solomon, and with such wisdom as only Allah may bestow. And lo, he commanded the wind, and both men and Jinn, [...]
The Angel of Death and Prophet Solomon
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 28, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / Geni2 Comments
“And now listen, those that have ears, to a tale of Solomon the King. Yes, Solomon, the mightiest and wisest ruler of the earth that ever was or shall be. Wealthy beyond measure was Solomon, and with such wisdom as only Allah may bestow. “And lo, he commanded the wind, and both men and Jinn, [...]
The Judgment of God – A Sufi Tale
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 28, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / Geni3 Comments
Not so long ago, as time is counted, there came to a certain oasis far in the western desert a faqir. He was a Qalandar, a wandering darvish, who had walked the deserts of Africa and Arabia for many years, seeking only solitude wherein he could remember his Creator and contemplate the Divine mysteries. His [...]
Prophet Sulaiman (Solomon) – Stories of the Prophets
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 14, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / GeniLeave a Comment
Solomon’s Knowledge Solomon inherited David’s prophethood and dominion. This was not a material inheritance, as prophets do not bequeath their property. It is given away to the poor and needy, not to their relatives. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The prophets’ property will not be inherited, and whatever we leave is to be used for charity.” [...]
The Story of Jinn, Azazil & Iblis
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 10, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / Geni6 Comments
The Lord of the worlds created the fire of Sammun. From this Fire of Sammun He created the Jinn. And the Jinn created We before of fire flaming (Al-Hijr.27). The first of the Jinn was named Marij and the Lord created second one to be his wife, and she was named Marija. They had a [...]
YAJOOJ MAJOOJ or Gog and Megog
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 6, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / Geni6 Comments
ALLAH created a nation called Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj. In the beginning they were free. King Zulqarnian imprisoned up behind a wall. They are still imprisoned today, and will be freed near the Day of Judgement. They will come out and create a lot of trouble. Their population is ten times larger than the world’s population. [...]
Tales From The Dark Side
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 4, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / Geni11 Comments
While black magic is an ancient practice, used for diverse purposes, in Pakistan it seems to be largely focused on bringing to bay reluctant lovers. Sanna Bucha visits the practitioners of the darker occult sciences and finds that the means used to attain the desired objectives are often beyond the pale, sometimes dangerously so. The [...]
Sparks Of Fire And Smoke Coming Out Of The Grave:
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 4, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / GeniLeave a Comment
He used to pray five times a day regularly. Apart from being wealthy, he was very kind hearted. He used to help poor people and widows open-heartedly, he also got a lot of orphans married. He had also performed Hajj (pilgrimage). He died, one morning, in 1973. He was very kind and socializing. All his [...]
The Mysterious Beggar
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 4, 2008
In: Stories of Awliya Allah / Sufism / Sahaba / Jinn / Geni3 Comments
I went to the city of saints, Multan Shareef, to visit the Glorious Shrine of Ghous Baha-ul-Haq wad-Din Zakaria Multani Ramatullah Alaih and to say salaam (the Islamic way of greeting another muslim, It is a prayer for blessing and peace). After offering Fatiha (Prayer), while I was coming out, I saw someone who was [...]
The First Night In The Grave
Posted by: Sohail Ahmed Shaikh on: June 28, 2008
In: Inspirational Stories and HistoryComment!
i1 Votes
Fathul Baaree of Ibn Hajr, 3/233): “He sufficed with affirming its existence, in contrast to those who totally deny it from the Khawarij and some of the Mu’tazilah such as Diraar ibn ‘Amr and Bishr al Mareesee and those who agree with them. And they are opposed in that by most of the Mu’tazilah and all of Ahlus-Sunnah and others”
The Messenger of Allaah (p.b.u.h.) said, “The souls of the believers are inside green birds in the trees of Paradise until Allah returns them to their bodies on the Day of Resurrection.” (Sahih: At Tabarani in al Kabeer from Ka’b Ibn Malik & Umm Mubashshir)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said, “Seek Allah’s protection from the punishment of the grave since punishment of the grave is a fact/true.” (Sahih: At Tabarani in al Kabeer from Umm Khalid Bint Khalid Ibn Sa’eed Ibn al ‘Aas.)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said, “Everyone who dies – then his actions are sealed except for the one guarding the border in the way of Allah – his actions continue to increase for him until the Day of Resurrection and he is saved from the trials of the Grave.” (Sahih: Abu Dawud, at Tirmidhi, al Haakim from Fadaalah Ibn Ubaid & Ahmad from Uqbah ibn Aamir.)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said, “Verily the grave is the first stopping place for the Hereafter; so if he is saved therein, then what comes after is easier than it. And if he is not saved there from, then that which comes after is harder.” (Hasan: At Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, al Hakim: from Uthmaan)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said, “When the dead person is buried, two black-blue angels come to him, one called al Munkar and the other called an Nakeer, and they say to him: ‘What had you used to say about this man?’ So he says what he used to say: ‘Allah’s slave and His Messenger, I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.’ So they say: ‘Verily we knew that you (would) say that.’ Then his grave is widened for him to the extent of seventy cubits by seventy, then it is made light for him, then it is said: ‘ Sleep.’ So he says: ‘I should go to my family and inform them.’ So they say: ‘Sleep as the newly married sleeps whom no-one awakes except his favorite wife.’ Until Allah raises him up from that place of sleep. And if he is a hypocrite (munaafiq), he says: ‘I heard the people saying something so I said it too, I don’t know.’ So they say: ‘We knew that you (would) say that.’ So it is said to the earth: ‘Crush him’, so he is crushed until his cross over and he remains in the state of torture until Allah raises him up from that resting place.” (Hasan: At Tirmidhi from Abu Hurairah.)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said, “When a human being is laid in his grave and his companions return and he even hears their footsteps, two angels come to him and make him sit and ask him: ‘What did you use to say about this man, Muhammad?’ He will say: ‘I testify that he is Allah’s slave and His Apostle.’ Then it will be said to him, ‘Look at your place in the Hell-Fire. Allah has changed for you a place in Paradise instead of it.’ The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) added, “The dead person will see both his places. But a non-believer or a hypocrite will say to the angels, ‘I do not know, but I used to say what the people used to say!’ It will be said to him: ‘Neither did you know nor did you take the guidance (by reciting the Quran).’ Then he will be hit with an iron hammer between his ears, and he will cry and that cry will be heard by whatever approaches him except human beings and Jinns.” (Sahih: Al Bukhari (2/422), Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasaa’ee from Anas.)
Al Bara Ibn ‘Azib said: “We went out with the Prophet of Allah (p.b.u.h.) accompanying the bier of a man of the Ansar. When he reached his grave, it was not yet dug. So the Prophet of Allah (p.b.u.h.) sat down and we also sat down around him as if birds were over our heads. He had in his hand a stick by which he was scratching the ground. He then raised his head and said: ‘Seek refuge in Allah from the punishment of the grave.’ He said it twice or thrice. The version of Jarir adds here: ‘He hears the beat of their sandals when they go back, and at that moment he asked: O so and so! Who is your Lord, what is your religion, and who is your Prophet?’ Hannad’s version has: ‘Two angels will come to him, make him sit up, and ask him: Who is your Lord?’ He will reply: ‘My Lord is Allah.’ They will ask him: ‘What is your religion?’ He will reply: ‘My religion is Islam.’ They will ask him: ‘What is your opinion about the man who was sent on a mission among you?’ He will reply: ‘He is the Apostle of Allah.’ They will ask: ‘Who made you aware of this?’ He will reply: ‘I read Allah’s Book, believed in it, and considered it true, which is verified by Allah’s word: ‘Allah establishes those who believe with the word that stands firm in this world and the next.” The agreed version goes: ‘Then a crier will call from the heaven: My servant has spoken the truth, so spread a bed for him from Paradise, clothe him in Paradise, and open a door for him into Paradise. So some of its air and perfume will come to him, and a space will be made for him as far as the eye can see.’ He also mentioned the death of the infidel, saying: ‘His spirit will be restored to his body, two angels will come to him, make him sit up and ask him: Who is your Lord? He will reply: ‘Alas, alas! I do not know.’ They will ask him: ‘What is your religion? He will reply: ‘Alas, alas! I do not know.’ They will ask: ‘Who is this man who was sent on a mission among you?’ He will reply: ‘Alas, alas! I do not know.’ Then a crier will call from the heaven: ‘He has lied, so spread a bed for him from Hell, clothe him from Hell and open for him a door into Hell. Then some of its heat and pestilential wind will come to him, and his grave will become restricted, so his ribs will be pressed together.’ Jarir’s version adds: ‘One who is blind and dumb will then be placed in charge of him, having a sledge hammer such that if a mountain were struck with it, it would become dust. He will give him a blow with it which will be heard by everything between the east and the west except by men and jinn, and he will become dust. Then his spirit will be restored to him.’ (Sahih: Ahmad, Abu Dawud (3/4735) Ibn Khuzaimah, al Haakim, al Baihaqee in ‘Shu’ab ul-Imaan’, ad Diyaa from al Bara.)
The Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) said, “…the righteous man sits in his grave and is not alarmed or afraid, then it is said to him (by angels): ‘In (what state) were you?’ So he says: ‘In the (state of) Islam.’ So it is said to him: ‘What is this man?’ So he says: ‘Muhammad the Messenger of Allah who came to us with clear signs from Allah, so we believed that.’ Then it is said to him: ‘Have you seen Allah?’ So he says: ‘It does not behove any man that he sees Allah.’ So an opening is made for him in the direction of the Fire, so he sees it, some parts of it smashing into others, and it is said to him: ‘Look at what Allah, the Exalted, has saved you from.’ Then an opening is made for him in the direction of Paradise, and he looks to its brilliance and what is therein and it is said to him: ‘This is your place.’ And it is said to him: ‘You were upon certain Faith and died upon it and upon it you will be raised up, if Allah wills.’ And the wicked man sits in his grave alarmed and terrified and so it is said to him: ‘In what state were you?’ So he says: ‘I do not know.’ So it is said to him: ‘Who is this man?’ So he says: ‘I heard the people saying something so I said it!’ So an opening is made for him in the direction of Paradise and he sees its brilliance and what is therein, and it is said to him: ‘Look at what Allah has refused you.’ Then an opening is made for him in the direction of the Fire, so he sees it crashing against itself and it is said: ‘This is your place, you lived upon doubt and died upon it and you will be raised up upon it, if it is Allah’s will.” (Sahih: Ibn Majah from Abu Hurairah.)
Everyone in the court was stunned at this and Abu Hanifa was dumb founded - having nothing to say. So Bahlool was released without any punishment.
Thus, while some Muslim sects believe that Allah can be seen, perhaps on the Day of Judgement, the Shia Muslims say that Allah is the creator of everything; He was not created and as such he has no body like us that can be seen. If we can still believe in unseen things like air, electricity and human soul, why can't we believe in the unseen God?
If we are responsible for our actions and are to be punished or rewarded accordingly, then it is only fair and just that Allan should not manipulate or compel us to do things but leave us alone to act the way we see it fit, and be answerable for those actions ourselves.
For forty years, the Adhan was never called but Sa`id bin al-Musayyab radhiallahu `anhu was in the mosque before it was called. [Tabaqat al Hanabilah 1/141, Hilyat al Awliya 2/163, Sifat as Safwah 2/80]
`Umar became unconscious after he was stabbed, and according to Al Miswar bin Makhramah, it was said: "Nothing would wake him up except the call to prayer, if he is still alive." They said to him, "The prayer has finished, O Chief of the Faithful!" He woke up and said, "The prayer, by Allah! Verily, there is no share in Islam for whoever abandons the prayer." He performed the prayer while his would was bleeding. [Sifat as Safwah 2/131, As Siyar 5/220]
After ar-Rabi` bin Khaytham became partially paralyzed, he used to go to the mosque helped by two men. He was told:
"O AbuYazid! You have been given permission to pray at home." He said, "You have said the truth, but I heard the caller hearld, 'Hayya `ala al-Falah (Come to success)', and I thought that whoever heras this call should answer it even bycrawling." [Hilyat al Awliya 2/113]
Adi bin Hatim, radhiallahu `anhu, said: "Every time the prayer time falls, it falls while I am eager for it and ready to perform it (i.e. having wudu)." [Az Zuhd by Ahmad, p. 249]
Abu Bakr bin Abdullah al Muzani said: "Who is like you, O son of Adam? Whenever you wish, you use water to make Ablution, go to the place fo worship and thus enter the presence of your Lord (i.e. start praying) without a translator or a barrier between you and Him!" [Al Bidayah wa an Nihayah 9/256]
Abu Rajaa al `Ataridi, "Nothing that I leave behind grieves me, except that I used to bow down on my face five times a day before my Lord, the Exalted and Most Honored." [Hilyat al Awliya 2/306]
Abu Al Aliyah said, "I would travel for days to meet a man and the first thing I would notice about him is his prayer. If he would establish the prayer perfectly and on time, I would stay with him and hear the knowledge he had. If I found him to be careless concerning the prayer, I would leave him and say to myself that for things other than the prayer, he would be even more careless."
When Ali bin Al Husain used to perform Wudu, his color would change. His family asked him why this happened to him every time he performed Ablution, he sid, "Do you know before Whom I am about to stand (in prayer)?"
Yazid bin Abdullah was asked, "Should we make a roof for our mosque?" He said, "Purify your hearts and your mosque will be sufficient for you." [Hilyat al Awliya 2/312]
Adi bin Hatim, radhiallahu `anhu said, "Ever since I became Muslim, I always made sure to have Wudu when the Adhan is called." [As Siyar 3/160]
Ubayd bin Ja`far said, "I never saw my uncle Bishr bin Masnur miss the first takbir, and whenever any person stood up in our mosque to ask people for help, my uncle gave him something." [Sifat as Safwah 3/376]
Ibn Sama`ah said, "For forty years, I only missed Takbir Tahrimah when my mother died." [As Siyar 10/646]
"If you know of a man's disinterest in Takbir Tahrimah, then wash your hands of him." [As Siyar 5/65, Sifat as Safwah 3/88]
Sufyan bin `Uyaynah, "Honoring the prayer includes coming before the Iqamah is recited." [Sifat as Safwah 2/235]
Maymun bin Mahran came to the mosque late and when he was told that the peple had already finished the prayer, he said, "We all belong to Allah and to Him shall be our return! I prefer the congregational prayer to being the governor of Iraq." [Mukashafat al Qulub p 364]
Yunus bin Abdullah said, "What is the matter with me? When I lose a chicken I feel concerned, but when I miss the prayer in congregation, it does not grieve me." [Hilyat al Awliya, 3/19]
`Umar said, while standing on the podium, "A man might have white hair in Islam (i.e. reaches in old age while Muslim), yet has not completed even one prayer for Allah, the Exalted!" He was asked, "Why is that?" He said, "He does not perfect the prayer's required Khushu`, solemness and attending to Allah with his heart." [Al-Ihya 10/202]
Hammad bin Salamah said, "I have never stood up for prayer without imagining that Jahannam is before my eyes." [Tadhkirat al Huffadh 1/219]
Mu`adh bin Jabal advised his son, "My son! Pray the prayer of he who is just about to leave and imagine that you might not be able to pray ever again. Know that the believer dies between two good deeds, one that he performed and one that he intended to perform later on." [Sifat as Safwah 1/496]
Bakr al Muzani said, "If you want your prayer to be of benefit to you, say to yourself, 'I might not have a chance to perform another prayer.'"[Jami` al `Ulum wal Hikam, p 466.]
Shubrumah said, "We accompanied Karz al Harithi on a journey. Whenever he wanted to set camp in an area, he used to scan it with his eyes and when he found a good piece of land that he liked, he would go to it and pray there until it was time to leave." [Sifat as Safwah 3/120]
Al Qasim bin Muhammad said, "Whenever I went out in the morning, I used to visit `Aishah radhiallahu `anha (his aunt and the wife of the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) and greet her. One day I found her performing Ad Duha prayer, reciting this Ayah repeatedly, crying and invoking Allah: 'So Allah has been gracious to us, and has saved us from the torment of the Fire.' (52:27) I stood there until I felt bored, so Ileft and went to the market to do something and said to myself that when I finish what I have to do, I will go back (to `Aishah radhiallahu `anha). When I finished and went back to her, I found her still standing in prayer, reciting the same Ayah, crying and invoking Allah.'" [Al Ihya 4/436]
Maymun bin Hayyan said, "I never saw Muslim bin Yasar turning his head while praying, whether the prayer was short or long. Once, a part of the mosque came down and the noise caused fear to the people who were in the market, while he was in the mosque, did not fear nor even turn his head and kept praying." [Az Zuhd by Imam Ahmad p 359]
"I accompanied `Ata bin Rabah for eighteen yers. When he became old and weak, he used to stand in prayer and read close to two hundred Ayat from Surat al Baqarah while standing in such firmness that no part of him would move." [As Siyar 5/87, Sifat as Safwah 2/213]
Abu Bakr bin Aiyash said, "If you saw Habib bin Abu Thabit while in Sujud, you would think that he had died because of his long prostration." [As Siyar 5/291]
Ali bin Al Fudayl said, "I saw ath-Thawri went into Sujud while praying, and I performed Tawaf around the House seven times before he raised his head from Sujud." [As Siyar 7/277]
Uthman bin Abi Dahrash said, "I never performed a prayer without invoking Allah afterwards to forgive me for falling into shortcomings in the way I performed it." [Tarikhu Baghdad 13/207]
Mu`awiyah bin Murrah, "I lived during the time of seventy of the Companions of Muhammad, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, and had they lived among you today, they would not recognize any of your acts except the Adhan!" [Hilyat al Awliya 2/299]
Moreover, Maymun bin Mahran said, "If a man from the Salaf was resurrected among you today, he would only recognize your Qiblah."
When Hatim al Asamm was asked about his prayer, he said, "When it is near the time of prayer, I perform a perfect Wudu and go to where I am going to pray and sit down there until I become fully attentive to what I am about to do. I then stand up and pray, imagining that the Ka`bah is in front of my eyes, Paradise to my right, Hellfire to my left and the Angel of Death behind me. I imagine that it is the last prayer I am about to perform, stand up in hope (in Allah, His Paradise and rewards) and fear (from Allah's torment in Hellfire) and recite the Takbir while having full attention. I recite the Qur'an calmly, make Ruku` humbly, go into Sujud with Khushu1 and then sit on my left leg, with the left food laid on the floor and the right food raised up, all the while praying with sincerity. Afterwards, I do not know (nor feel certain) if that prayer was accepted from me!" [Al Ihya 1/179]
One of the Salaf said, "O son of Adam! You need your share in this life, but need your share in the Hereafter even more. If you took care of your share in this life, then you will lose your share in the Hereafter and are soon bound to lose your share in this life too. If you took care of your share in the Hereafter, you will also win your full share in this life with ease." [Fada'il adh Dhikr by ibn al Jawzi p. 19]
Talq bin Habib said, "Allah's Rights are greater than the slave's capacity and ability to fulfill them. Therefore, reach the morning in a state of repentance and reach the night in a state of repentance."
The Messenger of Allah, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, said, "The best actions are continuous ones even if little..." [Muslim] After I looked at my own state and the state of those who waste their time, I wanted to encourage our souls to obey and worship Allah `azza wa jall by compiling a list of some well-known actions that Allah `azza wa jall has honored us with and prepared a great reward for those who do them. This list is also a reminder of better utilizing our time and seizing the opportunity of every hour and making use of it. My goal in compiling the list is not to point out the actions as much as to show the necessity of organizing and planning and preserving one's time by investing it in something good.
First of all, let us talk about time, with which many are heedless and wasteful, and which importance only few recognize.
Time is like wealth, it requires our attention and care in both spending and managing. While it is possible to gather and store wealth, and even add to it, time, however, is in no way like that. For every minute that passes can never come back even if you were to spend all the wealth of this world.
So since time is preordained to be a specific period that can not be brought forward or delayed and since the value of it depends on what it is spent on, it is obligatory upon every human being to preserve time, be it little or long. One should use it in the best possible way and not be heedless about it.
In order to preserve one's time, one must reflect on how and where to spend it. The best way to spend time is in obeying Allah ta`ala. One will never regret time spent in such acts of obedience. The only regret would be that if one were not to take yet more provisions in terms of good actions. So set your goal, O brother or sister, make your intention sincere, beginning with a desire to preserve your time and beware of wasting any minute of it.
My noble brother and sister,
I selected the time span of ten minutes (for performing particular righteous actions listed in this book) due to ease of application, so that one starts with them until he or she engages in good all the time, by Allah's grace. In these actions there is conformity with the saying of the Messenger, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, "The most beloved action to Allah is the most continuous, even if little." [Muslim]
Imam an-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in relation to this hadeeth, "In it (the above hadeeth) is an exhortation to perform deeds regularly and continuously, and [an explanation] that a small deed done regularly is better than a great one that is interrupted. It is because by continuously doing a little of such actions as, [one’s] obedience, remembrance, awareness of Allah, sincerity and dedication to the Creator, subhanahu wa ta`ala, the outcome accumulates and it is multiplied exceeding what is greater but interrupted."
The Messenger, sallalahu `alayhi wa sallam, spoke the truth. My dear brother or sister, I will give you an example of the blessing of utilizing ten minutes in righteousness. Glorifying Allah subanahu wa ta`ala by saying "Subhan Allah" a hundred times daily means that one will do so 36,500 times in a year. So take account of your soul, my brother or sister. You can only glorify Allah this much in a year if you are regular in performing tasbeeh and if you make good use of your time.
Similarly, if one reads the Qur'an for ten minutes regularly, one can finish reading it in full every two months. Is this how you do it? Ask yourself, do you complete recitation of the full Qur'an outside of Ramadan? And do not limit, my dear brother or sister, these special ten minutes, devoted to obedience, to be performed only once a day. Perhaps you will find the time after the morning prayer, or after the sunrise, or after the noon prayer, or before sleep.
Likewise, if one manages to memorize only a single verse from the Book of Allah, `azza wa jall, every day, he or she will complete memorization the complete Qur'an in only eight years.
Most of the actions mentioned are performed with the tongue, so one is able to gain rewards at all times and in all situations. So whoever wants to strive in obedience to Allah, doors of good are open and one can make one's days and indeed all of one's life like the ten minutes. Abu Bakra, radhiallahu anhu, related that a person said: "O Messenger of Allah, which people are the best?" He said, "Whose life is long and his actions good." He said, "And what people are the worst?" He said, "Whose life is long and his actions bad." [Muslim]
This is an opportunity for you, dear brother or sister. Ten minutes in which one can taste the sweetness of regularity of performing righteous actions and which can be a step towards managing one's time, until all of one's life becomes beneficial. Ten minutes that are in agreement with the saying of Allah `azza wa jall, "And I have not created the Jinn or humans except to worship Me." [adh-Dhaariyaat (51):56]
Ibn ul-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "In conclusion, the servant, when he turns away from Allah and becomes preoccupied with sins (in this world), he loses days of his true life (in the hereafter). He will see the consequence of losing them the Day he says, "He will say, 'Oh, I wish I had sent ahead [some good] for my life [i.e. true, everlasting life in the Hereafter].'" [al-Fajr (89):24]”
Some actions that can be done in ten minutes:
The forenoon prayer
Recitation of the Quran
Salawat on the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam
Praying Salat al-Janazah
Remembrance of Allah, `azza wa jall
Saying Subhan Allah, alhamdulillah and Laa ilaha ill Allah
Teaching children
Supplication
Taking account of oneself
Reading
Removal of others’ difficulties and fulfillment of their needs
Preserving ties of kinship
Listening to da`wah tapes
Visiting believers for Allah’s sake
Remembering Allah after the obligatory prayers
Making peace between people
Advising
Phoning relatives
Writing one’s will
Giving charity
Reading traditions of the Prophet, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam
Contemplating
Mailing da`wah information
Feeding the poor
Praying Salat al-Istikharah
Taking care of orphans
Serving one’s family
Seeking knowledge
Ordering good
Making sajdah
Spreading Islamic knowledge
Calling to Allah
Giving Sadaqa jariyyah (charity that carries perpetual award)
Guiding and nurturing one’s children
Repeating after the mu’adhdhin
Performing the night prayer
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