01.26.07
Posted in Asma at 6:41 pm by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu Â
Most of you have heard about our brother Zuhair, aka NaseehaMan, passing away. http://talk.islamicnetwork.com/showthread.php?t=12647
I guess I feel the pain of this death more than I would otherwise is because he and my sister had so much in common…
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Message to Zuhair’s loved ones:
Ever since I heard this, I have been crying on and off. If any of Zuhair’s loved ones ever read this, I just want to say that I am very sorry for the pain you have to go through. It will always be with you, but life does go on and you will be happy inshaAllaah. Other times, you feel just as sad, if not more, then when he first passed away. Nothing will ever take your pain away, but the thought of Allaah and His Mercy contents me when I think about my sister. Read the Qur’aan, it will take your worries away. Zuhair and his loved ones will be in my du’aas inshaAllaah. May Allaah accept him as a shaheed and reunite him with those he loved in Jannatul Firdaus, ameen.
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His death brought back so many painful reminders. Above all the painful reminders were the memories of my 12-year old sister. I think of the day of her funeral. My family, some relatives, a family friend, and I set out to the funeral home to wash Asma’s body. I hadn’t cried too much that early morning except a couple of times. Then I had to sign the ‘contract’ before washing her body. It set in that her death was final. I tried to steady the pen that was shaking because of my trembling body. I could not sign it, the tears blurred my vision and spilled onto the paper, smudging the other signature (of my mom). I cannot remember if I actually signed the paper. I do remember someone taking the pen from me.
Then I rewind to the moment I found out she passed away. I was waiting outside for somebody to pick me up from school because I had gotten a leaving permit. I was so scared that they would inform me of Asma’s death. I pushed that to the back of my mind and reassured myself that it was a missed dentist appointment. So when my brother finally picked me up, I smiled hesitantly and once I got in, buckled up, my brother told me that Asma passed away. At first it didn’t register. I looked at him, bewildered. Then I screamed his name, twice. Why I did that, I do not know. I barely remember that car ride back home except that it was the longest drive from my school to my house ever.
Then I fast-forward to when the janazah prayers were held. It was in the basement of the masjid. I just remember crying silently, people barely noticing me. [Actually, when we went for Hajj the next year, a woman we bumped into coincidentally said that she remembered Asma. She remembered the day of the funeral, when my three brothers were embracing each other. She did not even notice me, Alhumdulillah.] I almost choked on my gum I forgot I had in my mouth and in that moment I thought - oh no, if I die right now, what will happen to my mom? Oh my heart, my aching heart. I can’t explain how I felt just a few hours ago, crying to myself. It was as if my heart was being pulled away from me. I felt so helpless. Now I just keep shivering for some reason. When I want to cry, I feel myself exhausted and lightheaded so I content myself with just a few tears. I was thinking, I wish I had somebody to hug. I am too shy to go to my parents and cry with them about Asma. I will hug them otherwise, but I want to hug somebody, with them knowing why I am so sad. At the funeral, I had everyone to hug. I had everyone to cry with. Now I have no one for one reason or another. But, “He who has no one has Allaah”….Alhumdulillah ‘ala kulli hal. Forgive me for my rambling, I just needed to get all that out without crying for 5 hours.
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01.19.07
Posted in Islaam at 12:45 pm by salafiya
 
The Disease Of Envy
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah
Excerpted and Adapted From “Diseases of the Hearts and Their Cures”
[©1998 Al-Hidaayah]
This introduction by islaam.com is intended to briefly describe envy as a disease of the heart, preceding the text below it by Ibn Taymiyyah.
- Envy is one of the major sins which is bound to destroy good deeds as fast as the fire burns the wood and dry grass to ashes. “Jealousy eats away at good deeds, just as fire eats away at firewood.†[Sunan Ibn Majah]
- Envy was described as a sickness by the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam.
- Envy is hating that good happens to others.
- Envy is displeasure with Allah’s decree and His granting blessings upon others.
- “Faith and envy do not go together in the heart of a servant.” [Ibn Hibban, saheeh]
- “The people will be fine as long as they do not envy one another.” [At-Tabarani with trustworthy narrators]
- Envy is a characteristic the Jews displayed towards the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, causing them to inflict him harm.
- Envy leads to hatred.
- The Prophet, sallallahu `alahi w sallam, described envy as a shearer of the religion.
- Muslims are commanded in Soorah al-Falaq to seek refuge from the evil of the envier when he envies.
- Envy is worse than miserliness; this is because the miser only stops himself from having good but the envier dislikes the favours of Allah bestowed upon His servants.
- No one attains true belief until one loves for one’s brother what one loves for oneself.
- It is said that the people who have the greatest degree of restlessness are the envious. Such a person has no peace and is continuously grieved.
- The greatest harm from envy comes to the envier, who with one’s displeasure with Allah’s decree attains a great loss to oneself.
Al-Mubarrad recited the following lines:
The eye of the envier always sees scandal,
bringing out faults and hiding the good.
He meets you cheerfully, with a smiling face,
while his heart conceals his true feelings.
The envier’s enmity comes without provocation,
yet he accepts no excuses while he attacks.Â
The following is excerpted and adapted from Ibn Taymiyyah’s “Diseases of the Hearts and Their Cures” [©1998 Al-Hidaayah]
Strictly speaking, envy (hasad) is hatred and disliking the good condition of the envied one. This is of two types:
1) The blameworthy type of envy is unrestricted dislike of the blessings bestowed upon the envied. This is the type of jealousy that incurs blame, so when one hates something he is then hurt and grieved by the existence of what he hates, and this becomes a sickness in his heart such that he takes pleasure in the removal of the blessings from the envied even if this does not result in any benefit to him except the single benefit of having the pain that was in his soul removed. But this pain is not removed except as a result of his continuously watching the envied so that the jealous person finds relief when the blessing is removed, but then it becomes more severe as is the case of the one who is sick, for it is possible that this blessing, or one similar to it, returns to the envied. This is why the second group said: ‘It is a desire to have the blessings removed,’ for indeed the one who dislikes the blessings bestowed upon other than him desires them to see removed.
2) That he dislikes the superiority of that person over him, and he desires to be like him or better, so this is jealousy and has been called ghubta, and the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, called it hasad in the hadeeth reported by both al-Bukhari and Muslim from the hadeeth of ibn Mas`ood and ibn `Umar, radiyallahu `anhumaa, that he, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, said, “There is no envy except in two cases: a person to whom Allah has granted wisdom, and he rules by this and teaches it to the people, and a person to whom Allah has granted wealth and property along with this the power to spend it in the cause of Truth.”
This being the wording of Ibn Mas`ood. The wording of Ibn `Umar is, “A person to whom Allah has given the Qur’an and he recites it night and day, and a person to whom Allah has granted wealth and property from which he gives in charity night and day.”
…So the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, forbade hasad, with the exception of two cases which are referred to as al-ghubta, meaning that a person love the condition of someone else and dislikes that this person be superior in this way (without his wishing that it be removed from that person).
So if it is asked: ‘Then why is this (ghubta) called envy when he loves only that Allah bestow these blessings upon him?’ It is said, ‘The starting point of this love is his looking towards the favors Allah has bestowed upon someone else and his disliking that this person be favored over him. So if this other person were not present then he would not have desired these blessings. So because the starting point of this love is this dislike that someone else be made superior to him, then this is called envy due to the love following the dislike. As for desiring that Allah bestows favors upon him without consideration of people’s material conditions then this is not envy at all.’
This is why the generality of mankind have been tried with this second type of envy that has also been called al-munaafasah (competition) because two people compete in a single desired matter, both of them trying to attain the same good. The reason for their trying to attain it is that one of them dislikes that the other be blessed with this matter over him just as any one of two competitors dislikes that the other beat him.
Competition is not considered blameworthy in general, rather it is considered to be praiseworthy when competing for righteousness. The Exalted said,
“Indeed the pious will be in delight. On thrones, looking on. You will recognize in their faces the brightness of delight. They will be given to drink pure sealed wine. The last thereof (that wine) will be the smell of Musk, and for this let those compete who want to compete.” [Al-Mutaffifeen (83):22-26]
So one is commanded to compete for these delights and not compete for the delight of this fleeting world.
…The souls do not envy the one who is in severe hardship and this is why the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, did not mention it even though the mujaahid, fighting in the Way of Allah, is superior to the one who is spending wealth…. Similarly, the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, did not mention the one who prays, fasts and performs the pilgrimage, because there is no tangible benefit attained from the people for these actions by which the person can be exalted or disgraced, as can be attained in teaching and spending.
Fundamentally, envy occurs when someone else attains power and authority; otherwise the one who is performing these actions is not normally envied, even if this person be blessed with far more food, drink and wives than others, as opposed to these two blessings of power and authority, for they cause a great deal of envy.
Allah praised the Ansaar with His saying, “And they have no jealously in their breasts for that which they have been given (the muhaajiroon), and give them preference over themselves even though they were in need of that.” [Al-Hashr (59):9]
As for the jealousy that is totally blameworthy then Allah has said with regards to the Jews, “Many of the People of the Book wish that if they could turn you away as disbelievers after you have believed, out of envy from their own selves even after the truth has become clear to them.” [Al-Baqarah (2):109]
‘They wish’ meaning that they hope to make you aspostisise from your religion out of jealousy. So jealousy was the deciding factor behind their wish even after the Truth had been made clear to them. This because when they saw you attain what you attained of blessings - in fact they saw you attain that which they themselves had never attained - they became jealous of you. Similarly this is mentioned in another verse, “Or do they envy men for what Allah has given them of His bounty? Then We have already given the family of Abraham the Book of Wisdom, and conferred upon them a great kingdom. Of them were (some) who believed in him (Muhammad) and of them were some who averted their faces from him and enough is Hell for burning (them)…” [An-Nisaa' (4): 54-55]
“Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Daybreak. From the evil of what He has created. And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness. And from the evil of the witchcrafts when they blow in the knots. And from the evil of the envier when he envies.” [Al-Falaq (113):1-5]
…So the one who is jealous, hating the favours bestowed by Allah upon someone else is an oppressor, going beyond bounds due to this. As for the one who dislikes that someone else be blessed and wishes to be blessed in the same way, then this is forbidden for him except in that which will bring him closer to Allah. So if he were to wish for something that has been given to someone else which would help bring him closer to Allah then there is no problem in this. However, his wishing for it in his heart, without looking to the condition of someone else is better and more excellent.
Then if this person were to act, dictated by this jealousy, he would be an oppressor going beyond bounds, deserving of punishment unless he repents…Â
Jealousy is one of the sicknesses of the soul, and it is an illness that afflicts the generality of mankind and only a few are secure from it. This is why it is said, “The body is never free from jealousy, but debasement brings it out, and nobility hides it.” It was said to Al-Hasan Al-Basree, “Can a believer be envied?” He replied, “What has made you forget Yoosuf and his brothers, have you no father? But you should keep (this envy should it occur) blinded in your heart, for you cannot be harmed by that which you did not act upon in speech or action.”
So the one who finds that he harbours jealousy in his soul towards someone else, then it is upon him to treat it with patience and taqwaa of Allah, and dislike it being in his soul… As for the one who actually takes a stance against the envied, either with words or actions then he will be punished for this, and the one who fears Allah and is patient and does not become one of the oppressors - Allah will benefit him for his taqwa.
…In the hadeeth there occurs, “There are three sins from which no one can be saved: jealousy, suspicion and omens. Shall I tell you of what will remove you from this: When you envy do not hate, when you are suspicious then do not actualise your suspicions, and when you see omens then ignore them.” Reported by Ibn Abi Ad-Dunya from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah.
In the Sunan from the Prophet, sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, “You have been afflicted with the illness of the nations that came before you - jealousy and hatred. They are the shearers, I do not mean the shearers of the hair, rather they are the shearers of the religion.” [At-Tirmidhi, at-Tabaranee and al-Hakim who said it was saheeh].
So he called jealousy an illness just as he called miserliness an illness in his saying, “And what illness is worse than miserliness.” [Ahmad, Hakim and others, saheeh]
…In the first hadeeth jealousy was mentioned along with hatred. This is because the envier, first of all dislikes the bounty bestowed by Allah upon the one who is envied, and then begins hating this person. This is because the hatred of the thing being bestowed leads to hatred of the one upon whom it is bestowed, for when the blessings of Allah are bestowed upon an individual, he would love that they go away, and they would not go away except by the one who is envied going away, therefore he hates him and loves that he not be there.
Jealousy necessarily leads to desire and hatred just as Allah informed us of those that came before us that they differed, “After there came to them knowledge out of mutual hatred and desire.” [Aal `Imraan (3):19]
“Do not envy one another, do note hate each other, do not oppose each other…†[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
“By the One in Whose Hands is my soul, none of you believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.†[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Greed is a sickness as is miserliness, and jealousy is worse than miserliness, as occurs in the hadeeth, “Jealousy eats away at good deeds, just as fire eats away at firewood.†[Sunan Ibn Majah]
This is because the miser only stops himself from having good but the envier dislikes the favours of Allah bestowed upon His servants.
http://www.islaam.com/Article.aspx?id=627
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01.17.07
Posted in Islaam at 3:17 pm by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu
Many of you have seen the dreadfully biased episode of Dispatches. They did a documentary about the Muslims and so-called extremist wahabis. Needless to say, the whole show was very biased to the extent that I could not stop laughing at the absurdity of it all.
Just about everything was taken out of context – that is, in the parts they were trying to “expose†the “undercover†Muslims. Very early in the show, they introduced Abu Usaamah as an extremist and quoted bits from here and there (of course, they do not have the nerve to quote the entire thing because that would be their whole argument down the drain).
The brother – Abu Usaamah – has clarified the things that were absolutely taken out of context. Please click the following link to watch it yourself. [Note, I may or may not agree with everything the brother says, but he did do a pretty decent job on this clarification, mashaAllaah]
http://www.calltoislam.com/
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01.15.07
Posted in Islaam at 1:56 am by salafiya
 
Keeping Sins a Secret
KEEPING SINS A SECRET
Compiled by Shawana A Aziz
As-Sunnah Islamic Newsletter Issue no 16
References: Lecture by Allama Ehsan Ilahi Zaheer (rahimahullah), Qawaaid wa-Fawaaid min al-Arabeen an-Nawawi by Shaikh Nathim Sultan, Tafseer Ibn Katheer, and others.
From among the teachings of Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) is to keep sins a secret matter. If someone commits a sinful act which is against the Commandments of Allah, or is against the moral character, or is such an act that may cause harm to one’s honor, then he should keep it a secret and seek forgiveness from Allah in the darkness of night. The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: “My entire nation is safe, except al-Mujahirin (those who boast of their sins). Among the Mujaharah is that a man commits an (evil) act, and wakes up in the morning while Allah has kept his (sin) a secret, he says: “O Fulan! Last night I did this and that.” He goes to sleep while Allah has kept his (sin) a secret but he wakes up in the morning and uncovers what Allah has kept a secret!” [Saheeh al-Bukharee]
Zayd ibn Aslam narrated, ‘At the time of the Messenger of Allah(salallahu alaihe wa-sallam), a man admitted that he had committed fornication, so the Messenger of Allah asked for a whip. He was brought a broken whip, so he said: “Better than this.” Then he was brought a new whip…, he then said: “Lesser than this.’ So, he was brought a whip that was used and had thus become soft, and the Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) ordered that he be whipped with it (a hundred times). He then said: “O People! It is time for you to refrain from transgressing Allah’s limits. He who commits some of these filthy acts (such as fornication), let him hide under Allah’s cover, for whoever admits what he has committed, we will establish Allah’s Book as regards him (by applying the warranted punishment for this sin).” [Musnad Ahmad]
Abdullah Ibn Masoud (radiyallahu anhu) related, ‘A man came to the Prophet and said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! I have mingled with a woman in the far side of al-Medina, and I fulfilled my desire short of actually having sexual intercourse with her. So, here am I, judge me according to what you decide.’ Umar Ibn al-Khattab (radiyallahu anhu) then said: ‘Allah had kept your secret, why did not you keep your secret?’ [Sharh Muslim]
Similarly, if one becomes aware of somebody else’s sin, he should keep it a secret. Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) said: “He, who relieves a hardship of this Dunya (word) for a believer, Allah will relieve (from him) a hardship of the Day of Resurrection; he who makes easy an indebted person, Allah will make it easy for him in the Dunya and the Hereafter; he who covers a Muslim (meaning his mistakes and shortcomings), Allah will cover him in the Dunya and the Hereafter…” [Muslim]
Abdullah Ibn Umar (radiyallahu anhu) related, “The Messenger of Allah (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) once rose above the podium and then said with a loud voice, “O those who have embraced Islam only with their tongue, while Eemaan has not yet entered their hears, neither harm Muslims, nor mock them, nor try to expose their mistakes, for he who follows (searches for) the errors of his brother, Allah will follow his errors, and he whom Allah follows his errors, He will expose him even if he was in the middle of his home.” [Saheeh al-Jamee] I
mam an-Nawawi (rahimahullah) writes, ‘This Hadeeth indicates that following and then exposing people’s mistakes only occurs by the hypocrites and those whose Eemaan is so weak, that it did not yet fill their hearts…”Â
Exposing sins lead to humiliation and embarrassment, which ceases the possibility that the sinner might someday regret his mistake, seek forgiveness from Allah and purify his soul from sins because one of the things that prevent one from committing sins is the fear of humiliation. However, if the sinner knows that the people are already aware of his sins, then he does not experience the shame and distraction which he used to feel before and this might encourage him to commit sins openly!Â
Secondly, when sins are repeatedly mentioned in gatherings, etc. the fear of committing sins vanishes from the people’s hearts. First the sin will become easy on people’s tongue and gradually he, who does not feel any shame in mentioning the sin, will not find it difficult to even commit the sin. This is how, sins spread in the society!Â
So, if someone becomes aware of his brother’s sins and realizes that nobody except him has seen him committing the sin, then he should keep the sin a secret. He should not encourage people towards sins by exposing his faults. Allah, the Exalted, has not only condemned committing sins in the Qur’aan but He has also condemned those people who mention sins in public. He said: “Verily, those who like that Fahishah should be circulated among those who believe, they will have a painful torment.” [(24): 19] meaning, those who like to see evil talk about them (the believers) appear. [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
Allah says in Soorah an-Nisa (4): 148, “Allah does not like that evil should be uttered in public except by him who has been wronged.”Â
Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anhu) commented on this verse, “Allah does not like that anyone should invoke Him against anyone else, unless one was wronged. In this case, Allah allows one to invoke Him against whoever wronged him…Yet, it is better for one if he observes patience.” [Tafseer Ibn Katheer]
Today sins have become widespread in the society because we have forgotten the teachings of Allah’s Messenger (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam), who discouraged people from revealing one’s mistakes and sins as well as others. As a result, people have lost the fear of committing not only minor sins but even major sins - Moreover, we find people proudly attributing sins to themselves!!
Today, there are also many novel channels through which sins are propagated in the society; like such book, magazines and television programs that mention the crimes of others, illicit acts, and immorality under the name of creating awareness among the people. These programs which are meant to help the people against the crimes are in reality, helping the crime to spread fast in the society! Crimes, which were previously unknown to people have become common offense! It is therefore necessary for the Muslims to avoid all such avenues which may lead to the destruction of our Muslim Ummah.
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Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu
Today some events reminded me of this article. I am sure all of you have committed sins, since none of us are ma3soom. But if you are stupid like me, you may have revealed your sins, even after knowing about the hadeeth which tells us not to expose our past sins. Anyways, I’d like to say….if I have revealed any sins to you (or you found out about them in any way), please note that I am sincerely trying to become a better Muslimah. It very may well be that I have repented from those sins and do not do them anymore. I realized how easily a person’s honor can be destroyed, especially a sisters! So please watch your tongues (the sinner & the one who knows about the sin) and be weary of Allaah’s Punishment. Wallaahi, I regret ALL of the sins I’ve committed - whether they be big or small. I pray that Allaah blinds you all to the sins I may have committed for they are nothing to be proud of. I pray that Allaah cleanses me of any evil. jazakumAllaahu khairun….
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01.13.07
Posted in Islaam at 7:48 pm by salafiya
 
 Ibn Abd Al-Bar said: “It has been proven that the Prophet said (what translated means):‘Scholars will pass away. Afterwards, people will take leaders (or scholars) from among the ignorant. They (the ignorant) will be asked, and they will issue Fatwas without knowledge, and therefore they will fall and lead others into misguidance.’ All thiscontains rejecting and refuting Taqleed. It is plain for whoever understands and is rightly guided. There is no division between Imams of the world that Taqleed is invalid. Therefore, to speak more about this subject is not needed.†Also ibn Al-Qayyim narrated the above saying by ibn Abd Al-Bar, in his book, I’lam AI-Muwaqqi’in. Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid: “It is impermissible to issue Fatwas based on Taqleed. Taqleed is not knowledge,and issuing Fatwas without knowledge is impermissible. There is no division between people of knowledge that Taqleed is not knowledge. Therefore, A Muqallid cannot be called a scholar.†[I’lam Al-Muwaqqi’in].
And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. [3:105], and, But they (men) have broken their religion among them into Zubar (books, sects, groups), each group rejoicing in its belief. [23:53]
“O you who believe. Obey Allah, and obey His Messenger, and those in command among you. If you dispute any matter, then bring it back to Allah and His Messenger if you believe in Allah and the Day of Judgement.” [Qur'an Al-Nisa:59]
“No, by your Lord, they will not become believers until they place you as a judge among themselves, and they find no hardship in their hearts from that which you judged by and submit completely.” [Qur'an Al-Nisa:65]
Muhammad bin Hazm expressed this position beautifully is his book Al-Ihkaam fi Usoolil Ahkam, p. 18: Abu Muhammad said, “The one who says that nothing is to be accepted unless taken from a Khabar (report or divine text), we ask, ‘Tell us, are all reports correct or are they all false? Or is it that some reports are correct and some false?’ If he says all reports are false, then he will have nullified what he had just said, for he recognizes nothing but by that report. [Such a statement] nullifies his saying as well as all types of knowledge. If he said ‘[All reports] are valid,’ then opposing reports to the one he accepted would be brought up. He would be obligated to abandon his opinion and embrace the opposing one or would have to believe in his opinion and its opposite at the same time, which is impossible. Every opinion that leads to the impossible or to falsehood is necessarily invalid. The only answer that would remain is that a report maybe true and it may be false. If this is the case, then it is impossible to know the validity of a report from the report itself, because no truth or falsehood can be detected in it.Therefore, there must exist a Daleel that would differentiate between them. This cannot be done but by the intellectual Daleel that would differentiate between the Haqq and the Batil.”
He then continued on the same page by saying: Abu Muhammad ‘Ali said, “All of them should be asked, ‘How did you know the validity of what you call for, the authenticity of Tawheed and Prophethood and the Deen you follow? Did you use the intellect to know its validity or not?’”
Then, on p. 28, he says regarding the two parties (those who rejected the mind totally and those who gave it absolute power), “We do not know anybody who is further from the intellectual way than these two groups: The first nullifies the intellectual evidences completely, and the second is that who places itself as the Creator, claiming that Allah did not give things rules…. Both have lied to Allah horribly, and said things that give goose bumps to those who have intellect. We have explained that the reality of the mind is that it distinguishes the things that are sensed by the senses and understood. It only knows the attributes of things as of what they are, such as this world must have a Creator,the Creator is an ever-lasting one, the authenticity of the prophethood of the one whom the signs point to his prophethood… As for the mind making pork Haram or Halal, or the male goat Haram or Halal, or the Dhuhr Salat being four and the Maghrib being three,there is no room for the mind in it, not to mandate it or prevent it. The mind is only to understand the commands of Allah (swt).”
Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr bin Al’ As: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying, “Allah does not take away the knowledge, by taking it away from (the hearts of) the people, but takes it away by the death of the religious learned men till when none of the (religious learned men) remains, people will take as their leaders ignorant persons who when consulted will give their verdict without knowledge. So they will go astray and will lead the people astray.” Sahih Bukhari: Volume 1, Book 3, Number 100.
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01.09.07
Posted in Islaam at 3:03 am by salafiya
Suppose you use a horse for transportation as people have done in the past. One of your friends invites you to his house and you get there by riding your horse. Now, what would happen if your friend totally ignores you and starts feeding and looking after the horse only? You will feel confused as yourself, the rider, was suppose to be the guest, not the horse that you rode on.
The above situation sounds abnormal but that is exactly what we are doing today. Allah has given us a body and a soul. The soul rides on the body to pass through this world. In other words, the body is like the horse and the soul is like the rider of the horse. Today, we are continuously busy in feeding and looking after the body but totally ignored the well being of our souls. As a result, our souls have become so weak without the spiritual food that it is not strong enough to even push us to go to the Masjid or wake up for Fajr prayer. Thus, it is essential that we strengthen our soul with the spiritual food as shown by Islam, such as keeping the company of the pious, recitation of the Holy Quran, Dhikr of Allah and contemplating over the Greatness of Allah.
(written by someone else)
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01.06.07
Posted in Asma at 5:13 pm by salafiya
Words cannot express the sorrow that remains in my heart even after two years. Tears that spill from my eyes and dampen my cheeks do not do justice to the pain. Gazing at the shelves full of her possessions makes me feel as if my heart is being squeezed. I long to see her again; to apologize for being a horrible sister, to shower her with hugs and kisses, to tell her how much she meant to me, to just love her. Yet I never will in this world. For the time being, I cherish the memories that remain. The ones that seem to flash before my eyes makes me feel as if I can’t breathe. The sorrow constricts my airway as it turns into sobs. Asma, my precious Asma.
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No one knows how I feel. Not unless they, too, lost someone dear to them. And even then, they won’t know. People may try to understand by relating my life to theirs - but that is just it. What I have gone through, no one else has gone through. Not even my brothers or my parents understand the way I feel because my relationship with Asma was different. Nor can I completely understand how they feel because they had another, special bond with her. So in that sense, NO one can entirely comprehend.
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Looking through the sixth grade year book, Asma’s last year though she stopped attending, I get feelings of anger as I wonder why it had to be OUR Asma. That anger subsides immediately once I answer my own question – Qadr. This leaves me with a quiet feeling of sadness and guilt. I think about the unopened letter from the junior high she would have attended in the ’05-’06 school year. It was a very early welcoming letter. She left it for my dad to open, which he didn’t because he wanted her to open it. Now it sits there, in our cupboard, gathering dust. No one will open it. Sometimes I take the letter out and just hold it in my hands. I look at it and get lost in my thoughts. When I put it back, I taste salt from my tears. Oh Allaah, it is as if Asma vanished from our tight embrace.
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This was written as I was organizing Asma’s cabinet to get the house ready for ‘Eid (which didn’t get done). I wrote as things came to my head, so it may be a bit jumbled up. Please keep us in your du’aas. jazakumAllaahu khairun.
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01.03.07
Posted in Islaam at 4:39 pm by salafiya
Assalam Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu
 I received this article from a dear sister - may Allaah love her, ameen - and I thought that it would benefit you all as well inshaAllaah. Here is the link:
http://www.fussilat.org/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=468&view=findpost&p=767
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