A Worshipper and a Wrong Doer
By Mufti Md. Shahabuddin
“There were two men among Banu Israel who were striving for the same goal. One of them would commit sin and the other would exert himself in worship. The man who exerted himself in worship continued to see the other in sin. He said, “Refrain from it”. The other said, “leave me alone. Have you been sent to watch me?” He said; “I swear by Allah, Allah will not forgive, nor will He admit you in paradise.” Then their souls were taken back (by Allah) and they met together with the Lord of the worlds. He (Allah asked the man who had striven hard in worship; “Had you knowledge about me or had you power over that which I had in my hand?” He commanded the man who sinned. “Go and enter paradise by my mercy.” He commanded about the other “Take him to Hell.” Abu Hurairah said: By him in whose hand is my soul, he spoke a word by which this world and the next world of his were destroyed.” (Abu Dawood: 2/671-72)
Moral of the Story
This story indicates that we should guard our tongue, specially in the matters which relate to Allah. Hazrat Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (Pbuh) said: “A slave (of Allah) may utter a word which pleases Allah without giving it much importance and because of that Allah will raise him or reward him to a degree beyond one’s imagination. A slave (of Allah) may utter a word (carelessly) which displeases him without thinking of its gravity and because of that he will be thrown into the Hell fire.” (Bukhari: 2/959)
We also learn from this story that to taunt or disdain any Muslim is not allowed. Moreover, cursing others is not forbidden only in cases which concern Muslims, instead of it, we have to avoid cursing anyone whether he may be a Muslim or a non-Muslim, regardless of his colour and race. A great Islamic scholar Allama Nawavi has written throwing light upon the above subject; Ulema agree with the fact that cursing is forbidden. The Arabic word ‘la-ana’ means to keep or drive away some one from the blessings of Allah. Therefore, it is very bad to curse any human being without knowing the realities. Because of this, Ulema say that it is not only prohibited to curse a man in particular, either he may be a believer or an unbeliever, but also cursing animals is forbidden. It is to be kept in mind, however, that cursing those people who have proved execrable by the holy Qur’an and Hadith is allowed, as such; pharaoh, Abu-Lahab, Abu-Jehal etc. It is worthy to be mentioned that cursing others for his vicious acts and habits, without specifying the name, is permitted, as the Prophet (Pbuh) cursed those who take the price of blood and the price of dog, and he (Pbuh) also cursed a usurer, the one who gives usury, the woman who practises tattooing and the woman who gets herself tattooed. (Shar-hu-Muslim)
The story also reveals that if Allah wants to forgive anyone without plenty of good deeds, He could. No one could enter heaven despite virtuous deeds except by the mercy of Allah. The Prophet (Pbuh) said; No one could enter the heavens because of good deeds. The companions asked whether the Prophet (Pbuh) too. The Prophet (Pbuh) answered that he too would not be allowed. But Allah has covered him by his mercy and favour. (Bukhari 2/847)
But this does not mean that a man should give up deeds which please Allah, keeping in view, the above Hadith. Furthermore, Allah made some laws and principles to acquire his mercy, as well as legislated many rules in order to recognise his anger and displeasure. Good deeds are means of asking Allah’s favour, whereas, evil acts cause his rage. Therefore, Allah’s mercy showers upon him who pursues the right path. Qur’an, the holy book, says:
“My mercy extended to all things that (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right and pay zakat and those who believe in our signs.” (Qur’an: 7/150)
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Kosovar Child
Dr. M.J. Idris.
Child
“Tears in your eyes
Tears in mine
Telling the stories
Narrating the crimes
You lost your parents
you have no friends
and your friends have no homes.
Amongst the killings, Amongst the massacres
You are a beautiful little flower.
In your innocence is a fear
In your look is a question
Why did they kill my dear ones?
Why did they burn my sweet home?
Why did they destroy the gardens I used to play in?
Why did they make me a refugee, in my own country?
Give me the answer, if you are Truthful.
O My dear, O my lovely
What can I do, I can only shed
Blood in my tear’s.
But, remember, there is Allah, the Merciful
Your eyes does he read, your heart does he feel
He will return to you everything of yours
He will punish your enemies.
Have patience, my dear, Have courage
He is our helper, In Him do we believe
And In Him should we put our trust.
The days are not far, Inshallah
When you will be happy once again”
Ameen.
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Haram Food Products
Any product or by-product derived from the following items is definitely Haram:
1. Pig
2. Blood
3. Carnivorous animals
4. Reptiles and insects
5. The bodies of dead animals
6. The bodies of Halal animals (i.e. buffalo, cow, sheep, lamb, goat, deer, rabbit, chicken, etc.) which are not slaughtered according to the Islamic Law.
7. Wine, Ethyl Alcohol, or Spirits, where these remain in their original chemical form.
These are only a few of the many Haram ingredients that are included in many of the food products available in supermarkets today.
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Etiquette of Bathroom
* It is not proper for one to carry into a bathroom something that has Allah’s name upon it (unless he is afraid of losing it or having it stolen)
* One should mention the name of Allah and seek refuge in Him when entering the privy.
“In the name of Allah, O Allah! I seek refuge in you from male and female noxious beings (devils).”
* One should not respond to a greeting or repeat what the caller to prayer is saying.
* If one sneezes, he should praise Allah within himself and simply move his lips (without making sound).
* One should neither face nor turn his back on the Qiblah while relieving himself in open space.
* One should enter the bathroom or a privy with his left foot, and exit with his right foot, saying; “O Allah! I seek your forgiveness.”
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Importance of knowing the Names of Allah
Knowing the Beautiful Names of Allah is very important indeed, for the following reasons:
*. Knowledge of Allah and His Names and Attributes is the noblest and best of all knowledge, because the level of honour of any kind of knowledge has to do with the object of knowledge, and the object of knowledge in this case is Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, through His Names, Attributes and Deeds. Occupying oneself with seeking this knowledge and studying it properly is the pursuit of the highest objective, and acquiring this knowledge is one of the best gifts a person may be given. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) explained it very clearly and was very keen to do so, the Sahabah never disputed in this matter as they did over some of the rulings (ahkaam).
*. Knowing Allah makes a person love and fear Him, and put his hope in Him, and be sincere towards Him in his actions. This is the essence of human happiness. There is no way to know Allah except by knowing His Most Beautiful Names and seeking a proper understanding of their meanings.
*. Knowing Allah by His Most Beautiful Names increases one's faith, as Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Sa'di (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Believing in and knowing the Most Beautiful Names of Allah includes the three types of Tawheed: Tawheed al-Ruboobiyyah (Unity of Divine Lordship), Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah (Unity of the Divine Nature) and Tawheed al-Asma' wa'l-Sifaat (Unity of the Divine Names and Attributes). These three types of Tawheed form the essence and joy of faith (the word translated here as "joy" implies peace and relief from stress), and this knowledge is the basis and purpose of faith. The more a person learns about the Names and Attributes of Allah, the more his faith increases and the stronger his conviction becomes." (Al-Tawdeeh wa'l-Bayaan li Shajarat al-Eemaan by al-Sa'di, p. 41).
*. Allah created His creatures to know Him and worship Him. This is what is expected from them and what they are required to do, because as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The key to the call of the Messengers, the essence of their Message, is knowing Allah through His Names and Attributes and Deeds, because this is the foundation on which the rest of the Message, from beginning to end, is built." (Al-Sawaa'iq al-Mursalah 'ala al-Jahamiyyah wa'l-Mu'attilah by Ibn al-Qayyim, 1/150-151). So when a person occupies himself with learning about Allah, he is doing what he was created for, but if he ignores the matter, he is neglecting what he was created for. The meaning of faith is not merely to utter words without knowing Allah, because true faith in Allah means that the slave knows the Lord in Whom he believes, and he makes the effort to learn about Allah through His Names and Attributes. The more he learns about his Lord, the more he increases in faith.
*. Knowledge of the Names of Allah is the basis for all other knowledge, as Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Knowledge of the Most Beautiful Names of Allah is the basis of all other kinds of knowledge, for the objects of all these other branches of knowledge were either created or commanded by Him (the various branches of knowledge either deal with objects created by Him or with the laws and guidance revealed by Him). The reason for creation and guidance is found in His Most Beautiful Names (because He is the Creator, He creates things; because He is the Guide to the Straight Path, He reveals guidance, and so on)… Knowing the Most Beautiful Names is the basis of all objects of knowledge, because all knowledge stems from these Names…" (Bada'i' al-Fawaa'id by Ibn al-Qayyim, 1/163).
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Find the Distinct Characteristics of a Muslim
* Prophet (Pbuh) has been sent to perfect good manners
* Prophet (Pbuh) said: Amongst the slaves of God who is dearest to Him is the one who has the best moral.
Some of the distinct characters which a Muslim must possess are in the grid either horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
Some are reverse from right to left or from bottom to top. But they all lie on a straight line. First letter of each word is given to enable you to construct the word.
Character
ANSWERS :
1. HONESTY
2. PATIENT
3. GENEROUS
4. CHEERFUL
5. KIND
6. PIOUS
7. TRUSTWORTHY
8. JUST
9. FORGIVENESS
10. POLITE
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Do You Know
Two types of dead animals and two types of blood have been made lawful for us.
* The types of dead animals are seafood and locusts.
* The two types of blood are the (blood of the) liver and the spleen.
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Who is Successful?
* Those who do good (5:13)
* Those who are just (5:43)
* Those who are pious (9:4)
* Those who are patient (3:146)
* Those who put the trust in Him (3:159)
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