Saturday, July 21, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
There was a young man who went overseas to study for quite a long time. When he returned, he asked his parents to find him a religious scholar or any expert who could answer his 3 Questions. Finally, his parents were able to find a Muslim scholar.
Young man: Who are you? Can you answer my questions?
Scholar: I am one of Allah (SubHana Wa Ta`ala )'s slaves and Insha-Allah (God willing), I will be able to answer your questions.
Young man: Are you sure? A lot of Professors and experts were not able to answer my questions.
Scholar: I will try my best, with the help of Allah(SubHana Wa Ta`ala).
Young Man: I have 3 questions:
1. Does God exist? If so, show me His shape.
2. What is takdir (fate)?
3. If shaitan (Devil) was created from the fire, why at the end he will be thrown to hell that is also created from fire. It certainly will not hurt him at all, since Shaitan (Devil) and the hell were created from fire. Did God not think of it this far?
Suddenly, the Scholar slapped the young man's face very hard.
Young Man (feeling pain): Why do you get angry at me?
Scholar: I am not angry. The slap is my answer to your three questions.
Young Man: I really don't understand.
Scholar: How do you feel after I slapped you?
Young Man: Of course, I felt the pain.
Scholar: So do you believe that pain exists?
Young Man: Yes.
Scholar: Show me the shape of the pain!
Young Man: I cannot.
Scholar: That is my first answer. All of us feel God's existence without being able to see His shape... Last night, did you dream that you will be slapped by me?
Young Man: No.
Scholar: Did you ever think that you will get a slap from me, today?
Young Man: No.
Scholar: That is takdir (fate)........ My hand that I used to slap you, what is it created from?
Young Man: It is created from flesh.
Scholar: How about your face, what is it created from?
Young Man: Flesh.
Scholar: How do you feel after I slapped you?
Young Man: In pain.
Scholar: Even though Shaitan (Devil) and also the hell were created from the fire, if Allah wants, insha-Allah (God willing), the hell will become a very painful place for Shaitan (Devil).
Young man: Who are you? Can you answer my questions?
Scholar: I am one of Allah (SubHana Wa Ta`ala )'s slaves and Insha-Allah (God willing), I will be able to answer your questions.
Young man: Are you sure? A lot of Professors and experts were not able to answer my questions.
Scholar: I will try my best, with the help of Allah(SubHana Wa Ta`ala).
Young Man: I have 3 questions:
1. Does God exist? If so, show me His shape.
2. What is takdir (fate)?
3. If shaitan (Devil) was created from the fire, why at the end he will be thrown to hell that is also created from fire. It certainly will not hurt him at all, since Shaitan (Devil) and the hell were created from fire. Did God not think of it this far?
Suddenly, the Scholar slapped the young man's face very hard.
Young Man (feeling pain): Why do you get angry at me?
Scholar: I am not angry. The slap is my answer to your three questions.
Young Man: I really don't understand.
Scholar: How do you feel after I slapped you?
Young Man: Of course, I felt the pain.
Scholar: So do you believe that pain exists?
Young Man: Yes.
Scholar: Show me the shape of the pain!
Young Man: I cannot.
Scholar: That is my first answer. All of us feel God's existence without being able to see His shape... Last night, did you dream that you will be slapped by me?
Young Man: No.
Scholar: Did you ever think that you will get a slap from me, today?
Young Man: No.
Scholar: That is takdir (fate)........ My hand that I used to slap you, what is it created from?
Young Man: It is created from flesh.
Scholar: How about your face, what is it created from?
Young Man: Flesh.
Scholar: How do you feel after I slapped you?
Young Man: In pain.
Scholar: Even though Shaitan (Devil) and also the hell were created from the fire, if Allah wants, insha-Allah (God willing), the hell will become a very painful place for Shaitan (Devil).
Friday, July 13, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet (PBUH), who said:
A prayer performed by someone who has not recited the Essence of the Quran (1) during it is deficient (and he repeated the word three times), incomplete. Someone said to Abu Hurayrah: [Even though] we are behind the imam? (2) He said: Recite it to yourself, for I have heard the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be up on him) say: Allah (mighty and sublime be He), had said: I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says: Al-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-alamin (3), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has praised Me. And when he says: Ar-rahmani r-rahim (4), Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says: My servant has extolled Me, and when he says: Maliki yawmi d-din (5), Allah says: My servant has glorified Me - and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. And when he says: Iyyaka na budu wa iyyaka nasta in (6), He says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. And when he says: Ihdina s-sirata l- mustaqim, siratal ladhina an amta alayhim ghayril-maghdubi alayhim wa la d-dallin (7), He says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for.
(1) Surat al-Fatihah, the first surah (chapter) of the Qur'an.
(2) i.e. standing behind the imam (leader) listening to him reciting al-Fatihah.
(3) "Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds."
(4) "The Merciful, the Compassionate".
(5) "Master of the Day of Judgement".
(6) "It is You we worship and it is You we ask for help".
(7) "Guide us to the straight path, the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favors, not of those against whom You are angry, nor of those who are astray".
It was related by Muslim (also by Malik, at-Tirmidhi, Abu-Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Hadith Qudsi 1:
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
When Allah decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: My mercy prevails over my wrath.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:
When Allah decreed the Creation He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: My mercy prevails over my wrath.
It was related by Muslim (also by al-Bukhari, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
Don’t focus too much on doing good things while forgetting the pleasure of Allah swt. This means that you should not put too much effort into doing good things that will not essentially win over Allah’s full pleasure.
So many people get caught up in doing small deeds without even fulfilling the obligatory deeds first.
This religion was meant to be easy. Don’t overburden yourself with small, stressful deeds. Better yet, focus on getting rid of all impurities of the heart first in order to please Our Creator,then do those deeds that will earn you ajr.
Get rid of things that are displeasing to Allah swt
Submit to Allah’s commands [fards] then the Sunnah
The biggest disease of the heart: Pride
There are three types of hearts Allah swt mentions in the Quran
-The Pure Heart (Qalb ul salem): This heart is free of impurities and full of Allah’s pleasure. This heart is also filled with fear, fear for disobeying Allah, fear of whether their good deeds will be accepted, fear of the Punishment of disobedience, fear of not reaching Paradise
-The Sick Heart: This heart is stained with disease. When this heart commits a sin, it tries to justify the sin instead of regretting/hating it then repenting. Their desires overpower the pleasure of Allah swt. They let the life of this dunya deceive them. This is usually the heart of the hypocrite; the one that had knowledge but did not act upon it. This heart has both belief and hypocrisy contained in itself.
-The Dead Heart: This heart is the worst kind of heart. This heart does not believe in Allah, it rejects all His signs, and fails to recognise that Allah exists and that His signs are true.
Ramadan gives us a chance to purify our hearts, build a shield of taqwa and get rid of our desires.
Allah swt gives us Rammdan as a mercy. He locks up our biggest negative influence- shaitan. So the battle becomes between you and yourself.
This Ramadan inshaAllah we must all make an effort to change. Let’s go into Ramadan with the mentality that we will make a change. Ramdan is known as the Birth of Mercy because that is the best time to get rid of our desires and truly submit to Allah swt.
Ramadan is one package. Every good thing you do should be increased this Ramadan. Not only should you avoid eating, and drinking, but also bad habits such as backbiting and the use of profanity, etc. Insha’Allah.
Our own actions turn away Allah’s mercy.
What we need to do:
Plan an atmosphere for ourselves in order to win over Allah’s pleasure. This includes: turning off all technology, reading Quran with understanding, submitting to Allah swt, etc.
Use Ramadan to its fullest advantage. Use this time to let go of any sinful desires that you might not have been able to before.
Focus on pleasing Allah swt, and only Him. Make an effort to struggle for His sake.
We must not only nourish our body, but our hearts as well.
We need to be willing to get rid of our own desires for the sake of Allah so that He may help us acheive our goal
Remember that every moment you struggle will be proof for you on the Day of Judgment.
May Allah swt help us make use of this Ramadan and use it to our full advantage. And may we all make that change that will bring us closer to Him, and may He swt make it easier on us to let go of all our desires for His sake. Allahuma ameen
Sunday, May 27, 2012
O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from their religion (Islâm), Allâh will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble (soft) towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allâh, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers. That is the Grace of Allâh which He bestows on whom He wills. And Allâh is All-Sufficient for His creatures' needs, All-Knower. 5:54
Umar ibn al-Khattaab (R.A. - may Allah be pleased with him)
Once a caravan came to Madinah, it had women and children too, with it. `Umar (R.A.) said to Abdul Rahman ibn `Auf, "Can you stand guard on them tonight?" So`Umar, the second caliph, and he, kept awake that night together, and kept vigil over the caravan.
During that nightly vigil they both offered Tahajjud (night) prayer as well. `Umar (R.A.) on hearing a baby's cry approached the mother and said, "Fear Allah and look after your child carefully." Saying this he came back to his own position. Once again he heard the baby crying, and went over to it's mother and gave her the same advice. During the last part of the night the child cried once again, `Umar (R.A.) came to its mother and said, "Woe to you! You appear not to be a good mother. How is it that your child could not sleep peacefully during the night." The woman little suspecting that she was speaking to the Amir (Commander/leader) of the believers said in reply, "May Allah bless you O man, you have pestered me several times during the night. I want to wean it forcefully but the child is intractable." `Umar (R.A.) asked her, "why wean it forcefully?" She said in reply, "Because `Umar (R.A.) grants allowance only for such children that have been weaned." `
Umar (R.A.) asked her, "How old is your child?" she told him it was only a few months old. And `Umar (R.A.) asked the woman not to be hasty in weaning her child. Umar (R.A.) then led the morning prayer in such a state that his weeping made the recital of the Quran inaudible and unintelligible. At the end of the prayer he said, "`Umar (R.A.) is ruined. He killed the children of the believers!" And at this, he ordered the crier to proclaim in the town of Madinah that the mothers should not wean their children only for the sake of allowance for the suckling. From now on, every child, suckling or weaned, shall receive a stipend. And it was also proclaimed throughout the length and the breadth of the Islamic state. Unparalleled in the Entire History of Mankind By Allah! The entire history of mankind is unable to produce such a brilliant and glorious incident. None among the civilizations of the world can present anypersonage like `Umar (R.A.). He kept awake the whole night, keeping guard over the caravan whilst the caravan slept in peace. And we should keep in mind that he was the head of the Islamic state, and wielded great authority and power that had conquered the then mighty empires of Rome and Persia.
He drew the attention of the crying child's mother to her baby and asked her to restrain it from crying by taking good care of it. Is there anyone who can mete out that treatment to the children in a passing Caravan, like `Umar(R.A.)? Who is there among the greatest personages of the history of mankind who can even touch the great human consciousness of `Umar?
Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, was
the second Khalifah of Islam. He was from the Khulafa-e-Rashidun (the Rightly
Guided Caliphs). Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, was a great administrator
whose examples are unparalleled not only in Islamic history but also in the
history of modern civilization.
Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, was
born in the year 582 C.E. In his youth, he was a famous wrestler and orator and
was an expert in horse riding. He was well educated and also among the first
people in Makkah who knew how to read and write. He gained a vast amount of
experience by being a judge, a diplomat, and a very good public speaker. As a
young man, he earned his livelihood by trade. His keen sense of justice and
towering personality gave him an outstanding place in history. Devotion to
duty, and fairness were his guiding principles.
As a Khalifah, his empire extended
over Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and other places. However, he
was not at all arrogant in his behavior towards others.
All citizens were equal before law. On
a number of occasions, the Khalifah appeared personally to defend himself in
the public court of justice just like any other defendant. In a dispute with an
ordinary citizen, Sayyidna Ubayy-Ibn Ka'ab, Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu,
appeared as a defendant in the court of Sayyidna Zaid-Ibn-Thabit at Madinah.
Sayyidna Zaid, Radi-Allahu anhu, wanted to pay respect to him but Sayyidna
Umar, Rad-Allahu anhu, told him that this amounted to partiality. Thus under
Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, the principles of justice and equality were
fully observed. In the same case, Sayyidna Ubayy, Radi-Allahu anhu, wanted
Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, to take oath, but the judge wanted to spare
him because of the dignity of his office. Seeing this, the Khalifah admonished
him, “You cannot be a just judge until a common man is equal to the Khalifah
before you.” During that era, no one was above law. Even the Khalifah was
questioned by the common man.
Among many other great progress and
advancements, Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu,
·
Organized and systemized the Public Treasury
·
Established military offices
·
Kept a record of the population
·
Built many canals in different provinces
·
Developed many cities including Basra, Kufa, Cairo, etc
·
Provided housing for thousands of people
·
Set up official governments in all conquered territory
·
Established a police force
·
Carried out nightly patrols himself to check on the safety and
needs of the public
·
Built rest houses and wells alongside various routes for the
convenience of travelers
·
Provided assistance to needy Muslims and non-Muslims, etc.
Public Treasury
The revenue of the state was deposited
into the Baitul-Mal (Public Treasury). Abdullah-bin-Arqam was appointed the
Chief Officer of this department. He was directed to increase the production,
and the welfare of the peasantry and people at large.
The main sources of revenue were:
1. Zakat – 2.5% of wealth for the poor. This was only applicable on Muslims.
2. Jizya - defence tax paid by non-Muslims living on Muslim lands (dhimmis).
However, the poor, the sick and crippled, women, children, aged, priests, and
monks were exempted from this.
3. Ushr – a special land tax on especially large holdings. (one tenth of
produce)
4. Khiraj – a land tax
5. Ghanimah - one-fifth of the war booty
6. A tax on non-Muslim merchants and traders (because they didn’t pay Zakat,
while Muslim traders did)
From the Bait-al-Mal, spending was made for the welfare of the people as well
as for the poor and needy. The weak and disabled, both Muslims and non-Muslims,
were granted allowances. A person who became an invalid or too old to earn his
living received maintenance allowance from the Bait-al-Mal.
Children without guardians were
brought up at state expense. When there was famine, the Khalifah, himself,
worked day and night to provide food to the starving people. He used to go out
in the night and visit various places to make sure that everybody was content.
The canals for irrigation purposes
were also built from the public revenue. During Sayyidna Umar's, Rad-Allahu
anhu, reign a canal was made which joined the Nile to the Red Sea. This canal
facilitated transport of grains from Egypt to the Arabian Peninsula.
Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, also
gave freedom of religion to the Jews and Christians living in the Muslim
Empire. He allowed them to stay there if they so wished and nobody could
interfere in their religious affairs. To those who desired to migrate he
ensured a safe journey up to the borders. Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, also
gave compensation for their properties and other facilities.
Police Force
Another of Sayyidna Umar’s,
Radi-Allahu anhu, achievements was the establishing of the Police Department.
The police force at that time was known as “Ahdath” and the police officers
were known as the “Sahibul Ahdath.” Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, gave the
following instructions to the police officers:
“Keep peace in the area. Let not the
people contravene the law. They should not measure or weigh incorrectly. Nobody
should build any house on roads so as to hinder the passage way. No one should
overload an animal. Nobody is allowed to sell or buy liquor.”
As well as establishing the police
force, Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, also built jails, forming the first
jails in Arabia. He bought five houses in Makkah and used them as prisons. He
also set up jails in some districts of various provinces.
The punishment of killing another human being unjustly was death and this law
was fully enforced at all times, without regard of the religion of the murderer
and the victim.
Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, fully
organized the army, which was composed of infantry, cavalry and archers. The
army was broadly divided into standing and reserve. The standing army was a regular
one, ready for defense of the state and borders; the reserves were called
during the time of war. Intelligence and communications were also developed.
Provincial Adminstration
For smooth running of the state the
Empire was divided into various provinces:
1. Hijaz with Makkah as the capital
2. Syria with Damascus as the capital
3. Iran with Basrah as the capital
4. Iraq with Kufa as the capital
5. Egypt with Fustat as the capital
6. Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital
7. Jazirah (Mesopotamia) with Hims (Homs) as the capital
8. The central province of Arabia with Madinah as the capital
The title of a Provincial Governor was “Wali”. As well as being the chief
administrator of his province, the Wali was also the religious leader being
well-versed in religion. In each province there were usually the following
officers besides the governor: The treasury officer (Sahib Baitul Maal), the
revenue collector (Sahib Kharaj), the chief police officer (Sahib Ahadath), and
the judge (Qazi).The provinces were divided into districts. Each district was
administrated by an officer called ‘Amil. All the governors and the high
officers of the provinces were called to Makkah every year on the occasion of
Hajj when Muslims from the entire area gathered there. Complaints against the
governors were recorded by the Khalifah and incompetent governors were removed
from office.
Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, also
laid great stress on knowledge and learning. He made Islamic education
compulsory for everyone, both male and female. Thus, he was the first person to
introduce compulsory education. Education was also free for everyone and a
number of schools were built in cities and towns for public instructions.
It was due to his unconquerable will
and keen sense of responsibility that Sayyidna Umar, Radi-Allahu anhu, was able
to make tremendous contribution towards the consolidation of progress,
prosperity, development and welfare of the state.
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