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We Shall Test Yo With Fear

For Those undergoing difficulties, the Prophet (SallAllaahu Alayhi wa Sallaam) guidance in treating afflictions.
And Certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives, and fruits, but give glad tidings to ‘As-Sabirin’ (the Patient ones) Who, when afflicted with calamity, say ‘Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji’oon’.

“Truly! To Allah, we belong and, truly, to Him, we shall return”. They are those on whom are the ‘Salawat’ (Blessings) from their Lord, and they are those who receive His Mercy, and it is they who are the guided ones. (Source: Quran Surat Al-Baqarah 2:  A #155-157) Then Ibn Al-Qayyim (Allah be pleased with him) mentioned the ‘Hadeeth’ of ‘Al-Istirja‘ and said: This expression is one of the most effective, and most beneficial treatments for one who is afflicted by calamities because it contains, two fundamental principles, which is they are realized, the slave will be consoled thereby from his calamity. The first of them is that the Slave and his wealth belong to ALLAH, and he has given it to him as a loan. The second of them is that the return is to ALLAH, and it is inevitable that he will leave the life of this world behind; So, if this is his beginning and his end, then his thinking about them is one of the greatest treatments for this illness and a part of his treatment is that he knows that what was ordained to afflict him cannot miss him and what was ordained to miss him cannot afflict him. And a part of it is that his Lord has set aside for him the like of that which he missed or better, and he has stored up for him that which is many times better than the calamity and that if he willed, he could have made the calamity greater than it was.
‘Subhan Allah’. ‘Alhamdullilah’

Women In Islamic Society

It is well known that a divine order was given to the Prophet (peace be upon him), late in his life, requiring his wives to be behind a screen when speaking to men. Before that order, they behaved like other Muslim women, taking part in the public life of society and meeting men on public and private occasions. There are many examples of this on
either very common occasions, such as the mere exchange of greetings, or special ones like weddings and parties. However, we will cite other examples to give an idea of the extent of their participation in public life, and the variety of purposes of their meetings with men.

The first example concerns the pursuit of knowledge and involves Lady Khadijah, the Prophet’s first wife. Lady Ayesha reports: “The first aspect of revelation given to the Prophet was that his dreams would always come true. Khadijah took him to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, her cousin on her father’s side. Waraqah had converted to Christianity before the advent of Islam. He used to write in Arabic whatever he learned of the Gospel. He was an old, blind man. Khadijah said to him: ‘Cousin! Listen to what he (meaning Prophet Muhammad) has to tell you.’ He said to him:
‘What is it that you have seen?’ The Prophet told him about his encounter with Gabriel, the angel. Waraqah said: ‘This is the archangel who used to come to Moses. I wish I were a young man. I wish I am alive when your people will drive you out of your town.’ The Prophet said: ‘Will they drive me out?’ Waraqah answered. ‘Yes. No one has ever preached what you will be delivering without being met with hostility. I will give you great support if I am alive on that day.’ (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

After Khadijah’s death, the Prophet (peace be upon him) married several wives who reported many of his statements and teachings. But none reported more than Ayesha, who was endowed with a rich wealth of knowledge. Saeed ibn Al-Aas reports that both Ayesha and Uthman told him that “Abu Bakr sought admission to speak to the Prophet when he was lying on his bed, wearing Ayesha’s shawl. When Abu Bakr was admitted, the Prophet attended to his business, and then he left. Then Umar sought permission and was allowed while the Prophet remained in the same
position. When he finished his business, he left. Uthman later sought permission, and the Prophet sat up and told Ayesha to put her clothes together, covering herself well. When Uthman left after finishing his business with the Prophet, Ayesha said: ‘Messenger of God! How come you did not sit up and prepare yourself to receive either Abu Bakr and Umar as you did for Uthman?’ He said: ‘Uthman is a shy person. I feared that if I received him when I was in that position, he would not put his request to me.” (Related by Muslim.)

Usamah ibn Zayd reports that “Gabriel the angel came to the Prophet when he was at Umm Salamah’s home, and he spoke to him before standing up and leaving. The Prophet asked his wife, Umm Salamah, who that person was.
She said: “He is Dihyah.'” Umm Salamah said: “By God, I had no doubt that the man was Dihyah until I heard the Prophet speaking to the people, reporting what Gabriel said.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

It should perhaps be explained that sometimes Gabriel came to the Prophet taking the shape of a human being. On those occasions, he mostly appeared like Dihyah ibn Khaleefah Al-Kalbi, who was a very handsome companion of the Prophet. This explains how the Prophet’s wife, Umm Salamah, thought Gabriel to be Dihyah, but when she heard the Prophet addressing his companions and saying to them what Gabriel said earlier, she realized her mistake.

Ayesha reports that when the Prophet’s wives needed to go to the toilet they went at night to Al-Manasi’, a wide, open place with no vegetation. Umar used to say to the Prophet that he should keep his wives screened, but the Prophet did not do that. One night Sawdah, a wife of the Prophet, went out for that purpose. She was a tall woman. Umar called out to her: ‘We have recognized you, Sawdah!’ He did so out of his eagerness that the Prophet’s wives should be screened. Soon afterward God’s order was revealed for them to be screened.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

Anas reports: “On the day of the Battle of Uhud, fighters retreated, leaving the Prophet. I saw Ayesha bint Abu Bakr and Umm Sulaym, having lifted their dresses. I could see their anklets as they moved fast, carrying waterskins on their backs and pouring water in people’s mouths before going back to fill up the water skins and giving people to drink.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)

Together, these Hadiths give us a picture of the Prophet’s wives actively participating in the life of the Muslim community.

The Prophet Ibrahim’s (AS) Life

Ibrahim was not a Jew nor yet a Christian, but he was true in Faith, and bowed his will to Allah’s (Which is Islam), and he joined not gods with Allah. Without a doubt, among men, the nearest of kin to Ibrahim, are those who follow him, as are also this Prophet and those who believe: And Allah is the Protector of those who have faith. (Surah Al-Imran: 67-68)

The Prophet Ibrahim (AS) is often referred to in the Quran and is distinguished by Allah as an example to people. He conveyed the message of Allah to his people who worshipped idols and he warned them so that they might fear Allah. His people did not listen to his warnings but, on the contrary, opposed him. When the oppression of his people increased, Ibrahim (AS) had to move elsewhere with his wife, the Prophet Lut (AS), who was his nephew, and possibly a few other people who went with them.

Ibrahim (AS) was descended from Nuh (AS). The Quran also states that he followed the Way of Nuh (AS).

Peace and salutation to Nuh among the nations! Thus indeed do we reward those who do right. For he was one of our believing Servants. Then the rest were overwhelmed by the Flood. Verily among those who followed his Way was Ibrahim. (Surat as-Saffat: 79-83)

At the time of the Prophet Ibrahim (AS), many people living in the Mesopotamian plains, and Middle and East Anatolia were worshipping the heavens and the stars. Their most important god was “Sin”, the moon god. It was
personified as a human with a long beard, wearing a dress carrying a moon on it in the shape of a crescent. In addition, these people made embossed pictures and sculptures of these gods and worshipped them. This was quite a widespread belief system that found appropriate soil for itself in the Near East and thus maintained its existence for a long time. People living in that region continued to worship these gods until around 600 AD. As a consequence of this belief, some constructions known as “‘ziggurats”‘ which were used both as observatories and temples, were built in the region stretching from Mesopotamia to the interior of Anatolia and here some gods, primarily the moon-god “‘Sin”‘, were worshipped.12

This way of belief, only discovered in archaeological excavations today, is to be found mentioned in the Quran. As mentioned in the Quran, Ibrahim (AS) rejected the worship of these deities and turned only to Allah, the one true God. In the Quran, Ibrahim’s (AS) conduct is recounted as follows:

And remember when Abraham said to his father, Azar, “Do you take idols as gods? It is clear to me that you and your people are entirely misguided.” We also showed Abraham the wonders of the heavens and the earth, so he would be sure in faith. When the night grew dark upon him, he saw a star and said, “This is my Lord!” But when it set, he said, “I do not love things that set.” Then when he saw the moon rising, he said, “This one is my Lord!” But when it disappeared, he said, “If my Lord does not guide me, I will certainly be one of the misguided people.” Then when he saw the sun shining, he said, “This must be my Lord – it is the greatest!” But again when it set, he declared, “O my people! I totally reject whatever you associate with Allah in worship. I have turned my face towards the One Who has originated the heavens and the earth – being upright -and I am not one of the polytheists.” (Surat al-Anam: 74-79)

The ziggurats, which were used both as temples and astronomical observatories, were constructions made with the most advanced techniques of the age. The stars, the moon, and the sun were the primary objects of worship, and therefore, the sky had great importance. Left and right are the important ziggurats of Mesopotamia.

In the Quran, it is indicated that Ibrahim (AS) and Lut (AS) lived close to each other and were contemporaries, by the fact that the angels sent to the people of Lut (AS) came to Ibrahim (AS), and announced to his wife the good news
of a child, before going on to Lut (AS).

An important issue about Ibrahim (AS) in the Quran, is not mentioned in the Old Testament is the construction of the Kabah. In the Quran, we are told that the Kabah was constructed by Ibrahim (AS) and his son Isma’il (AS). Today, the only thing known by historians about the past of the Kabah is that it is accepted to have been a sacred place since very ancient times. The placing of idols in the Kabah during the Age of Ignorance before the Prophet Muhammad (SAAS), is a consequence of the degeneration and distortion of the divine religion once revealed to Ibrahim (AS).

Ibrahim’s (AS) Place of Birth According to the Old Testament
The place of Ibrahim’s (AS) birth has always been an issue of debate. While Christians and Jews say that Ibrahim (AS )was born in South Mesopotamia, the prevalent thought in the Islamic world is that his place of birth is around
Urfa-Harran. Some new finds show that the Jewish and Christian thesis does not reflect the truth completely.

Jews and Christians depend on the distorted Old Testament for their assertion, because in it, Ibrahim (AS) is said to have been born in the city of Ur in South Mesopotamia. After Ibrahim (AS) was born and brought up in that city, he
is said to have set out on the way to Egypt and to have reached Egypt at the end of a long journey in which he passed through the Harran region of Turkey.

However, a recently found manuscript of the Old Testament generated serious doubts about the validity of this information. In this Greek manuscript from the third century BC, which is accepted to be the oldest copy of the Old
Testament yet found, “Ur” is never mentioned. Today, many Old Testament researchers say that the word “Ur” is inaccurate or a subsequent addition.

This implies that Ibrahim (AS) was not born in the city of Ur, and may never have been to the Mesopotamian region in his life.

Besides, the names of some locations, and the regions they imply, change over time. In our day, the Mesopotamia plains generally refer to the south banks of the Iraqi land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Yet two millennia
earlier, Mesopotamia implied a region more northerly, even reaching as far as Harran, and stretching into present-day Turkish lands. Therefore, even if we accept that the expression “Mesopotamian plain” in the Old Testament is right, it would be misleading to think that the Mesopotamia of two millennia earlier and the Mesopotamia of today are the same places. Even if there are serious doubts and disagreements about the city of Ur being Ibrahim’s (AS) birthplace, there is a common agreement on the fact that Harran and its environs region was the place where Ibrahim (as)lived.

Moreover, a short research made of the Old Testament itself yields some information supporting the view that Ibrahim’s (AS) place of birth was Harran. For instance, in the Old Testament, the region of Harran is designated as the “Aram region” (Genesis, 11:31 and 28:10). It is stated that those who came from Ibrahim’s (AS) family are “sons of an Arami” (Deuteronomy, 26:5). The identification of Ibrahim (AS) as an Arami shows that he led his life in this region.

In the Islamic sources, there is strong evidence that Ibrahim’s (AS) place of birth is Harran and Urfa. In Urfa, which is called the “city of Prophets”, there are many stories and legends about Ibrahim (AS).

Why was the Old Testament Altered?
As is revealed in the Quran, Ibrahim (AS )was sent to an idolatrous people as a messenger. His people worshipped the heavens, stars, the moon, and various idols. He struggled against his people, and tried to get them to turn away from their superstitious beliefs, and inevitably stirred up the enmity of his whole community including his father.

Actually, none of these points are mentioned in the Old Testament. The throwing of Ibrahim (AS) into the fire and his breaking of his community’s idols are not mentioned in the Old Testament. Ibrahim (AS) is in general depicted as the
ancestor of the Jews in the Old Testament. It is evident that this view in the Old Testament was taken by the chiefs of the Jewish community seeking to bring the concept of “‘race”‘ to the foreground. The Jews believe that they are a
people eternally chosen by God and rendered superior. They deliberately and willingly altered their Divine Book and made additions and deletions in accordance with this belief. This is why Ibrahim (AS) is merely depicted as the
ancestor of the Jews in the Old Testament.

Christians who believe in the Old Testament, think that Ibrahim (AS) is the ancestor of the Jews, but with only one difference: according to Christians, Ibrahim (AS) is not a Jew but a Christian. The Christians, who did not heed the
concept of race as much as Jews, took this stand and it is one of the causes of disagreement and struggle between the two religions. The dispute between Jews and Christians is reported as follows in the Qur’an:

O People of the Book! Why do you argue about Abraham, while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until long after him? Do you not understand? Here you are! You disputed about what you have little knowledge of, but why do you now argue about what you have no knowledge of? Allah knows and you do not know. Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian; he submitted in all uprightness and was not a polytheist. Indeed, those who have the best claim to Abraham are his followers, this Prophet, and the believers. And Allah is the Guardian of those who believe. (Surah Al-Imran: 65-68)

In the Quran, in contrast to what is written in the Old Testament, Ibrahim (AS) is a person who warned his people so that they might fear Allah and who struggled against them for this end. Starting from his youth, he warned his
people, who worshipped idols, to give up this practice. His people reacted to Ibrahim (AS) by attempting to kill him. Having escaped from the wickedness of his people, Ibrahim (as) finally emigrated.

12- Everett C. Blake, Anna G. Edmonds, Biblical Sites in Turkey, Istanbul:
Redhouse Press, 1977, p. 13

I Discovered The Right Religion In Islam

HUDA, Nadia, and Selvi—all converts to Islam—stood outside the Taipei Grand Mosque in Taiwan after a noon prayer service and said their faith had given them strength. A list of questions brought Huda to the Taipei Grand Mosque: “Why can’t they eat pork? Why must women cover up? And why, if men can take four wives, can’t women take four husbands?”

After enrolling in a six-week course on the fundamentals of Islam, she found her answers, and she found religion. “When I first heard about the course, I told myself, ‘This is your time to learn something new.’ I discovered how to live according to the Qur’an, and now I feel very peaceful,” she said.

While stories of suicide attacks and beheading permeate news coverage from Afghanistan and the Middle East, Taipei Grand Mosque Imam Ma Shiao-chi said the number of people visiting the mosque with questions about Islam had increased.

“The news always highlights the bad things. About 90 percent of the news is negative. They hear stories about people getting their heads cut off and think Islam is a bad religion. They know very few things about Islam. They want to know what makes people do these things,” he said.

Their reasons for converting to Islam vary, but these women are finding freedom in Islam.

He said most of those going to the mosque are women. Whether they were born into a non-practicing Muslim family, converted for marriage, or, like Huda, are simply curious to learn more about the religion, the women Ma meets want to better understand the role of women in Islam. Perhaps they have no intentions of converting, Ma said, but at least they take the time to dispel a few stereotypes about the religion.

Some, however, do convert. As a teenager, Sana researched various religions and recalls visiting several temples, but it was Islam that appealed most to her. “So many things led me to feel Islam was the right religion. Even, when I was a child, I never liked to eat pork,” she said.

After living in Pakistan with her husband and children for eight years, Sana said she is now re-adjusting to being part of a minority religion in Taiwan. Taiwan has an estimated 130,000 Muslims, less than half of whom are Chinese Muslims.

“I am Chinese, and I am Muslim,” said Sana, giving the example of wearing a white headscarf, a color often associated with death in Taiwan.

Sana and Huda describe wearing the hijab as an honor and affirmation of their faith. They agreed, however, that while its purpose is to prevent unwanted attention to their bodies, it in fact often draws more attention. This they said is part of learning to live in a non-Muslim society.

Likewise, Huda, who works in an international trading company, was originally told she could not wear her hijab to work, as it might make clients uncomfortable. “Eventually my colleagues and boss accepted it. It took time, but they know being Muslim is an important part of my life,” she said.

While he criticized the unfair portrayal of Islam in the media, Ma said Muslim practitioners in Taiwan experience little harassment from the public. One reason, he said, might have to do with the small number of followers. “We are very few, so we are not really a risk to them,” he said.

The majority of Chinese practicing Islam are second and third-generation Muslims, whose families came to Taiwan with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in 1949. As years passed, people started to relax their religious compliance, Ma said.

“A lot of Muslims in Taiwan were born Muslims, but not all of them pray every day. But Islam is a lifestyle. You need to do the Muslim practices [the Five Pillars of Islam] or else it is easy to lose the religion,” he said.

Nadia was born into a non-practicing Chinese-Muslim household. Following in her sister’s footsteps, she made the transition to a more pious observance during college. As she learned more about the religion, she began to dress more conservatively, covering all but her face and hands. “It was just an outfit on the outside, but it changed my life on the inside. I felt more confident,” she said.

In addition to Muslims rediscovering their lost faith, Ma said most women embracing Islam in Taiwan do so for marriage. Of the 20 new converts last year, 12 were for marriage, he said.

According to the Qur’an, a Muslim man can marry a woman from a monotheistic religion (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism), but he is prohibited from marrying a woman from a polytheistic religion (Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, etc.).

Marriage is how Aisha entered Islam 20 years ago. “In the beginning, it was just for marriage. I could accept that there is only one god and not eat pork. I couldn’t wear the hijab,” she said. A decade later she started reading the Qur’an, attending classes, and wearing the headscarf, and feels her relationship with her husband is better for it. “Now we have the same way of looking at things. I can communicate better with my husband,” she said.

Each of the women said Islam places a large emphasis on respect and equality for women. One of the most debated gender issues in the Qur’an is the tradition that allows Muslim men to take four wives. – The News

By Diana Freundl

How To Remove Sins

Overview:
An admonishment that every son of Aadam should heed. How many of us are overcome by our smaller sins that we do not give importance to? Indeed, there is a way to rectify the problem, listen to the lecture and benefit yourself O sinful son or daughter of Aadam!

TRANSCRIPTION:
Khutbatul Haajah ….
“Say, O My Servant, those who have been excessive, those who have been extreme o­n their own soul, do not despair of the mercy of Allah subhana wa ta’ala for surely Allah forgives all sins. And surely Allah, He is Al-Ghaffoor and Ar-Raheem. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Merciful. He is extremely forgiving and extremely merciful.”

In this above Ayah, respected brothers and sisters in Islam, Allah among other things explains to us that He forgives our sins. He forgives all sins, whether they are Major or Minor. No matter what color the sin may be, no matter what size the sin may be, how old or new it is, Allah subhana is Al-Ghaffoor Ar-Raheem. And if the Muslim, the Abd (the Slave of Allah subhana wa ta’ala) fulfills the conditions, Allah will forgive. This type of forgiveness is a unique forgiveness. Allah subhana wa ta’ala is unique as He says: “Qul Huw-Allaahu Ahad” – Say, He Alaah is unique.

For His forgiveness is not like any type of forgiveness and His Mercy is not like any type of Mercy.

“Wa laisa kamislihi shaiun wa huwas Sameeul Baseer” – There is nothing like Him and He is As-Sameeh and Al-Baseer – He is the Hearer and He is the Seer.

We would like to talk about the methodology or the road that we can use the way and the method that we can utilize in gaining the atonement and forgiveness of our sins. How we can gain the atonement, the expiation, the effacing, the erasing of our sins. What is the methodology of erasing these sins? What can we do to remove these sins? Because all of us are sinners as Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said in an authentic Hadith: “All of the children of Aadam are sinners and the best of sinners are those who repent.”

So we need to learn brothers and sisters in Islam how we can efface, how we can remove, how we can make atonement for az-zunoob; How we can get rid of these sins. When we talk about the erasing and the atonement of sins according to the ahlul Ilm, according to the people of knowledge, there are two types (two ways to remove the sins):

One as Allah subhana wa ta’ala mentions: “Follow up a bad deed with a good deed and it will wipe it out. It will erase it. This is the first type of removing (the erasing) of sins.”

The second is the exchange of o­ne thing for another. As Allah subhana wa ta’ala says: “For them, those individuals who do these sins, Allah will exchange for their bad deeds, good deeds. He will replace their bad deeds with good deeds and Allah subhana wa ta’ala is Ghaffoorur Raheema. He is the Most Forgiving, the Most Merciful.”

There are many ways brothers and sisters and we can have many Khutba’as o­n this subject. But we would just like to cite just a few of these ways that we can atone for and erase our sins. The first and foremost and Allah subhana ‘alam, Allah the Majestic, the Most High above all creation knows best to accept Islam. Alhamdulillah, which we have all done. If a Kaafir from among the Kuffaar (no matter how good they may seem or how righteous they may seem in the eyes of the people), if they want to have their sins erased, (their tawbah is different from our tawbah) their tawbah is to accept Islam. And there is no tawbah for them except this.

Allah subhana wa ta’ala says: “Surely the Deen with Allah is not Christianity, it is not Judaism, it is not Hinduism, it is Islam.”

And again Allah subhana wa ta’ala says: “Whoever seeks a Deen other than Islam, it will never ever be accepted from him. And in the Last Day, they will be the losers.”

So those individuals who are among the Kuffar of this life, for their actions to be accepted and for them to be forgiven, they have to accept Islam. And Allah subhana wa ta’ala says: “Say to the Kuffar if they seize (stop) what they did in the past, they will be forgiven.”

What does that mean? It means that if they leave off their kufr, if they stop disbelieving, then Allah will forgive them.

So, the person who wants to have the forgiveness of Allah, who is still among the groups of the Ahlul Kitaab and the Mushrikoon, has to accept Islam. And Allah subhana wa ta’ala will remove their sins and He will forgive them.

Those individuals whom Allah subhana wa ta’ala had raised among the Sahaba to accept Islam when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) was alive, there is a clear, clear record of this.