Our Imam said that he was wondering what the hell he is going to talk about today... He wanted to give us some advices but he said that he himself needs some advices... Who is better than Allah SWT to give advices? That is why our imam thought it would be great if he just recites from the Quran the advices given by Luqman to His son:
31.12. we bestowed (in the past) Wisdom on Luqman: "Show (thy) gratitude to Allah." Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul: but if any is ungrateful, verily Allah is free of all wants, Worthy of all praise.
Luqman was a great man and many think that he was also a prophet. It is a great gift from Allah SWT to be given wisdom. We ask Allah SWt to give us wisdom.
31.13. Behold, Luqman said to his son by way of instruction: "O my son! join not in worship (others) with Allah: for false worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing."
The arabic word for "O my son!" is YABONAYA which shows compassion and love from Luqman to His son. This is the way all parents should talk with their children because when advices are given gently they are better understood. The abuse of parental authority is very harmful to the child and as muslims we will be asked how we behaved with our children so great care should be given to the way we talk and behave with our children.
We have to note that the first advice was advicing against ASSOCIATION. Association is by far the bigest sin in Islam and it is an unforgivable sin. Who ever commits association and does not acknoledge the unicity of Allah SWT is bound to Jahanam. Not acknolodging the unicity of the creator of the univers and having partners with Him or worshiping other than Him is a transgression and in Luqman's words it is the highest wrong-doing.
As Muslims we are AlhamduliAllah not commiting this big sin but we should be very careful about Al-Shirk Al-Asghar [the hidden association]. For example having an attachement to worldly affairs is considered by many scholars as an association. Having an allegeance to anyone [a country, a party, a nationality, an ethnicity, a race] before Allah SWT is an association as well. Even loving the prophet Mohamed SAAWS beyond what is recommended is an association. The prophet Mohamed SAAWS said : "La Totroni Kama Atrati Al-Nassara 3issa ibn Maryam" [Do not worship me like the chrestians did with Jesus son of mary]. When the prophet Mohamed SAAWS died, one of His compagnons said :
He who worships Mohamed, Mohamed is dead. He who worships Allah SWT, Allah is alive and will not die.
So we should really understand the consequences of the unicity of Allah SWT and that nothing else is worthy of worship or to be asked for anything including all the prophets ASWS.
In the eyes of many schoolars, association can manifest itself in regard to time and space as well, for example many people will pray during Ramadan but once this month is gone they will stop. Those people are really worhiping Ramadan not Allah SWT. If this is to be considered as an association then they are really in great loss because it is a sin that will never be forgiven.
4.116. Allah forgiveth not (The sin of) joining other gods with Him; but He forgiveth whom He pleaseth other sins than this: one who joins other gods with Allah, Hath strayed far, far away (from the right).
The Imam said that the bottom line of our religion is the unicity of Allah SWT. That is why the following verses are considered to be equal to the third of the Quran :
112.1 . Say : He is Allah , the One! 112.2 . Allah , the eternally Besought of all! 112.3 . He begetteth not nor was begotten . 112.4 . And there is none comparable unto Him .
Luqman continues His advices :
31.14. And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.
It is interesting that Allah SWT in many cases in the Quran refers to the obligation of being kind to our parents right after the obligation of acknolodging the unicity of God. Indeed our parents have rights on us and it is our duty to take care of them when they are old. specially our mothers. For nine months a mother bears her child to give him life. Isn't it our duty to thank our mothers for the gift of life? In any case it is an obligation in Islam to take care of the parents to the point that even raising the voice in their presence is forbiden :
17.23. Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
Even in case there is a problem with our parents to the point that they ask us to commit shirk, Allah SWT gives us the code of conduct to follow with them :
31.15. "But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to me (in love): in the end the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that ye did."
So kindness to parents, respect and consideration is a must from any true muslim even in case the parents are on the wrong side or are causing some kind of problem...
Luqman continues saying :
31.16. "O my son!" (said Luqman), "If there be (but) the weight of a mustard-seed and it were (hidden) in a rock, or (anywhere) in the heavens or on earth, Allah will bring it forth: for Allah understands the finest mysteries, (and) is well-acquainted (with them).
This advice it to show that we will be asked about everything in the day of judgment no matter how small it is. So we'd better be careful about every single detail of our life and make sure it is in accordance with Allah SWT orders :
99.7 . And whoso doeth good an atom ' s weight will see it then ,
99.8 . And whoso doeth ill an atom ' s weight will see it then .
Luqman continues :
31.17. "O my son! establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong: and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs.
Prayer is of course a pillar of Islam. Not only we should pray but establish it. In the sense that paryer should come before anything else. When the time of prayers come we should drop anything we are doing and fulfil this obligation becasue really nothing is worthy of doing better than sitting in front of Allah SWT for a few minutes. The prayer also helps us to forbid what is wrong as Allah SWT says :
29.45. Recite what is sent of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without doubt. And Allah knows the (deeds) that ye do.
Luqman also asks His son to be patient as patience is key to success.
Luqman continues saying :
31.18. "And swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men, nor walk in insolence through the earth; for Allah loveth not any arrogant boaster.
Here Luqman makes sure His son understands how important modesty is. Arrogance is often a sign of weakness and internal frustration. Being modest is an obligation because in the eyes of Allah SWT we are all ignorants, poor, weak... Our knowledge or our wealth that might make us too proude is actually nothing compared to what Allah SWT has.. not to forget that anything we have is a gift from Allah SWT and is not an output of our intelligence or hard work. If we were able to work hard it is only because Allah SWT gave us the necessary muscles or intelect to do so. He could have created handicaped or something else if He wished. So instead of being arrogant with what we have we should instead thank Allah SWT and acknoledge His favors on us. If we take two school children, one in grade 1 and one in grade 2. The child in grade 2 might feel that he has more knowledge than the child in grade 1 but in the eye of the teacher grade 1 and grade 2 are almost the same level, almost indistinguishable... So if we feel that we are wealthier or smarter than the others we should understand that the difference between us and the others in the eyes of Allah SWT is almost invisible. That is why Allah SWT does not look into our wealth, intellect or beauty but only look into our hearts...
Luqmans finishes by saying :
31.19. "And be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass."
So even the way we talk should be a dignified one. We are humans not animals, we have been blessed by Allah SWT with a an amazing brain so we should use it to behave in the best manners.
The Imam said that those are some advices given by Luqman to His son which we should take as well because Allah SWT says that He has given wisdom to Luqman so Luqman's words are to be taken seriously.
The Imam said that we can elaborate a lot on those advices and their implications. The Quran by itself is a wealth of advices, every single word has a reason why it is there. We should ponder and think about every verse and word. The prophet Mohamed SAAWS said : Ina Hada Al-Quran La Tan9adi 3aja2iboh [The wonders of this Quran will never end] and Allah SWT said :
18.109. Say: "If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out) the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid."
The Imam recited :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
107.1 . Hast thou observed him who belieth religion? 107.2 . That is he who repelleth the orphan , 107.3 . And urgeth not the feeding of the needy . 107.4 . Ah , woe unto worshippers 107.5 . Who are heedless of their prayer ; 107.6 . Who would be seen ( at worship ) 107.7 . Yet refuse small kindnesses!
then :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and :
112.1 . Say : He is Allah , the One! 112.2 . Allah , the eternally Besought of all! 112.3 . He begetteth not nor was begotten . 112.4 . And there is none comparable unto Him .
All this Friday donations will go to Islamic relief for a fund to fight pauverity in chicago.
Ps: sorry Casayoua for all the mistakes but I am too tired to correct them... good night. I will correct them later on inshaAllah.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2005 08:27 by mdlazreg.
This Friday our Imam talked about giving thanks to Allah SWT. One night, the prophet Mohamed SAAWS used to pray during night for a long time... One night His wife Aicha RAA asked Him : Why do you pray so much while you know that Allah SWT has forgiven all your previous and future sins? The prophet SAAWS replied : Shouldn't I be thankful then?
As we all know, Allah SWT has given a huge responsibility to Mohamed SAAWS to transmit the final message from God to humanity. It was indeed a huge burden on the prophet Mohamed SAAWS. But Allah SWT in His great knoledge He has chosen Mohamed SAAWS because He knew He will fulfill the mission perfectly. Allah SWT rewarded Mohamed SAAWS by calling Him Habibi [The one I love] exactly as He rewarded Ibrahim ASWS by calling Him My Friend and by calling Jesus ASWS My Word and by calling Moise ASWS The one I spoke to. And also as a reward to prophet Mohamed SAAWS Allah SWT forgive all his sins, including any future sins... So logically the prophet Mohamed SAAWS might have said that now that I have a promesse of God that all my sins including future ones are forgiven then I can indulge myself in commiting whatever I want... But to the contrary of that, the prophet Mohamed SAAWS worshiped Allah SWT even harder and spent very long nights in front of Allah SWT and asking Him for forgiveness!!!...
It is natural then for Aicha RAA to ask Her husband why He is doing this? The reply of Mohamed SAAWS was that I have an obligation to Thank Allah SWT for what He has given me...
As Muslims we have to follow the path of Mohamed SAAWS and thank Allah SWT for what He has given us. And indeed what He has given us is without count! just reading one sentence involves more than 100,000,000,000 operations in our eyes!!! Allah SWT says :
14.34. And He giveth you of all that ye ask for. But if ye count the favours of Allah, never will ye be able to number them. Verily, man is given up to injustice and ingratitude.
Why we are so ingratful to Allah SWT? Being ingratful to Allah SWT is an injustice commited against Allah SWT that deserves punishement. Allah SWT says in other verses :
90.8. Have We not made for him a pair of eyes?- 90.9. And a tongue, and a pair of lips?- 90.10. And shown him the two highways?
What are the two highways? The two highways are the path of good and the path of wrong. Allah SWT has made sure that each humain being knows what is right and what is wrong, it is some thing that comes as an instint to us. We know that stealing is bad we do not need anyone to tell us that it is bad. We know it by instinct. This instinct comes from Allah SWT so that we are well informed and it is up to us to take decisions afterwards. Those two highways lead to two situations:
1)Being Thankful to Allah SWT. 2)Being Ungratful to Allah SWT.
The Imam said that every humain being is either in 1) or in 2). Allah SWT says this in :
76.1. Has there not been over Man a long period of Time, when he was nothing - (not even) mentioned? 76.2. Verily We created Man from a drop of mingled sperm, in order to try him: So We gave him (the gifts), of Hearing and Sight. 76.3. We showed him the Way: whether he be grateful or ungrateful (rests on his will).
Which category are we in? If we are in the ungrateful one we have to ask ourselves the following question : How it comes the drop of sperm that we are is ungratful to the Creator of the univers?:
16.4. He has created man from a sperm-drop; and behold this same (man) becomes an open disputer!
The only logical state is to be in a situation of thankfulness to Allah SWT as He deserves to be thanked... The imam said they are 3 ways of thanking Allah SWT. The first one is by heart. We have to recoginize deep inside ourselves the greatfulness of God, to know deep inside ourselves that we are submerged by the bounties of Allah SWT. The second way of thanking Allah SWT is by our tongue. We should constantly repeat :
Alhamdu Li Allah Wa AlChokro Li Allah [All Glory to God, and All Thankfulness To God]
We should also talk about whatever Allah SWT has given to us as long as we do it in humility and without exceeding limits. Allah SWT says :
93.11. But the bounty of the Lord - rehearse and proclaim!
the third way is through our actions, for example if we are wealthy by giving to the poors, by building schools, if we have knowledge we thank Allah SWT by spreading our knowledge and teaching it...
If we do not thank Allah SWT then immediatly we are in the other category which includes the ennemy number 1 of all humanity : The Chaytan.
The Chaytan was the first one to not thank Allah SWT, he was the first one to be ungratful to Allah SWT. The reason he was ungratful has to do with his arrogance :
2.34. And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam" and they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: He was of those who reject Faith.
We should be very careful not to be in the side of Iblis, it is definltly a loosing side. Not to thank Allah SWT for all that He has given us is an Iblis action strictly forbiden for Muslims.
The first thing to thank Allah SWT about is the fact of being a Muslim:
Because as Allah SWT did with previous nations by guiding them :
14.5. We sent Moses with Our signs (and the command). "Bring out thy people from the depths of darkness into light, and teach them to remember the Days of Allah." Verily in this there are Signs for such as are firmly patient and constant,- grateful and appreciative.
He also guided us through the prophet Mohamed SAAWS :
57.9. He is the One Who sends to His Servant Manifest Signs, that He may lead you from the depths of Darkness into the Light and verily Allah is to you most kind and Merciful.
Here is a good prayer to thank Allah SWT :
46.15. We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou has bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam."
Even the prophets were constant in thanking Allah SWT, for example Sulaiman ASWS :
27.19. So he smiled, amused at her speech; and he said: "O my Lord! so order me that I may be grateful for Thy favours, which thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may work the righteousness that will please Thee: And admit me, by Thy Grace, to the ranks of Thy righteous Servants."
The Imam recited the following for the prayers :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
87.1 . Praise the name of thy Lord the Most High , 87.2 . Who createth , then disposeth ; 87.3 . Who measureth , then guideth ; 87.4 . Who bringeth forth the pasturage , 87.5 . Then turneth it to russet stubble . 87.6 . We shall make thee read ( O Muhammad ) so that thou shalt not forget 87.7 . Save that which Allah willeth . Lo! He knoweth the disclosed and that which still is hidden ; 87.8 . And We shall ease thy way unto the state of ease . 87.9 . Therefor remind ( men ) , for of use is the reminder . 87.10 . He will heed who feareth , 87.11 . But the most hapless will flout it , 87.12 . He who will be flung to the great fire 87.13 . Wherein he will neither die nor live . 87.14 . He is successful who groweth , 87.15 . And remembereth the name of his Lord , so prayeth . 87.16 . But ye prefer the life of the world 87.17 . Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting . 87.18 . Lo! This is in the former scrolls , 87.19 . The Book of Abraham and Moses .
then in the second rak3a:
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
94.1 . Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate , 94.2 . And eased thee of the burden 94.3 . Which weighed down thy back ; 94.4 . And exalted thy fame? 94.5 . But lo! with hardship goeth ease , 94.6 . Lo! with hardship goeth ease ; 94.7 . So when thou art relieved , still toil 94.8 . And strive to please thy Lord .
There was one annoucement that even it is has been sometimes since the earthquake in Pakistan there is still a lot of need, hence the donations this week will go to that region.
Our Imam started his sermon by reciting the following verse :
3.133. Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden whose width is that (of the whole) of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous,-
There is a keyword in this verse : Be QUICK in the race. [SARI3O in arabic]
The path to Allah SWT is like a race where everyone is running towards a certain goal. The goal is to please Allah SWT and to win paradise in the next life. It is like a competition and in any competition there are winners and they are loosers. Allah SWT asks us to compete in good deeds, if your borther or sister is giving money to the poors, you should give more than him or her, if your brother or sister is studying much better than you, then you should compete against her or him to be better in your studies :
2.148. To each is a goal to which Allah turns him; then strive together (as in a race) Towards all that is good. Wheresoever ye are, Allah will bring you Together. For Allah Hath power over all things.
And here is how Allah SWT describes one of His prophets :
21.90. So We listened to him: and We granted him Yahya: We cured his wife's (Barrenness) for him. These (three) were ever quick in emulation in good works; they used to call on Us with love and reverence, and humble themselves before Us.
In this descriptions we see how important it is to be QUICK in doing good deeds.
This description is confirmed again in the general description of those who fear Allah SWT :
23.57. Verily those who live in awe for fear of their Lord; 23.58. Those who believe in the Signs of their Lord; 23.59. Those who join not (in worship) partners with their Lord; 23.60. And those who dispense their charity with their hearts full of fear, because they will return to their Lord;- 23.61. It is these who hasten in every good work, and these who are foremost in them.
So it is a central point in our way of life as Muslims to be quick in doing good deeds. Good deeds include the 5 pillars of Islam but they are extended to any deed that could bring hapiness to the world without transgressing the laws of Allah SWT. In these days and age they are millions [actually most of humanity] in extreme poverity, so one of the most important good deeds is to give money... The number of Muslims around the world is 1/5 of humanity and each Muslim has an obligation to give 2.5% of his wealth annualy to the poor. If all Muslims do give Zakat and charity there will be absolutly no poor on earth... It is the responsibility of the Muslims to fight poverity because we do have the ability to completly eliminate it if only we follow our religion by giving the 2.5% of our wealth . The Tsunami last year affected thousands and they are still so many people in desperate need to rebluid their lives from scratch. The Imam gave the example of Omar RAA and Abu Bakr RAA:
The prophet Mohamed SAAWS wanted to collect money so He asked His compagnons to give in charity. Omar RAA, because He knew that competing in good deeds is a good thing, decided to give half of all His money and He said by giving half of my money I will make sure I have given more than Abu Bakr RAA... So He went to the prophet Mohamed SAAWS and gave half of all his money. When Abu Bakr RAA came , and to Omar RAA surprise, He said here is all my money.... And when the prophet Mohamed SAAWS asked Him what did He left for His family, He said :
I left them Allah SWT and His messenger.
We Muslims we are not asked to give all of our money because we do not have the greatness of Iman of Abu Bakr RAA but we are asked to give the Zakat and to give in Charity. This is how we become Rightous because otherwise we are injust against the many poors around the world.
One hadith of the prophet SAAWS says that giving charity will make a person lives longer.
From this story we notice how Omar RAA was competing against Abu Bark RAA... Because Allah SWT says :
83.26. The seal thereof will be Musk: And for this let the competetors compete.
And also because whatever is given in the path of Allah SWT, it is never lost and we will find it in the day of judgement...
Since Aid Al-Adha is coming which is a season of celebration and giving it is worth remembering what the prophet SAAWS did when He sacrified His sheep. He asked His wife to give in charity to the poors and His wife did and when She came back He asked Her what is left? She replied only the shoulder. He said :
All is left except the shoulder...
Allah SWT has created enough food and enough ressources for all of humanity and if they are poors among us it is only because the distribution is not just. That is why as Muslims we are required to give Zakat and charity and to compete against each other in good deeds exactly as Omar RAA was competing against Abu Bakr RAA.
Giving to the poors is not doing them a favor it is their rights. The poor has a right on the money of a Muslim. Allah SWT says :
51.19. And in their wealth and possessions (was remembered) the right of the (needy,) him who asked, and him who (for some reason) was prevented (from asking).
The Imam recited the following for the prayer :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
3.133 . And vie one with another for forgiveness from your Lord , and for a Paradise as wide as are the heavens and the earth , prepared for those who ward off ( evil ) ;
3.134 . Those who spend ( of that which Allah hath given them ) in ease and in adversity , those who control their wrath and are forgiving toward mankind ; Allah loveth the good ;
3.135 . And those who , when they do an evil thing or wrong themselves , remember Allah and implore forgiveness for their sins . Who forgiveth sins save Allah only? . and will not knowingly repeat ( the wrong ) they did .
3.136 . The reward of such will be forgiveness from their Lord , and Gardens underneath which rivers flow , wherein they will abide for ever , a bountiful reward for workers!
then
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
102.1 . Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you
102.2 . Until ye come to the graves .
102.3 . Nay , but ye will come to know!
102.4 . Nay , but ye will come to know!
102.5 . Nay , would that ye knew ( now ) with a sure knowledge!
102.6 . For ye will behold hell fire
102.7 . Aye , ye will behold it with sure vision .
102.8 . Then , on that day , ye will be asked concerning pleasure .
This Friday, our Imam, the guy with the beautiful beard, talked to us about the holy book : The Quran.
The Imam said that there is no doubt the most difficult thing about religion is to tell others about it... Because most of the people do not want to listen or are too busy to listen... That is why prophet Noe ASWS spent 950 years! calling His people to the path of Allah SWT :
7.59 . We sent Noah ( of old ) unto his people , and he said : O my people! Serve Allah . Ye have no other God save Him . Lo! I fear for you the retribution of an Awful Day .
and what was the result? well they did not believe Him :
7.60 . The chieftains of his people said : Lo! we see thee surely in plain error .
So Noe ASWS said :
71.26 . And Noah said : My Lord! Leave not one of the disbelievers in the land . 71.27 . If Thou shouldst leave them , they will mislead Thy slaves and will beget none save lewd ingrates .
and the deluge came and destroyed all of them:
71.25. Because of their sins they were drowned (in the flood), and were made to enter the Fire (of Punishment): and they found- in lieu of Allah- none to help them.
So after 950 years of the best efforts of Noe ASWS, He was not successful in guiding His people! we understand from this how this task is so difficult. That is why the muslims should never despair in calling others to the path of Allah SWT. We do not control the result but we do control the efforts so lets put the best efforts.
For those reasons Allah SWT usually sent His prophets with some kind of a miracle... In order to give a proof to the people maybe they will believe...
In case of Ibrahim ASWS, His miracle was not to burn in the fire! His people decided to burn him alive but when they did, Allah SWT ordered the fire not to touch Ibrahim ASWS :
21.69. We said, "O Fire! be thou cool, and (a means of) safety for Abraham!"
Again for Moise ASWS and because His time was a time of black magic and sorcery, His miracl was an amazing event :
7.117. We put it into Moses's mind by inspiration: "Throw (now) thy rod":and behold! it swallows up straight away all the falsehoods which they fake! 7.118. Thus truth was confirmed, and all that they did was made of no effect. 7.119. So the (great ones) were vanquished there and then, and were made to look small. 7.120. But the sorcerers fell down prostrate in adoration.
And the same thing happened for Jesus ASWS who was given so many miracles :
3.49. "And (appoint him) a messenger to the Children of Israel, (with this message): "'I have come to you, with a Sign from your Lord, in that I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allah's leave: And I heal those born blind, and the lepers, and I quicken the dead, by Allah's leave; and I declare to you what ye eat, and what ye store in your houses. Surely therein is a Sign for you if ye did believe; 20. 3.50. "'(I have come to you), to attest the Law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was (Before) forbidden to you; I have come to you with a Sign from your Lord. So fear Allah, and obey me. 21. 3.51. "'It is Allah Who is my Lord and your Lord; then worship Him. This is a Way that is straight.'" 22. 3.52. When Jesus found Unbelief on their part He said: "Who will be My helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the disciples: "We are Allah's helpers: We believe in Allah, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims.
As we can see here, each prophet came with some kind of a miracl as a proof that He is the messenger of Allah SWT. So what was the miracl of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS?
The miracle of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS and to the difference of all the other miracles is a lasting one. A one that did not change for 14 centuries and will never change. This miracl is the Quran. A Quran described by :
15.9. We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).
We have to remember that the Quran came in a bedouan society that took so much pride in its language and poetry that they used to hang the best poetry on the Kaaba walls, yet when the Quran came everyone was so amazed that even the non Muslims recoginized that this book was none like others... In one event Al-Walid Ibn Al-Morira who at that time was still a non Muslim came with Abu Jahl to the prophet Mohamed SAAWS and they started to listen the some verses from the Quran... Al-Walid Ibn Al-Morira turned to Abu Jahl and said : I am a poet and this is not poetry!
The arabs also used to say : Nahno Al-3arabo Wa rayrona Al-3ajamo. [We are the best speakers], yet when the Quran came no one could produce anything like it. That is how in less than 23 years all of arabia has became convinced of the prophethood of Mohamed SAAWS...
Now this Miracl of the Quran is an everlasting one. We have it in our libraries, in our houses, everywhere exactly as it was given to Mohamed SAAWS. We have the same exact words. And who is the author? Well it is no other than the Creator of the univers! The creator of the heavens and earth has honored mankind by speaking directly to us through a book.
And yet we human beings are heedless enough not to take enough time to read the words of Allah SWT, to follow His orders, His signs, to follow the many advices of Quran, to feed the poors, to fight for justice, to take care of the orphans, to be kind to our parents, to spend from our knowledge and money, to establish regular prayer, to thank Allah SWT for all His gifts...
The prophet SAAWS said : Ina Hada Al-9or2an Hojaton laka Aw 3alayka. [This Quran is either a proof for you or against you]...
This saying of the prophet SAAWS has tremendous consequences! we should truly think of this saying... The Quran in the day of judgement will be EITHER on our side or against us!
The Quran has three rights on us. The first right is to read it. The second is to understand it. The third right is to implement it.
That is why Aicha RAA, the wife of the prophet SAAWS when she was asked about the prophet Mohamed SAAWS she said : He was a Walking Quran.
Even if we do not speak Arabic or if this language is not our mother tongue we should spent effort learning the language of the Quran even if we do have difficulties in reading... The prophet Mohamed SAAWS said:
One who is skilled in reading the Qur'an is with the noble, virtuous angels who bring down the revelation; one who falters while reading it and finds it hard to read correctly, will have a double reward
SubhanAllah! if you do not speak Arabic well and yet you read the Quran you have double the reward of He who speaks well arabic!
Not to forget the hadith of the prophet SAAWS :
Khayrokom Man ta3lama Al-Quran Wa 3alamaho[The best among you is He who learns the Quran and then teachs it].
And here is some poetry by Hazrat Mirza sahib, a persian Imam expressing his love for the Quran :
Alas, that the beauty of the face of the Quran is not manifest anymore; the fact is, it manifests its own beauty but to recognise it there is no one left.
I see everyone engrossed in his own sorrows, there is no room left in anyone’s heart to sorrow over the propagation of the Quran.
My soul is burning in grief because of this Holy Book, so consumed by fire am I that there is left no hope for my survival.
O head of all created beings! ask for help, this is the time help is required; for there is no gardener left to take care of your orchard.
I would dance with joy a hundred times, if I see that the captivating beauty of the Quran is no longer hidden.
O you indifferent, unaware one! gird up your loins to serve the Quran, before the call is sounded that your life is over.”
My brothers and sisters, there is so much beauty in the Quran, and there is a hidden beauty that can be discovred only by reading it and pondering profoundly on every single word... The prophet SAAWS said :
Ina Hada Al-Quran La Tan9adi 3aja2iboho. [This Quran will never cesse to amaze you].
We should be very careful not to forget the words of Allah SWT, because if we do, Allah SWT might forget us in the day of judegement :
7.51. "Such as took their religion to be mere amusement and play, and were deceived by the life of the world." That day shall We forget them as they forgot the meeting of this day of theirs, and as they were wont to reject Our signs.
And please do not forget that this book is a book of one kind. There is nothing like it:
17.88. Say: "If the whole of mankind and Jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.
The imam recited the following for the prayers :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and :
18.1 . Praise be to Allah Who hath revealed the Scripture unto His slave , and hath not placed therein any crookedness , 18.2 . ( But hath made it ) straight , to give warning of stem punishment from Him , and to bring unto the believers who do good works the news that theirs will be a fair reward . 18.3 . Wherein they will abide for ever ; 18.4 . And to warn those who say : Allah hath chosen a son , 18.5 . ( A thing ) whereof they have no knowledge , nor ( had ) thee fathers . Dreadful is the word that cometh out of their mouths . They speak naught but a lie . 18.6 . Yet it may be , if they believe not in this statement , that thou ( Muhammad ) wilt torment thy soul with grief over their footsteps . 18.7 . Lo! We have placed all that is in the earth as an ornament thereof that we may try them : which of them is best in conduct . 18.8 . And lo! We shall make all that is therein a barren mound .
then :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and :
18.102. Do the Unbelievers think that they can take My servants as protectors besides Me? Verily We have prepared Hell for the Unbelievers for (their) entertainment. 18.103. Say: "Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds?- 18.104. "Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?" 18.105. They are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight. 18.106. That is their reward, Hell, because they rejected Faith, and took My Signs and My Messengers by way of jest. 18.107. As to those who believe and work righteous deeds, they have, for their entertainment, the Gardens of Paradise, 18.108. Wherein they shall dwell (for aye): no change will they wish for from them. 18.109. Say: "If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out) the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid." 18.110. Say: "I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me, that your Allah is one Allah: whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner.
There was on announcement that all donations will go again this week to the victims of the earthquake in Pakistan.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/04/2006 08:03 by mdlazreg.
Our Imam talked on this Friday on those blessed days we are living in, the hajj period. Indeed each year we are blessed by the peligrimage period. A period of time where all humanity comes together under one God, in one place, to adore and worship Allah SWT for all what He has given to us. This period of time is so significant in meanings and relates to so many stories that it is impossible to cover all of them.
But let's remember that the hajj period and the Aid-Al-adha festival is in honor of our great father and our great prophet Ibrahim ASWS.
Ibrahim ASWS was so unique that Allah SWT says about Him :
16.120. Abraham was indeed a model, devoutly obedient to Allah, (and) true in Faith, and he joined not gods with Allah.
11.75. For Abraham was, without doubt, forbearing (of faults), compassionate, and given to look to Allah.
Ibrahim was so unique that He did not need a messenger or a prophet to guide Him to the right path, He guided Himself to the right path just by thinking and asking questions about who is the Creator of all this univers?
Ibrahim ASWS is so important from a historical point of view because He is the symbol of unicity between all religions of the books. He is the father of Isaac ASWS and the father of Ismael ASWS. Those great people were all examples for us to follow. They all submited to Allah SWT:
2.136. Say ye: "We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam)."
So if Ibrahim ASWS is the father of all of us, how can we be His spiritual children as well? Allah SWT tells us :
3.68 Without doubt, among people, the nearest of kin to Abraham, are those who follow him, as are also this Prophet and those who believe: and Allah is the Protector of those who have Faith.
We understand from this verse that those who truly belongs to the family of Abraham ASWS are those who follow Him, those who choose to follow the same path as Him...
Actually even His father was not part of His family when He has chosen to stay in ignorance :
9.114. And Abraham prayed for his father's forgiveness only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to Allah, he dissociated himself from him: for Abraham was most tender-hearted, forbearing.
If there is anything to learn from Ibrahim ASWS is His sincerity of heart :
37.84 Behold, he approached his Lord with a sound heart.
It is this sincerity of heart that lead Him to become a Muslim :
2.131 Behold! his Lord said to him: "Surrender" he said: "I surrender to the Lord and Cherisher of the Universe.
6.79 I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah.
And once a person becomes Muslim, He automaticaly understands that nothing is better than pleasing Allah SWT by helping the poors, taking care of the orphans, being hospitable as Ibrahim ASWS shows us :
51.24-27 Has the sory reached thee, of the honoured guests of Abraham? Behold, they entered his presence, and said: "Peace!" He said, "Peace!" (and thought, "These seem) unusual people." Then he turned quickly to his household, brought out a fatted calf, And placed it before them He said, "will ye not eat?
As we can see here, He brought a FATTED CALF to strangers He does not even know and on top of that He thought they were unusual people and yet as a Muslim He was quick to show them hospitability!!! SubhanAllah.
The Quran is full of what Ibrahim ASWS did and said, it is truly amazing how can a human being have all His qualities but nothing is impossible when the heart is in complete submission to the Creator of the univers.
When we go to Hajj, which is an obligation on any Muslim if he or she affords it, we have to remember that the Ka3ba is the house built by Ibrahim ASWS... When we are turning around it we have to keep in mind that this is the house of Allah SWT built by two of the great prophets:
2.127 And remember Abraham and Isma'il raised the foundations of the House (with this prayer): "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: for Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.
When Ibrahim ASWS built the house He was thinking how can a house built on a desert attract anyone at all?!! Yet Allah SWT asked him :
22.27. "And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways;
And SubhanAllah today we see millions of people from all races, all nationalities, all languages, around the house of Allah SWT, coming together wearing the same dress, no social classes, no differences, to the contrary, brotherhood, love and care for each other and worship Allah SWT.
We pray for the safe return of All the peligrims, we wish them a complete spritual fulfillement. Indeed the prophet SAAWS said :
a person who performs Hajj properly will return as a newly born baby [free of all sins].
We ask Allah SWT to give us the possibility to go there very soon. We should not wait until we are old. Today AlhamduliAllah there is great ease in doing Hajj at a young age. Leading a life after having done this obligation is definitly a great thing that we wish for every brother and sister.
The Imam recited :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
93.1 . By the morning hours
93.2 . And by the night when it is stillest ,
93.3 . Thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor doth He hate thee ,
93.4 . And verily the latter portion will be better for thee than the former
93.5 . And verily thy Lord will give unto thee so that thou wilt be content .
93.6 . Did He not find thee an orphan and protect ( thee ) ?
93.7 . Did He not find thee wandering and direct ( thee ) ?
93.8 . Did He not find thee destitute and enrich ( thee ) ?
93.9 . Therefor the orphan oppress not ,
93.10 . Therefor the beggar drive not away ,
93.11 . Therefor of the bounty of thy Lord be thy discourse .
then :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
I apoligize for being late on this. But as you know there was the Aid Al-Adha and so many events that kept me a little busy. Anyhow here is your prize:
This Friday our Imam reminded us again about how important it is to preform the Hajj if we can. He said that Allah SWT has created us for a reason. This reason is to worship Him:
51.56. I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.
And anyone who is arrogant to decline this honor of worshiping Allah SWT is commiting a big injustice against Allah SWT whose bounties are uncounted:
16.49. And to Allah doth obeisance all that is in the heavens and on earth, whether moving (living) creatures or the angels: for none are arrogant (before their Lord). 40.60. And your Lord says: "Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer): but those who are too arrogant to serve Me will surely find themselves in Hell - in humiliation!"
So once we understand that worshiping Allah SWT is the only reason we were created for we should ask ourselves how are we supposed to worship Him? The answer in Islam is very simple, every action in our life is a worship to Allah SWT as long as it has the right intention with it. Even enjoying a big good meal is a worship if there is a consciencus spirit behind it that acknoledges the food we eat, the air we breath, the health we enjoy is all from Allah SWT. There are however some specific ways of worshiping Allah SWT.
One of them is the daily prayers, 5 times a day, then the Firday prayer once a week, then the Ramadan fasting once a year then the Hajj once in a lifetime. This last way of worshiping Allah SWT is truly an amazing event!. The culmination of this event is the day of Arafat where all the millions of muslims from around the globe gather in a single place wearing the same clothes reciting Labayka Allahoma Labayk giving a picture to the rest of the world what the judgement day will be when everyone is raised from the deads to give account of every single action he or she did.
The Imam said that this picture of all those muslims from all walks of life, from all races and languages is a picture of unity and brotherhood that we share us Muslims under the might of God, who gathered us and guided us to His path. It is an amazing event of unity and brotherhood regardless of wealth, color or else, it is an event to be proud of and to thank Allah SWT for His amazing grace.
The Imam reminded us of Ibrahim ASWS, the great prophet who built the Ka3ba in a desert place wondering if this place will attract anyone and by Allah SWT might this place is now the center of humanity every year giving the best example on how humanity can be unified in love, brotherhood and respect.
The Imam enphasized the sacrifice of Ibrahim ASWS and how much He endured against His people and tribe. He reminded us that He was thrown into the fire but by Allah's might He was saved from the fire because He was a sincere and devout Muslim in complete submission to Allah SWT. We definetely should be as steadfast as Ibrahim ASWS in standing firm for our religion, in returning the favor of being a Muslim to others who are still waiting to discover this great religion in their search for spiritual fulfillment.
The Imam also reminded us of the last sermon given by the prophet SAAWS, he invited us to read it again and again and to ponder on its words. It is not a concidence that the prophet SAAWS died immediatly after that sermon and since those were His last words to us we should keep them in mind in our journey in life. The Imam said that life itself is a journey exactly as the Hajj is a journey. The Hajj is a very demanding experience, that is why everyone is invited to fulfill this obligation as soon as possible and if possible at a young age.
The Imam prayed for those who died in the Hajj this year and reminded us that the state of a Muslim during the whole period of Hajj is a state of worship where some strict rules are to be followed:
2:197 For Hajj are the months well-known. If any one undertakes that duty therein, let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj and whatever good ye do, (be sure) Allah knows it. And take provision, and indeed the best of provisions is right conduct. So fear Me, O ye that are wise!
The Imam recited the following for the prayers :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then:
94.1 . Have We not caused thy bosom to dilate , 94.2 . And eased thee of the burden 94.3 . Which weighed down thy back ; 94.4 . And exalted thy fame? 94.5 . But lo! with hardship goeth ease , 94.6 . Lo! with hardship goeth ease ; 94.7 . So when thou art relieved , still toil 94.8 . And strive to please thy Lord .
and
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then :
112.1 . Say : He is Allah , the One! 112.2 . Allah , the eternally Besought of all! 112.3 . He begetteth not nor was begotten . 112.4 . And there is none comparable unto Him .
There was one announcement that IAW [Islamic Awarness Week] was under preparation and volonteers are wanted.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2006 06:36 by mdlazreg.
This Friday, our Imam talked about forgiveness. He said it is an amazing blessing that Allah SWT is The forgiver. Do we ever imagine what would happen to us if Allah SWT does not forgive us? here is the answer:
35.45. If Allah were to punish men according to what they deserve. He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term expires, verily Allah has in His sight all His Servants.
This verse shows as a very deep truth about our human nature. This truth is the fact that we do commit sins and we do forget and we do not worship Allah SWT as He deserves to be worshiped. Yet Allah SWT forgives us.
The prophet SAAWS told His compagnons the following story : A child did something wrong to his mom and he was so harsh and disrespectful to him mom and he left the house... For the whole day he was wandering around and his mom very worried about him even if it was all his fault... at night he did not find any place to go to so he went back home and slept in front of the door... The mom opened the door, and so happily she picked up her son and took him to bed with joy. The prophet SAAWS said that Allah SWT is much merciful than this woman!!!.
So as humain beings, we should have the clear understanding that we are sinners but because our Creator is so Merciful we do have the chance of repentence and that is why Allah SWT tells us :
2.186. When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.
When we do commit sins and call on Allah SWT, He is there to listen to us :
40.60. And your Lord says: Call on Me; I will answer your (Prayer)
There is absolutly no sin big enough for Allah SWT not to forgive. Allah SWT forgives ALL sins as long as we come towards Him with a sincere heart before our last breath. We should never despair from the forgiveness of Allah SWT. Doing so is by itself a sin:
15.56. He said: "And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord, but such as go astray?"
The Imam said that every humain being has to angles, one to his right and one to his left. The right angel is to write any good deed and the left angle is to write any bad deed and as we all know we are going to be held accoutable for all our deeds, big and small, good and bad, in the day of judgement :
99.6. On that Day will men proceed in companies sorted out, to be shown the deeds that they (had done). 99.7. Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it! 99.8. And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil, shall see it.
The amazing thing is that Allah SWT orders the right angle to IMMIDIATLY record any good deed we do. But the left angle has orders not to record immidiatly our bad deeds but to wait for sometimes to see if we are going to repent and regret our bad deed or not. If we do repent and regret then the left angle does not even write the bad deed in our records! SubhanAllah. Do we realize the mercy of Allah SWT?
We see from this that the odds are with us to make sure that our good deeds are more than our bad deeds, we should also understands that all our good deeds will stop when we die except of three things :
1)Some ongoing charity [building a school, an orphan place, a garden, a hospital, a school or any thing for public use...] 2)Some knowledge that benifits humanity. 3)A good son or a good daughter who would pray for us.
The Imam said that a father was about to be thrown to hell because his bad deeds exceeded his good deeds but at that moment His son was reciting the Quran and said :
In the name of Allah , the most Beneficent , the most Merciful
Allah SWT then forgave this father and said how can I throw him in hell while His son is calling me The most Merciful...
So even when we are reading the Quran we might be benifing our parents or grand parents who are in the other side...
The Imam asked as to ask for forgiveness from Allah SWT and to be happy that He is The Forgiver.
The Imam recited the following :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
87.1 . Praise the name of thy Lord the Most High ,
87.2 . Who createth , then disposeth ;
87.3 . Who measureth , then guideth ;
87.4 . Who bringeth forth the pasturage ,
87.5 . Then turneth it to russet stubble .
87.6 . We shall make thee read ( O Muhammad ) so that thou shalt not forget
87.7 . Save that which Allah willeth . Lo! He knoweth the disclosed and that which still is hidden ;
87.8 . And We shall ease thy way unto the state of ease .
87.9 . Therefor remind ( men ) , for of use is the reminder .
87.10 . He will heed who feareth ,
87.11 . But the most hapless will flout it ,
87.12 . He who will be flung to the great fire
87.13 . Wherein he will neither die nor live .
87.14 . He is successful who groweth ,
87.15 . And remembereth the name of his Lord , so prayeth .
87.16 . But ye prefer the life of the world
87.17 . Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting .
87.18 . Lo! This is in the former scrolls ,
87.19 . The Book of Abraham and Moses .
then
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
88.1 . Hath there come unto thee tidings of the Overwhelming?
88.2 . On that day ( many ) faces will be downcast ,
88.3 . Toiling , weary ,
88.4 . Scorched by burning fire ,
88.5 . Drinking from a boiling spring ,
88.6 . No food for them save bitter thorn fruit
88.7 . Which doth not nourish nor release from hunger .
88.8 . In that day other faces will be calm ,
88.9 . Glad for their effort past ,
88.10 . In a high garden 88.11 . Where they hear no idle speech ,
88.12 . Wherein is a gushing spring ,
88.13 . Wherein are couches raised
88.14 . And goblets set at hand
88.15 . And cushions ranged
88.16 . And silken carts spread
88.17 . Will they not regard the camels , how they are created?
88.18 . And the heaven , how it is railed?
88.19 . And the hills , how they are set up?
88.20 . And the earth , how it is spread?
88.21 . Remind them , for thou art but a remembrancer ,
88.22 . Thou art not at all a warder over them .
88.23 . But whoso is averse and disbelieveth ,
88.24 . Allah will punish him with direst punishment .
88.25 . Lo! unto Us is their return
88.26 . And Ours their reckoning .
There was one announcement that there will be fundraising dinner in the Islamic Institute for Da3wa. Speakers are Siraj Wahaj [www.masjids.org], Yusuf Estes [www.famousmuslims.com]
1)La Ilaha Ila Allah [There is no God bu God] 2)Isti9qma. [steadfastness]
Those two things are two necessary conditions for every muslim. The Imam said that the meaning of La Ilaha Ila Allah is just so big that we truly do not realize what it means... In fact this is the most important sentence in all human languages and it is the most absolute truth... It is the sentence that devides people in two kinds: the believers and the non believers. The believers are the ones who do recognize the greatness of our Creator, the ones who do believe that our existence do have a meaning and that one day we will be raised from the deads to answer every single action in this temporary and very short existence. Allah SWT says :
75.36. Does man think that he will be left uncontrolled, (without purpose)? 75.37. Was he not a drop of sperm emitted (in lowly form)? 75.38. Then did he become a leech-like clot; then did (Allah) make and fashion (him) in due proportion. 75.39. And of him He made two sexes, male and female. 75.40. Has not He, (the same), the power to give life to the dead?
In those verses Allah SWT assures us that there is a purpose to our life, that the one who created us from a drop of sperm is surely very much able to raise us from the dead to question our deeds.
The non believers who do not still understand the power of La Ilaha Ila Allah, think that our life is just a temporary thing and that once we die then there is nothing :
45.24. And they say: "What is there but our life in this world? We shall die and we live, and nothing but time can destroy us." But of that they have no knowledge: they merely conjecture:
but this is absolutly false and there will be surely an account for each one of us:
23.115. "Did ye then think that We had created you in jest, and that ye would not be brought back to Us (for account)?"
For those of us who do understand the meaning of La Ilaha Ila Allah, we have a duty to fulfill. This duty is to submit to The One God. Submit to His orders and follow His path. The path to Allah SWT is certainly not an easy one... Actually the fact that it is not an easy one is done in purpose :
2.214. Or do ye think that ye shall enter the Garden (of bliss) without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? they encountered suffering and adversity, and were so shaken in spirit that even the Messenger and those of faith who were with him cried: "When (will come) the help of Allah?" Ah! Verily, the help of Allah is (always) near!
The believer has to be tested to truly see how strong is his or her belief :
29.2. Do men think that they will be left alone on saying, "We believe", and that they will not be tested?
Now that we understand the meaning of La Ilaha Ila Allah and we do understand that there are tests waiting us we have to prepare for those tests... The tests can be anything, we can get a lot of money to test if we are going to spend it in the path of Allah SWT or not, if we are going to take care of the needy or not... the test can be being poor to see if we are going to live our poverty in dignity or are we going to commit unlawful actions to get the money, the test can be our strength to see if we are going to use it against the weak, it can also be a sickness or a handicap to see if we are going to accept the will of Allah SWT or are we going to contest it... The tests are endless and only those who think can recognize and see the tests...
Preparing for the tests, the Imam said, is through steadfastness or Istiqama. This means to stay on the right path, not to go astray, in other words being proactive in our religion... For example we know that the 5 prayers are obligatory for every muslim but the muslims who pray more than 5 times are the ones who will not miss the 5 prayers, the muslim does not drink alcohol, but it is only the muslim who never gets close to bars who is sure to never fall in the trap of Satan to drink wine... Being proactive in our religion means we have to keep checking on ourselves that we are aware of the presence of Allah SWT. This can be done among other things by reading the Quran and pondering on its words, that way we are constantly reminded... To remind ourselves is very important to stay steadfast because as human beings we do forget but as believers we wake up very quickly once we are reminded :
51.55. But remind (thy Message) for reminding benefits the Believers.
The Imam said that The prophet SAAWS, himself recognized that it is indeed a very tough task to be steadfast... Actually when the following verse was given to Him in Houd chapter:
11.112. Therefore stand firm (in the straight Path) as thou art commanded,- thou and those who with thee turn (unto Allah); and transgress not (from the Path): for He seeth well all that ye do.
His hair turned gray...
The prophet SAAWS said : Chayabatni Houd wa Akhawatoha [My hair turned gray because of Houd and its sisters]...
SubhanAllah! The hair of the prophet SAAWS turned gray once He understood how tough and how demanding is the following verse :
11.112. Therefore stand firm (in the straight Path) as thou art commanded,- thou and those who with thee turn (unto Allah); and transgress not (from the Path): for He seeth well all that ye do.
that is because He recognized the consequences of this huge order from Allah SWT to stand firm in the straight path... this means that deviating even one time means He has violeted this command!!!! and that is why this verse made the prophet SAAWS cry...
Of course we can not be judged with the same standard of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS, but nevertheless we have to do our best to stay on the straight path. An amazing advice, very short and very concise to stay on the straight path is to fully and trully understand the following :
103.1 . By the declining day , 103.2 . Lo! man is in a state of loss , 103.3 . Save those who believe and do good works , and exhort one another to truth and exhort one another to endurance .
and also :
46.13 . Lo! those who say : our Lord is Allah , and thereafter walk aright , there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve .
we can see here that the path to sucess in this life and the next is :
1)Belief. 2)Right actions.
The Imam recited the following :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then :
46.11 . And those who disbelieve say of those who believe : If it had been ( any ) good , they would not have been before us in attaining it . And since they will not be guided by it , they say : This is an ancient lie ;
46.12 . When before it there was the Scripture of Moses , an example and a mercy ; and this is a confirming Scripture in the Arabic language , that it may warn those who do wrong and bring good tidings for the righteous .
46.13 . Lo! those who say : our Lord is Allah , and thereafter walk aright , there shall no fear come upon them neither shall they grieve .
46.14 . Such are rightful owners of the Garden , immortal thereafter as a reward for what they used to do .
and
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then
101.1 . The Calamity!
101.2 . What is the Calamity?
101.3 . Ah , what will convey unto thee what the calamity is!
101.4 . A day wherein mankind will be as thickly scattered moths
101.5 . And the mountains will become as carded wool .
101.6 . Then , as for him whose scales are heavy ( with good works ) ,
101.7 . He will live a pleasant life .
101.8 . But as for him whose scales are light ,
101.9 . The Bereft and Hungry One will be his mother .
101.10 . Ah , what will convey unto thee what she is!
There was one announcement that all donations will go to Islamic relief :
This Friday our Imam talked about the best of creation. The one who brought humanity from darkness to light. The one who, instead of worshiping nature, stones, fire or idoles, showed us the path to the unique God, the One and Only, Creator of man and of the univers, Allah SWT. He taught us great words :
112.1 . Say : He is Allah , the One! 112.2 . Allah , the eternally Besought of all! 112.3 . He begetteth not nor was begotten . 112.4 . And there is none comparable unto Him .
He is so unique that no one can be a believer if he does not love Him more than himself. This man is no other than Mohamed SAAWS, The light sent to humanity.
Mohamed SAAWS took the great mission of all times. The mission of delivering the last message to humanity from The Creator of humanity.
Mohamed SAAWS was not sent to the Arabs only. He was sent to all humanity, to very single humain being on the face of earth asking everyone of us to surender and submit to our Creator :
34.28. We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not.
Mohamed SAAWS loved us so much that He suffered so much in the process of delivering the message of Allah SWT, in the hands of Quraich, His early followers were persecuted, killed and bannished. Himself was thrown out of Makaah for one single reason : LA ILAHA ILA ALLAH. There is no God but Allah SWT. Mohamed SAAWS was so anxious about us and He wanted all of us to embrace Islam to be saved, He wanted us to be so many to be proud of us, to show that among humanity are those who submit fully and completly to Allah SWT, like our great father Ibrahim ASWS did before us and like all the other prophets did before Mohamed SAAWS. The Imam said that the nation of Muslims will be the biggest in the day of judgement, a nation that will make the prophet Mohamed SAAWS proud that He indeed did deliver successfuly the message. This nation of Muslims includes all the prophets before Mohamed SAAWS and all those who say our God is Allah SWT, then do good deeds until the day of judgement.
The Imam reminded us of the travel of Mohamed SAAWS from Makaah to Jerusalem when He prayed in the AQSA mosque. He prayed with ALL prophets. They all came together and they all prayed behind the prophet Mohamed SAAWS as their Imam and leader. Those who follow Mohamed SAAWS are the followers of Abraham ASWS, the followers of Moise ASWS and the followers of Jesus ASWS. The followers of every single prophet that Allah SWT has sent to every nation across time. Every single nation has recieved a prophet :
35.24. Verily We have sent thee in truth, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warner: and there never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past).
Mohamed SAAWS is the last and final prophet. The words of Allah SWT in the Coran are here to stay until the day of judgement. Every single humain being has access to the word of Allah SWT. Every humain being has recieved the message of God. Thanks to Mohamed SAAWS. And that is why our love for Him should have no bounds because it is thank to Him that we have been guided, without Him we should still be wondering what is the reason of our creation or the meaning of our lives. Our love of the prophet SAAWS is only a reflection of His love for us... He loved us so much, the Imam gave the following examples :
When the message of the prophet SAAWS was rejected in Makaah, He traveled to another city Al-Ta2if to tell them about Islam maybe they will be guided. After two weeks of travel, He arrived to the city He talked with their leaders who were three brothers. After finishing His call to Islam. The first brother replied :
Why Allah did not find a better man than you to come to talk to us?
The second replied :
If you are a prophet than I should not be talking with you and if you are not a prophet you should not be talking with me.
[I forgot what the third said]
The Taif leaders then ordered the children of Taif to chase the prophet SAAWS down with stones... He fled with blood on him... The prophet Mohamed SAAWS was so sad but His sadness was not about His blood but because His people are going to loose so He asked for forgiveness for the Taif people with those historic words :
Allahoma Irfir Li 9awmi Fa Inahom La ya3lamoun [O Allah, Forgive my people, they do not know.]
Gabriel ASWS descended on the prophet SAAWS and told Him, Allah SWT has given me permissions to crush the Taif people between those two mountains if you want me. The prophet SAAWS replied : Maybe someone of their descendens will be a Muslim.
The Imam said that this spirit of forgiveness of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS is exactly want we need in those times ang ages. Actually it might be that once of us today has an ancestor in the Taif tribe and he is now a Muslim all thanks to God...
Mohamed SAAWS is so Unique in the eyes of Allah SWT that Allah SWT called Him HABIBI, My Beloved. Allah SWT called Moise ASWS KALIMI, the one I spoke to, and He called Ibrahim ASWS KHALILI, My friend, and He called Jesus ASWS, KALIMATI, my word. It is indeed an amazing thing how Allah SWT in His greatness chooses to have friends, beloveds from His own creation. This is a grace from Allah SWT, He who does not need us and who is independent form us... Allah SWT not only said the Mohamed SAAWS is His beloved but also He talked with Him in the Isra2 event, when the prophet Mohamed SAAWS ascended to Allah SWT and at that glorious moment where humanity came close to its creator, Allah SWT said :
Assalamo 3alayka Ayoha Al-Nabiyo [Peace be upon you O Prophet].
What did the prophet SAAWS replied ? He immidiatly thought of All of us, those who will follow His message and said :
Assalamo 3alayna wa 3ala 3ibadi Allahi Al-Salihine [Peace upon us and upon all the rightious]...
Why is that? It is because the prophet SAAWS cared so much for us and wanted all of us to be included in the peace greeting of Allah SWT. And that is why all muslims repeat those words in every prayer 5 times a day. Peace be upon the prophet SAAWS and peace be upon all the rightious people, those who do good deeds.
In the battle of Badr when the non muslims gathered the biggest army to finish one and for all with the 300 muslims denying them their freedom to practice their religion freely, the prophet SAAWS cried so much and He said :
O Allah SWT, if you this handful number of muslims are killed, there will be no one to worship You.
He cried all night that Abu Bakr RAA came to Him and said: Enough O Prophet, Allah SWT has heard You...
The prophet SAAWS even if He was connected with Allah SWT and has the absolute truth in front of His eyes, He stayed humaine, very caring for everyone, He respected those who disagreed with Him and talked with respect and love for the others :
3.159. It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (Their faults), and ask for (Allah's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast Taken a decision put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him).
The prophet SAAWS was constantly asking for forgiveness for us, passing over our faults. That is what made Him the Greateast man to walk on earth and made Him deserve the following :
33.56. Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
It is an obligation to sent blessings on the prophet SAAWS. On a man who changed humanity history, by showing us the path to Allah SWT as did the prophets before Him.
It is an obligation to say SALA ALLAHO 3ALAYHI WA SALAM whenever His name is mentioned. In one Hadith the prophet SAAWS was going to deliver a sermon and while ascending on the steps of Minbar, He Said Amine on the first step, then Amine on the second, them Amine on the third one. When He finished His sermon, His compagnons asked Him why did He say Amine three times. He replied that the Angle Gabriel ASWS came to Him and cursed the three following people :
1)He who lives during Ramdan without taking advantage of this month. 2)He who does not take care of his parent. 3)He who hears the name of the prophet SAAWS and does not says Sala Allaho 3alayhi Wa Salaam.
And the prophet SAAWS agreed with Gabriel ASWS... This shows how important it is to send blessings on the prophet SAAWS since this is an order from Allah SWT who Himself sends His blessings on the prophet SAAWS :
33.56. Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect.
Loving the prophet SAAWS is never enough but true love means following His example. We can follow His examples only if we know about them and we can know about them only if we read about His SIRA. There are so many great books about the Sira of the prophet SAAWS and His live. We should read as many as we can from them and apply them to our life. Among them there was a woman who used to hate the prophet SAAWS and used to throw all her garbage on His path whenever He walks by Her house... For sometimes this woman stoped doing this... The prophet SAAWS surprised, He went to ask if she was sick... Another humain being would have smatch her or even killed her or at least be happy that she is now dead or sick, yet the prophet Mohamed SAAWS, in His connection with the divine, went to ask about her health...
Do we follow those examples?
What is amazing about the prophet SAAWS is that He is loved so much and hated so much. He is hated by those who do not know Him, and He is hated by those who in their pride reject the submission to the one God. Abd Rahman Ibn 3aWf who was a great compagnon and when he was on His bed of death was crying so much... One of his sons told him you should not be crying since you have been a good muslim and a good compagnon to the prophet SAAWS, you should not fear death, Abde Rahman replied that He is crying of happiness to go meet the prophet SAAWS, He said that before I became a Muslim, Mohamed SAAWS was the man I hated most and when I became a Muslim He became the man I love most...
One day Omar RAA came to the prophet SAAWS and said, O Prophet I love you more than anything else except myself. The prophet SAAWS said you will not believe until you love me more than yourself. Omar RAA went and thought of the words of the prophet SAAWS and He understood that belief in Allah SWT, in the day of judgement, can only be achieved if we love the man who guided us to all of this more than ourselves... He went back to the prophet SAAWS and said, O Prophet I love you more than anything else including myself. The prophet SAAWS replied, now now Omar you are a believer.
Do we love the prophet SAAWS enough? How much of His examples do we follow? Following the prophet SAAWS is following all the prophets before Him. And every action we take we should ask ourselves, how would the prophet Mohamed SAAWS acted in this same situation... Usually we will act justly and smartly...
The Imam recited the following :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
and
109.1 . Say : O disbelievers! 109.2 . I worship not that which ye worship ; 109.3 . Nor worship ye that which I worship . 109.4 . And I shall not worship that which ye worship . 109.5 . Nor will ye worship that which I worship . 109.6 . Unto you your religion , and unto me my religion .
then
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
and
59.22. Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- Who knows (all things) both secret and open; He, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 59.23. Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him. 59.24. He is Allah, the Creator, the Evolver, the Bestower of Forms (or Colours). To Him belong the Most Beautiful Names: whatever is in the heavens and on earth, doth declare His Praises and Glory: and He is the Exalted in Might, the Wise.
This Friday, our Imam talked again about our beloved prophet Mohamed SAAWS.
All prophets are unique in the sens that they were chosen by Allah SWT to deliver a message tu humanity. The last prophet is so unique that Allah SWT Himself says it!!! :
68:4. And you (stand) on an exalted standard of character .
No human being can ever reach the high morals of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS but it is an obligation on every Muslim to try as hard as possible to follow Him in all aspects :
33.21 Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the praise of Allah.
After the Danish cartoons, many people are ogranizing conferences to study His life from an acadamic point of view... Because He is indeed a man who truly changed the history of humanity. But as Muslims it is not enough to read about His life and His way, as Muslims we have to LIVE His example... In other words we have to make is a goal to become like Him, even if we know this is impossible, we still need to try as much as we can. The reward inshaAllah will be to be close to Him in hereafter. The prophet SAAWS said to His compagnons: I miss my beloved compagnons... The compagnons surprised asked Him, who is talking about since they are His compagnons? He said those who will come after you, believe in Me while they have never seen Me...
So the fact that we did not live in the times of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS does not exclude us from being His compagnons... As long as we truly love Him. Love can only be expressed by following His examples, examples of love, compassion, patience, steadfastness, fear of Allah SWT, fighting for justice and equality for all, standing with the weak...
What is amazing about the prophet Mohamed SAAWS is that He experienced in His life all kind of events and different status that He is a true universal example for everyone... He was poor, He was rich, He was weak, He was strong, He was a husband, He was a father, He was a follower, He was a leader, He was a religious schoolar, He was a militray expert, He was an orphan, He was unlettered, He was lettered, He was a businessman...
He was almost everything, and that what makes him an example for all of us, the rich and the poor, the followers and the leaders, an example for all races, for all nationalities because His message transcends all fictitious racist boundaries...
7:158. Say: "O people! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He that gives both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believed in Allah and His Words: follow him that (so) you may be guided.
We can read a lot of books about the prophet SAAWS to find out why He is the best example for any human being to follow but there is a most fondamental question which is why He was what He was?
What made Him so Unique? to the point of deserving His universal status in the world now?
That question was given to Aicha RAA, His wife and she replied in a very consice manner :
“His character was the Qur'an"
In other words the prophet SAAWS was a walking Quran... a Quran that walks...
He applied everything in the Quran, in every detail of His life. And of course when someone follows the words of Allah SWT for sure He is going to attain perfection, exatly as a machine that follows the user manual, it is going to function at its best. The user manual of Muslims is the Quran, because we are like machines created by Allah SWT and He knows best what is best for us.
So the magic secret of the prophet SAAWS is actually the Quran... He followed the Quran and He became perfect.
To be able to follow the Quran however we have to come to it with a sincere heart and a honest mind and that is exactly what happened for the prophet SAAWS. Even before He became prophet, He was known among His tribe as Al-Amine, the trust worthy... Even those who did not believe in His message could not accuse Him of being dishonest...
One time, the prophet SAAWS was speaking to His tribe and said : If I tell you that right behind this mountain there is a huge army that is going to attack you right now... would you believe me? They replied Yes we will believe you because you never lie... He said, then believe me that I am a messenger from Allah SWT to you...
The prophet SAAWS was merciful to everyone, including His ennemies. Allah SWT says about Him :
21:107. [...]a mercy to the worlds
Even if He was chased down from Makkah, even if the Makkan made fun of Him, even if He was and His followers persecuted, when He came back to Makkah, He forgave all of them...
The prophet Mohamed SAAWS gave so many beautiful examples throughout His life that He deserved the following beautiful names:
Muhammad (the Praised one), Ahmad (Most Praiseworthy), Hamid (the Giver of Praise and Thanks), al-Rasul (the Messenger), al-Nabi (the Prophet), Shahid (the Witness), Rashid (the Righteous), Bashir (the Giver of Good News), Nadhir (the Warner), Da'i (the Inviter to Allah), Hadi (the Guide), Mahi (the Remover of Evil), Fatih (the Conqueror), Rauf (the Compassionate), Rahim (the Merciful), Mujtaba (the Chosen one), Mustafa (the Selected one), Murtada (the Well-pleasing in the sight of Allah), Sadiq (the Truthful), Amin (the Trustworthy), Musaddiq (the Confirmer of Truth), Habibullah (the Beloved of Allah), Safiullah (the One Selected by Allah), Najiullah (the One Protected by Allah), Shakur (the Most Grateful One), Karim (the Noble one), Hakim (the Wise one), Sayyid (the Leader), Siraj Munir (the Shining Lamp), Jawwad (the Generous One), ‘Adil (the Just), Khatam al-Rusul (the Last Messenger).
InshaAllah we are all going to meet Him and be with Him in the day where there is no shade except the shade of Allah SWT.
The Imam recited the following :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
and
2.284 . Unto Allah ( belongeth ) whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth ; and whether ye make known what is in your minds or hide it , Allah will bring you to account for it . He will forgive whom He will and He will punish whom He will . Allah is Able to do all things .
2.285 . The messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and ( so do ) the believers . Each one believeth in Allah and His angels and His scriptures and His messengers We make no distinction between any of His messengers and they say : We hear , and we obey . ( Grant us ) Thy forgiveness , our Lord . Unto Thee is the journeying .
2.286 . Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope . For it ( is only ) that which it hath earned , and against it ( only ) that which it hath deserved . Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget , or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as Thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us , absolve us and have mercy on us , Thou , our Protector , and give us victory over the disbelieving folk .
then
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
and
113.1 . Say : I seek refuge in the Lord of Daybreak
113.2 . From the evil of that which He created ;
113.3 . From the evil of the darkness when it is intense ,
113.4 . And from the evil of malignant witchcraft ,
113.5 . And from the evil of the envier when he envieth .
There was an announcement that all donations will go to our brothers in Palestine through Islamic Relief organization.
There was another annoucement about a free weekend conference by Dr. Abdul Hakim Jackson for intensive study of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS life : [www.alimprogram.com]
Finally Gabriel gave Muhammad(saws) these instructions: ‘Do not become proud of your position. Do not become harsh towards those weaker than yourself. And always speak of God’s kindness to you.’
And Muhammad obeyed these instructions diligently throughout his life.
This Friday our Imam was a special one, he is the white guy I talked about in my "the latino, the blond, the jew and the white" post. He is the american boy born in the new hampshir state who converted to Islam then converted his mother and his two sisters..
His arabic is not very good but for someone who just converted recently it was a perfect arabic. His pronounciation was not good either but hearing him reciting the Quran with such difficulty was such a great pleasure. The prophet SAAWS said that He who recites the Quran with difficulty because he does not master Arabic has double the reward the one who recites the Quran with ease...
Anyway, His talk was about the Ta9wa. Ta9wa is a very complicated word to translate but it means a fear of Allah SWT mixed with a desire to satisfy Him and to follow His orders.
The most important thing to remember is the following :
49.13 . O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female , and have made nations and tribes that ye may know one another . Lo! the noblest of you , in the sight of Allah , is the best in conduct . Lo! Allah is Knower , Aware .
So here Allah SWT says that the best of mankind in His eyes are those who are best in TA9WA [translated here as best in conduct]... The reason for this is that TA9WA brings a pesron closer to Allah SWT because the person who is MOTA9I starts involving Allah SWT in every aspect of his life, so all his actions are controlled by the presence of Allah SWT. When a pesron reachs such a high stage of faith he becomes very close to Allah SWT and Allah SWT loves Him. That is the reason why TA9WA is the only creteria to distinguish between people because it is something independent from race, nationality or language, it is something that everyone can achieve with a sincere heart and bright mind to understand the reality of life and the importance of getting closer to our Creator...
The Imam said that actually Allah SWT is already very close to us, it us who need to come closer to Him. Indeed Allah SWT says :
2:186. When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me: let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me: that they may walk in the right way.
and the prophet SAAWS said talking about Allah SWT:
…My servant does not come closer to Me with anything more dear to Me than that which I made obligatory upon him. My servant keeps coming closer to Me with more volunteer deeds, until I love him. When I love him, I become His ear by which he hears, his eyes by which he sees, his hand by which he holds and his foot by which he walks. If he asks Me any thing I shall give him. If he seeks My protection I shall grant him My protection…
As we cam see here Allah SWT is waiting for us to take action and to come closer to Him. The decision is ours.
The best way to acheive this is through obligatory actions that Allah SWT requires us to do then through whatever it is voluntary. The obligatory actions on a daily basis are the 5 prayers that should not be neglected under ANY reason. Because after all the purpose of this short life is to worship Allah SWT and to reach the eternal life with a great work.
Once we are sure that all the obligatory actions are done and we are not ignoring or neglicting anyone of them we can then move to the other actions for which we will be rewarded and which can make us good citizens and good human beings, this includes all kind of gentle actions... In one hadith 9odoussi, Allah SWT says :
Allah will say on the Day of Judgment, O son of Adam, I was ill and you visited Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant so and so was ill and you visited him not? Did you not know that had you visited him you would have found Me with him? O son of Adam, I asked you for food and you fed Me not. He will say: O Lord, and how should I feed You when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: Did you not know that My servant so and so asked you for food and you fed him not? Did you not know that had you fed him you would surely have found that with Me? O son of Adam, I asked you to give Me to drink and you gave Me not to drink. He will say: O Lord, how should I give You to drink when You are the Lord of the worlds? He will say: My servant so and so asked you to give him to drink and you gave him not to drink. Had you given him to drink you would have surely found that with Me.
By helping others and by doing good deeds we are getting closer to Allah SWT, we getting better in our TA9WA and when our TA9WA is good we are the best of humanity according to the one and only creteria that distinguish human beings...
The Imam said that becoming a Mota9i, a person who constantly thinks of Allah SWT and make all his judgement according to the orders of Allah SWT not his own desires, is a wonderful thing to achieve and should be the goal of every smart person.
[listening to those words from a guy who converted only recently and who was born in the east of the USA far by some 5000KM from the brith place of Mohamed SAAWS was a clear proof that Mohamed SAAWS succeeded in delivering the message of God to humanity...]
The Imam recited the following :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
87.1 . Praise the name of thy Lord the Most High ,
87.2 . Who createth , then disposeth ;
87.3 . Who measureth , then guideth ;
87.4 . Who bringeth forth the pasturage ,
87.5 . Then turneth it to russet stubble .
87.6 . We shall make thee read ( O Muhammad ) so that thou shalt not forget
87.7 . Save that which Allah willeth . Lo! He knoweth the disclosed and that which still is hidden ;
87.8 . And We shall ease thy way unto the state of ease .
87.9 . Therefor remind ( men ) , for of use is the reminder .
87.10 . He will heed who feareth ,
87.11 . But the most hapless will flout it ,
87.12 . He who will be flung to the great fire
87.13 . Wherein he will neither die nor live .
87.14 . He is successful who groweth ,
87.15 . And remembereth the name of his Lord , so prayeth .
87.16 . But ye prefer the life of the world
87.17 . Although the Hereafter is better and more lasting .
87.18 . Lo! This is in the former scrolls ,
87.19 . The Book of Abraham and Moses .
then
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
93.1 . By the morning hours
93.2 . And by the night when it is stillest ,
93.3 . Thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor doth He hate thee ,
93.4 . And verily the latter portion will be better for thee than the former
93.5 . And verily thy Lord will give unto thee so that thou wilt be content .
93.6 . Did He not find thee an orphan and protect ( thee ) ?
93.7 . Did He not find thee wandering and direct ( thee ) ?
93.8 . Did He not find thee destitute and enrich ( thee ) ?
93.9 . Therefor the orphan oppress not ,
93.10 . Therefor the beggar drive not away ,
93.11 . Therefor of the bounty of thy Lord be thy discourse .
There was one announcement that all donations will go to Islamic relief to help our brothers and sisters in Kenya where there is a severe drought.
Our Imam this Friday talked about how to deserve to be called a servant of Allah SWT. He based his talk on the following verses :
25.63 . The ( faithful ) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly , and when the foolish ones address them answer : Peace ;
25.64 . And who spend the night before their Lord , prostrate and standing ,
25.65 . And who say : Our Lord! Avert from us the doom of hell ; lo! the doom thereof is anguish ;
25.66 . Lo! it is wretched as abode and station ;
25.67 . And those who , when they spend , are neither prodigal nor grudging ; and there is ever a firm station between the two ;
25.68 . And those who cry not unto any other god along with Allah , nor take the life which Allah hath forbidden save in ( course of ) justice , nor commit adultery and whoso doeth this shall pay the penalty ;
25.69 . The doom will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection , and he will abide therein disdained for ever ;
25.70 . Save him who repenteth and believeth and doth righteous work ; as for such , Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds . Allah is ever Forgiving , Merciful .
25.71 . And whosoever repenteth and doeth good , he verily repenteth toward Allah with true repentance .
25.72 . And those who will not witness vanity , but when they pass near senseless play , pass by with dignity .
25.73 . And those who , when they are reminded of the revelations of their Lord , fall not deaf and blind thereat .
25.74 . And who say : Our Lord! Vouchsafe us comfort of our wives and of our offspring , and make us patterns for ( all ) those who ward off ( evil ) .
25.75 . They will be awarded the high place forasmuch as they were steadfast , and they will meet therein with welcome and the word of peace ,
25.76 . Abiding there for ever . Happy is it as abode and station!
25.77 . Say ( O Muhammad , unto the disbelievers ) : My Lord would not concern himself with you but for your prayer . But now ye have denied ( the Truth ) , therefor there will be judgment .
The Imam said that those verses are truly powerful because anyone who wishes to be a servant of Allah SWT has here a very clear guidance on what needs to be done.
As we can see from the verses the first thing is modesty, to truly understand that if we are rich it is not because we are smart or because of our great work, it is thank to Allah SWT who has given us the inteligence and the physical strenght to achieve such wealth, if we are knowledgable it is thank to Allah SWT who has given us a brain... So being modest and understanding that everything belongs to Allah SWT and is fully under His commands is the first thing that a human being should understand...
The second thing is to avoid the ignorants and to reply to the bad deeds by the good deeds... Allah SWT is asking us to say Peace to anyone who harms or try to harms us by his words. Restraint is a great attribute of a Muslim and the prophet SAAWS said that the strong person is not the one with great physical condition but is the one who controls himself when angry...
The beloved to Allah SWT are the ones who worship Him in love and fear, who dream and prepare to the after life by making sens of this life and working to improve it for ourselves and for others. Those who are balanced in their actions, those who never go to the extremes but stay in the middle path, enjoying this life without transgressing the bounds of Allah SWT and preparing for the next life actively...
Those who commit sins like fornication, killing the innocent are dommed and will be punished severly except those who repent and Allah SWT accepts their repentance.
Those close to Allah SWT are constantly searching for the goodness in all human beings espicialy their wives and husbands, their children and their society in general because the responsiblity of a Muslim does not stop at himself but include his responsibilities towards his society and towards humanity.
One other aspect of being a servant to Allah SWT is to never bear false witness, this means that a Muslim should avoid talking about things he has no knowledge about, for example I heard X saying that Y did this and that... a Muslim should keep his mouth shut most of the times because the prophet SAAWS said that most of the people in hellfire are there because of their tongues...
To be a servant of the Beneficent is great honor. To acquire this honor we have to learn those verses by heart and try to apply them to our life...
The Imam recited :
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
25.63 . The ( faithful ) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly , and when the foolish ones address them answer : Peace ;
25.64 . And who spend the night before their Lord , prostrate and standing ,
25.65 . And who say : Our Lord! Avert from us the doom of hell ; lo! the doom thereof is anguish ;
25.66 . Lo! it is wretched as abode and station ;
25.67 . And those who , when they spend , are neither prodigal nor grudging ; and there is ever a firm station between the two ;
25.68 . And those who cry not unto any other god along with Allah , nor take the life which Allah hath forbidden save in ( course of ) justice , nor commit adultery and whoso doeth this shall pay the penalty ;
25.69 . The doom will be doubled for him on the Day of Resurrection , and he will abide therein disdained for ever ;
25.70 . Save him who repenteth and believeth and doth righteous work ; as for such , Allah will change their evil deeds to good deeds . Allah is ever Forgiving , Merciful .
25.71 . And whosoever repenteth and doeth good , he verily repenteth toward Allah with true repentance .
and
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful 1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds , 1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful . 1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment , 1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help . 1.6 . Show us the straight path , 1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
then
25.72 . And those who will not witness vanity , but when they pass near senseless play , pass by with dignity .
25.73 . And those who , when they are reminded of the revelations of their Lord , fall not deaf and blind thereat .
25.74 . And who say : Our Lord! Vouchsafe us comfort of our wives and of our offspring , and make us patterns for ( all ) those who ward off ( evil ) .
25.75 . They will be awarded the high place forasmuch as they were steadfast , and they will meet therein with welcome and the word of peace ,
25.76 . Abiding there for ever . Happy is it as abode and station!
25.77 . Say ( O Muhammad , unto the disbelievers ) : My Lord would not concern himself with you but for your prayer . But now ye have denied ( the Truth ) , therefor there will be judgment .
There was one announcement that all donations will go to Islamic relief to help our brothers and sisters in Darfour Soudan.
I apologize for being late. I was busy about some work related stuff.
Here is an attempt of reporting the sermons I missed :
Friday 3 Safar 1427 AH ----------------------
Our Imam talked about faith. Faith is really the most important aspect of a Muslim identity. The Imam said that most of the time, before doing any action we give it a rational basis. Sometimes however it is impossible to come up with this rational mathematical reason for everything, and that is where faith comes to play. For example why would we pray 5 times a day? why not 6 or 10? the reason is that the prophet SAAWS told us that God told Him that we have to pray 5 times a day and because we BELIEVE in Him, because we believe that what He said is the absolute truth we do it. This is faith. It might be that there are logical reasons behind it but for the time being they are unknowen to us. We have however our faith to guide us.
Faith is an amazing strength that can move mountains. The best example is the story of the great black Muslim Bilal. He believed in the Oneness of God. In the desert, his body under a huge rock, he repeated, AHAD AHAD, ONE ONE. God is One. No punishment could be a match to his faith.
The Imam asked us to take Bilal as an example to test our faith. Let's ask ourselves, are we facing difficulties in practicing our religion? If so it is as tough as what Bilal faced? most propably the answer is no. In other words we have no excuse not to practice our faith as Allah SWT asked us to do.
Faith is not something that either you have it or do not have it. Faith can increase and decrease depending on the different situations faced in life. The prophet SAAWS used to say the following :
Allahoma Ya Mo9aliba Al-9oloubi Thabit 9albi 3ala dinik. O You who changes hearts, keep your faith in my heart.
The Imam said that once we understand what is faith we will understand why the compagnons of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS were so quick to obey Him and obey the orders of the Quran.
It is all about faith.
Friday 10 Safar 1427 AH -----------------------
Our Imam, who lost a very good friend to him, talked to us about death.
The only certainty about life is that one day it will end. Allah says in the Quran :
3:185 Every soul shall have a taste of death: And only on the Day of Judgment shall you be paid your full recompense. Only he who is saved far from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have attained the object (of Life): For the life of this world is but goods and chattels of deception.
SubhanAllah! it is so clear. The real life is not this one. This one is only a test, to test who is going to deserve the real one and who is going to transgress, be unjust, heedless of the poor or arrogant.
Our Imam told us about the goodness of his friend, who lived a good Muslim life, who helped students with money and spiritual support. The prophet SAAWS said : Odkouro Amwatakom Bikhayr [Dites que du bien des morts].
The prophet SAAWS also asked us to visit cimetiaries, because that is the place for reflexion, to truly understand that one day we are going to be in a black dark hole somewhere under earth as Allah SWT promised all of us :
20:55 From the (earth) did We create you, and into it shall We return you, and from it shall We bring you out once again.
Friday 17 Safar 1427 AH -----------------------
Our Imam talked about arrogance. It is an unfortunate fact that many people are arrogants. Why? either because they have wealth, they have power, they are smart or some other worldly priviledge. Islam came to erase any arrogance instinct that might destroy the beauty of our humanity. Arrogance is a blindless, it is not understanding the reality of life, it is not understanding that anything we might have is a gift from Allah SWT, why should be arrogant or too proud of something given to us? even if we work hard to get wealth or power or else, the very tools we are using to get them are not ours, actually we do not even how our own body works... A smart human being is by definition humble because he understands that everything belongs to Allah SWT :
55.26 All that is on earth will perish: 55.27 But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord,- full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.
Arrogance is the first sin. In fact when Allah SWT ordered to Satan to prostern himself in front of Adam ASWS he refused out of arrogance...
Arrogance of nations lead to their destruction historically because when arrogant they became blind to reality, to the truth...
Prophets were cursed always by the arrogants of their nation. For example Jesus ASWS was chased by the arrogants of His people and was followed by the weak and the poor, because the laters had arrogance removed from their hearts... The same thing for the prophet Mohamed SAAWS, His early followers were the slaves, the poor, the very weak because they had nothing to be arrogant about and thus could see clearly where the truth is.
Arrogance is a very dangerous sin because most of the times it is invisible... Some people might be arrogant without even knowing it... We should truly ask ourselves if we are arrogants without our knowledge... If we are we are at big loss because Allah SWT says :
16.23 Undoubtedly Allah doth know what they conceal, and what they reveal: verily He loveth not the arrogant.
16.29 So enter the gates of Hell, to dwell therein. Thus evil indeed is the abode of the arrogant.
16.72 (To them) will be said: "Enter ye the gates of Hell, to dwell therein: and evil is (this) Abode of the Arrogant!"
40.76 "Enter ye the gates of Hell, to dwell therein: and evil is (this) abode of the arrogant!"
Friday 24 Safar 1427 AH -----------------------
Our Imam talked about Islam and Iman. He naratted the very famous hadith of the prophet SAAWS:
"One day we were sitting in the company of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None of us recognized him. He sat with the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Resting his knees against his and the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said, 'O Muhammad, tell me about Islam'. The Messenger of Allah replied, 'Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, to establish the prayer, pay the zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so'. He said, 'You have spoken the truth,' and we were amazed at him asking and then verifying that he had spoken the truth. He then said, 'Inform me about Iman'. He replied, 'It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and in the divine destiny of both good and evil'. He said, 'You have spoken the truth'. He then said, 'Tell me about Ihsan'. He said, 'It is to worship Allah as if you see Him, for though you do not see Him, surely He sees you'. He then said, 'Inform me about the Hour'. He replied, 'The one who is asked knows no more than the one who is asking'. He said, 'Tell me some of its signs'. He said, 'That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and barefoot, destitute shepherds will compete with one another in the building of magnificent buildings'. Then he (the questioner) went on his way but I stayed with him (the Prophet) for a long while. He said to me, 'Umar, do you know who this questioner was?' I replied, 'Allah and His Messenger know best'. He said, 'He was Gabriel. He came to instruct you in your religion'.''
Friday 2 Rabi3 Awal 1427 AH ---------------------------
This friday the Imam talked about speech. The ability to speak is an amazing attribut of the human race, actually it is a gift from Allah SWT and is a sign for those who think:
30.22 . And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth , and the difference of your languages and colors . Lo! herein indeed are portents for men of knowledge .
To be able to speak is just a wonderful gift that a Muslim should thank Allah SWT for. How can we thank Allah SWT for this amazing gift? use it in such a way to guide others to the path of Islam, to preach the good manners and most importantly to remember Allah SWT. Indeed the prophet SAAWS said that saying SubhanAllah AlhamduliAllah are such powerful words so easy to speak yet so powerful that Allah SWT will listen so closely to those who speak them... Allah SWT said that I am with him who remember me... The compagnons understood this and they used to say the name of Allah SWT on their tongues so much that they become uneasy about going to the bathroom where they are not allowed to say the name of Allah SWT and yet because they are so used to it they would put a stone in their mouth!... The Imam said that the gift of speech shoul be used to remember Allah SWT at every moment :
3.191 Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.
The Imam said that speech is a way to help us respect each other and honor each other because it allows us to express ourselves, it is a gift given by Allah SWT to all humans regardless if they are Muslims or not, this shows that Allah SWT has honored all of us with the ability to speak and because of this honor that Allah SWT has granted to each human being we should honor and respect every human being. Indeed Allah SWT says :
17:70 We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation.
The sons of Adam, in other words humanity is invited to Islam, the religion of submission to the Unique God to thank Him for all his gifts including speech among many other things.
Ps: In most of the sermons the announcements were about Islamic Relief collect of money to Darfour war zone, Pakistan earthquake victims.
I apologize for not being on time. I was busy up to my neck, but all thanks to Allah SWT I did not miss any Friday sermon, and here are they... [I managed to ask the Imam for his paper for some, so they are a little bit longer].
Enjoy:
Friday 9 Rabi3 Awal 1427 AH ---------------------------
This Friday our Imam talked about the difficulties that might face us during our lives and how can we deal with it as Muslims. The Imam said that for a Muslim the best examples are those of the prophets. We have to truly understand that the prophets, the chosen from humanity, faced a lot of problems in their lives and many difficulties...
If the prophets themselves were forced to go through a lot of hardships, then it is not an exception that we as normal humans go through some hardships as well. The hardships can be poverty for example, health problems, family issues...
For each hardship, a Muslim should try to find an example in the history of the prophets and then follow how the prophet reacted to that problem. For example the prophet Mohamed SAAWS was afflicted by the loss of His beloved wife and His uncle who protected Him on the same year... What was His reaction? He relied on Allah SWT and He did not fall into despair... Does this mean we do not have the right to be sad or cry a little bit? of course not, we are humans after all but here is what the prophet SAAWS said when His son Ibrahim died:
"The eye cries, and the heart is saddened, but we do not say anything other then that which is pleasing to our Lord, and we, indeed O Ibraheem, are saddened by our separation from you"
The prophets, Adam ASWS, Noe ASWS, Ibrahim ASWS, Jesus ASWS, Moise ASWS and finishing by Mohamed SAAWS have something to teach us, because they were humans like us who Allah SWT has guided to make the best choices. If we follow their examples and behaviors we can be sure to please Allah SWT and make the right decisions.
Friday 16 Rabi3 Awal 1427 AH ---------------------------
This Friday our Imam talked again about the prophet SAAWS and the obligation for every Muslim to study His life and follow His examples. This is an obligation from the Quran where Allah SWT says :
33.21 Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and who engages much in the Praise of Allah.
3.31 Say: "If ye do love Allah, Follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
The obligation to follow the examples of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS comes from the fact that He reached the pinnacle of moral perfection to the point that Allah SWT Himself says :
68:4 And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character.
Friday 23 Rabi3 Awal 1427 AH ---------------------------
[This one I got the paper from the Imam]
The Imam said that all of us living under the influence of the new global capitalism in America as well as East Asia, the Middle East and Africa, are in danger of internalizing on of the most debilitating and prenicious cultural assumptions: That what makes the self happy is the highest reality. Isn't capitalism, in the end, based on greed? One of America's most successful capitalists, Anderw Carnegie, said, "It is about turning a desire into a need". Western philosophy has heralded and campaigned for the liberaton of the self. In many ways, the most honest of Western philosophers was Fredrich Nietzche, who proclaimed: "Today, I love myself as god.". And the most honest capitalist enterprise was the colonial project which did not let conventional morality hamper the efforts to create an exploitable work force, a steady stream of raw materials and hungry markets - and so the most honest of the colonialists was Adolph Hitler.
Obviously this portrait contains some overly broad generalizations of Western society, but the point is that today, the world seems to revolve around the base side of the human condition: What we call the NAFS, variously translated as "self, ego, beatial or lower self". Sadly, Muslims have not been exempt from this seduction of NAFS.
As for us, the best of communities brought forth for the benefit of mankind, what is going on here? Allah has said:
59:19 Be not as those who have forgotten God, and whome He therefore causes to forget themselves.
All of us like to think we do not forget God, but the dhikr or remembrance of God is a constant process, such that if the remembrance of God leaves the heart, it is immediately replaced with the whisperings of Shaytan. The sign of our lack of rememberance of God is our forgetting ourselves. In other words, even when all of our time is spent following the base desires of the NAFS, we have forgotten the very existence of the NAFS.
Abu Hamid al-Ghazali quotes the prophet to say: "Your worst enemy is your NAFS which lies between your flanks". The Ahl Al-Tasawuf, those concerned with the science of the purification of the NAFS, indeed trace their practices to the Prophet Mohamed SAAWS Himself, and all of us have heard their hadith many times:
Upon returning from the Battle of Badr, our prophet, Mohmaed SAAWS said: "We have returned from the lesser Jihad to the greater Jihad" They asked " O Prophet of God, which is the greater Jihad?" He replied: "The struggle against the NAFS [ego]"
The prophet SAAWS said :
"A wise person is one who watches over himself and restrains himself from that which is harmful and strives for what which will confront him after death, and a foolish one is he who gives rein to his cravings and seeks from Allah the fulfillment of his vain desires"
and also said:
"The fighter against unbelief is he who fights against his ego in obeying God"
and also:
"The Strong one is not the one who overcomes people, the strong one is he who overcomes his ego"
The Quran is of course replete with warnings about this enemy within. Allah has even spoken preemptively to the statement of Nietsche, and those of you who know Nietsche's own decline from one of Europe's most brilliant minds, to a raving lunatic, who remained closed in a dark room, his feces in numberous jars scattered around, attest to the truth of Allah's warning:
25:43 Have you not seen the one who takes for his god his own lust?
Indeed, Allah has alerted us in no uncertain terms to the existence of this hidden enemy inside us:
50:16 It was We who created man, and We know what dark suggestions his soul makes to him: for We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.
An excellent example of the power of the NAFS is presented in the story of Yusuf ASWS. When Zulkiya came to seduce Yusuf ASWS, Allah says:
12:24 She desired him, and he desired her...
And when he was brought into the room full of women desiring him, Yusuf ASWS called out to Allah SWT:
12:33-34 Unless You turn away snare from me, I would feel inclined towards them and join the ranks of the ignorant. So the Lord answered him, and turned their snare away from him.
When Zulkiya comes to repent, it is by realizing she has been led astray by her NAFS:
12.53 . I do not exculpate myself . Lo! the ( human ) soul enjoineth unto evil , save that whereon my Lord hath mercy . my Lord is Forgiving , Merciful .
An important Iraqi shykh, Ibrahim ibn Shayban a-Qirmisini, once said:
"God bestows no greater honor upon any of His servant than the honor of showing him the abject nature of his ego-self(NAFS), and God abases no servant with a greater abasement that when He veils him from the abject nature of his ego-self".
So we should pray Allah to reveal to us the abject nature of our NAFS, for we cannot fight an enemy we cannot identify. The great Indian sage, Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, also said:
"The self in its state of impulsiveness (ammara) always strive to be superior... It refuses to acknowledge its dependence on and debt to others. This is nothing but a claim to divinity... Indeed, [ such a] self will not settle even for partnership with God, but desires to subjugate even Him, to enslave all that exists. It is for this reason that aiding and abetting this self, the enemy of God... is the greatest of follies and disasters."
The simple nature of the NAFS is that it refuses to submit to something outside of itself,the quintessential act of rebelion symbolized by the refusal of Iblis to bow out of pride. The NAFS in this state is a Kafir, a disbeliever, and there is no way around it.
Some of the scholars have likened the NAFS in the throes of earthly desires to the perceived images of various animals. Thus the NAFS is stubborn like the cow, lazy like the sloth, proud like the rooster, frivolous like the monkey, greedy like the pig, treacherous like the snake, shameless like the dog. Allah has said:
7:176 If it had been Our will, We should have elevated him with Our signs; but he inclined to the earth, and followed his own vain desires. His similitude is that of a dog: if you attack him, he lolls out his tongue, or if you leave him alone, he (still) lolls out his tongue. That is the similitude of those who reject Our signs; So relate the story; perchance they may reflect.
In conclusion, this is just to remind myself and you of the NAFS, and to encourage us to never stop fighting the base characteristics of our own human condition. Our refuge is the rememberance of Allah, our calling out in distress as a soldier outnumbered on the battlefield. Also the recitation of the Quran, and recollection of the sublime example of the Prophet Muhammad. As Allah has said:
33:6 The prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves.
And here is a great secret of which we are desperately in need: The Salaat Ala Nabiy, prayer upon the prophet: Allah will be praying on you, and who can estimate the prayer of Allah, for He is the only one to bring us out of the darkness of our NAFS. And in the same narration, Allah makes ten for every one, until ifyou make one thousand, Allah will enter you shoulder to shoulder with the prophet in paradise, or in another narration, if you make a thousand, you will be protected from hypocrisy.
Let me end with Allah's reported statement to Moses ASWS, emphasizing our struggle as never ending, and our seeking refuge in our fear and hope in God alone.
"Don't fear any authority if you are not wrong, as long as My Authority is there. And My Authoriy is there and Mine forever. Dont'fear poverty as long as My Treasuries are full, and Mine are full forever. Don't mention people's faults as long as faults are being seen with you. And human beings are hardly blameless. Don't stop fighting Shaytan as long as Satan is fighting you, and Satan is fighting you forever. Don't feel safe until you see yourself inside paradise, and even if you see yourself inside paradise, remember that your father Adam ASWS was already inside it and I removed Him from it"
Friday 30 Rabi3 Awal 1427 AH ----------------------------
Our Imam talked this Friday about greed and how many people become blind because of their wealth and money related problems. This is a truly wide spread problem, and actually most of wars are fought because of wealth, be it oil, gold, dollars or real estate... Many families are torn apart because of money related problems. The reason is greed.
Money for a Muslim should be a tool to please Allah SWT. It is not a goal by itself. Because a Muslim understands that money is a test:
8:28 And know ye that your possessions and your progeny are but a trial; and that it is Allah with Whom lies your highest reward.
Many people do not understand this basic fact that our money or wealth is truly not ours. It belongs to Allah SWT to test our ability to be just or unjust. Many people think that their wealth is because of their strenght either mental, intellectual or physical. They forget that the orgin of any strength is from Allah SWT... Those who forget deserve severe punishment:
104.1 . Woe unto every slandering traducer , 104.2 . Who hath gathered wealth ( of this world ) and arranged it . 104.3 . He thinketh that his wealth will render him immortal . 104.4 . Nay , but verily he will be flung to the Consuming One . 104.5 . Ah , what will convey unto thee what the Consuming One is! 104.6 . ( It is ) the fire of Allah , kindled , 104.7 . Which leapeth up over the hearts ( of men ) . 104.8 . Lo! it is closed in on them 104.9 . In outstretched columns .
Allah gives us a beautiful example about money and how it blinds people:
18.31 . As for such , theirs will be Gardens of Eden , wherein rivers flow beneath them ; therein they will be given armlets of gold and will wear green robes of finest silk and gold embroidery , reclining upon thrones therein . Blest the reward , and fair the resting place!
18.32 . Coin for them a similitude : Two men , unto one of whom We had assigned two gardens of grapes , and We had surrounded both with date palms and had put between them tillage .
18.33 . Each of the gardens gave its fruit and withheld naught thereof . And We caused a river to gush forth therein .
18.34 . And he had fruit . And he said unto his comrade , when he spake with him : I am more than thee in wealth , and stronger in respect of men .
18.35 . And he went into his garden , while he ( thus ) wronged himself . He said : I think not that all this will ever perish .
18.36 . I think not that the Hour will ever come , and if indeed I am brought back unto my Lord I surely shall find better than this as a resort .
18.37 . And his comrade , while he disputed with him , ex claimed : Disbelievest thou in Him Who created thee of dust , then of a drop ( of seed ) , and then fashioned thee a man?
18.38 . But He is Allah , my Lord , and I ascribe unto my Lord no partner .
18.39 . If only , when thou enteredst thy garden , thou hadst said : That which Allah wilteth ( will come to pass ) ! There is no strength save in Allah! Though thou seest me as less than thee in wealth and children .
18.40 . Yet it may be that my Lord will give me better than thy garden , and will send on it a bolt from heaven , and some morning it will be a smooth hillside , 18.41 . Or some morning the water thereof will he lost in the earth so that thou canst not make search for it .
18.42 . And his fruit was beset ( with destruction ) . Then began he to wring his hands for all that he had spent upon it , when ( now ) it was all ruined on its trellises , and to say : Would that I had ascribed no partner to my Lord!
18.43 . And he had no troop of men to help him as against Allah , nor could he save himself .
18.44 . In this case is protection only from Allah , the True . He is best for reward , and best for consequence .
There are many hidden advices in this beautiful similitude and its worth rereading to truly understand the depth of its lessons and how it applies to our lives. The gardens can be a house, a car, a bank account... anything. And everyone is being tested. Many do not even realise that they are being tested...
This Friday our Imam talked about the coming mother day. The mother day here in the US is the 14th of May. In this day many people will remember that they have a mother and will probably send her flowers with some kind words. This day is to be encouraged. However as Muslims do we need a special day to remember our mothers? No. A Muslim takes care of His mother every single day. Because it is an order from Allah SWT Who in many cases in the Quran linked taking care of the parents to belief in Him...
A person came to Allah's Messenger SAAWS and said: Who among the people is most deserving my companionship He said: Your mother. He, again, said: Then who? He said: It is your mother. He said: Then who? He said: It is your mother. He said: Then who? Thereupon he said: It is your father.
It is a great gift to have a mother... The prophet SAAWS was an orphan from both parents, He never saw His father and His mother died when He was only 6 years old... Yet, the prophet SAAWS understood how important it is for a Muslim to take care of his parents and specially his mother...
Allah SWT said:
31:14 And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.
This is an order from Allah SWT. A Muslim should all the time remember that Paradise is under the feet of his mother according to the saying of the prophet Mohamed SAAWS.
The biggest sin in Islam is to associate with partners with God, and it is amazing that Allah SWT talks about the obligation of being kind to parents right after belief in Him and Him alone:
17:23 Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
Our Imam today talked about the search for Allah SWT... It is a fact that a majority of humans is still looking for a meaning of their lives. The Imam said that this journey of looking out for Allah SWT is actually a journey looking for ourselves... The Imam based his argument on the following verse:
59:19 And be ye not like those who forgot Allah; and He made them forget their own souls! Such are the rebellious transgressors!
It shows that the search for Allah SWT is actually a seach for our own souls. And those who forget Allah SWT are actually forgeting their souls...
The search of Allah SWT starts from knowing ourselves, who we are? If I undestand that I am a creature then who is Allah SWT? Allah SWT is the Creator. If I am weak, who is Allah SWT? He is the Strong. If all matter around us comes in couples as Allah SWT says in the Quran:
51:49 And of every thing We have created pairs: That ye may receive instruction.
then who is Allah SWT? Allah SWT is the One.
The Imam said that from basic questions that are accessible to all humans regardless of their intellect are questions that can show us who is Allah SWT, questions that define the truth about our existance on earth and its purpose.
The search of Allah SWT is a search of one's soul. When one finds who is he and is able to control himself, his desires and will, he will understand who is Allah SWT and will learn how to submit to Him and become a Muslim.
This Friday the Imam talked about being a Muslim and what would it take to truly live fully our Islam... The Imam said that Allah SWT or the prophet SAAWS never said that being a Muslim is an easy thing... Actually being a Muslim might even be the cause of persecution, discrimination or else from the ignorants. The Imam said that one of the dangers in a Muslim life is to follow only the teachings that are easy to follow and forget about those who are difficult... This behaviour of pick and choose was the behaviour of some nations before the Muslim nation. And in the Quran Allah SWT talks about it:
2:85 After this it is ye, the same people, who slay among yourselves, and banish a party of you from their homes; assist (Their enemies) against them, in guilt and rancour; and if they come to you as captives, ye ransom them, though it was not lawful for you to banish them. Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? but what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life?- and on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do.
This verse is in regard to some jewish tribes who used to fight some other jewish tribes in alliance with some arab tribes. Then they would go to their arab captors to ransom them afterwards in obedience to the jewish law. But Allah SWT says that the law was to not fight them in the first place... So how would you believe only in part of the Book and transgress another part?
The Muslims should not fall in this trap. Our religion is a whole, it has to be applied as a whole. Anything that was declared Haram in the Quran is to stay Haram until the day of judgement. Changing times have no effect on the eternity of the laws put in place by the Creator of times...
The Imam gave an example of interest. Many people think that now it is impossible not to deal with interest and hence it is acceptable. The fact of the matter is that Allah SWT has declared interest haram:
2:275 Those who devour usury will not stand except as stand one whom the Evil one by his touch Hath driven to madness. That is because they say: "Trade is like usury," but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury. Those who after receiving direction from their Lord, desist, shall be pardoned for the past; their case is for Allah (to judge); but those who repeat (The offence) are companions of the Fire: They will abide therein (for ever).
And any sincer Muslim should take the words of Allah SWT seriously and stop making false excuses.
Many people say that when at Rome do as the Romans. This does not apply to a Muslim. The Muslim does as the Romans in Rome only if the Romans are in accordance with the laws of the Romans Creator, Allah SWT.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2006 03:34 by mdlazreg.
Here are some lights from some great Imams. It is unfortunate that I do not remember the whole thing but what they say is amazin... If only I do not forget it aftewards...
This Friday our Imam started his talk with the following verse:
2.177. It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.
This verse is amazing! because it clearly shows the path to paradise. Allah SWT tells us exactly what we should do on this life and how to acheive the goal we were created for. This verse puts the heart in the center of faith. The details do not matter. What matters is what you have in your heart. That is why the prophet SAAWS said:
Inama Al-A3malo Bi-Aniyate. Actions are by intentions.
We have to focus more on our heart, on our beleif in Allah SWT because that is what is going to give us the strenght to do the good actions. One who helps the orphans for example for the sake of Allah SWT is far better than him who does it for the sake of recognition, because the latter will stop helping once there is no recognition to be gained, but him who do it for the sake of Allah SWT, Allah SWT is always there. The example given by Allah SWT is striking... It is not important to spend time on details and to ask too many questions about worthless matter, what is important is to go to the core of our great religion, helping the poor, standing by justice, giving in need and taking care of parents and families. The core of our religion is to stand in prayer if front of Allah SWT and ask for His mercy, to make sure we give the Zakaat as a right to the poors among us not as favor.
The verse tells us about the core of our religion asking us to stop worrying about little things and to go to the real issues where the great reward of Allah SWT is.
Friday 6 Jomada Awal 1427 AH ----------------------------
This Friday our Imam talked about Ramadan!
The Imam said, with a smile, that we might be surprised he is talking about Ramadan since Ramadan is long gone and the next one is in 5 or 6 months from now...
The reason the Imam talked about Ramadan is that there is a Hadith of the prophet SAAWS that one day the prophet SAAWs was going to deliver a sermon and while He was getting on the steps of His Minbar, He said Ameen, Ameen, Ameen... When he was finished with His sermon, His compangons asked Him why He said Ameen three times before the sermon. He replied that Gabriel ASWS came to him and cursed the following persons :
1)He who lives during Ramdan without taking advantage of this month. 2)He who does not take care of his parent. 3)He who hears the name of the prophet SAAWS and does not says Sala Allaho 3alayhi Wa Salaam. So the prophet SAAWS said Ameen to each curse of those three kind of people...
This means the prophet SAAWS agreed with Gabriel ASWS that he who does not take advantage of the great month of Ramadan is in great loss and deserve to be cursed...
So did we take full advantage of Ramadan on how impact it has on us 5 months later? do we still feel its presence or are we already back to our bad old life style? many people are able to stand 2 hours for the Taraweeh prayers in Ramadan but miss the 3icha prayer in the mosque in regular times even if it will take just 15 minutes!!!... Many people stop smoking in the month of Ramadan and once gone they go back to this bad habit... Is this the impact desired from such a great month?
We have to make sure we have learned something from Ramadan, something that stays with us the rest of our life even after 5 months of its end to make sure we are not in the category of people who were cursed by Gabriel ASWS and the prophet SAAWS.
We need to prepare also for the next Ramadan and remember that the prophet SAAWS used to fast Mondays and Thursdays... That is why He deserved to be called the best of creation. We are never going to reach His high standard of conduct but can we imitate Him from times to times?
Friday 13 Jomada Awal 1427 AH -----------------------------
This Friday our Imam started His talk with the following verse:
2. 208 O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the evil one; for he is to you an avowed enemy.
This verse is full of meanings because it does show that there is a difference bettween being a believer and being a Muslim, in face we first become believers than we enter in Islam. Islam or submition to Allah SWT is an exterior sign of the fact that we are believers... This leads to one very important consequence which is the fact that there are many believers who are still outside Islam, they have still not submitted themselves completly to Allah SWT, they are stil rebelious to His laws and rules even if they do believe in Him. But unfortunatly the Shaytan is strong and they fall on his traps and follow his footsteps... Allah SWT in this verse warns us to enter in Islam WHOLE-HEARTEDLY, it is not enough to be a simple believer, we have to go the next step which is complete submition to Allah SWT.
Complete submition to Allah SWT starts by praying 5 times a day, giving the Zakaat, the right of the poors on each Muslim. Complete submition means to get away of anything that is haram specially for this day and age, interest. Interest or Riba in arabic is different than commerce or Tijara and it is by far the biggest trap the Muslim nation is falling into. Allah has made commerce Halal but has declared interest Haram. Belivers who enter Islam whole-heartedly will stay away from interest and will make sure their financial transactions are in accordance of the rules of Allah SWT on His earth and on His creation.
Friday 20 Jomada Awal 1427 AH -----------------------------
This Friday we were very happy becaus we saw Amir, Amir is our previous Imam who left last year after he graduated. He came back to visit us and he gave the Friday sermon. Amir is the American boy from a Swidish father and an Iranien mother, yet his Arabic is so excellent and He has memorized the whole Quran at a young age... His sermon was about the Al-TAKWIR chapter from the Quran:
81.1 . When the sun is overthrown ,
81.2 . And when the stars fall ,
81.3 . And when the hills are moved ,
81.4 . And when the camels big with young are abandoned ,
81.5 . And when the wild beasts are herded together ,
81.6 . And when the seas rise ,
81.7 . And when souls are reunited ,
81.8 . And when the girl child that was buried alive is asked
81.9 . For what sin she was slain ,
81.10 . And when the pages are laid open ,
81.11 . And when the sky is torn away ,
81.12 . And when hell is lighted
81.13 . And when the garden is brought nigh
81.14 . ( Then ) every soul will know what it hath made ready .
81.15 . Oh , but I call to witness the planets ,
81.16 . The stars which rise and set ,
81.17 . And the close of night ,
81.18 . And the breath of morning
81.19 . That this is in truth the word of an honored messenger ,
81.20 . Mighty , established in the presence of the Lord of the Throne ,
81.21 . ( One ) to be obeyed , and trustworthy ;
81.22 . And your comrade is not mad .
81.23 . Surely he beheld him on the clear horizon .
81.24 . And he is not avid of the Unseen .
81.25 . Nor is this the utterance of a devil worthy to be stoned
81.26 . Whither then go ye?
81.27 . This is naught else than a reminder unto creation ,
81.28 . Unto whomsoever of you willeth to walk straight .
81.29 . And ye will not , unless ( it be ) that Allah willeth , the Lord of Creation .
Our Imam commented every verse showing us the power of the words of Allah SWT. He specificaly said that on the day of judgement there will be absolutly no injustice and every one will be judged justly and will get what he or she deserves. Even the animals, the insects will be judged, once they are judged they will become dust. It is at this moment that the criminals on earth will wish they were animals so that they become dust instead of facing the punishment of their crimes.
Going against the rules of Allah SWT is a crime.
The chapter also talks about the barbar tradition of the Arabs before Islam of killing their daughters... and how Allah SWT will take justice for all those baby girls killed unjustly.
If anyone is unjust on this earth or committing mischeif, if anyone is going against the rules of Allah SWT, he or she has to think twice before it is too late. Because one day the sun will be overthrown and the stars will fall.
Friday 27 Jomada Awal 1427 AH -----------------------------
This Friday our Imam recited the following chapter with some comments:
93.1 . By the morning hours
93.2 . And by the night when it is stillest ,
93.3 . Thy Lord hath not forsaken thee nor doth He hate thee ,
93.4 . And verily the latter portion will be better for thee than the former
93.5 . And verily thy Lord will give unto thee so that thou wilt be content .
93.6 . Did He not find thee an orphan and protect ( thee ) ?
93.7 . Did He not find thee wandering and direct ( thee ) ?
93.8 . Did He not find thee destitute and enrich ( thee ) ?
93.9 . Therefor the orphan oppress not ,
93.10 . Therefor the beggar drive not away ,
93.11 . Therefor of the bounty of thy Lord be thy discourse .
This chapter of the Quran is one of the easiest to remember for some reason and many Imams recite it in Fridays prayer. It also encompasses some great teachings that Allah SWT used to educate the prophet Mohamed SAAWS. We can clearly see 3 main teachings:
1)Never to dispair. Never. Because Allah SWT is the greatest and is able to change anything anytime.
2)This life is short and the best lay ahead. So the smart will work for the next life while the short sighted will work for this one and forget the next. A balance should be striked as Allah SWT says here:
28:77 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.
3)Social justice is a must under the banner of Islam. This is illustrated by Allah's order to take care of the orphans, the needy and to share our wealth. To remember that if Allah SWT wanted He could have created us orphan or poor. In case of the prophet SAAWS He was both orphan and poor, yet He is the best man that ever walked the planet earth mainly because He did implement the teachings given to Him by Allah SWT in taking care of the orphans, the weaks and the poor. Islam is social justice.
This Friday our Imam talked about small sins. In fact many Muslims know that there are some major sins that we should avoid like association and non belief in God, interests, fornication, stealing, killing... But unfortunatly many forget about small sins... The Imam tried to help us understand why it is very dangerous to commit small sins. The first thing to do to understand the impact of small sins is to ask some basic questions:
1)Why can't I make some progress in my religion? 2)Why I am at the same knowldge, same closeness to Allah SWT without improvement? 3)Ramadan comes and goes with no long-term improvement, why? 4)Not memorizing anything new from the Quran, why? 5)So many ideas but no results, why? 6)Why I can not taste the sweetness of obedience, Iman? 7)Why do I sin? How much delight is there in sin? 8)How much guidance can we expect from Allah SWT when we are completely indifferent to His rules?
We live in a time where we are surrounded by many injustices, the mischief is a result of human sins as Allah SWT says in:
30.41 . Corruption doth appear on land and sea because of ( the evil ) which men's hands have done , that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done , in order that they may return .
We clearly see from this verse that commiting sins might bring corruption and mischief on us as a result of our sins. In fact this is a way to remind us that commiting sins has consequences...
The prophet Mohamed SAAWS said:
Doing good makes you live longer, prayer avoids desasters, and sins bring pauverty.
The prophet Mohamed SAAWS made sure we understand that even small sins are to be avoided where he said:
"Beware of minor sins, like a people whol camped in the bottom of a valley, and one man brought a stick, another man brought a stick, and so on, until they managed to bake their bread. There are some insignificant sins which, once they accumulate and a person is questioned about them, they lead to his doom"
The reason is that small sins pile up without notice... It is like a very small leave that has no shadow but if you go under a tree which has a lot of them then you will never see the sun... Small sins also blocks the light of Allah SWT.
A small sin is like a black drop on your heart. One day your heart will be all black. If that happens then you will be like an animal, you hear but you do not listen.
One other consequence of small sins is that they block your supplication. In other words Allah SWT will stop listening to you, because the prophet Mohamed SAAWS said:
O People, Allah is Good and He therefore, accepts only that which is good. And Allah commanded the believers as He commanded the Messengers by saying: "O Messengers, eat of the good things, and do good deeds, verily I am aware of what you do" And He said: "O those who believe, eat of the good things that We gave you" And He made a mention of a person who travels widely, his hair dishevelled and covered with dust. He lifts his hand towards the sky and thus makes the supplication: "O Lords, O Lord" whereas his diet is unlawful, his drink is unlawful and his clothes are unlawful and his nourishment is unlawful. How can then his supplication be accepted?
Many people commit small sins because they say that there is doubt about this and this and that this schoolar said this and that and that it is not clear... What to do in this case? well follow what the prophet SAAWS said:
"Give up what is doubtful to you for that which is not doubtful, for truth is peace of mind and falsehood is doubt"
In other words if you have a doubt that something is haram or halal and you are not sure, then assume it is haram.
Another beautiful definition given by the prophet SAAWS is the following:
Virtue is a kind disposition and vice is what rankles in your heart and that you disapprove that people should come to know of it.
Allah SWT has given us an inner ability to know what is right and what is wrong. So let's get away from what is wrong and what is doubtful.
How to achieve that? well we can look at the examples of the prophets, the companions and the pious predecessors... For example Youssef ASWS when He was about to commit the sin of fornication He said:
12.33 . He said : O my Lord! Prison is more dear than that unto which they urge me , and if Thou fend not off their wiles from me I shall incline unto them and become of the foolish .
To follow of the footsteps of the prophets ASWS we should have knowledge and read about them and their examples. It is not in TV that you are going to learn about good manners and how to worship Allah SWT and to prepare for the next life. Make sure you know your religion because that is the reason you were created for, to worship Allah SWT. If Allah SWT wanted He could have created you an animal or an insect that lives 24hours and dies but instead He created you a human being with dignity:
17:70 We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation.
for one reason:
51:56 I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.
If it does happen that you commit a sin, you should immediatly repent knowing that Allah SWT accepts the repentence from all sincere hearts:
39.53. Dis : “ô Mes serviteurs qui avez commis des excès à votre propre détriment, ne désespérez pas de la miséricorde d'Allah. Car Allah pardonne tous les péchés. Oui, c'est Lui le Pardonneur, le Très Miséricordieux”.
For the prayers the Imam recited the following:
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
and
70.1 . A questioner questioned concerning the doom about to fall
70.2 . Upon the disbelievers , which none can repel ,
70.3 . From Allah , Lord of the Ascending Stairways
70.4 . ( Whereby ) the angels and the Spirit ascend unto Him in a Day whereof the span is fifty thousand years .
70.5 . But be patient ( O Muhammad ) with a patience fair to see .
70.6 . Lo! they behold it afar off
70.7 . While We behold it nigh :
70.8 . The day when the sky will become as molten copper ,
70.9 . And the hills become as flakes of wool ,
70.10 . And no familiar friend will ask a question of his friend
70.11 . Though they will be given sight of them . The guilty man will long be able to ransom himself from the punishment of that day at the price of his children
70.12 . And his spouse and his brother
70.13 . And his kin that harbored him
70.14 . And all that are in the earth , if then it might deliver him .
70.15 . But nay! for lo! it is the fire of hell
70.16 . Eager to roast ;
70.17 . It calleth him who turned and fled ( from truth ) ,
70.18 . And hoarded ( wealth ) and withheld it .
Then:
1.1 . In the name of Allah , the Beneficent , the Merciful
1.2 . Praise be to Allah , Lord of the Worlds ,
1.3 . The Beneficent , the Merciful .
1.4 . Owner of the Day of Judgment ,
1.5 . Thee ( alone ) we worship ; Thee alone we ask for help .
1.6 . Show us the straight path ,
1.7 . The path of those whom Thou hast favored ; Not ( the path ) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who astray .
70.19 . Lo! man was created anxious ,
70.20 . Fretful when evil befalleth him
70.21 . And , when good befalleth him , grudging ;
70.22 . Save worshippers
70.23 . Who are constant at their worship
70.24 . And in whose wealth there is a right acknowledged
70.25 . For the beggar and the destitute ;
70.26 . And those who believe in the Day of Judgment ,
70.27 . And those who are fearful of their Lord ' s doom
70.28 . Lo! the doom of their Lord is that before which none can feel secure
70.29 . And those who preserve their chastity
70.30 . Save with their wives and those whom their right hands possess , for thus they are not blameworthy ;
70.31 . But whoso seeketh more than that , those are they who are transgressors ;
70.32 . And those who keep their pledges and their covenant .
70.33 . And those who stand by their testimony
70.34 . And those who are attentive at their worship ,
70.35 . These will dwell in Gardens , honored .
70.36 . What aileth those who disbelieve , that they keep staring toward thee ( O Muhammad ) , open eyed ,
70.37 . On the right and on the left , in groups?
70.38 . Doth every man among them hope to enter the Garden of Delight?
70.39 . Nay , verily . Lo! We created them from what they know .
70.40 . But nay! I swear by the Lord of the rising places and the setting places of the planets that We are Able
70.41 . To replace them by ( others ) better than them . And We are not to be outrun .
70.42 . So let them chat and play until they meet their Day which they are promised ,
70.43 . The day when they come forth from the graves in haste . as racing to a goal ,
70.44 . With eyes aghast , abasement stupefying them : Such is the Day which they are promised .
One announcement at the end was to collect mony to create an office for a Muslim chaplain at the university.
, here we go : 
[The begginer's luck according to the AlChemist author...] : 
... 
chargement...
