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Do You Know Allah? By Muslim Saeed

An extraordinary incident of brotherhood....

On the day of the battle of Yarmuk, I went out to find my uncle on the battlefield, and I had with me a container of water. I said to myself that he had some life left in him, then I would quench his thirst with the water and wash the dirt from his face. Suddenly, I came across him, and he was going in and out of conciousness. I asked him: "Do you want me to give you some water?" so, he nodded his head. Suddenly, he heard another wounded man in the distance calling out in pain. So, my uncle motioned for me to go tend to him. I went to him and saw that he was Hisham, the brother of 'Amr bin al-'As. I came to him and asked if he wanted me to give him some water, and suddenly, we heard the sound of another man calling out in the distance in pain. So, he motioned for me to go tend to him. I came to him to find that he had already died. So, I went back to tend to Hisham only to find that he had died as well. Then, I went back to tend to my uncle only to find that he, too, had died."

So none of them, in their love for others had died without quenching their thirst. Such a proof of sacrifice and brotherhood is unparalleled in human history.

This incident was reported by 'Abdullah bin al-Mubarak in 'az-Zuhd' (1/185), Ibn Hajar in 'al-Isabah' (7/34), and also in Ibn al-Mubarak's 'al-Jihad' (1/100) by way of Abu al-Jahm bin Hudhayfah al-'Adawi, by way of 'Umar bin Sa'id. The muhaqqiq of 'al-Jihad' mentions that the chain's narrators are all trustworthy, and Allah Knows best.

Love of Allah Found in "Al-Walaa wal-Baraa" of M S al-Qahtani

The love of the Beloved
must be unconditionally returned.

If you claim love
yet oppose the Beloved,
then your love is but a pretence.
You love the enemies of your Beloved
and still seek love in return.

You fight the beloved of your Beloved.
Is this Love or the following of shaytaan?
True devotion is nothing
but total submission
of body and soul
to One Love.

We have seen humans claim to submit,
yet their loyalties are many.

They put their trust here, and their hope there,
and their love is without consequence.

I am not crying because ....

A man reached 70 years of age and he faced a disease; he could not urinate. The doctors informed him that he was in need of an operation to cure this disease. He agreed to have the operation done as the problem was giving him much pain for days. When the operation was completed, his doctor gave him the bill which covered all the costs. The old man looked at the bill and started to cry. Upon seeing this the doctor told him that if the cost was too high then they could make some other arrangements. The old man said "I am not crying because of the money but I am crying because Allah let me urinate for 70 years and He never sent me a bill."


...and if you try to count the blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them... Surah Ibrahim

Allah states that the servants are never able to count His blessings, let alone thank Him duly for them. In Sahih Al-Bukhari it is recorded that the Messenger of Allah( Peace and blessings be upon him) used to supplicate;


«اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الْحَمْدُ غَيْرَ مَكْفِيَ وَلَا مُوَدَّعٍ وَلَا مُسْتَغْنًى عَنْهُ رَبَّنَا»

O Allah ! All praise is due to You, without being able to sufficiently thank You, nor ever wish to be cutoff from You, nor ever feeling rich from relying on You; our Lord!

It was reported that Prophet Dawud peace be upon him, used to say in his supplication, "O Lord! How can I ever duly thank You, when my thanking You is also a favor from You to me''
Allah the Exalted answered him, "Now, you have thanked Me sufficiently, O Dawud,'' meaning, `when you admitted that you will never be able to duly thank Me.'

Why Did Ibn Hazm Begin Studying Islam?

In 'Siyar A'lam an-Nubala' (13/547), adh-Dhahabi narrated that Abu Muhammad 'Abdullah bin Muhammad - the father of the famous Spanish scholar Ibn al-'Arabi - said:

"Ibn Hazm related to me the reason he began studying Fiqh.

He was once at a funeral prayer. So, he entered the mosque, and sat down without praying. A man then said to him: "Get up and pray tahiyyat al-masjid," and he was 26 at the time.

Ibn Hazm himself said: "So, I got up and prayed. When we returned from the janazah, I entered the mosque, and prayed before sitting down. It was then said to me: "Sit down, sit down. This is not a time to pray," as it was after the time of 'Asr. So, I walked away while I was very sad. I went to my teacher that had nurtured me, and said: "Direct me to the house of the scholar Abu 'Abdillah bin Dahhun." So, I went to him, told him of what had happened, and he directed me to 'al-Muwatta'' of Malik. So, I began studying it at his hands, and continued studying it with him and others for a period of three years. After this, I began debating with the people.""

After mentioning this story, adh-Dhahabi then goes on to list almost 80 books that Ibn Hazm had written during his lifetime, the largest being 'al-Isal ila Fahm Kitab al-Khisal,' which is a longer version of the more well-known 'al-Muhalla,' and is over 15,000 pages long!

Considering that Ibn Hazm began studying Islam at 26, and died at the age of 71, this meant that he wrote an average of two books per year - and this is just in terms of the books whose titles we know of, as he had written over 300 other books that were burned up by the ruler of the time, al-Mu'tadid.

I just found it interesting that such a tremendously influencial scholar, with so many awesome and brilliant works, was driven to study the Din because of this single incident.

Translated by Abu Sabaayaa

Ibn al-Qayyim: The Characteristics of the Seeker of Happiness

Ibn Taymiyyah wrote the entire book 'as-Sarim al-Maslul' from memory!

Sayyid Qutb

In recent times we have the example of ash-shaheed Sayyid Qutb. He was imprisoned, tortured and eventually executed. He was no ordinary Muslim, a man of impeccable Islamic credentials, he made an immense contribution to Islamic and political thought at a time when the Muslim world was still mesmerised by such western notions as nationalism, the nation-state and the fathers of nations. Nationalist rhetoric laced with socialist slogans was the vogue. It was in this atmosphere that ash-shaheed Sayyid Qutb bravely raised his voice – indeed his pen – against the false ideologies and in one clean sweep denounced them as a modern-day jahiliyyah (the primitive savagery of pre-Islamic days). He knew it was inevitable that the forces of jahiliyyah would seek to silence him and yet he, unlike others, courageously stood firm and was ready to sacrifice everything in the pursuit of seeking Allah’s pleasure. He writes ‘indeed our words will remain lifeless barren devoid of any passion, until! we die as a result of these words, whereupon out word will suddenly spring to life and live on amongst

‘….We heard that the death sentence….on Imam Shaheed Sayyid Qutb…..had been carried out….Such a great loss. Sayyid Qutb….a man who held fast to his religion, trusting in Allah’s victory. Read Milestones to find out why Sayyid (Qutb) was executed.’ - Zainab al-Ghazali

Lion of the Desert (Umar al Mukhtar)

We go back in history to 1862 where a young boy of a poor household was born in a town controlled by the Uthmany Khilafa. This young man was brought under the care and tutelage of one of the Shuyookh in his home town when he was at the ripe age of 16 after the death of his father. He eventually developed a lifestyle of not sleeping more than 3 hours every night in order to get up to pray to Allah at the last third of the night and recite Qur'an until fajr. He memorized the Qur'an (as all knowledgeable people begin their lives) eventually, and was known to have finished his revisions in its entirety every seven days, regardless of the sufferings he encountered in his life.

A Call to Migrate

The believers have had a recent taste of the calls of the delinquents in our societies – those who seek to deceive their religion and Ummah – for the Muslims to gather and live with the disbelievers, and that we must fear for ourselves from ourselves – not from the West, and not from the disbelieving, apostate governments – and that there is no problem whatsoever for us in living with the Jews and Christians, or with the regimes that serve them, and that the problem with the West and the apostate regimes is in living with us. These deceivers are confused between the mercy and freedom given by Islam to the People of the Book – a very narrow, specific freedom – versus taking them as allies, and between the delaying of implementing the rulings of apostasy upon the apostates due to the lack of ability to do so versus loving to live with them, since they have never been exposed to the true nature of this religion. They lack deep faith in this belief, and they do not realize the nature of the battle between us and the enemies of Allah, who are of various beliefs, some even being from those who ascribe themselves to Islam.

The Tragedy of Karbala

On the 10th of Muharram Al-Haram, 61 A.H., a most abominable and tragic event occurred in the desert of Karbala that resulted in the martyrdom (shahadah) of Hussain Ibn Ali (RAA), the grandson of our Prophet (SAW) and the son of his daughter, along with most of the members of his family and their supporters. It should be borne in mind that this tragedy did not take place all of a sudden like a bolt from the blue. It was in fact the manifestation of the plot of Sabayees which had claimed the life of Uthman (RAA), the third Caliph and the son-in-law of the Prophet (SAW) twenty-five years earlier. Caliph Uthman´s (RAA) martyrdom took place on 18th of Dhu Al-Hajj, 36 A.H.

Intermixing Between the Sexes

What exactly is the forbidden gaze? What is permitted in regards to looking, interacting and speaking with the opposite sex? In society today there is much confusion clouting this topic, and many are heedless to the affects and consequences of these acts, adopting a very western secular position to what is actually disallowed in Islam.

Suraqah Al-Andalusi

The story of a brother named Suraqah al-Andalusi, who obtained Shahadah on the night of Friday 29 Ramadan 1422AH (corresponding to 14 December 2001). Concern for the Ummah used to weigh so heavily upon his heart that he strove to publish the news of the Jihad as an Azzam correspondent. Many years later, he joined the Jihad in Afghanistan. Before his martyrdom he prepared a wasiyyah (will) declaring: “We are currently observing the massacre and oppression of a Muslim people in the holy land of Palestine and the Ummah does nothing. The Ummah by its inaction seems to be saying to them: "Bury your children and your elders and all your dead, and here are a few dollars (to relieve our guilt) and be patient."” This understanding of the current state of the Ummah led our brother to fight the crusading forces in the Tora Bora Caves. He cried out “O Allah! Do not let me leave these mountains before you have granted me my martyrdom here!” A few days later this du’a was answered, and Allah took him as Shaheed.

The Parable of the Light of Allah

(Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth.) by His Light the heavens and earth are illuminated. In the Two Sahihs, it is recorded that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: "When the Messenger of Allah got up to pray at night, he would say:

(O Allah, to You be praise, You are the Sustainer of heaven and earth and whoever is in them. To You be praise, You are the Light of the heavens and the earth and whoever is in them. ) It was narrated that Ibn Mas`ud said, "There is no night or day with your Lord; the Light of the Throne comes from the Light of His Face.''

Global Peace & Unity 2006: Yvonne Ridley

Who Will Stand up for the Muslim Prisoners?

Here is the English translation of a Friday Sermon delivered by Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah Al Habdaan, Imam of Al Izz bin Abdus Salam Mosque in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday 16 August 2002 (07/06/1423AH). The title of the sermon was ‘Who Will Stand up for the Muslim Prisoners?’ It was an outstanding sermon and it is hoped that all those who were not present can benefit from it, especially on an issue that has been overlooked by many, even the Islamic propagators.

Celebrating The Holidays of The Infidels

by: Ahmad Musa Jibril

Among the widely spread deviations of the ummah concerning those in the west and fiercely invading Muslim countries is the celebrations of the holidays and festivals of the infidels. They have become a trend and a tradition to some, that one who does not celebrate them, and does not go along with the flow is in their eyes a burden, outcast, or even a radical and a fundamentalist. But that’s only in the scale of those walking on their faces, Allah said, “Is then one who walks headlong, with his face groveling, better guided, or one who walks evenly on a straight way.”

Above and Beyond Jannah - Muhammad ibn Faqih

Rites of Hajj and 'Umrah

Naasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaani

And the prophet said: "He who performs Hajj and does not speak obscenely or commit evil then he returns from his sins just as the day his mother gave birth to him", and if he did so then his Hajj would be accepted and Rasoolullaah said: "The accepted Hajj - there is no less a reward for it than Paradise.

Ibn Hazm al-Andalusi: "My aspiration in this world..."

مُنَايَ مِنَ الدُّنْيا عُلومٌ أَبُثُّهَا * وأنْشُرُهَا فِي كُلِّ بَادٍ وحَاضِرِ

دُعَاءٌ إلَى القُرْءانِ والسُّنَنِ التِي * تَنَاسَى رِجَالٌ ذِكْرَهَا في المَحَاضِرِ

وأَلْزَمُ أَطْرافَ الثُّغُورِ مُجَاهِداً * إذَا هَيْعَةٌ ثَارَتْ فَأَوَّلُ نَافِرِ

لأَلْقَى حِمَامِي مُقْبِلاً غَيرَ مُدْبِرٍ * بِسُمْرِ العَوالِي والرِّقَاقِ البَواتِرِ

كِفَاحاً مَعَ الكُفَّارِ فِي حَوْمَةِ الوَغَى * وأَكْرَمُ مَوْتٍ لِلْفَتَى قَتْلُ كَافِرِ

فَيَا رَبِّ لا تَجْعَلْ حِمَامِي بِغِيرِهَا * ولا تَجْعَلَنِّي مِنْ قَطِينِ المقَابِر


My aspiration in this world is to put forth knowledge,
And to spread it openly in every town and village;

Being one who is calling to the Qur'an and sunan,
That, in their gatherings, the men have forgotten;

And, as a Mujahid, on the farthest frontlines to stay,
If I am called forth, being the first to make my way;

ًWith the clanking of weapons in the darkness, frequented by silence,
Clashing with the disbelievers, encircled by the violence;

Not turning back, facing my demise with my chest,
To be killed by a disbeliever is the youth's death noblest;

So, O my Lord, allow me not to die in any other way,
And use me not as a stuffing for the graves.


[Ibn Hazm's 'at-Talkhis li Wujuh at-Takhlis'; p. 57]

Hijrah

Muhammad Sa'eed Al Qahtani

As Islam is the religion of dignity and authority, it was impossible to think of any Muslim submitting himself to the disbelievers; indeed it is forbidden for a Muslim to go to live amongst them and acknowledge their authority over him, because his presence amongst them would make him feel weak and isolated, and, then he would become docile and apologetic before them. He would first be called upon to approve of them, and then to follow them. But Muslims should be filled with morale and confidence, they should be leaders, not followers. They should hold the reins of power; no power should be above them but that of Allah. Therefore Muslims were forbidden to remain in countries where Islam is of no account, except when they are able to freely practice their religion and to observe it without any impediment, and without any fear that their presence there could damage them in any way. If this is not the case, then they must migrate to a better place where the authority of Islam is of some account. If they refuse to do so, while they are able, then they would have no further claims on this religion. About this Allah has spoken in Surat an-Nisa:

Stories of Repentance

By Muhammad Abduh Mughawiri

Who among us does not sin? And who among us does all that is required of him in the religion? It is an undeniable fact that we all have shortcomings; what distinguishes us from the others, what raises some of us above others, is that successful ones among us are those who repent their sins and ask Allah to forgive them. It is truly encouraging to know that the door to repentance is always open. Glad tidings, then, to every Muslim who constantly hastens to repent to Allah and to ask for his forgiveness.

33 Ways of developing Khushoo’ in Salaah

By Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Salaah is the greatest of the practical pillars of Islam, and khushoo’ in prayer is required by sharee’ah. When Iblees, the enemy of Allaah, vowed to mislead and tempt the sons of Adam and said “Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left…” [al-A’raaf 7:17, interpretation of the meaning], one of his most significant plots became to divert people from salaah by all possible means and to whisper to them during their prayer so as to deprive them of the joy of this worship and cause them to lose the reward for it. As khushoo’ will be the first thing to disappear from the earth, and we are living in the last times, the words of Hudhayfah (may Allaah be pleased with him) are particularly pertinent to us: “The first thing of your religion that you will lose is khushoo’, and the last thing that you will lose of your religion is salaah. There may be a person praying who has no goodness in him, and soon you will enter the mosque and not find anyone who has khushoo’.” (al-Madaarij, 1/521).

Br Napoleon's amazing journey to Islam

A riveting talk of how someone was raised amongst music, murderers and corruption, yet still was able to find his way through to the light of Islam from the darkness he once was in.

Taken From Islamic Media . Au

A party in Paradise, A party in Hellfire

The Companions of our Prophet Muhammed (SAW) used to gather to remember death so that they would benefit their souls by increasing in fear of Allaah and strive to gain His pleasure. If this was the case of the Sahaabah and they were the best of generations, the most pious and God-fearing of this ummah, then what about us? Surely, it means that we need to engage in the remembrance of Allaah(SWT) even more. After all, we are in far more need of this act of worship than they were....

A Meeting With Allah...

Dua Qunoot - Mishari Rashid al-Afasy

الَّلهُمُّ لَكَ الحَمْدُ أَنْتَ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الحَمْدُ أَنْتَ قَيِّمُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ، وَلَكَ الحَمْدُ أَنْتَ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ

Allahumma lakal-hamdu anta noorus-samawaati wal-ardi wa man fihinna, wa lakal-hamdu anta qayyimus-samawaati wal-ardi wa man fihinna, wa lakal-hamdu anta rabbus-samawaati wal-ardi wa man fihinna.

O Allah! For You is all Praise - You are the Light of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in them; and for You is all Praise - You are the Guardian of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in them; and for You is all Praise - you are the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and all that is in them.

Description of Paradise by Imaam Ibn al-Qayyim, Rahimahullaah

Ibn al-Qayyim said, in regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains:

"And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful.

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

The Perfumed Prisons

Dear Brother, who dwells in these prisons To you I write with distresses,

If to Allah you hold fast Then what harm will a misfortune of time do to you?

Beware dear Brother, of making your corrupting your thoughts Regarding the Promise of the Deity, Mighty and Strong,

Verily, He has promised the Believers with Salvation As He saved Yunus from the dark depths of the belly of the Fish,