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Do You Hate Someone

Do you hate someone? Do you really hate someone? You haven’t spoken to him for a while? You’ve been blaming him?

You’re not the only one; the Muslim Ummah today is diseased with this to the extent that almost every Muslim knows another Muslim who he hates.

The Ummah is like a building with the Muslims as it’s bricks, brotherhood is the cement. Without forgiveness you cannot have brotherhood.

OK then, he wronged you. He deceived you. He backbited you. He lied to you. But even in these extreme situations the Qur’an and the Hadith teach us that we have to forgive others (especially those who hurt us the most) if we wish to earn the forgiveness of Allah on the day of judgment.

We have all committed many sins, made many mistakes and no doubt we have wronged others, we have deceived others, we have backbited others and no doubt we have lied to others.

So what makes us focus onto brothers’ and sisters’ errors while we remain unconscious of our own. Not to forgive is like to live in arrogance, and ignorance of our own shortcomings.

Forgiveness is linked with piety and God-consciousness, is there anybody who is not without sin? Is there anybody who can be arrogant enough to say that he does not need to forgive?

Do we not know that Allah forgives those who forgive others? Therefore, we should realize the difficulties of others and forgive them. Allah says in the Qur’an:

“Be quick in the forgiveness from your Lord, and pardon (all) men – for Allah loves those who do good.”
[Surah ali Imran; 3:133-134]

And we know that Allah Himself is Ar-Rahmaan (the Most Compassionate) and Ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful) and that His Mercy is infinite, and that no matter the sin (except shirk)

Allah is always willing to answer the person’s call for forgiveness. In fact Allah loves the tear drop that falls from the eye of one who sincerely seeks the forgiveness of his Lord.

And Allah loves us to have hearts that are ready to forgive.

The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) once asked his companions;
“Do you know what will cause you to have high walled palaces in Paradise (as a symbol of great reward) and will cause you to be raised by God?”

When they replied in the negative, he said,
“To be forgiving and to control yourself in the face of provocation, to give justice to the person who was unfair and unjust to you, to give to someone even though he did not give to you when you were in need and to keep connection with someone who may not have reciprocated your concern.”

Similarly the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that:
“the best of people are those who are slow to get angry and quick to forgive. On the other hand the worst of people are those, he said who get angry quickly but are slow to forgive”.

The characteristic that makes a person most likely to forgive is the purity of his or her heart. Apologies must be accepted,

The Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said that:

“Whoever apologises to his brother and that apology is not accepted, then the person who refuses to accept the apology bears the sin of one who takes the property of another unjustly.”

And the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) also said that:

“The doors of the Garden are open on Monday and Thursday. Every Muslim slave who does not associate anything with Allah is forgiven except for the man who has enmity between him and his brother.

It is said, ‘Leave those two until they have made a reconciliation. Leave those two until they have made a reconciliation” .

If we look at the example and the character of the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) we can see that he was always forgiving and never showed enmity to anyone except those who waged war against him.

This is the example of the man whom we claim to follow. Thumamah, as the chief of his tribe had killed many Muslims. On his travels, he was caught by the Muslim soldiers and was taken to the Prophet’s masjid and tied to one of the pillars.

The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) commanded his companions to untie him and give him the best food. The Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) was indeed a mercy for the worlds.

We should similarly be merciful with each other. First of all, we ourselves should not do anything to upset our brothers and sisters (because this is in itself a part of mercy) and then we should forgive those who have upset us or made us angry. We will never be a strong ummah if we are not able to forgive.

Some might say that to forgive is a sign of weakness and humiliation, and for them it is better to be strong and preserve their honor. But honor in the eyes of Allah lies in forgiveness.

“But indeed if any shows patience and forgives that would truly be an exercise of courageous will and resolution in the conduct of affairs.”
[surah 42:43]

If we are to be really strong then we have to be strong against Shaytaan and forgive our brothers and sisters, and in this way maybe Allah will decide insha Allah to forgive ourselves for our many mistakes.

Tawaf Is A Cosmic Law

Allah Almighty says: [And He it is Who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon. They float, each in an orbit. ] (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21: 33)

This glorious verse refers to a scientific fact concerning the system of the universe. Scientific discoveries have proved that we live in a huge universe that depends on revolution. The earth revolves round the sun once a year, the moon revolves around the earth once per lunar month, and the other planets of the solar system also revolve round the sun, each in its own orbit. Besides, most of these planets have moons that revolve around them, each, also, in its own orbit. Astronomers have discovered more than 60 of these moons so far.

The solar system, likewise, orbits a center of our galaxy, the Milky Way. This galaxy consists of more than 130 billion stars. Galaxies, in turn, revolve round a center that only Almighty Allah knows.

The law of revolution applies also to atoms, the smallest units of elements that cannot be seen even by microscopes. An atom is composed of a nucleus whose diameter is less than a millionth of a millimeter. An atom is surrounded by electrons that move round the atom in an orbit. Since all matter in the universe-whether solid, liquid, or gaseous-consists of atoms, this means that the law of revolution applies to everything: stars, planets, moons, animals, plants, sand, seas, air, and so on.

This includes cells as well. The cytoplasm in the cell moves around the nucleus.

There is a common factor between the orbital movements of all the objects referred to above, this is, their revolution is counterclockwise.

Contemplating the above lines, we come to realize that revolution is a cosmic law.

With a believer’s meditation upon such a scientific fact, another image of revolution is brought to one’s mind: the pilgrims’ circumambulation of the Ka`bah, which is a basic ritual of Hajj in Islam.

Circumambulating the Ka`bah is a symbolic act of worship, whose wisdom may be hidden form some. It indicates the believers’ utter submission to Almighty Allah alone. The pilgrims go to Hajj in response to the divine order that Prophet Abraham (peace and blessings be upon him) conveyed to people. Allah Almighty says: [And (remember) when We prepared for Abraham the place of the (holy) House, saying: Ascribe thou no thing as partner unto Me, and purify My House for those who make the round (thereof) and those who stand and those who bow and make prostration. And proclaim unto mankind the pilgrimage. They will come unto thee on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every deep ravine. ] (Al-Hajj 22: 26-27)

This signifies that the Ka`bah is the spiritual center of the believers. It refers to the close bond that should be between a believer and his Lord. A believer turns toward the Ka`bah five times a day during the prescribed ritual Prayers.

A pilgrim circumambulates the Ka`bah as if he or she is a celestial body orbiting another greater body. Circumambulation of the Ka`bah is to be performed counterclockwise. This indicates that there is a joint factor between a pilgrim’s expressing his ultimate faith in Almighty Allah by circumambulating the Ka`bah in that way and between the cosmic law of revolution discussed above. This indicates that there is consistency between the obligations of worship in Islam and the natural laws that govern the universe, which indicates that they all belong to only one source, that is, Almighty Allah.

This proves the truthfulness of the call of Islam that there is no god but Almighty Allah. Thus, Islam is the true religion that provides humankind with a comprehensive view in conformity with the divine truth that is apparent in the natural laws of the universe.

By Prof. Dr. Ahmad Fouad Pasha

The Excellence Of Remembrance

Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) says:
{Therefore remember Me, I will remember you and be grateful to Me, and never be ungrateful to me}, [Soorah al-Baqarah, Aayah 152]

{O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance}, [Soorah al-Ahzaab, Aayah 41]
{And for men and women who engage much in Allah’s remembrance, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward}, [Soorah al-Ahzaab, Aayah 35]

{And bring your Lord to remembrance in your [very] soul, with humility and remember without loudness in words, in the mornings and evenings; and be not of those who are unheedful}, [Soorah al-A’raaf, Aayah 205]

The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:
((The comparison of the one who remembers Allah and the one who does not remember Allah, is like that of the living and the dead)), [al-Bukhaaree with al-Fat.h 11/208 and Muslim 1/539]

He (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) also said:
((Should I not inform you of the best of deeds, and the most sanctifying of deeds before your Lord, which does more to raise your positions [with Him], and are better for you than the disbursement of gold and money or battle with the enemy?))
They [the companions] said: “Indeed! Inform us.”
He (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) then said:
((Remembrance of Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala))), [at-Tirmidhee 5/459 and Ibn Maajah 2/1245, see: Saheeh Ibn Maajah 2/316 and Saheeh at-Tirmidhee 3/139]

The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) also said:
((Allah (Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) says: “Indeed I am as My servant presumes Me to be, and I am with him when he remembers Me, so if he remembers Me to himself I remember him to Myself, and if he remembers Me amongst a company I remember him amongst a company greater than it, and if he draws near to Me the span of a hand I draw near to him the span of an arm, and if he draws near to Me the span of an arm I draw near to him the span of two outstretched arms, and if he takes a step towards Me I hastily step towards him”)), [al-Bukhaaree 8/171 and Muslim 4/2061, this specific wording is related by al-Bukhaaree]

On the authority of ‘Abdullaah Ibn Busr (radhi-yallaahu ‘anhu): “A man said to the Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam): “O Messenger of Allah, the rites of Islam are much for me, so tell me of something that I might hold fast to”
He (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) said:
((Let not your tongue cease from the remembrance of Allah)), [at-Tirmidhee 5/458 and Ibn Maajah 2/1246, see: Saheeh at-Tirmidhee 3/139 and Saheeh Ibn Maajah 2/317]

The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) also said:
((Whoever recites a letter of Allah’s Book has for it, a merit and ten more like it, not to say that alif, laam, meem are one letter but rather alif is a letter, laam is a letter and meem is a letter)), [at-Tirmidhee 5/175, see: Saheeh at-Tirmidhee 3/9 and Saheeh al-Jaami’ as-Sagheer 5/340]

The Prophet (sal-Allaahu `alayhe wa sallam) also said:
((Whoever takes a seat and fails to remember Allah, has incurred upon himself a loss from Allah, and whoever lies down [relaxes] and fails to remember Allah, has incurred upon himself a loss from Allah)), [Abu Daawood 4/264 and others, see: Saheeh al-Jaami’ 5/342.]

Please note: All supplications are taken from the English translation of Hisnul-Muslim (“Fortification of the Muslim through Remembrance and Supplication from the Qur.aan and Sunnah”), as published by Invitation To Islam.

The Ideal Muslim Husband & Wife

 

Islamic view of marriage

Marriage in Islam offers tranquillity to the soul and peace of mind, so that man and woman may live together in an atmosphere of love, mercy, harmony, co-operation, mutual advice and tolerance, and lay the foundation for raising a Muslim family in a nurturing, sound environment.

The Holy Qur’an has described, in the most moving and eloquent terms, this eternal, natural relationship between man and woman, which is filled with tranquility, security, love, understanding and compassion:

“And among His Signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between your [hearts]: verily in that are Signs for those who reflect.” (Qur’an, 30: 21)

Marriage is a union of souls, in the deepest sense. Allah joins these two souls together so that they may enjoy tranquillity and stability in a marital home filled with sincere love and compassionate mercy.

In Islam, the righteous woman is viewed as one of the joys of this life, and a great blessing to a man, for he comes home to her and relaxes after facing the struggles of life, and finds with her incomparable peace, comfort and pleasure. The Prophet (peace be upon him) spoke the truth when he said:

“This world is just temporary enjoyment, and the best comfort in this world is a righteous woman.” (Muslim)

Islam regards marriage very highly, and views femininity as something to be valued and cherished.

The ideal Muslim wife
On the basis of this view of marriage and of women, the Muslim is not attracted by the empty-headed attitude displayed by some girls nowadays. Rather, he is attracted by a sound Muslim personality, and he takes his time in choosing a partner for life, looking for a partner who has the right Islamic characteristics which will make for a stable and happy married life. Therefore he is not interested in the superficial physical beauty, grace and elegance that are the sole concerns of empty-headed youngsters. While he does not ignore physical looks, he also looks for strong religious belief and practice, intelligence, and good behavior, following the advice of the Prophet (peace be upon him).

“A woman may be married for four things: for her wealth, for her noble descent, for her beauty or for her religion. Choose the one who is religious, may your hands be rubbed with dust!” (Bukhari and Muslim)

Although the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised the young Muslim to look for a religious wife, this does not mean that he should ignore his preferences regarding physical beauty. The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged seeing a woman before finalizing the marriage, so that a Muslim will not find himself trapped in a marriage with a woman he finds unattractive.

Al-Mugheerah Ibn Shu’bah said:

“I got engaged to a woman during the time of the Prophet. He asked me, ‘Have you seen her?’ I said, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Go and have a look at her, because it is more fitting that love and compatibility be established between you.'”

A man who had got engaged to a woman of the Ansar came to the Prophet, who asked him: “Have you seen her?” He said, “No.” so the Prophet ordered him to go and see her.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) emphasized, in more than one Hadith, the fact that beauty is one of the basic characteristics that a man should look for in a woman, besides the other, moral, characteristics that are desirable. Indeed, the two are inseparable. For example, he told Ibn ‘Abbas:

“Shall I tell you the most precious thing a man can have? It is a righteous wife: when he looks at her he is pleased, when he tells her to do something she obeys, and when he is away she is faithful and loyal to him.”

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

“The Prophet was asked: ‘Which woman is the best?’ He said, ‘The one who pleases him when he looks at her, who obeys him when he tells her to do something, and who does not do something he dislikes with regard to herself or to his wealth.”

This is the guidance given by the Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding the personality of the woman who can bring happiness, tranquillity and stability to a man, and who can make a cheerful, pleasant and secure home in which to raise a brood of successful, courageous and intelligent children.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) insisted that marriage should be firmly built on a solid foundation, striking a balance between physical, mental, spiritual and emotional needs, so that it will not be rocked by personality clashes or differences in attitude. Therefore the true Muslim who is guided by the Shariah of Allah in all his affairs, does not fall for the wiles of the “Jezebels” who are the beautiful women of bad character; rather he tells people: “Beware of the ‘Jezebels’.”

– published by International Islamic Publishing House, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Prophet’s Medicine On Treating Headaches

HEADACHES usually occur when the head becomes hot due to the pressure of a septic vapor that accumulates near it seeking a way out of the body, but fails. The pressure of the vapor intensifies, just as a pot that is heated but its steam is not able to escape from it. It is a fact that when moisture heats up, it seeks more space and causes a headache because it is unable to expand or escape from the body. This condition causes a type of dizziness.

There are various causes of headaches:

• When one of the four essential conditions (cold, hot, dryness and wetness) becomes predominant.

• Ulcers of the stomach cause headaches, because the cephalic (relating to the head) nerves and the stomach are connected.

• Thick flatulence might accumulate in the stomach then later ascend to the head and cause headaches.

• Headaches are sometimes cause by a tumor in the gastric veins that cause pain in the head.

• When the stomach is full of food it sometimes provokes headaches, as some of the food remains undigested.

• Headaches sometimes occur after sexual intercourse because the body will then be weakened and thus exposed to the heat of the air.

• Headaches sometimes occur after vomiting due to excessive dryness, or to accumulating gaseous materials (flatulence) that ascend to the head from the stomach.

• Not having enough sleep also causes headaches.

• Headaches are sometimes caused due to the pressure exerted on the head, such as when one carries a heavy object on his head.

• Excessive movements and physical activity can also provoke headaches.

• Sadness, depression, obsession, and evil thoughts also provoke headaches.

• Excessive hunger also provokes headaches.

• Those who suffer from a tumor in the cerebral lining sometimes feel as if hammers are constantly pounding on their heads.

• Fever also provokes headaches because of the intense heat that the body suffers from.

The weaker side of the brain will accept septic material and the migraine headache will be accompanied by pulsation in the arteries. The pain may be relieved in this case when one ties a bandage so that the pulsating of the arteries is stopped and thus the pain is lessened.

Abu Na’im said in his book on Prophetic medicine that the migraine type of headache used to attack the Prophet (peace be upon him) and that it would prevent him going out of his house for one or two days at a time. Also, Abu Na’im related from Ibn Abbas that he said, “Once, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivered a speech while a cloth was tied around his head.”

Also the Sahih states that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said during the illness that preceded his death: “O my head!” and he used to tie a piece of cloth around his head.

Tying a piece of cloth around the head helps soothe the pain of headaches and migraines. Treating headaches varies according to their type and cause. Hence, headaches could be relieved by vomiting, eating, resting, using cold rags, cooling the body, elevating the temperature, avoiding noise, etc.

Knowing these facts, we should mention that treating headaches with Henna is partial and that it treats only some types of headache. If the headache is caused by high fever – and not by a spoiled substance that requires extraction – Henna blended with vinegar and applied to the forehead will relieve the headache. Henna also soothes the nerves when used as a bandage. Finally, Henna is not only favorable to relieve headaches, but also for various organs of the body and for the hot tumor and inflammations when used as a bandage.

– Ibn-ul-Qayyim is a 7th century Hijra Islamic scholar and this article on headaches is an excerpt from his book Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet.