March 1, 2010
Allah (SWT) says, “Say , Are those equal those who
know and those who don’t ? ” ( Zumar -9)The Prophet (PBUH) said “ A scholar is more superior to a devoted worshiper by the same amount that I am superior to the lowest among you. “ (Termidii)
Allah says “( O Prophet ) , therefore that there is no god but Allah , and ask forgiveness for your sin, and for the men and women who believe ” (Muhamad -19)
Al Hafiz Ibn Hajar commented about this Ayah, saying that Allah ordered the prophet ( PBUH) to do two different things: to seek knowledge and to take action. He said that the knowledge must precede the action , because knowledge is necessary to have the correct intention, which every action depends on. But this knowledge needs something else in order to be complete, and that is understanding. Allah says “ And we gave Suleiman understanding about the matters,”( Al Anbiya -79 ) and the Prophet said “If Allah wants good for someone he gives him understanding of the deen.” ( Bukhary) Al Hafiz ibn Hajar said this means that Allah helps him understand the knowledge he has .
Sometimes lack of understanding can be dangerous, dangerous enough to kill someone. For example, it was narrated by Gaber ibn Abdullah (RAA)"We were on a journey and one of us got injured. Later, he had a wet dream. He asked his companions, 'Can I perform tayammum?' They said, 'No, not if you have water.' He performed ghusl and died. When they came to the Messenger of Allah, they informed him of what had happened . He said, 'They killed him, Allah will kill them.’”( Ahmad), So they killed them with the right proof but by the wrong understanding of that proof .
Ibn Abbas (radiya
Allahu ‘anhu) Narrates:
“When the six thousand-strong
rebels gathered to overthrow Ali bin Abi Talib and his supporters
from amongst the companions of the prophet ( SAAW) , people came to
Ali bin Abi Talib to warn him of the imminent danger saying, ‘O
Commander of the Believers, those people are certainly going to
rebel against you.’ He would answer, ‘Let them do so, for I shall
not be the first to raise the sword, and I know that they will raise
theirs.’
So I told Ali, ‘O Commander of
the Believers, would you delay the congregational salah a little to
give me time to go to those people and talk to them?’ He said, ‘I
fear for your safety.’ But I assured him, ‘Not if Allah wills,’ and
assured him I was a calm person who never harmed anyone.
When I entered they greeted me,
‘Welcome, Ibn Abbas. What brought you here ?
I replied, ‘what do you hold
against the cousin of Rasul Allah and his son-in-law?
They said, ‘Three grievances.’
I asked them to elaborate and
they answered, ‘He authorized human arbitration when Allah says:
… Judgment is not but for Allah…
[yousuf :40, etc]
‘What role do humans have when
Allah restricted Judgment to Himself?’
I asked them about the second
grievance, so they said, ‘He fought in battle but took nor enslaved
any captives and captured no spoils. If the ones he fought against
were disbelievers then their possessions were his lawful spoils, and
if they were believers then why did he shed their blood?’
I then asked them about their
third grievance, to which they answered, ‘He forfeited the title of
‘the Commander of the Believers.’ If he is not the commander of the
faithful than he is the commander of the unfaithful.’
I enquired from them if they had
any other grievances, but they said those were enough. So I asked
them if I were to recite ayaat from the book of Allah and narrate to
them from the undisputed ahadeeth of the Prophet (SAAW)
which would refute their arguments, would they rejoin the jamaa’ah
and cease their rebellion? They answered in the affirmative.
I said, ‘With respect to your
first argument, Allah says:
O you who have believed, do not
kill game while you are in the state of ihram…as judged by two just
men among you… [5:95]
And He said about a woman and her
husband:
And if you fear dissension
between the two, send an arbitrator from his people and another from
her people [Al Nissa :35]
I ask you, by Allah, what is more
important: To allow human arbitration in game and matters of
marriage or to allow it in matters of saving the lives of Muslims?
They answered, ‘In matter of
saving lives of Muslims.’
I asked, ‘Do you accept my
argument?’
They said, ‘By Allah we do.’
I said, ‘Concerning your
objection to the fact that he enslaved no captive and captured no
spoils, would you have captured your mother, Aisha (radiya Allahu
anha)? Or would you have made it lawful for yourselves to enslave
her? Had you allowed yourself this, you would not be Muslims, and if
you claim that she is not the mother of the faithful, then you would
not be Muslims either. Allah said:
The Prophet is more worthy of the
believers than themselves, and his wives are their mothers. [33:6]
Do you accept this argument?’
They looked at each other and
said, ‘By Allah we do.’
I said, ‘As for him forfeiting
the title of ‘Commander of the Believers’, When the
prophet (SAAW), asked the Quraish to sign the treaty of Hudaibiyah,
he (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and both Suhail ibn Amr and Abu
Sufyan, who were representing the disbelievers, were the chosen
representatives of their respective people to sign the treaty. Upon
drafting the treaty, the prophet (SAAW), instructed Ali to write,
‘This is what Muhammad the Prophet of Allah agreed upon with’ but
they (the disbelievers) objected to this saying, ‘had we believed
that you were the Prophet of Allah we would not have blocked your
entrance to the house of Allah, and we would not have fought with
you. So, write Muhammad ibn Abdullah.’ He answered, ‘Verily I am the
Prophet of Allah, despite your rejection. Write O Ali, Muhammad ibn
Abdullah.’ The prophet (SAAW) , was immensely superior to Ali, and
yet his forfeiting the title of the Prophet (while signing the
treaty) did not invalidate his Prophethood. Do you accept this
argument?’
They replied, ‘By Allah, we do.’
[Musaanaf Abdul-Razzaq, Baihaqi and Ahmad]
Therefore, lack of understanding of the deen Is dangerous. The Khawarij’s understanding of the relevant Qur’anic ayaat and ahadeeth were superficial, incomplete and based only on textual apparent meanings. They completely ignored the understanding of the students of the prophet (SAAW) the sahabah. This is a great error that has caused division and disunity among the Muslim Umma.
This brings us to a very important issue which is the issue of Fatwa. The issue of who can and cannot give fatwa is a very serious matter. In some cases we see people giving fatwa without knowledge or understanding , even without any qualifications. For some reason, when it comes to presenting Islam and even giving fatwas, we find that everyone talks and gives fatwas— EVERYONE . This causes a lot of unnecessary confusion to people. The prophet said “ Allah does not take away the knowledge by taking it away from the people , but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the religious learned men remain , people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their fatwa without knowledge , so they will go astray and will lead the people astray . ( Bukhary)
Abdulrahman bin aby lila said , i saw 120 from the companion of the prophet and when they were asked about a fatwa , they start to pass to each other till it goes back to the first one where it starts.
Ibn Mas`ud also said, “I strongly believe that he who gives his opinion on every matter people ask him about is really unwise.Imam Malik used to say before you give a fatwa first one should consider to where he will be admitted in the Hereafter,Jannah or Hellfire, and think upon how he will save himself from punishment on that Day, and then he can answer the question.
he was asked about a fatwa then he replied i don’t know , they he was told , its an easy one , then he got upset and said there is nothing easy in knowledge , and also it was reported about him that Once was asked twenty two questions, and he only answer more than two questions of them, saying every now and then ‘There is neither might nor power except with Allah.
Giving a fatwa from someone who is not qualified and doesn’t have knowledge is falling in Al shaytan’s traps Allah says ‘and don’t not follow the footsteps of the Satan , surely he is to you an avowed enemy ‘ (AlBaqara -128) and He also says ‘Say the things that my lord has truly forbidden are shameful deeds in open or in secret , sins and lie against the truth or reason , Assigning partners to Allah , for which He has given no authority , And saying things about Allah , which you don’t know ‘ ( Al Ana’m 151)
Ibn Alqaeem commented about this Ayah, saying : that saying things about Allah which you don’t know consider to be from the most of forbidden things , that is why Allah mentioned it in this Ayah along with other things , which is lying before Allah .
And also we have to be careful when we give Dawa , because giving Dawa without knowledge is also like giving fatwa without knowledge. At the end we just pray to Allah as ( Ibn Al Qiyam ) used to say , ‘Oh Allah grant me the knowledge of Dawud (peace be upon him ) and the Understanding of Suliman (peace be upon him )
December 29th, 2009
A Fresh Start
Everyone always dreams of having a fresh start in life. Often we set time lines for ourselves, setting a date for our new start, like a special event or holiday. We think that when this day comes, we will suddenly feel motivated after a long period of laziness and change our lives completely. But this is a delusion.
The motivation for renewing your life must come from inside and not from anywhere else. So the person who wants to change his life should not let his environment or circumstances distract him or bother him. Even if he is in a difficult situation, he should view this situation as something he can benefit from.
A person should never put off changing his life until a future event that is not guaranteed to come. Instead, he should recognize that he is holding his present in his hands, and that his present life is the foundation upon which he will build his future.
What a great thing it is to reorganize ourselves every once in a while, to look inside ourselves and conduct critical evaluations of ourselves. This process allows us to eliminate what we don't like and ultimately reform ourselves. Every day we clean our homes or clean out our desks at work in an effort to get organized. Don't our lives deserve that same effort? Don't we need STOP SIGNS after each stage of our lives to see what we gained from each experience, to see the bad and the good of what we did? If we made a habit of doing this, it would be so easy to renew our lives and our hopes, to evolve as people.
Even if you are a sinner, your sins shouldn't prevent you from offering a sincere repentance to Allah and changing your self Allah says, "Oh my servants who have transgressed upon themselves, do not lose hope from the mercy of Allah. Allah indeed forgives all sins." (Surah Az-zummar).
Verses like this always give hope to a person's numbed will.
So why don't you go back to Allah, hastening to the harvest, flying to him with love and compassion, instead of being taken back to him in a state of fear? The ignorance of Allah and his religion is the cause of this fear, this cold feeling, even though human beings will not find anyone who is more merciful to them than Allah. Allah created human beings to honor them, not to humiliate them and punish them. Allah says in the Qur'an, "And surely, it is We who have placed you (O men!) with authority on earth, and given you there the means to fulfill your life: Small are the thanks that you give!" (Surah Al-A'raf, Ayah 10)
Allah made obligatory for human beings some simple acts of worship so that we could show gratitude to Him and remember His blessings, yet some people see these acts of worship as a burden and an annoyance. Being away from Allah cannot benefit a person in any way. Instead all the power and knowledge he gains will lead to misery because he has left the way of Allah.
So go back and ask salvation from Allah only and have a new start right now. Allah says (So hasten you then to Allah ,Verily , from him , I am a Warner to you clear and open , And make no other of worship with Allah , Verily from him , I am a Warner to you clear and open ) Adh-Dhariyat 50-51).
You will find that this going back requires you to reform yourself and develop your life, which will in turn help you start a better relationship with Allah, and a better new life .
“Oh Allah You are my Lord, there is no god but You, You created me and I am your servant and upon i am faithful to your covenant and
Your promise as much as I can. I seek refuge with You from the evil
of what I have done, and I acknowledge before You all the blessings you have bestowed upon me and i confess to you my sins , so
forgive me, for truly nobody can forgive sins except You”
October 5th, 2009
"The Ideal Character of a Muslim Ruler"
Bismillah
Read closely about the character of Ali ibn Abi Talib (radi Allahu ‘anhu)
as a leader. And also read how the companions of Rasulullahi (salallahu
‘alaihi wa sallam) loved one another and respected one another.
This description is a testament to that respect, and a proof of the
love that existed between two of the greatest companions of the
Prophet (SAWS). Above all, it is an example of the greatness
of the righteous Muslim leaders in our history.
After Ali (RAA) died, Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan (RAA) sasked Dirar bin Damrah to describ Ali for him ,
Dirar said “ Will you not excuse me from answering you ?
Muawiyah (RAA) insisted , then Dirar said “ Please , excuse
me from doing so , but Muawiyah (RAA) said “ i will not ‘
"I will do so, then," said Dirar . "By Allah, he was (far-sighted)
and very strong. He spoke with a truthful finality, so that, through
him, truth became distinguished from falsehood. He ruled justly, and
knowledge gushed forth from him, as did wisdom. He had an aversion
to the world and its pleasures. By Allah, he would cry constantly
from the fear of Allah, he would contemplate for hours on end,
conversing with his soul.
to train his soul to be patient he used to like to wear
short garments and to eat lower quality food. By Allah, it was as if
- in his humbleness - he was one of us: when we asked him a
question, he would answer us, when we would go to him, he would
initiate the greetings of peace, and when we would invite him to our
homes, he would come to us. Yet, in spite of his closeness to us, we
would not speak freely with him, because of the dignity and honour
that he exuded if he smiled, he revealed the likes of straight and
regular pearls ( his teeth). He honoured religious people and loved
the poor. The strong person could not hope to gain favours from him
through falsehood. And the weak person never lost hope of his
justness. I swear, by Allah, that on certain occasions, I saw him in
his place of prayer when the night was dark and few stars could be
seen; he would be holding his beard and crying the way a very sad
person cries; and I would hear him saying, "O world, O world, are
you offering yourself to me? Do you desire me? Never! Never! Decieve
someone other than me. I have divorced you for the third time, so
that you cannot return to me. O world, your life is short, the
existence you offer is base, and your danger is great. Oh for the
small amount of good deeds, the great distance of the journey,
and the loneliness of the road!"
Upon hearing this description, Muawiyah's eyes filled with tears, and not being able to hold them back , he was forced to wipe them with his sleeves. Muawaiyah (RAA) then said, "May Allah have mercy on the father of Al Hasan, for he was, by Allah, just as you described him to be." He (RAA) then said, "O Dirar, describe your sadness at having lost him."
"My sadness," began Dirar, "is like the sadness of a woman who cannot control her tears or her grief after her child, while in her lap, has just been slaughtered." Dirar then stood up and left.
May Allah SWT make us all from those who follow in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad SAWS and his companions.
Salam
Atef MahgoubICP Imam
I believe in Islam like the sun rising, not because i see it but because by it i see everything else.
http://icp-pgh.org/
__________________________________________________________________
April 27, 2009
"Jutice"
|
Salamo Alykom Brothers and Sisters . Islam views Justice as one of the most important and supreme values in human life Allah SWT has sent all of his revelations in order to establish justice. Allah says "“We have revealed to you the scripture with the truth that you may judge between people by what God has taught you.” (Quran 4:105) Allah says in ( Hadith Qudsi) “O My slaves, I have forbidden injustice for Myself and forbade it also for you. So avoid being unjust to one another.” (Saheeh Muslim) When Omar ibn Abdelaziz (radi allahu anhu) became a khalifa,
he asked Alhasan al-Basri, to write down all the
characteristics of a just leader. Alhasan
wrote to him, “Know, ya Amir ul-Mumineen, that Allah SWT made
the just leader upright “O Prince of the believers! Know that Allah has made the just ruler as one who straightens the crooked, one who restrains the oppressors, one who reforms the corrupt, one who strengthens and brings justice to the weak, and one who brings refuge to the afflicted. O Prince of the believers! A just ruler is like a kind shepherd who looks for the best pastures for his flock and steers them away from areas of danger and wild animals, and protects them from harms. O Prince of the believers A just ruler is like a caring father who toils for the sake of his children, educates them as they grow up, and earns bread for them while he is still alive, and leaves for them (wealth) after his death. O Prince of the believers A just ruler is like an affectionate mother who has loving care for her son. She bears him with hardship, and delivers him with hardship. She cares for him while he is a little child, staying awake at night when he does and sleeps when he does. She feeds him at times, and weans him at others, and she feels happy about his good health and worries when he complains. O Prince of the believers ! A just ruler is the guardian of orphans and sponsor of the needy, he cares for the young and provides for the old. O Prince of the believers! A just ruler is like a heart within the ribs. When the heart is healthy the ribs become healthy, but when it is sick they grow unhealthy. O Prince of the believers A just ruler is the one who listens to the Words of Allah and makes them listen to it, he is the one who seeks the reward of Allah, and makes his subjects seek His reward. He is the one who submits to the will of Allah and makes his subject submit to Him. O Prince of the believers do not misuse what Allah has bestowed upon you, like a slave who his master entrusted him with his wealth and family, and he squandered the wealth and made his children homeless. O Prince of the believers, know that Allah has prescribed certain castigatory punishments to deter his slaves from doing evil…what if the one who is charged with this duty does a sin that necessitates this? Castigations would safeguard people's lives… what if the one who is charged with this duty commits murder? O Prince of the believers be mindful of death, and what will take place thereafter, and the little number of helpers; so gather whatever provisions you can in order to prepare for it and the horrors that follow it. O Prince of the believers , know that you have a different home unlike your present home. In it your sleep will last long, and your friends will part with you, and leave you all by yourself. Therefore, take those provisions which may accompany you. (That Day shall a man flee from his brother. * And from his mother and his father, * And from his wife and his children.) [80:34-6] O Prince of the believers, remember the words of Allah: (When the contents of the graves are brought out and poured forth. * And that which is in the breasts (of men) shall be made known…) [100:9-10] On that Day secrets will be revealed, as well as your record of deeds: (that leaves neither a small thing nor a big thing, but has recorded it.) [18:49] O Prince of the believers, there is still time for you before death comes and all hopes are shattered and lost (to work righteousness). O Prince of the believers! Judge between your subjects with the laws of Islam, and do not lead them in the way of the wrong-doers. Do not give the proud power over feeble, as they do not observe any pacts or honor towards a believer; and so that you should not bear the sins of others. Do not be deceived by those who enjoy things that lead to your misery, and devour the good things while depriving you of the good things of the Hereafter. Do not think of your power today; but think of it tomorrow when you become the captive of death, standing on the Day of Requital before Allah in the presence of an assembly of angels, prophets and messengers, when… ((All) faces shall be humbled before (Allah,) the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists.) [20:111] O Prince of the believers!
Although I have not attained with this advice the level of wise
men or their reason and wisdom before me, I have done my best to
be sincere in my advice to you. So take my message as a medicine
given by a loving person to his favorite friend… although it has
bitter taste, it would serve as a cure.” what beautiful words and profound advises from Alhasan Al Basy may Allah have mercy upon him . As Muslims, we used to be a community that was recognized far and wide for its social justice. Let us regain this reputation by being just to everyone in our houses and to those around us . Atef MahgoubIbnolislam. لا أعرف مظلوما تواطأ الناس علي هضمه ولا زهدوا في إنصافه كالحقيقة.....محمد الغزالي "No victim has ever been more repressed and alienated than the truth" http://icp-pgh.org/ |
March 13, 2009
“I wish that your love for the Prophet
SAAW would be true and real ?”
Salamo aykom sister and brothers:
Rabi Awal ( the Prophet's birthday ) When you watch people celebrating the Prophet’s birthday, the celebration is nothing but eating special desserts and listening or watching religious songs and movies, and other things , but the point is to survive the great event of the Prophet’s birthday by feeling your love for him.
The Prophet Mohammed SAAW said," None of you will reach Iman till I become dearer to him than himself, his children, parent and all the humans " ( Bukhari wa Muslim)
We all know how much the companions of the prophet Mohammed loved him so much
One day Omar ( Radiellah anho) was walking with the Prophet SAAW,then he said By Allah, I love you O Prophet of Allah. Then the Prophet asked him, more than your family, O Omar? Omar answered, Yes, O Prophet of Allah. The Prophet then asked him, More than your children, Omar? Omar answered, Yes, O Prophet of Allah.”The Prophet then asked him, more than your wealth O
Omar? Omar answered, Yes, O Prophet of Allah. The Prophet then asked him, More than yourself, O Omar? Then Omar, “No, O Prophet of Allah, then the Prophet said, O Omar, your Iman will never be complete until you love me more than yourself. So Omar went out and stayed alone for a while, then he came back and loudly said, O Prophet of Allah, now I love you more than myself. The Prophet then replied, “Now, O Omar, now, O Omar. Omar (Radiellah anho) was later asked how could you love someone more than you love your own self? He said “I went out and asked myself whom I needed more, myself or the Prophet Mohammed SAAW? I found that I needed the Prophet more. I will not intercede for myself on the Day of Judgment, but the Prophet will. My deeds will not get me in the highest of levels, but my love for the Prophet will. I did not take myself from the darkness to light, but the Prophet did. The love of the Prophet fell in my heart more than my love for myself. This is just an example of someone who truly loved the Prophet SAAW
Another example is the Prophet's servant Thawban. One day the
Prophet SAAW went out for a trip, when he came back, he found Thawban
crying. He asked him about the reason for his crying. Thawban
said, “I missed you, ya RsulAllah”. The Prophet asked him if this
was the only reason for his crying and Thawban said, No Ya Rsuol Allah,
that’s not the only reason. You went away for just one day and I missed
you, so I remembered Jannah , where you will be in the highest of the
level, and i won’t be with you so I’ll miss you in the Jannah, and that
is why I cried.” But the Prophet told him, “Thawban, don’t you
know
When they build to the Prophet Mohammed SAAW a minbar he gave up the tree trunk he used to hold, so everyone can see him, the companies said,we heard the palm tree moaning like a cow about to give birth. The Prophet came down from his minbar and took it in his arms. The moaning of the tree trunk little by little calm down until it stopped. The Prophet patted it and said, 'Won’t you be happy to be buried here and then be with me in paradise?' And the moaning stopped completely.
SOBHAN ALLAH even the trunk yearned for the Prophet Mohammed SAAWAfter hearing all that who wouldn’t love the Prophet SAAW? We love the people and the life of this world and give up the one who took our hands and led us from
Allah says
" Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth that you have gained the commerce in which you fear a decline, and the dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and striving hard and fighting in His cause, then wait until Allah brings about His decision. And Allah guides not the people who are rebellious" (9-24)Everyone has to ask himself
do you really love the Prophet Mo hammed SAAW ? or you are sad because you don’t follow his orders? Or you are sad because you are absorbed in this temporary life interests and have forgotten all about him?I wish that your love for the Prophet SAAW would be true and real
“Allahuma Salli wa Sallim ala Muhammad”Atef Mahgoub
Ibnolislam.
ICP Imam
_________________________________________________________ January 29, 2009
“Who are your friends?”
Dear Sisters and Brothers, this message is for the youth and for the parents . We have recently been focusing on the challenges that our young people are facing. There are so many issues in the world today, but let us focus on one topic, “who are your friends?". We must pay great attention to that, since it has been proven, the main reason that some young go astray is their friends. It is important to shed light on the topic of "choice of friends."
Let me start by addressing the parents. When your child was at the age of 5 or 7, you were the most important figure in his/ her life and the center of their attention, trust and affection. Now your son or daughter is 14 or older, and things have changed. There is another object of attention and affection, or more than one. You might fall into second place or tenth place, depending on how close you are to your child . Your ranking in your child’s life depends on what type of father you are. However, you are definitely not number one. their friends are.( Imam Nabulsi )
As human beings, we are social by nature. We all need friends and our friends influence our lives and our decisions. Look at anyone who is responsible for a disaster and you will definitely find that a friend led him to it.
It is important for our youth to understand that it is only natural to have friends. You will always have friends, but just be aware that friends influence every aspect of your life. There are three main areas that your friends have immense influence over: your success in life, your relationship with your parents and/or family and your relationship with Allah .
First, how your friends influence your relationship with Allah.
There you will find a strong connection. Who your friends are will determine how likely you are to do bad things like intoxicats, whether or not a young lady will want to wear Hijab, whether or not you will continue to pray regularly, and many others. The Prophet (SAWS) said that a person is similar in religion to his friends and therefore should see who his friends are. He did not say his friends’ manners or attitude, but rather, religion! Let’s see who our friends are and how we pick them. The Prophet (SAWS) said that the best gift after the gift of Islam is an honest friend who reminds you if you forget (Allah) and helps you when you remember.
Secondly, if you look at how your friends influence your relationship with your parents, you will find that you will likely treat your parents the way you see your friends treat theirs.
The third is your future and success in life. Are you surrounded with successful friends, who have great hopes of building a great future? Or are you surrounded by failures and thus you should be no different! We are captives of what we see around us, as if we are in a small room. Look at the verse, which can be translated as, “..his offense(s) have encompassed him…” ( 2:81) What does that mean? It means that when you get used to your sins, they will surround you and by time will see nothing else but your sins.
Many parents and older people in general, say they were doing well in life, until a certain friend came into their lives and then they started to change for the worse. Many women express their love for hijab, yet they are unable to wear it because none of their friends do.
Now I will give a very important example how to be careful for picking someone to be your friend : ‘Oqbah Ibn-Abu-Ma’eet who was a close friend of Abu-Jahl . While the Abu-Jahl was away, along with his evil influence, ‘Oqbah went to Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) and listened to him, liked what he heard and decided to go the following day to embrace Islam. However, that day Abu-Jahl returned and he asked his friend I see lights on your face what's going on ? Oqbah told him I will embrace Islam , Abo Jahl became angry when he learned of his friend’s intention and threatened to cut him off; not to be his friend and supporter any more if he embraced Islam. Moreover, he pushed him to go to Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) and spit on him (SAWS). From that day on ‘Oqbah turned into one of the Prophet’s (SAWS) worst enemies; he continuously hurt and harmed the Prophet (SAWS). How did his life end? He was killed in the Battle of Badr. The Qur’an mentions the story “And the Day that the unjust (person) will bite at both his hands, (and) say, “Oh, would that I had taken to myself a way along with the Messenger. Oh, woe to me! Would that I had not taken so-and-so to myself for a (close) fellow. Indeed he readily made me err away from the Remembrance after it had come to me.” And Ash-Shaytan (i.e., dwelling habitation) has been constantly abandoning man.
See what a bad friend can do to you? Please be careful when choosing your friends and do not always take what others say as absolute truth. For parents, keep a open relationship with your children, be close to them.
wa salam
Atef Mahgoub
Ibnolislam.
January 5, 2009
Taking an Action!
Why does Islam stress so much on
"taking an action" against what's wrong? The Messenger of
Allah (pbuh),
the greatest teacher, gave us a great example to demonstrate the
importance of this Islamic behavior.
"The likeness
of the man who observes the limits prescribed by Allah and that of the
man who transgresses them is like the people who get on board a ship
after casting lots. Some of them are in its
lower deck and some of them in its upper deck. Those who are in
its lower deck, when they require water, go to the occupants of the
upper deck. The occupants of the lower deck said to themselves, ‘If we
make a hole in the bottom of the ship, we shall not harm the ones who
are in the upper deck.’ If they leave them to carry out their design
they all will be drowned. But if they do not let them go ahead (with
their plan), all of them will remain safe." This example shows us
the importance of thinking of our community and the entire
Ummah
as one body. It might seem that such a concept is alien somehow. The
reason we might feel that is not because it really is an odd concept,
but because we have drifted so far from the spirit of Islam where a
person feels responsible for the whole society and we have become rather
self-centered
I will give you examples of those who took an action. 1.The believer in the Family of the Pharaoh:
Despite the Pharaoh's severe opposition to the message of Prophet Moses
(pbuh) one of the royal family members embraced Islam. Allah says, "A
believer, a man from among the people of Pharaoh, who had concealed his
faith, said: ‘Will you slay a man because he says, 'My Lord is Allah?-
when he has indeed come to you with Clear (Signs) from your Lord? And if
he be a liar, on him is (the sin of) his lie: but, if he is telling the
Truth, then will fall on you something of the (calamity) of which he
warns you: Truly Allah guides not one who transgresses and lies!’"
(40:28). How did Allah reward this believer's action? Allah
continues, "Then Allah saved him from (every) ill that they plotted
(against him), but the burnt of the Penalty encompassed on all sides the
People of Pharaoh." (40:45). Allah protected him from all the
conspiracies they had planned. Allah does not abandon those who struggle
for his cause.
Are you afraid for your children and what might happen to them? Listen
to your Lord, "And let those fear who, should they leave behind them
weakly offspring, would fear on their account, so let them be careful of
(their duty to) Allah, and let them speak right words." (4:9).
Fearing for your children is not an excuse, in fact Allah tells you that
if you fear for them, then speak right words and fulfill your duty to
Allah. He will protect them.
2- Solomon's
Hoopoe (Hud-hud Solayman).
Solomon (pbuh), a Prophet and a King had amongst his Kingdom a bird, a
Hoopoe. This Hoopoe proved to be more passionate about Allah's religion
than many human beings today. It saw a kingdom worshipping the sun, what
did it do? Did it say "I'm just a Hoopoe, what can I do?" Did it say "No
way, this is too big for me, did I see anything? Nope I didn't see
anything"? Do you know what the Hoopoe did? It approached these people
and investigated what they were doing, gathered the information and flew
back to Jerusalem to tell Prophet Solomon (pbuh). Allah
says "But the Hoopoe tarried not far: he (came up to Solomon and)
said: "I have compassed (territory) which you have not compassed, and I
have come to you from Saba with tidings true." (27:22). It told
Solomon all about what it had witnessed, and that Hoopoe was a main
reason that they all entered Islam. (Sigh) If only we had a couple of
those Hoopoes today. If only Muslims today would have the same
enthusiasm for Islam as the Hoopoe had.
Brothers and sisters, no one will clean this mess that we are in except
us. If you turn away from it, you're just leaving it for your children,
and it will get worse. If we want our Ummah back in shape we have to
have a positive impact on life, we all have to contribute. Lets stop
being passive. Don't underestimate the impact you could make. If you are
sincere in changing yourself and your surroundings then call unto Allah
with humbleness and He will assist you, and if He assists you, nothing
could go wrong.
Dear Brothers and sisters, our Ummah needs every single one of you.
Allah didn't say that He doesn't change the condition of "a person"
until he or she changes "him or herself", No. Allah said, "Verily
Allah will never change the condition of a people until they
change themselves" (13:11). Take an action Take a step forward before it gets worse .
Atef Mahgoub
Ibnolislam.
December 22,2008
The Honor and Dignity ('Ezzah) of the Muslim Ummah.
Ezzah encompasses
meanings of Honor, Dignity, Might, and
Glory, and its opposite is Zillah or humility. Today we will say,
"Yes" to Honor and "No" to humility. A Muslim
only accepts Honor and never settles to
humility. Allah wants us to be an Honorable
and Mighty Ummah, so why do we drift ourselves to the weakness of
humility? Do you know how we sowed the seeds of humility in our Ummah?
When a Muslim father slaps his wife on the face, in front of his
children, he's sowing the seeds of humility. When a teacher beats a
student or punishes him or her in a humiliating way and when a father
punishes his son in front of his friends, they are both sowing seeds of
humiliation. All these things make a Muslim used to humiliation and make
us forget that we were to be honorable people.
A person's feeling of self-honor is something
that could either be developed or impaired. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh)
showed us how to develop this feeling in our children. One day Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) was sitting with the some of his respected Companions
and on his right was Ibn Abbas who was still a young teenager. When the
Messenger of Allah used to drink in such a gathering, he would pass the
cup to the one sitting on his right to drink also. Then this person on
his right would pass it onto the one on his right and so on. In this
specific situation it would mean that Ibn Abbas, a young teenager, would
drink before big names like Abu Bakr and Omar ibn Al-Khattab. So when
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) drank and was going to pass the cup he asked Ibn
Abbas, Would you give me the permission to give your
share to my dear brothers before you?" Of course the Prophet (pbuh)
could have just given them the cup and it would be understandable
because the preference would be to elder Muslims especially if they are
as respected as Abu Bakr. But Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to develop
Ibn Abbas' feeling of self-esteem and
dignity and didn't want to make him feel that
he had no importance or that he was weightless. Ibn Abbas replied, "By
Allah, I could never give my portion from you to anybody else" (drinking
right after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from the same cup was a privilege to
Ibn Abbas), and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) let him drink first. See how
Islam develops our sense of 'Ezzah?
Allah says, "Who ever seeks glory and power ('Ezzah),- to Allah
belongs all glory and power." (35:10). There is no other source.
This is today's Divine Law, The only source of 'Ezzah
is Allah. You can't get Glory or
Honor from any other human being or country, only from Allah,
because Allah is The "Mu'ez" and The Muzel", which means "The One who
gives Honor" and "The One who humiliates and brings low". An honorable
person today might be a low person tomorrow, and a rich person today
might be poor tomorrow, so don't go to another human being for
Honor, go to Allah. Allah says, “Say: ‘O Allah. Lord of Power
(And Rule), You give power to whom You please, and You strip off power
from whom You please: You endue with honor whom You please, and You
bring low whom You please: In Your hand is all good. Verily, over all
things You have power.’" (3:26).
Atef Mahgoub
Ibnolislam.