And I Hastened to You, O My Lord!

Bismillaah,

We are all familiar with Musa (alayhis-salaam), one of the five greatest messengers and the most frequently mentioned in the Quraan. Musa, who was known as KaleemuLlaah which means, "The one who spoke to Allaah."

After the Children of Israail(The Jews) fled Egypt and witnessed the miracle of Allah when Musa split the sea with his staff, and the Israilites saw Firawn, their oppressor drown and perish before their very eyes, Allah promised Musa and his people the Holy Land-Jerusalem. Musa was then called on by the Most High, so he left the Children of Israail under the leadership of his brother, the prophet of Allah, Haaroon.

Allah azza wa jall says to Musa after his arrival,

وما أعجلك عن قومك يا موسى

"And what made you hasten from your people, O Moses?" [Surah Taha ayah 83]

Musa (alayhis-salaam) replied beautifully as is recorded in the noble book,

قال هم أولاء على أثري وعجلت إليك رب لترضى

He said, "They are close upon my tracks, and I hastened to You, my Lord, that You be pleased." [Surah Taha ayah 84]


Just look at the amazing reply of the beloved servant to His lord! In other words, "I come rushing to You my Lord." Leaving his only brother with Bani Israail, whom we know would annoy their prophets, was a tough decision to make especially due to the fact that they saw Haaroon as weak. Keeping in mind the situation of his people, Musa still did not hesitate in anyway to answer the call of Allah, showing us the natural response of the mu'mineen. This also shows us that the prophets and messengers were the best of believers and no one could beat them in righteousness and good.

As Muslims, it is always important that we do our best toseek the pleasure of Allah Almighty before anyone else. Realizing the value of the Creator, the One and Only (الواحد) and the Self-Sufficient (الصمد) is an important quality of the true believers. When one realizes the greatness of Allah, they will not hesitate in matters which guide to His obedience and worship.

How many times do we enter our salat feeling happy to meet Allah? Are we happy to be in front of Allah in this great meeting or do we see it as just another daily routine?
When we seek to perform any act of worship we should have a response similar to Musa's and make it our sole goal to answer the call of Allah.

Allah the Most High says,

يا أيها الذين آمنوا استجيبوا لله وللرسول إذا دعاكم لما يحييكم

O you who have believed! Respond to Allah and the Messenger when He calls you to that which gives you life. [Al Anfaal ayah 24]

Hastening to obey Allah and His Messenger even if it be at the expense of the people is never a loss for the believer. What is actually a great loss is to make it a priority to please others at the expense of the one who created you.

The prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "whoever seeks Allah's pleasure at the expense of men's displeasure, will win Allah's pleasure and Allah will cause men to be pleased with him. And whoever seeks to please men at the expense of Allah's displeasure, will win the displeasure of Allah and Allah will cause men to be displeased with him." [Sahih, Ibn Hibbaan from Aaishah -ra-]

The people will never be pleased with you no matter how much you seek to please and obey them even if they are one's closest relative and friends. They will always find fault with you. Some will accept you and some will reject you. Others will talk behind your back while they smile at your face in your presence. As for answering the call of Allah, it is always a win-win situation. Allah azza wa jall rewards the one who seeks to please Him abundantly so how can it be a loss of any kind? Reaping fruits for the Hereafter can never be a loss.

Just look at the Companions of the Ditch.They were told to jump into a burning, raging fire or revert back to disbelief. Going back to idol-worship would please the kaafir king but would that please Allah? They did not give it a second thought and jumped into what appeared as torment and death, but they did that and woke up in luscious, eternal gardens of bliss.  Allah says about them,

إن الذين آمنوا وعملوا الصالحات لهم جنات تجري من تحتها الانهار ذالك الفوز الكبير


Indeed, those who have believed and performed righteous deeds will have gardens beneath which rivers flow. That is the great attainment (success). [Al Buruj ayah 11]

Allah azza wa jall is witnessing to their success. They may have lost in the sense and definition of the worldly term but they have eternally succeeded. All because they chose to respond to the call of Allah and by so doing attained His acceptance and pleasure.


We ask Allah to make us those who seek His pleasure at any cost. Aameen ya Rahmaan.

The War on Hijaab Part 1

All praise is due to Allah the Lord of the worlds, I bear witness and testify that there is none worthy of worship besides Him, Lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between. And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad, the final prophet and messenger for mankind, his companions, and all those who follow his way till the day of judgement.

To proceed:

It is very interesting to note that today no women are attacked on the face of this Earth as much as the Muslim women. The women of Islam, the women of La ilaha illa Allah Muhammadur Rasool Allah.

In France, Muslim women are fined for choosing to obey their Creator by covering themselves modestly from head to toe, in Canada and the UK they plan to ban the niqaab, while in various parts of the world, namely these same western "civilized" nations, women are paid more to dress less and yet they choose to attack the women who choose to cover more. This is among the greatest ironies ever. What have society and morals come down to? Is it really Islaam that is backward or is it the so called advanced nations and their way of thinking? 

They say Islaam and religion in general, is "A thing of the past." They attack this hijaab and say that it is backwards and represents inequality and is a form of oppression enforced upon the women. What they should know is that Islaam is the religion the Almighty, chosen for all of man until the end of time. If anything is backwards, it is the modern state of society and manmade laws. The religion of Allah is complete and perfect. It needs no additions nor subtractions. Islaam is what honors and elevates the status of Muslim women. Without Islaam, women as well as men are incomplete. Islaam is our true identity and is the very thread woven into the fabric of our lives. Allah (ta'ala) says:

This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed my favor upon you and have chosen for you Islaam as a religion (way of life). [Surah al Maidah: 3]

And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him and in the Hereafter, he will be among the losers. [Surah Aal Emraan: 85]


Therefore, once a person realizes that Islam is the only way to success and the only way which the Almighty recognizes, the individual in the right state of mind will do everything to please the One and Only worthy of worship. After all, the true meaning of Islaam is submitting to The Most High.

The Muslim woman of sound faith and creed wears the Islaamic hijaab as a sign of obedience and faith to her Creator. The hijaab in itself is an act of worship. So how can a woman who dawns this way of dress be considered backward and oppressed? Who would dare make such an accusation but a hypocrite or rejecter of the pure faith?

The truth as we know it, isbound to be hated by many. There will always be those who will hate and fight the truth. So, should the believers sacrifice their worship and obedience to Allah for the sake of pleasing the enemies of Islaam? The answer is simply a clear NO.


When the Muslim women are attacked for their hijaab and face veil (niqaab) this should only increase them in emaan(faith) and these garments should become a source of pride and honor for them. This only goes to show us the true nature of the enemies and their pure hatred for Islaam. This also helps us to realize that the long awaited victory is coming closer and closer.The victory the weak suffered for and the righteous died upon is finally just around the corner, by Allah's permission. Who should take part in this victory? Those who give in to the barking of the dogs or those who remain steadfast on the truth they believe in until the very end? You choose which camp you wish to be in my dear sister.

As a matter of fact, the majority of mankind will never be pleased with the truth and Islam in general just as Allah says in the noble revelation,

And most of mankind will not believe, even if you desire it eagerly. [Surah Yusuf:103]

And if you obey most of the people on Earth, they will lead you astray. [Surah Al An'aam: 116]

And truly, most of mankind are rebellious and disobedient (to Allah). [Surah al Maidah: 49]

So, what benefit is it my dear sister on your part, if you do give in to the enemies call to remove this noble hijaab? It only confirms their hatred for the truth. Did not our Creator say they will never be pleased with us?

Never will the Jews and Christians be pleased with you until you follow their religion (way). [Surah al Baqarah: 120]

And it is indeed the case today where we see the nations of disbelief united in their war against Islam and specifically this "backward" hijaab (as they call it). By Allah, it is them who have truly gone backward. Islam only adds to the advancement and high morals and proper expectations for any society.


"Freedom! Freedom!" They say. Do they not recall the honor and freedom the Muslim woman gains in maintaining her hijaab? Have they not come to their senses and realized that the high heels and mini skirts are what their women have been enslaved to? They make their women dress a certain way and then they call the muslim woman who chooses to wear dress for their creator, oppressed and deprived of freedom! There is a clear distinction between dressing to impress men and dressing to impress God. The garment of modesty and faith always outweighs the garments of falsehood and profanity.

Have they also forgotten the honor and dignity Muslim women experienced in hijaab and under Islam?Have they forgotten about the chaste woman in the time of the prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam)?The woman who was in Al Madinah and one day went to the market of the Jews and was suddenly harassed by a Jew and stripped of her hijaab.  The prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) declared a war on this tribe of the jew just for the sake of one Muslim woman and her hijaab! 

What would the prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) say in our times when the muslim women are being mocked at, labelled and attacked by the social media, society and sadly, other fellow Muslims? Would the prophet have told the women to integrate into society and "go with the flow"? Or would the prophet (sala allahu alayhi wa sallam) defend the honor of the muslim woman, fight for her rights and tell her to remain firm on the righteous path? You can answer the question(s) for yourselves.

Hijaab is indeed our honor and pride. We do not need western fashion and media to tell us what to wear and how to dress. Our dress-code has been clarified for us by the Lord above seven heavens. We have chosen the garments of faith and tawheed over the garments of backwardness. We say to those who attack the hijaab and hate on the niqaab wherever they may be:

"This is our way and we want no other way, so die in your hatred and rage.Truly, Allah knows what is in the hearts."

~*Keep thy heart with Allah*~

Ummar ibn al Khattab (RA) said,

"Remind yourselves of Allah, for it is a cure. Do not remind yourselves of the people, for it is a disease." [Al Zuhd pg. 101]

When one's heart is attached to other than Allah azza wa jall, it will not find rest until it completely turns to remembering the Creator more than the creation. The Creator is the only one who is aware of your insides and of your deepest, most precious thoughts and feelings.  Many times we think and feel certain emotions that may pain us if we were to speak of them or express them. In fact, the ones we express these emotions to (if we were to do so) would find us crazy and not purely sane. The thought of remembering that there is one who knows how you feel is a great escape from these emotions themselves and an amazing thought to hold on to. The beauty of knowing and realizing that there is the One and Only who truly knows and understands you the best keeps the heart firm and content and puts a smile of contentment and faith on one's face.

Remembrance of Allah is an important part of worship in Islaam. Allah has mentioned dhikr (remembrance) many times in the Noble revelation. The greatest form of remembrance is reciting the Quran. Dhikr can be something as simple as gazing into a lovely, thick bush of green and a vine of daises growing with grace from a brown wood fence. The fence may have been together by man but the vine and luscious colors of the flowers were definitely designed by one, Allah tabaraka wa ta'ala. Dhikr can be looking up at a tall tree and realizing how Allah was the maker of this tall creation. Thinking of this tree or that thick bush of evergreen can make one think of what lies ahead in the gardens above and what Allah has prepared for the sincere believers in the next life. Dhikr can be to say some simple words that the prophet said may seem small to us but are heavy on the scale, "Subhaan Allahi wa biHamdih Subhaanil Adheem"  One can say these words various times and grow oneself a forest of palm trees in al jannah without even realizing it. Dhikr can also be to remember the many times Allah azza wa jall found a way out for you from a tough situation when you were helpless and needed Him. Dhikr can be showing gratitude to the Most High for the many favours he has bestowed upon you, the big and small ones. The ultimate gain or win-win from dhikr is having gained inner peace and rest in one's heart from all the various feelings and distractions. It is most certainly as Al Haqq azza wa jall says, 

Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest. [Surah Ar-Ra'ad ayah 28] 

Remembering Allah and pondering over the creation and the beauty that surrounds and recalling the many favours He has bestowed upon us, helps us to be balanced in our heart and to feel contentment. Nowadays we feel so proud and accomplished when we make our daily adhkaar after our prayers and sunan. Sometimes we go over our adhkaar like they are a routine or chore. There are as we said various ways to remember Allah. The point is t ponder and contemplate and not simply recite words.To the early pious, dhikr or remembering Allah was their special moment of peace. It was their therapy for the body and soul. It was their way of cleansing their minds and hearts from all of the day's hardwork. It was a spiritual escape from the worldly filth and distractions of the glamours of the world. 

Many of the people in the non-islaamic societies often complain of depression and anxiety. The reality and true problem is there is a major lack of emaan (faith). The heart will constantly suffer and be in a state of distress if is missing the ingredient of pure faith in its creator and submission to Him. How can one not expect depression when waking up every day to a life without true meaning and purpose? The heart of such a person will never be in complete peace. The heart of the believer is very strong compared to the heart of the non-believer. One realizes the true Creator and lives a life of meaning and is working towards a goal, while the other is in a constant state of confusion and walks around in the darkness of misguidance. The power of tawheed (belief in Allah) always outweighs the heart that is wavering around in disbelief , shirk and all sorts of deviation.  There are many diseases of the heart as we know it. The believer can undoubtedly over come these diseases with remembrance of Allah the Almighty.  

 The heart must teach itself to not rely on others and remember them so much. The people can do little for you but it is Allah who is always there and watching over us even when we are not even aware. One of the beautiful and powerful names of the Creator is Al Khabeer meaning, "The All-Aware"  Just imagine that there is one who is aware of every big and little thing in the universe, nothing is hidden from Him whatsoever. Imagine that there is one who controls all things, one who is aware of your very thoughts, intentions, and feelings and that only He can answer to your prayers just by you thinking it and not even raising your hands to Him yet. 

Subhan Allah! Glory be to Him and He is free from all that they associate to Him. 

May Allah make our hearts pure and give us rest in His remembrance. May Allah not make us so attached to others that we forget Him, our master and creator. The lord of the heavens and the earth and all that is in between. 

The 3 Fundamentals every Muslim should know of

Bismillaah,

Assalamu alaykum warahmatullah,


I would like to invite everyone to please partake in and listen to these video series of Shaykh Ahmad Jibril(may Allah protect him and his family)  on the classical book of Aqeedah, "Thalatha Usool" or "Usool ath-Thalatha" translated as "The 3 Fundamentals." The 3 Fundamentals refer to the 3 questions every individual will be asked in the grave. These questions are:

1. Who is your Rabb(Lord)?
2. Who is your prophet?
3. What is your deen?

Only a true believe who lived a life of tawheed will be able to answer this question. On the other hand, the disbeliever and munaafiq(hypocrite) will not be able to answer these questions. It is important we learn our aqeedah to be able to worship Allah upon pure knowledge and insight.

The book was originally written by Shaykh al Islaam Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab(May Allah be pleased with him). The shaykh is famous for reviving the da'wah and pure creed in the land of Tawheed (what is now called Saudi Arabia). The shaykh lived in a time where the people were in great  and deep ignorance of Islaam and tawheed. There was a lot of grave worship, superstitions, and corruption through out the land. The shaykh instantly realized it was due to the ignorance and lack of knowledge of Islaam and belief in Allah (tawheed). May Allah have mercy on the shaykh and give him the immense reward of all those who benefit from his works in any way. Truly, Allah is capable of all things.

The book is a very important and concise book on the basics of Islaam. It is indeed an obligation upon every Muslim to understand his or her aqeedah. It has been said that correct aqeedah is more important in the sight of Allah than food and water. Why? It would be a great disaster and loss to meeet your Creator and Maker on the Final Day with a false belief of Him. One can die of hunger and poverty but as long as that person had a correct belief of Allah and recognized the oneness of Allah and rejected Taaghoot, this person will indeed be saved and a true winner in the Hereafter. Imagine the sad and unfortunate state of the one who perhaps lived a life of liesure and fame and yet did not believe in Allah azza wa jall or believed in Allah azza wa jall but fell into shirk al akbaar ( major shirk) and associated ascribed to Allah! What a loser this person will be and how great his hasra(regret) will be! We ask Allah to save us from disbelief and shirk!

Links to the video lessons on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsfCOWCxu_6bOQ7vh2VQRQ6sUq4XnO7Dj

Audio version:

https://archive.org/details/OnlineTawheedClassTheThreeFundamentalPrinciplesaudio

Link to the actual book (ENGLISH)

http://www.islamhouse.com/1333/en/en/books/The_Three_Fundamental_Principles_and_the_Four_Basic_Rules

Link to the actual book (ARABIC)

http://www.islamhouse.com/2397/ar/ar/books/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%84_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AB%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AB%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%A8_%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89_%D9%83%D9%84_%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85_%D9%88%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A9_%D8%AA%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%85%D9%87%D8%A7

Explanation of the 3 Fundamentals of Tawheed explained by Sh. Ibn Uthaymeen (translated)

http://www.kalamullah.com/Books/Explanation%20of%20the%20Three%20Fundamental%20Principles%20of%20Islaam.pdf

Ummati

My nation Oh My nation!

How I long to be there for you

Your pains and sufferings I witness

Yet it is as if my body is tied to the Earth I stand above

I see and hear your agonies my nation

I know I long to be there for you

Ummati do not blame me for I blame myself for what I knew

None responded to the hell you suffer save a believing few

forgive me my ummah for I can do nothing but watch and pray

The stings and bites you suffer are temporary and will soon fade away

So do not forget oh my nation the power of supplication

The true ones are being separated from the fakes, this is all but a means of purification

Invocation to an Almighty Lord and having Him on your side is the greatest power of all

So do not let the stings of a foolish, misguided enemy be the cause for your fall

A gutter and dark tunnel we've been walking around in

Has the time to return back to the way of Allah and His Messenger not sinked in?

The pure victory is  going back to the Noble Book and Sunnah of the Haashimi Messenger

So oh my nation, cling to this way even if you must be killed

For in the end, nothing is a loss if it happened as Allah willed!

You Run After It, Yet it Flees You!

Bismillaah,


Ibraahim ibn Yazid ibn Shareek at-Taymi was from the early Salaf. He was a companion of the famous tabi'ee, Ibraahim an-Nakha'ee. At-Taymi was known as a very pious individual. Piety was a typical quality of that great generation. May Allah be pleased with them. He was very single-mindedly devoted to Allah, a very knowledgable person; in fact, he was a faqeeh who had immense knowledge of fiqh and hadeeth.  Above all, he was a Zaahid. A Zaahid (ascetic)  is someone who has a lot of Zuhd(ie practices asceticism, not attached to the dunya).  It is said in his prayer, Ibraahim was so stiff in the prostration that sparrows would sit on his back thinking him to be a tree.

Awwam ibn Khawshab said,  "I never found anyone better than Ibrahim at-Taymi. Whether in Salah or out of it, he always bowed his head. He never indulged in worldly conversation."

This same Ibraahim once said to the people in some amazing words which should be written in gold for our 21st century people,

"How much difference is there between you and those people. The world came to them but they ran away from it while the world flees you but you pursue it!"


How amazing and perfect is Allah. What strong,deep words. If we look into the life or biography of any of the early scholars or righteous people, we will see that each of these individuals certainly shared one common characteristic, Zuhd. They all practiced Zuhd. You may be wondering at this point, "Well, what is Zuhd?"

Well the answer is in the following hadeeth reported from Abul 'Abbas, Sahl ibn Sa'd al-Saa'idee (a companion of the prophet sws) in the Sunan of Ibn Majah and others with a good chain that a man came to the prophet (sala Allahu alayhi wa sallam) and said,

"O Messenger of Allah! Guide me to a deed that which, if I do it, (will cause) Allah to love me and the people to (also) love me." So the prophet(salawatu rabee wa salaamuhu alayh) replied,

ازهد في الدنيا يحبك الله وازهد فيما عند الناس يحبك الناس

Meaning, "Renounce the world and Allah will love you, and renounce what the people possess and the people will love you."

This simple hadeeth could be the answer to half of our daily problems. What is causing the downfall of nations and this world but materialism and chasing this temporary world?! What has made us forget our religious obligations and duties to Allah is but a little paper dollar! A little paper dollar can keep lead people to not only neglect their salah but their dignity as well. Is this how low we have sunk? Have we forgotten the true meaning and value of life?

When we lost love and interest for al Aakhirah which is the real life, that is when Allah azza wa jall took the blessings and dignity from our hearts. That is when work and material things distracted us from the true worship and even caused us to forget our bleeding ummah.


Tying this hadeeth to the words of Ibraahim at-Taymi mentioned before, we should all look to ourselves and our own personal lives. What kind of life are we living? Are we aiming to live a simple, halaal, worthy life to worship Allah in or are we putting much more pressure on work, school, and the bills totally forgetting about the main purpose of life? Islaam is not just confined to daily rituals.

Islaam is submitting yourself to Allah azza wa jall. Islaam is realizing that Allah azza wa jall always comes first.  Islaam and Zuhd are intertwined! Zuhd is to renounce this world and not be attached to it! We as Muslims ought to realize that our real home is in the Hereafter, not in this meager, temporary place. This world is but enjoyment (mataa3), it will soon cease to exist.  The Aakhirah is the Daarul Qaraar or the true permanent settlement as Allah azza wa jall says in the story of the man who believed from the house of Firawn,

"O my people, this worldly life is only temporary enjoyment, and indeed, the Hereafter-that is the home of (permanent) settlement." [Suratul Ghaafir ayah 39]

Al Zuhd means to be content with Allah has given you and to not compete with others in the material world. What is worth competing and dying for is that special tree in the paradise of Allah! Yes! One tree in Jannah has more worth than this world and all it contains. This world means nothing to Allah ta'ala but was made for us to worship and glorify Allah in.
Indeed, one drop of water is not even worth anything to Allah ta'ala in this world.  The Messenger of Allah (sws) said,

"If this world had the value of a mosquito's wing in the sight of Allah, no disbeliever would have had a drink of water from it." [Sunan Tirmidhi]

What is this world but a few days and nights? What is this world but a preparation to prepare our luggage for our true home! The days are passing and going by and all you are worried about, o servant of Allah is the latest car, clothes fashion and shoe-line. We should be more concerned with where we are headed. Are we destined for an ever-lasting bliss or an eternal punishment? This should worry us. Once Al Hasan al Basri saw a man laughing so much, so he said to him, "Have you been given the keys to Paradise? Have you been given the good news that you are from the people of Jannah?" The man replied in the negative. Al Hasan al Basri said, "Then I do not know why you are laughing." Subhan Allah that man laughed very little after that. It is definitely something worth thinking about. We become so busy with our lives and daily routines that we forget about death and our final destination.

The prophet (sws) advised to be in this world as a wayfarer or traveller. This means we should live in the dunyaa by being in a constant state of worship and doing good deeds alongside making our worldly living. We should not make it our intentions to establish ourselves here because it will all soon end. This life is not permanent. Death is a certainty, what comes after it is what we are here for. Like Allah said,

"Say: Short is the enjoyment of this world. The hereafter is better for him who fears Allah, and you shall not be dealt with unjustly in the very least!" [Surah al Nisaa' ayah 77]

Yes! How short and worthless it is! The true value is in preparing your house in the gardens above and not in these soils below! Allah describes this amazing, eternally blissful abode,

"The description of Paradise which the righteous are promised is that in it are rivers of water, the taste and smell of which are not changed; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clean. In it there are for them all kinds of fruits; and forgiveness from their Lord." [Surah Muhammad ayah 15]

The prophet lived the true life of Zuhd and piety. A man who could have had all the riches of the world and had the option to be both a prophet and king yet chose the former alone. He is definitely the king of the ascetics and an example for us. Sala Allahu alayhi wa sallam. The prophet(sws) described himself as a stranger and traveller in this world as is in the following hadeeth,

"What have I to do with this world! I am no more in this world than a traveller who sought the shade of a tree then left it and continued [his journey]." [Sunans of Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah]

Thus, if we practice Zuhd which is to abstain from the worldly things and to renounce it, we will be able to secure the love of Allah.  And if we are content with what Allah has given us and abstain from what is with others, then the people will also love us. Imam al Nawawi mentions in his Sharh of Sahih Muslim in the commentary of this hadeeth, that Zuhd is,

Renouncing the world means to leave those things which are non-essential even though they may be permissible and instead sticking to the necessities of life. True Zuhd brings peace, tranquility and happiness to the soul. The early righteous would be in such contentment and happiness that they said if the kings knew how much happiness we are living in, they would fight with us for it with their swords.


Let us make it our aim to be content and pleased with what Allah has blessed us with firstly and then let us abstain from those things that are causing us to become weak in our faith. We should contemplate the many blessings Allah azza wa jall has given us.

It is enough of a blessing and favor that Allah guides one to the truth faith. Think of how many are drowning in disbelief and die ascribing partners to Allah in His worship. And Allah azza wa jall chose you out of many to be a Muslim. That is something amazing to think about it.
Do we think and contemplate Allah and the blessing of Islaam and tawheed as we should? Nowadays, we are too busy pleasing others and ourselves and desires and forget about the first we should aim to please. Pleasing Allah should be our number one aim in life until the dirt is poured over us.


O Allah make our souls content with what you have given us and protect us from love of this world and hatred for death.

Beautiful, thought-filled reminder

The Quran and the Value of Time

written by our brother Tareq Mehanna(fa)

"The final Hour will not come until time becomes compressed. So, a year will seem like a month; a month will seem like a week; a week will seem like a day; a day will seem like an hour; and an hour will pass like the time it takes for a palm leaf to burn up."

In this authentic hadith describing the state of the world near the end of time, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) foretold of a phenomenon that we can now all attest to. Time passes faster than ever, whether you're thinking of how quickly your children have grown before your eyes, thinking of your own life in retrospect, thinking each night about how there weren't enough hours in the day to accomplish all that you'd intended - or thinking about how inconspicuously you are now being approached by the month of Ramadan.

As a month which commemorates the revelation of the Qur'an, many articles written for the occasion of Ramadan deal with the rewards of reciting the Qur'an, how often the Salaf would recite it in the month, etc. - none of which are the focus of this article. Rather, our focus is something deeper. Imagine a plain metal box in front of you - at first glance, it is not worth more than the metal from which it was constructed. Your view of the box changes, however, once someone walks by and flips open the lid to reveal gold filling it to the brim. It has now become much more than a box. Likewise, the Mushaf you hold in your hand deceptively appears as paper and ink. But if you properly investigate its contents, you'll uncover immense power hidden within. It is this power which captivated people like al-Imam ash-Shafi'i, and magnetized him into reciting the entire Qur'an sixty times in Ramadan. It is this power that I want to highlight from a number of angles: the power of the Qur'an to change you. 

Some thoughts:

1) Ponder over how the Qur'an could affect a mountain: {"If We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would have seen it humbled and crumbled from the fear of Allah. And We present these parables to people for them to ponder."} [59:21] 

ash-Shawkani explained that this is "...because of its importance, its greatness, its eloquence, its strength of expression, and the lessons it contains that soften hearts. Because of all this, were it to have been sent down upon any of the mountains on Earth, you would have seen that mountain - no matter how solid and massive - crumbling to pieces from humility before Allah, from caution of His punishment, and from fear that it would not be able to give due respect to His Words. So, with this vision and parable, one grasps the loftiness of the Qur'an and how deeply it affects the heart."

In other words, if this is how a solid, hulking, inanimate mountain would be changed by the Qur'an, imagine its potential in changing your tender, living heart and soul...

2) Ponder, now, over how it physically affected the one upon whom it was sent (peace be upon him).

Open up 'Sahih al-Bukhari', go to the second narration of the first chapter, and you'll find that the Prophet was asked: "How does the revelation come to you?" He explained: "Sometimes, it comes to me like the ringing of a bell. This is the most difficult of all..." 'A'ishah then added: "Indeed, I saw the Prophet receiving revelation on a very cold day, and I nonetheless saw sweat dripping from his forehead." (Ibn Hajar commented: "What can be understood from this is that, in fact, all of the revelation was immensely difficult for him to receive.") Following this is the Prophet describing in his own words how, just seconds before the very first verses of the Qur'an were revealed to him in the cave of Hira', Jibril "took hold of me and squeezed me so hard that I could not bear it" - and then did it a second time, and then a third time (Ibn Hajar pointed out that another authentic narration found elsewhere specifies that "...he took me by the throat."). Two narrations later, Ibn 'Abbas summarized: "The Messenger of Allah endured great difficulty while receiving revelation." (As Ibn Hajar quoted in his commentary, "this is because strong words are introduced in a manner which announces their strength, in order for people to pay attention.")

So, the intensity of the content of the Qur'an is reflected even in the physical intensity the Prophet endured just to receive it.

It is likewise reflected in the extent to which many have suffered for it. Two and half centuries after those first verses were revealed (in the year 231 H), the great scholar Ahmad bin Nasr al-Khuza'i found himself standing on a leather executioner's mat, his hands and feet tightly bound in rope. As he stood waiting, a razor-sharp sword was suddenly swung into his neck. It was left there for a few seconds before being withdrawn, and then brought crashing down on the top of his head. It was finally plunged into his stomach, after which he fatally collapsed onto the mat. He was then decapitated, and his headless body was transferred to an area near Baghdad and crucified in a public square. His head was impaled on a spike and put on display for the public in Baghdad itself. This man had been executed by the Mu'tazilah for no reason other than his persistence in affirming a single fact: that the Qur'an is the speech of Allah. Ironically, his execution took place right on the eve of Ramadan.

3) A book so powerful and touching was designed to affect the entire planet.

In his introduction to 'Tafhim al-Qur'an', al-Mawdudi reminds us that "the Qur'an is neither a book of abstract theories and cold doctrines which the reader can grasp while seated in a cozy armchair, nor is it merely a religious book like other religious books whose secrets can be grasped in seminaries and oratories. Rather, it is the blueprint and guidebook of a message, of a mission, of a movement. As soon as this Book was revealed, it drove a quiet, kind-hearted man from his isolation and seclusion, and placed him upon the battlefield of life to challenge a world that had gone astray. It inspired him to raise his voice against falsehood, and pitted him in a grim struggle against those carrying the banner of disbelief, or disobedience to Allah, of deviance and error. One after another, it sought out everyone who had a pure and noble soul, gathering them together under the flag of the Messenger. It also infuriated all those who, by their nature, were bent on evil and drove them to wage war against the bearers of Truth. This is the Book which inspired and directed that great movement which began with the preaching of a message by an individual, and continued for no fewer than twenty-three years, until the Kingdom of God was truly established on Earth."

So, the Qur'an once changed the planet. And as we can see, it is in the process of doing so again. 

4) But it changes the world by first changing the people who live in it. 

al-Fudayl bin 'Iyad said: "The memorizer of the Qur'an carries the flag of Islam. He shouldn't waste his time in vain amusement, distractions, and pointless matters with those who do so, out of respect for the Qur'an." Such a person implements by opening up the Qur'an and seeing, for example, that the believers "turn away from pointless matters" (23:3) and "if they pass by pointless matters, they pass by while dignifying themselves above them" (25:72), while on the other hand seeing that "among the people are those who purchase pointless talk" (31:6). Looking at this, you ask yourself: where do I want to stand? Then you make a choice.

You come across those who "do not encourage feeding of the poor" (89:18) and "have an extreme love of wealth" (89:20), but also those who "don't feel in their hearts any need for what they've been given, and prefer the welfare of others over themselves even if at the risk of poverty" (59:9). 

You find those who, "if they stand up to pray, do so lazily and for show, and don't remember Allah except little" (4:142), but also those who "are humble and focused in their prayers" (23:2). 

You come across shallow disbelievers who simply "indulge in this life, and eat like cattle eat" (47:12), but also the deep thinkers who "reflect over the creation of the heavens and Earth" (3:191). 

You come across "he who takes his own desires as his god" (45:23), but you'll also meet those who "intensely love Allah more than anything else" (2:165). 

And you even find the Qur'an telling the story of today's world - our story. You come across the leaders and governments who are "tyrannical on Earth, and made its people into subjugated groups, oppressing a group of them by slaughtering their sons" (28:4), who threaten them with prison if they refuse to submit (26:29), and who target Muslim women and children with fire (85:5) for "no reason other than that they believe in Allah" (85:8). These tyrants claim to represent the civilized world, and are materially wealthy and technologically advanced (28:76). Thus, those who are duped by this world choose to ignore their disbelief and oppression of others to instead admire them, their society, and culture with awe, thinking to themselves "if only we had what has been given" to them (28:79). A few sincere scholars stand up to try to open people's eyes (28:80). As a result, some Muslims wake up and migrate to the lands of Islam after their suffering in the lands of the enemy (16:110). A few of them are even inspired to "fight in the path of Allah, and the oppressed men, women, and children," to defend them in various parts of the world (4:75). But many choose to remain in the land of the enemy, who is ever-increasing in oppressing them (4:97). Not only this, but such house slaves, "while sitting back, they say to their brothers: 'If only they had listened to us, they wouldn't have been killed'" (3:168). As if that wasn't bad enough, and despite the fact that the tyrants are clearly "allies of one another" (5:51, 8:73, 45:19), and want to tempt us into watering down Islam (68:9), and will only be pleased with us if we totally abandon it and follow their ways (2:120), and do not love us even though some of us love them (3:119) - despite all this, the scholars-for-dollars assure their disbelieving allies from the People of the Book that they are their reliable partners in the War on Terror until the end (59:11). But because they are "swaying between this and that, not fully here or there" (4:143), they of course also assure us that they are believers (2:14) and sort of, kind of want victory for the Ummah. So, you have to put up with he who, "if tested, turns back on his heels" (22:11), but you also have the pleasure of meeting the "men who have remained true to their covenant with Allah" and "have not changed in the least" (33:23).

Thus, when you read the Qur'an, you are presented with a wide array of characters and their characteristics, ranging from the very best of humanity to its very worst. And al-Hasan al-Basri said: "Those who came before you saw the Qur'an as a collection of messages from their Lord. They would ponder over them by night and implement them by day." So, now ask yourself: which of these people do I want to be? What choice am I going to make? This is the challenge that the Qur'an puts before you.

5) As the Qur'an builds you in this way, consider the fact that during your days in Ramadan, you basically replace one form of nourishment for another: you are prohibited from food & drink at the same time that you are pushed to delve deeper into the Qur'an. Think about the wisdom in this. The point is for you to confirm for yourself that your body can survive even on a minimal amount of food & drink, and that the source of true life - the nourishment you cannot do without - is found only in the Qur'an. 

I recently experienced this myself. Following my sentencing in court, I was immediately moved from Boston to Rhode Island, to Brooklyn, to Manhattan, back to Brooklyn, to Oklahoma City, and finally to my current location in Indiana - a process which lasted approximately six weeks. Because of my frequent flyer status, I was never in any one place long enough to obtain an Arabic copy of the Qur'an. It was the single longest period of my life in which I didn't have access to the Qur'an, and I could feel it. When I finally arrived here and got hold of one, I felt replenished.

6) This brings me to my last point: take advantage of the Qur'an while you have access to it, because there will come a time when nobody will have access to it. In another authentic hadith, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) warned us that right before the end of time, "Islam will fade away like color fades from fabric, to the point that nobody will know of fasting, prayer, the rites of pilgrimage, or charity. And the Qur'an will be lifted up and vanish overnight, such that not a single verse of it will remain on Earth..."

Written by: Tariq Mehanna
Friday, 21st of Rajab 1434 (31st of May 2013)
Terre Haute CMU