Marriage, Jobs and Musa - A Unique Link

Salam all, I got this from an email, very nice read.

Far removed from the comforts of the palace of Pharaoh he once called home, Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) now toiled in the desert of Egypt for days. As the blazing sun scorched his skin and his feet ached from the long journey, his stomach wailed of hunger and thirst. With the physical world exerting all of its weight on every inch of his body, he neared collapse and took refuge under the shade of a tree in the ancient land of Madyan.

He soon found two young women shepards fighting off crowds of men trying to water their sheep, and despite his exhaustion, he sprung to their aide. His nobility would not allow him to rest while he saw others in need, no matter how dire his own situation. He fought off the crowds of men, watered the sheep of the women, and returned to his place of rest. Musa had no one to turn to in the physical world. He was in a foreign land, penniless, and physically broken. At this moment, he was inspired to turn to Allah the Most Generous and made a supplication to God that will forever be remembered in history:

فَسَقَىٰ لَهُمَا ثُمَّ تَوَلَّىٰ إِلَى ٱلظِّلِّ فَقَالَ رَبِّ إِنِّي لِمَآ أَنزَلْتَ إِلَيَّ مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَقِيرٌ

So he drew water for them; then he turned away to the shade, and he said, 'O my Lord, surely I have need of whatever good Thou shalt have sent down upon me.' (Surah Qasas, verse 24)

The secrets carried in the simple words of Musa (peace be upon him) opened up the spiritual world, and caused an immediate impact on his physical existence. No sooner did he utter this supplication that the two women returned to him carrying the news that their father would like to reward him for his noble act.

As we know the story, their father offered Musa a job and one of his two daughters in marriage! In nearly the blink of an eye, the circumstances of Musa were transformed by his spiritual words, words that were light on the tongue, but heavy in the sight of Allah.

The spiritual masters of the past, knowing that the Qur'an was the solution to all difficulties, would later encourage their students to often repeat this supplication of Musa (peace be upon him) when they were in need of a job or a spouse. Today, we find that this supplication is as important now as ever before.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.1% of Americans are unemployed. Current economic woes in America and Europe are having a negative impact on most households. Many people have lost, or are in fear of losing, their jobs. The world is undeniably in a recession.

Like everything else though, assistance can always be found in the Qur'an and the example of our Messengers (Peace be upon them). So while you search for a job or seek out a spouse, remember to always rely on Allah first and continue to do so throughout the whole process. Repeat the supplication of Musa (peace be upon), day in and day out, for by the will of Allah, there will be much unlocked for you!

Moutasem Atiya

www.almadinainstitute.org

I've done something bad.. now what?

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

One of the things I am involved in is assisting reverts. I got an email from a revert about a 'bad' sin they had committed. This revert felt 'felt too ashamed to even approach God'. Here is the email I replied with, I think it's beneficial to share this.

As I said before, we all commit sins. And when muslims do this, one of a number of things can happen:

• They don't even feel bad about doing it, but continue to do it and enjoy it
• They feel bad about doing it, and want to stop, but the desire of their soul keeps pushing them to do it again
• What happened with you: they feel so bad about doing it, that they think they have lost all connection with God. Like you say, this leads to a domino effect

All of the above are the 'wrong' thing to do. The most important thing, of course, is to do what Allah wants us to do. What does Allah want us to do? Does he want us to just sulk away out of fear and shame? Or does he want us to approach him? It is very, very clear that Allah WANTS us to approach him after sinning. The idea that what we have done is so bad that we can't approach Allah is simply a trick of Satan to keep us away from Allah. Allah says in the Quran:

Allah wants to turn to you in repentance, but the wish of those who follow their lusts is that you should turn away from Him- far, far away. Allah wants to lighten your difficulties: For man was created Weak . 4:27-28

These verses make it very clear that when you do a sin, Allah WANTS you to turn to him in repentance. Those who reject Allah, like Satan, and follow their own lusts - they want you to NOT turn to Allah in repentance, but to do what you did, which was turn away from Allah. Allah knows that we are weak, and we sin. One of the names of Allah is Al Haleem, which means 'The Most Tolerant'. Allah is tolerant of our sins, and gives us chance after chance to turn back. In the Quran, Allah says that if He were to take everyone to task for his sins, there would not be a single human being left on earth. What matters is the state you are in when you die. So Allah gives everyone time to repent. So you may be thinking, or rather Satan may be whispering in your mind 'what I did was REALLY bad'. So for a start, it's a good thing you realize how grave what you did was (and I'm not judging you here). The Prophet(SAW) said 'Remorse is repentance', meaning that feeling bad is actually a good thing, as it really is a sign that Allah has accepted you. As for whether there are any sins which Allah does not forgive, Allah says this in the Quran:

Those who invoke not, with Allah, any other god, nor slay such life as Allah has made sacred except for just cause, nor commit fornication; - and any that does this not only meets punishment, but the Penalty on the Day of Judgment will be doubled to him, and he will dwell therein in ignominy, unless he repents, believes, and works righteous deeds, for Allah will change the evil of such persons into good, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful 25:68-70

In these verses, Allah is saying that there are three sins which deserve a double punishment: taking partners with God, murder, and fornication. But even these sins are forgiven with repentance and doing good deeds, such as salat. Allah does NOT say that whoever does these three things can never come back to him. So look at what you did, which was not as the same level as these three things... how can you think, based on this, that Allah will not accept you if you turn back to Him?

I sincerely pray to Allah to help you stay on the right path, Ameen.

Jesus in The Quran

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

A summary, with references, of the description of Jesus (peace be upon Him) in the Quran.

His Name

In the Quran, Jesus is referred to as Isa, which is the Arabic for Jesus. He is also referred to as Masih in several places (3:45,4:171, 5:17) which literally means 'anointed' in Arabic. This is translated in English translations as either 'Christ' or 'Messiah'. Another epithet used throughout the Quran for Jesus is Son of Mary (2:87, 2:253, 4:171, 5:46), to emphasize the Quranic belief that Jesus is the son of a human woman, and not the son of God.

Mary

The story of the birth of Jesus is told in the Quran in two places, Surah 3 and Surah 19. We are first told about Mary. Here are the main points about Mary as told in the Quran (3:35-43, 19:16, 66:12).

• Mary was descended from the family of Amran, the father of Moses.
• Before she was born, her mother dedicated her to be used for God's service.
• As she was growing up, the prophet Zachariah - the father of John the Baptist - was given the task of looking after her.
• Mary was miraculously provided by food from God.
• She was a devout worshipper of God
• She is considered one of the most pious women who ever lived on earth
• She was chaste, truthful and obedient to God

His Birth

Here are the main points about the birth of Jesus as told in the Quran (19:16-29, 3:35-37)

• Mary is informed by the angel Gabriel that she will give birth to Jesus.
• Being chaste, she asks how this can happen. She is told that God merely needs to say 'Be' for a thing to happen.
• Jesus is conceived by the breath of Gabriel, which he blows into Mary's womb.
• Mary goes to a remote place to give birth.
• She suffers from the pangs of labour. She is comforted with food and water.
• She gives birth to Jesus, and takes him to her people.
• Her people accuse her of being unchaste.
• In reply, she points to the baby Jesus, who - even though a baby - begins to speak to the people.

Relationship to God

• The very first words which Jesus speaks, in the scene presented above, are "Surely I am a servant of God; He has given me the Book and made me a prophet;". With these words, the Quran immediately makes clear that Jesus is not divine in any way, but is a servant of God and a prophet of His. (19:30).
• Jesus is referred to as a messenger of God throughout the Quran (2:87, 2:136, 3:84, 4:171).
• He is called a word from God, and a spirit proceeding from Him (3:45, 4:171).

Holy Spirit

• The Quran mentions in a number of places that Jesus was strengthened by the Holy Spirit (2:87, 2:253, 5:110). The 'Holy Spirit' refers to the Spirit and to the scripture given to Jesus. It may also refer to the angel Gabriel.
• Jesus was given this strengthening by the Holy Spirit in times of hardship, distress and opposition or enmity from the people. An example of this is the one cited above, where Jesus is able to talk to the people while still a baby in the cradle.

His mission

• Jesus was blessed, and commanded to pray to God and give charity (19:31-32).
• He is said to be given a scripture referred to as the Injil, which confirms the Torah given to the Children of Israel (3:3, 3:50,5:46, 61:6).
• The mission of Jesus was to tell the Children of Israel to worship one God, and only one God (5:72).
• The religion of Jesus is the same religion as that given by God to the prophets Noah, Abraham, Moses and Mohammed(42:13).
• Jesus is referred to as a bringer of wisdom, and to explain to the Children of Israel some of their differences. (43:63).
• Jesus is said to have performed many miracles as clear signs of his mission. Such miracles include giving life to clay birds, giving sight to the blind, healing lepers, and raising the dead to life. The Quran emphasises that these miracles were performed with the permission of God (2:87, 2:253, 3:49, 5:111-115, 43:63).
• Jesus was rejected by the Children of Israel (3:52, 3:54, 5:110, 61:6).
• Jesus was assisted by his disciples (3:52-53, 5:111-115, 61:14).
• Compassion and mercy was put in the hearts of those who followed Jesus (57:27).
• Jesus predicted the coming of Mohammed (61:6).

His demise

According to the Quran, the Jews tried to kill Jesus; but the Quran says that he was neither killed nor crucified, but it was made to appear so, and that he was then raised up to God (4:157-158).

His return

Jesus will return to earth before the day of judgment, towards the end of time (43:61, 4:159). Muhammed (peace be upon Him) informed muslims that Jesus will fight with and defeat the Antichrist.

His evidence on the Day of Judgement

On the day of judgement, Jesus will emphatically deny that he ever called upon anyone to either worship him or his mother (5:116).

Rejection of Church doctrine

• The Quran rejects Jesus being the son of God, or God taking any sons (19:88-92, 21:26-29, 2:116, 9:30, 10:68, 18:4-5).
• The Quran rejects Jesus being God (5:17).
• The Quran rejects the notion of the trinity (4:171).
• Throughout the Quran, Jesus is said to have clearly stated his people to 'worship God, your Lord and my Lord' (3:51, 5:72, 5:117,19:36, 43:64).
• The idea of Jesus dieing for mankind's sins is rejected. In many places, the Quran makes it clear that every soul is responsible for his own actions, and that one's sins cannot be borne by anyone else (6:164, 35:18, 53:38).

Donations for Haiti: Your Chance to Help

Donations for Haiti: Your Chance to Help

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Is there a personal interaction with God in Islam?

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

An email exchange.

The question

Does Islam teach anything that corresponds to the Christian concept of a personal interaction or relationship to God?

The answer

There are a number of ways in which practicing Islam leads to a personal interaction with God.
First and foremost is the daily ritual prayers. As you may be aware, muslims are enjoined to pray to God 5 times a day. The very first prayer is before sunrise, which is before the time people usually get up. In this way, the very first thing a muslim is supposed to do when he wakes up is turn to God and pray to Him. The other times of prayer are at noon, in the middle of the afternoon, at sunset, and then at night. As you can tell, this allows a muslim to turn to God many times during the day continually, and helps to make a muslim always mindful of God.

The prayer itself is a very personal interaction between God and the devotee. Prayer has been described as having a conversation with God. Let me try and describe some of the actions in the prayer. A devotee is in different positions in prayer, and recites different things in these positions. The prayer starts with the devotee reciting the first Chapter of the Quran, which is called 'The Opening'. This is as follows.

In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
Praise and Thanks be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds;
The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful;
The Master of the Day of Judgment.
You alone we worship, and Your help alone we seek.
Guide us to the straight path
The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace,
Those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who do not go astray.

This chapter is a prayer in itself. As you can, it is split into two parts. First, the devotee acknowledges, praises and glorifies his Creator and Sustainer. He does this by referring to God in the best words, as God has taught him. He thanks and praises God. He acknowledges God as being the only Creator and Sustainer of all mankind. He glorifies God by declaring the endless mercy of God. He acknowledges that on the day of judgement, when all of mankind is resurructed and judged, God alone will have sovereignty. The devotee then mentions the relationship he has with God: he worships God, and God alone, and asks God only for help. The second part is a supplication to God. A supplication for guidance. Guidance to the path which will lead to the pleasure of God, and not to his displeasure. Guidance to find the straight path, and to be able to stay on it. This is an admission from the devotee that without God continually guiding him, he cannot and will not be guided.

As you an imagine, when this is recited from the heart, the devotee feels very close to God, and feels the assurance of God answering his supplication and guiding him. Throughout the day, within the five prayers, the devotee recites this 17 times.

Now another aspect of praying is bowing down. Why do we bow down? In bowing, the devotee renews his submissiveness and humility, striving to refine his inner feeling thru a fresh awareness of his own impotence and insignificance before the might and grandeur of God. In this position the devotee uses his tongue to glorify God and testify to His supreme majesty, both outwardly and inwardly. The words which are recited in this position are 'Glory to my Lord, The Most Great'.

Another position is that of prostration, when the devotee falls down with his face to the floor. This is the highest level of submission. The devotee brings the most precious part of his body, namely his face, down to meet the most lowly of all things: the dust of the earth. At the same time the devotee renews his inner awareness of God's majesty by glorifying him, reciting the words 'Glory to my Lord the Most High'. In this position, one should be confident of hoping in God's mercy. God's mercy flows towards weakness and lowliness, not towards arrogance and vanity. This is also the best position to supplicate, make a personal prayer request to God, because this is the nearest that a muslim can get to God.

Outside the ritual prayers, there are other acts of worship which a muslim can make involving a personal interaction with God. One of these is supplicating to God, asking him of something. In the Quran, it is written that God is close to his devotees when they call on Him. Supplication is a very important aspect of worship for a muslim. When a muslim supplicates, he does so in a manner where he feels that God is listening to Him, and God is ready to give him whatever he asks for. In supplication, a muslim opens his heart and asks God for whatever he feel he needs. As we see from above, a muslim can ask for guidance, can ask for God to make him a better muslim. He can ask God for good health and for sustenance. He can supplicate to God for his parents, his/her spouse and children. He can ask God for help with his career, exams, school work, etc. He can ask God for any specific need he has, be it big or small. He can ask God to help others. When a muslim is supplicating, he should think of it as an opportunity to converse with God. A muslim should supplicate with absolute trust in God, that either his prayer will be accepted, or God will give him something even better.

A beautiful example of supplication was shown to us by the Prophet Muhammed. He was sent initially to the idol worshippers of Arabia to call them back to the oneness of God. He suffered great hardship in this, and on one occasion he was driven out of a town, being pelted with stones. His shoes were full of blood, wounds were all over his body and he been insulted, ridiculed and abused. In this state, he made the following beautiful, amazingly intimate supplication to God:

"O God! I complain to You of my weakness, my scarcity of resources and the humiliation I have been subjected to by the people. O Most Merciful of those who are merciful. O Lord of the weak and my Lord too. To whom have you entrusted me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy to whom you have granted authority over my affair? So long as You are not angry with me, I do not care. Your favour is of a more expansive relief to me. I seek refuge in the light of Your Face by which all darkness is dispelled and every affair of this world and the next is set right, lest Your anger or Your displeasure descend upon me. I desire Your pleasure and satisfaction until You are pleased. There is no power and no might except by You."


One final thing I will mention, and that is asking for forgiveness. As I have indicated in my original email, a muslim can attain salvation, even after committing sins, by turning to God in repentance. This act of repentance is another very personal act, solely between the devotee and God. There are many prayers for asking for forgiveness, and this one here is one of my favorites.

O God! Separate me from my sins as you have separated the East and West. O God! Cleanse me of my sins as white cloth is cleansed from dirt. O God! Wash me of my sins with water, ice and snow.

An example of practicing Islam

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

Just imagine if every muslim was like this... the whole world would accept Islam. And don't think this is an exaggeration, the whole of Indonesia became muslim because of the honesty of the muslim traders who went there. Too many muslims think that the only way to communicate and spread the message of Islam is to order people around with fatwas and criticism... this shows the real way, by leading by example. And of course, this was the way of the Prophet(SAW).

Bangladeshi cabbie in NY returns cash left in taxi

The tourists said the honest driver had saved their vacation

A Bangladeshi taxi driver in New York City has gone out of his way to track down the person who left thousands of dollars in cash in the back of his cab.

Mukul Asadujjaman, a medical student, drove nearly 80kms (50 miles) to an address he found with the money.

He left his phone number when he found no one at home. The money belonged to an Italian grandmother visiting the US.

Mr Asadujjaman was offered a reward, but he turned it down saying that as a devout Muslim he could not accept it.

Felicia Lettieri, of Pompeii, Italy, and six relatives had taken two cabs on Christmas Eve, Newsday newspaper reported.

Mrs Lettieri, 72, left her purse behind, with more than $21,000 of the group's travelling money, jewellery worth thousands more, and some of their passports.

Her sister, Francesca Lettieri, 79, of Long Island, said the honest driver had saved her family's vacation.

"We really love what he did," she said.

'Be honest'

A gracious Asadujjaman was quoted by the newspaper as saying that he may be broke, but he was also honest.

"My mother is my inspiration. She always said to be honest and work hard."

Mr Asadujjaman called a friend with a car and drove some 80km to a Long Island address in the purse.

No one was at home, so he left his phone number and a note, the report said.

His phone rang a short time later and he drove back to return the bag.

"They were so, so, so happy," Mr Asadujjaman told the paper.

Asked if he was tempted to keep the cash, Mr Asadujjaman said the money would have allowed him more time to study, "but my heart said this is not good".

He also turned down a reward, saying he could not accept it as a devout Muslim, Newsday reported.

"I'm needy, but I'm not greedy," he said. "It's better to be honest."

Mr Asadujjaman is not the first honest American-Bangladeshi cabbie to hit the headlines for noble behaviour.

In 2007, driver Osman Chowdhury returned a lost bag containing diamond rings worth $500,000 to the rightful owner.

A wake up call for me

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

One of the things I like about doing dawah is that it often makes me re-assess myself. A few days ago, I got this question: Does Islam teach anything that corresponds to the Christian concept of a personal interaction or relationship to God? So I'm thinking, this is good chance to talk about salat, about dua, about rememberance of Allah, all of which make you get closer to Allah. And then I thought to myself: do I really get closer to Allah thru these things? We all know the importance of khushu in salat, and we all struggle with it. But, in my case at least, the other things are in a worse state. Let's take dua. Dua is a wonderful opportunity to totally open your heart to Allah, feel very close to Him, and ask of whatever you want. But how many of us, me included, just rush thru our duas after we make salat just for the sake of it? The same with rememberance of Allah. After salat, the Prophet(SAW) advised us to say Subhanallah 33 times, Alhamdolillah 33 times, and Allahu Akbar 34 times. But when we do this, are our hearts and minds in the right place? When we say Subhanallah, do we reflect on the glory of Allah, for example by pondering on His amazing creation? When we say Alhamdolillah, do we feel really gratefulness in our hearts for the countless favors He has given us? When we say Allahu Akbar, do we feel the might of Allah? As we say all these rememberances, do we really feel a personal interaction with Allah, as we are supposed to, or do we think about the kids, the cricket score, our meetings at work, what's for dinner, etc? So for me, the wake up call was this: before describing about how close a muslim can get to God thru his worship, maybe I should experience it for myself first.

Quran Lecture: Dialogue between Musa and Firaun

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

You can listen to this here. Length is around 22 minutes.

Surah 26, The Poets

10. Behold, thy Lord called Moses: "Go to the people of iniquity,-

11. "The people of the Pharaoh: will they not fear Allah."

12. He said: "O my Lord! I do fear that they will charge me with falsehood:

13. "My breast will be straitened. And my speech may not go (smoothly): so send unto Aaron.

14. "And (further), they have a charge of crime against me; and I fear they may slay me."

15. Allah said: "By no means! proceed then, both of you, with Our Signs; We are with you, and will listen (to your call).

16. "So go forth, both of you, to Pharaoh, and say: 'We have been sent by the Lord and Cherisher of the worlds;

17. "'Send thou with us the Children of Israel.'"

18. (Pharaoh) said: "Did we not cherish thee as a child among us, and didst thou not stay in our midst many years of thy life?

19. "And thou didst a deed of thine which (thou knowest) thou didst, and thou art an ungrateful (wretch)!"

20. Moses said: "I did it then, when I was in error.

21. "So I fled from you (all) when I feared you; but my Lord has (since) invested me with judgment (and wisdom) and appointed me as one of the apostles.

22. "And this is the favour with which thou dost reproach me,- that thou hast enslaved the Children of Israel!"

23. Pharaoh said: "And what is the 'Lord and Cherisher of the worlds'?"

24. (Moses) said: "The Lord and Cherisher of the heavens and the earth, and all between,- if ye want to be quite sure."

25. (Pharaoh) said to those around: "Did ye not listen (to what he says)?"

26. (Moses) said: "Your Lord and the Lord of your fathers from the beginning!"

27. (Pharaoh) said: "Truly your apostle who has been sent to you is a veritable madman!"

28. (Moses) said: "Lord of the East and the West, and all between! if ye only had sense!"

29. (Pharaoh) said: "If thou dost put forward any god other than me, I will certainly put thee in prison!"

30. (Moses) said: "Even if I showed you something clear (and) convincing?"

31. (Pharaoh) said: "Show it then, if thou tellest the truth!"

32. So (Moses) threw his rod, and behold, it was a serpent, plain (for all to see)!

33. And he drew out his hand, and behold, it was white to all beholders!

34. (Pharaoh) said to the Chiefs around him: "This is indeed a sorcerer well- versed:

35. "His plan is to get you out of your land by his sorcery; then what is it ye counsel?"

36. They said: "Keep him and his brother in suspense (for a while), and dispatch to the Cities heralds to collect-

37. "And bring up to thee all (our) sorcerers well-versed."

38. So the sorcerers were got together for the appointment of a day well-known,

39. And the people were told: "Are ye (now) assembled?-

40. "That we may follow the sorcerers (in religion) if they win?"

41. So when the sorcerers arrived, they said to Pharaoh: "Of course - shall we have a (suitable) reward if we win?

42. He said: "Yea, (and more),- for ye shall in that case be (raised to posts) nearest (to my person)."

43. Moses said to them: "Throw ye - that which ye are about to throw!"

44. So they threw their ropes and their rods, and said: "By the might of Pharaoh, it is we who will certainly win!"

45. Then Moses threw his rod, when, behold, it straightway swallows up all the falsehoods which they fake!

46. Then did the sorcerers fall down, prostrate in adoration,

47. Saying: "We believe in the Lord of the Worlds,

48. "The Lord of Moses and Aaron."

49. Said (Pharaoh): "Believe ye in Him before I give you permission? surely he is your leader, who has taught you sorcery! but soon shall ye know!

50. "Be sure I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides, and I will cause you all to die on the cross!"

51. They said: "No matter! for us, we shall but return to our Lord!

52. "Only, our desire is that our Lord will forgive us our faults, that we may become foremost among the believers!"

Quran Lecture: The Story of Qarun

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

Here is a lecture of the story of Qarun, which can be found in the Quran in Surah 28, Ayats 76 - 83. Click here to listen. Length is about 20 minutes.

76. Qarun was doubtless, of the people of Moses; but he acted insolently towards them: such were the treasures We had bestowed on him that their very keys would have been a burden to a body of strong men, behold, his people said to him: "Exult not, for Allah loveth not those who exult (in riches).

77. "But seek, with the (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on thee, the Home of the Hereafter, nor forget thy portion in this world: but do thou good, as Allah has been good to thee, and seek not (occasions for) mischief in the land: for Allah loves not those who do mischief."

78. He said: "This has been given to me because of a certain knowledge which I have." Did he not know that Allah had destroyed, before him, (whole) generations,- which were superior to him in strength and greater in the amount (of riches) they had collected? but the wicked are not called (immediately) to account for their sins.

79. So he went forth among his people in the (pride of his wordly) glitter. Said those whose aim is the Life of this World: "Oh! that we had the like of what Qarun has got! for he is truly a lord of mighty good fortune!"

80. But those who had been granted (true) knowledge said: "Alas for you! The reward of Allah (in the Hereafter) is best for those who believe and work righteousness: but this none shall attain, save those who steadfastly persevere (in good)."

81. Then We caused the earth to swallow up him and his house; and he had not (the least little) party to help him against Allah, nor could he defend himself.

82. And those who had envied his position the day before began to say on the morrow: "Ah! it is indeed Allah Who enlarges the provision or restricts it, to any of His servants He pleases! had it not been that Allah was gracious to us, He could have caused the earth to swallow us up! Ah! those who reject Allah will assuredly never prosper."

83. That Home of the Hereafter We shall give to those who intend not high- handedness or mischief on earth: and the end is (best) for the righteous.

84. If any does good, the reward to him is better than his deed; but if any does evil, the doers of evil are only punished (to the extent) of their deeds.

Quran Lecture: Sending Blessings on the Prophet

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

Alhamdolillah, I have started giving Quran lectures at my local Islamic center and will be posting them Inshallah. Here is a lecture of Surah Al Ahzab, Ayat 56:

Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.

Click here to listen. Length is about 25 minutes.

Call For Comments!

In the Name of Allah, the Most Kind the Most Merciful

I see from the feed that we have a lot of visitors, from all over the place Mashallah! Please leave a comment, even if it's just to say 'I agree' or 'I disagree'! I have no ego to bruise... if what I am saying is correct, it's from Allah, and if I'm wrong, it means I need to improve! May Allah reward you all.

An email from a Buddhist and a reply

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

Buddhist: The objective including mental development in Buddhism is to realise Anicca (Impermanence)of everything created, including heaven and hell. Thereby letting go of everything including the 'vehicle' that took you to the destination..ie religion (Buddhism). The objective in Islam is the ultimate purification to reach heaven. Cant think of a proper example....lets take 1 -9. 9 is the highest number. So (my understanding and I mean no offence) is that Islam will take you to 9. The highest possible. In the case of Buddhism it would take you to 0. Where nothing remains..but it is still something. if you know what I mean...

Reply: According to Islamic belief, when all is said and done... when you have lived your life in this world and got whatever you wanted out of it... if you make it to paradise and get whatever you want from paradise... for the believer, there is one final but great thing. The believer actually gets to see his Creator, face to face. Every pleasure the believer has ever felt, whether mental or physical, whether in this life or in paradise, is practically nothing when compared with this pleasure. To meet your Creator... the one who has created this huge universe, which is at least 14.5 billion years wide, while you are a tiny speck in the universe... the one who has been living eternally, while you lived for maybe 70 years... the amazing honor you get when you, a simple piece of flesh and bone which came from a drop of sperm, meet the One who not only created you, but the whole of humanity, the earth itself, the sun, the solar system, the galaxies, the whole universe... the feeling you get from that cannot be measured on any scale. Here is the hadith describing this:

When the inhabitants of Paradise enter Paradise, God, the Glorious and Exalted, will say to them: `Do you wish me to give you anything more?' They will reply: `Have You not made our faces bright? Have You not brought us into Paradise and delivered us from the Hell?' And God will remove the Veil. The (dwellers of Paradise) will feel that they have not been awarded anything dearer to them than looking at their Lord.

May Allah grant us all the reward of looking at Him, Ameen.

Do you want to be a millionaire?

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

Amazingly, this article was published on Forbes!

Like the Prophet(SAW) said, Riches does not mean having a great amount of property; real wealth is self-contentment.

Thoughts at a Janaza

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

I always try avoid being harsh, but at the same time we need to be realistic. I attended a Janaza (Funeral) Prayer yesterday for a friend of a family friend, and wanted to share some of the thoughts I had throughout the day.

It was a sister who has passed away (may Allah have abundant mercy on her, Ameen). She was in her 30's, and had been battling cancer for a few years. She left behind a husband and a 14 year old girl, may Allah grant them patience and comfort. So I guess the first thought that comes to mind: this can happen to any of us, anytime. None of us should think that we'll live forever, or that things like cancer can't happen to us.

A visit to a Jewish Temple

In the name of Allah, The most Kind The Most Merciful

A couple of days ago, I and a few members of our local community visited a Jewish temple to give them a cake for Eid. Every Eid, we try and give cakes to the local Jewish and Christian congregations. It was an interesting experience. We got there early, and attended the last few minutes of their service (had to put on one of those caps). They were bowing a lot, which reminded me of the verse in Surah Al Baqarah addressed to the Children of Israel : 'And bow down with those who bow down'. There are many types of Jews out there, these were 'in the middle' : not the orthodox ones with the black coats and long beards, and not the extremely liberal ones. We were greeted very warmly, they seemed genuinely pleased to see us. After the service, they allowed me to speak for a few minutes. I spoke about our local community, and how we give cakes to our faith based neighbours on our festivals. I explained briefly the significance of Eid Al Ahda, without explicitly saying who was the son that Ibrhaim (AS) sacrificed. Rather than say the term 'Jews', I stuck to the term 'Children of Israel'. One of the things I said was that the sacrifice of Ibrhaim (AS) makes us think: 'Do not think what God can do for you, think what you can do for God'. I mentiond that the cake we got was kosher (laughter from the audience). I ended by saying that I hoped we could work together in those areas where we have common goals, like the existence of God, the sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of unborn life, and respect for parents. The Rabbi endorsed this after my speech, talking about working together to counter secular values.

Afterwards, we got to partake with the congregation with the aforementioned cake and coffee (good thing, I had not had time for breakfast). We had some interesting discussions. I was able to talk to a couple of people and explain to them that Moses is the most often mentioned person in the Quran. I learnt about the differences between kosher and halal meat, and why meat and dairy cannot be mixed. Throughout the whole time, we kept getting thanked for coming to visit, and for the brief speech I made. I got an invitation from a woman who runs an interfaith organization which works towards common goals. And I got to talk to a Jewish guy who has written a book about Evolution and Genesis, where he says there is no problem accepting both. It seems to boil down to the meaning of the hebrew word 'yaum', the same as the Arabic word, and whether it literally means 'day' or means 'period'.

I left feeling that we had got benefit out of it. May Allah accept this from us, and keep us sincere in our intentions, Ameen.

Not-So-Happy Camper

Very nice article!

http://miahs.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/not-so-happy-camper/

Thoughts from a food kitchen

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

I was at a soup kitchen this weekend. There's this group of muslims who have started doing this all over the country, Mashallah, muslimsagainsthunger.com. A few observations. First of all, I think there is more than enough food to feed everyone all over the world. It's just that people in general (and yes, myself included) are too greedy and selfish. If humanity were to put it's mind to it, I'm sure hunger could be eliminated overnight.

Secondly, a lot of the sisters doing this were not wearing hijab. A lot of people - sadly, myself included sometimes - seem to make an instant judgement on a sister based on whether or not she wears hijab. These were sisters here who were not only giving up their precious weekend time to help the poor and hungry, but also bringing in their kids to help. Everytime their kids do anything like this, for the rest of their lives, their mother will share in the reward. And the Prophet(SAW) said that "The most beloved person to Allah is the one who benefits mankind the most". And bear in mind that not every hijabi wearer is an angel. I'm sure we all know hijabi wearers who are very lax about their salat. Salat is much, much more important than hijab. Don't get me wrong, hijab is important, and is an obligation on women, and I find women wearing hijab to have an awe of beauty. But next time you rush to judge a sister who does not wear a hijab, think twice. And if you're a guy, start by counting the number of women you yourself gawked at today.

Finally... it was amazing to see people helping each other, regardless of color, creed or anything else. There are people all over the world, across all nations, across all religions, who seem to think that war and fighting is the answer to everything. Bearing in mind the hadith I just mentioned above, it would be a much better world if we all tried to benefit each other.

Letters to Dr. Seuss

To summarize: a woman whose son is going thru chemo came across a Dr Seuss book which showed a photo of kids with various hair lengths and colors. All of them were smiling broadly, except the bald one, who had a big frown. Upset, she wrote letters to Dr Seuss about this. Read on for the details...

UPDATE: Letters to Dr. Seuss: Umm Yousuf | Random House Consents! | MuslimMatters.org

I found this very touching. It shows how, underneath it all, we are all humans, and we all have feelings. If people of all faiths could respect everyone else's feelings, this world would be a much better place.

Thoughts on Surah Al Fatiha

In the name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

Part of an email I was having with a woman interested in Islam (may Allah guide her to the truth, Ameen).

I have meanwhile learnt the fatiha by heart. Is it a sacrilege to practice without having the intention of being a Muslim just now?

I thought about this for a few minutes, and then started laughing. Why? Because when you recite Faitha, you are asking Allah to guide you to be a muslim. 'Guide us to the straight path'. You recite this in Fatiha, what does it mean? It means 'Guide us to the path of those you have blessed; who have accepted the correct faith; who try and follow obedience to their Creator; who follow the way of the Prophets; who truly submit themselves'. And this is the very defintion of being a muslim. So it's not sacrilege at all, and if you are sincere in reciting it, there can only be one final result, God willing.

Let me share a few thoughts with you regarding Fatiha. Let's go thru it verse by verse.

'In the name of Allah, the Most Kind the Most Merciful'.

Every action should start with the name of Allah, to always remember the importance of sincerity to Him. And the most common attributes which Allah wants to be remembered by are Al Rahman, the Most Kind, and Al Rahim, the Most Merciful. Al Rahman refers to the mercy and kindess of Allah when He provides for all of his creation. The things that we have around us to enable us to live our lives to the fullest... every single thing comes from the mercy and kindness of Allah. As for Al Rahim, this refers to his mercy when it comes to forgiving sins. For someone who truly is remorseful and repentant, there is no limit at all to the mercy and forgiveness of Allah.

'Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds'.

Praise and thanks to Allah. A muslim should always be grateful to Allah, in all circumstances, good or bad. As Allah says elsewhere in the Quran, if you were to try and count the favors of Allah, you would be unable to number them. Allah is the Lord of the Worlds. 'Lord' here means the Creator, Sustainer, the actual Cause of every action that happens in all the 'Worlds', the whole universe (or maybe universes) of creation.

'The Most Kind, the Most Merciful'.

To emphasise the mercy of Allah, His attributes of kindness, generosity, mercy and forgiveness are again repeated here.

'Master of the Day of Judgement'

Compared with Allah's mercy, this verse brings to mind Allah's power. A muslim is balanced, always hopeful in the mercy of Allah, but always remembering that he/she will be accountable for all his actions one day. And on that day, there will be no power whatsoever except that of Allah. The Masters in this world, the kings, leaders, power brokers, etc. they will have no say whatsoever on that day. Allah, and Allah alone, will be the Master that day.

'You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help'

The message of all the Prophets, and the message which is inside the nature of every human being... that Allah alone is worthy of worship. No ifs, buts or anything else... worship Allah, who because of his Lordship, is the only being that worship can be of benefit to. And when we are in need, we ask Allah and Allah alone, because Allah is the cause of everything. Even if someone is helping us, Allah is the ultimate cause of that help, the 'someone' is merely the means thru which Allah helps.

'Guide us to the straight path, the path of those whom you blessed'.

One of the attributes of Allah is 'Al Hadi', The Guide. Only Allah can guide to the straight path, the path of believing in Allah alone, and obedience to Him. Without being guided by Allah, we would be totally lost, grasping for light in the utter darkness in this world. If you ask Allah to guide you, He will; if you do not ask Allah to guide you, you will fall off the path. And to be on that path, there is no greater blessing than that.

'Not the path of those who earned Your anger, nor the path of those who went astray'.

Allah has given the message to people before; some were blessed and accepted the message correctly, acting on it correctly. Others accepted the message, and knew what the message was, but did no act on it accordingly; these are the ones who have earned the displeasure of Allah. Others accepted the message, but accepted it in a way that was not correct; these are the ones who have gone astray. So when we pray for guidance, we pray that we understand the guidance and knowledge that Allah bestows on us, and that we do our best to act according to that knowledge.

Listen to a beautiful recitation

Assalam Alaikum

In the Name of Allah, The Most Kind The Most Merciful

Assalam Alaikum, and thank you for stopping by! Over the years, I have made a lot of contacts in real life and over the web. These days, it's hard to keep up with everybody. With that in mind, I have decided to create a 'presence' by starting this blog. I will be posting various thoughts, rants, interesting links, all with the purposes of (a) staying in touch with all of you, and (b) trying to make myself, and those who read my blog, get closer to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala. I encourage all of you to leave comments, I'd love to read what you think! So I'm going to start a hadith with one of my favorite aspects of Islam, the importance of simply meeting each other for the sake of Allah SWT.

Abu Idris Al-Khaulani (May Allah had mercy upon him) reported: I once entered the mosque in Damascus. I happened to catch sight of a young man who had bright teeth (i.e., he was always seen smiling). A number of people had gathered around him. When they differed over anything they would refer it to him and act upon his advice. I asked who he was and I was told that he was Mu`adh bin Jabal (May Allah be pleased with him) The next day I hastened to the mosque, but found that he had arrived before me and was busy in performing Salat. I waited until he finished, and then went to him from the front, greeted him with Salam and said to him, "By Allah I love you.'' He asked, "For the sake of Allah?'' I replied, "Yes, for the sake of Allah". He again asked me, "Is it for Allah's sake?'' I replied, "Yes, it is for Allah's sake.'' Then he took hold of my cloak, drew me to himself and said, "Rejoice,! I heard Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying, `Allah, the Exalted, says: My love is due to those who love one another for My sake, meet one another for My sake, visit one another for My sake and spend in charity for My sake" (Malik)

May Allah SWT accept this blog from me as an example of loving one another, meeting one another, and visting one another for His sake, Ameen.