The Secret Weapon

Since centuries of old, empires and nations have sought power and strength to overcome one another. They have searched for secret weapons that can change the outcome of their conquests and battles. But despite their efforts to find such mythical weapons, none have succeeded; except, those who were not even looking.

Do you know what that weapon is? Has anyone ever shared this secret with you? Pay close attention now because there is a weapon out there, that even when in the hands of the most poor and oppressed of people, it is enough to defend against the greatest armies of the world.

It is known as the “dua” – to call on Allaah for help.

The Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) said: “Nothing can change destiny (qadr), except dua.” [at-Tirmidhi]

So imagine if you could gather all the weapons of the world together on one side and try to change the qadr of Allaah, you would never be able to. Yet a simple dua on the other hand would be enough with Allaah to change the course of any battle, any difficulty, any scenario, no matter how great.

You don’t have to be eighteen or twenty one years of age to be able to use this weapon. Even a five year old can use it with perfection. The key however, is to be able to ask Allaah sincerely and with devotion.

Allaah, the Almighty says in the Qur’an:

“And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad ﷺ) concerning Me, then, I am indeed near. I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me. So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.”

[al-Baqarah 2:186]

If we carefully examine the above ayah, we will observe the following points:

Point No.1

Allaah says “I respond to the invocations…” meaning that you can feel free to ask Allaah without hesitation and He will respond to you. When Allaah Himself is telling us that He responds, can there be anyone to doubt it? This is a special mercy from Allaah that He listens to His people and answers their prayers.

Point No.2

Then Allaah says “…when he calls on Me”. This means that Allaah answers you whenever you decide to call Him. Never will you get a busy signal or an automated message saying “Allaah is not available at the moment” or “Sorry the office is closed right now, please call back tomorrow”! No, you can call Allaah anytime of the day or night and He will always be there to listen. This is the beauty of dua.

Image if you are worried about a test at school or a student who has been giving you a hard time or a teacher who scolds you; and you find yourself tossing and turning in bed, not being able to sleep, you don’t have to wait until morning, you don’t even have to get on the prayer mat or make wudoo, you can simply ask Allaah while lying in bed and you will find Allaah listening to you. Even if you are in the car or on a plane or a train, make dua to Allaah to help you with your worries.

Point No.3

People often forget that in order to increase the acceptance of their prayers there is something that they also need to do. Just like whenever there is an agreement or a contract, there must be at least two parties (or persons) involved. If Allaah is accepting your prayers and giving you what you have asked for, isn’t there something that we need to do as well? Or is it that Allaah should just keep giving us and we can do whatever we want?

Allaah says “so let them obey Me”, meaning if you want Allaah to listen to your duas, you have to become one who is obedient to Allaah also. How many times have you said this to your brother, sister or friend “if you do this for me, I will do that for you.” Isn’t there always a give and take?

For example, Allah wants us to pray as soon as we hear the azaan but we say “no let’s finish the game first” or “no, I don’t have time right now”.

Think about it, will this type of attitude get our prayers accepted?

Point No.4

According to authentic narrations from Sahih Muslim, there are certain types of duas which will never be accepted. These include:

• Asking Allaah for something that is sinful (or haraam)
• Asking Allaah to break the ties of the family
• Being hopeless after making dua, thinking that the dua will never be answered

Every dua of a Muslim, no matter what it is, is never devoid of good. According to a Hadith from Ahmad, Abu Said al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) mentioned three possible outcomes of every dua:

• That the person gets whatever he asked for very soon.
• The person’s dua will be saved for him in the Hereafter (meaning, he will get much better than what he asked for).
• The person did not get what he wanted but instead an adversity (difficulty, illness, hardship, trial) coming his way was avoided.

So no matter what the result, there is always good in making dua.

Should we not develop the habit of making dua abundantly; asking Allaah alone, anytime of the day or night and doing our best to be obedient to Him?

Remember that apart from all the other duas we make, we should pray especially for ourselves and our families to be guided to the straight path. At the end of the day, that is what will really matter.

I conclude with a special dua that the Messenger of Allaah (ﷺ) used to make often:

“Oh turner of the hearts (Allaah), keep our hearts firm on your religion” [at-Tirmidhi]

Do We Have Good Reasons to Believe?

Why is the universe the way it is?

One of the most important questions that almost all thinkers, philosophers and people like you and I, have asked is “Why does the universe exist at all? And why is it the way it is?” In response to this question there are those who say that the universe is uncaused, in other words it is eternal, meaning it has no beginning and no end. If this is true, there should be an infinite history of past events. However, the infinite in the real world is not possible as it implies a quantity that is limitless. Let’s take the following examples into consideration: if there were an infinite number of books in a room and two were taken away, how many would be left? The response may be “infinity” or for those who are logically inclined “infinity minus two”. In any case, the responses don’t make sense because although two have been taken away from infinity there still remains infinity! Consequently, we’re not able to count the remaining books left in the room. Therefore the infinite leads to contradictions and simply doesn’t exist in the real world (although it exists in mathematical discourse; however it is based upon certain axioms and conventions). Therefore, it logically follows that the universe must have a finite history of past events, which indicates that it must have begun to exist at some point in time.

The above may sound too philosophical, but it is also supported by scientific evidence, for instance, Stephen Hawking, in his lecture The Beginning of Time states, “The conclusion of this lecture is that the universe has not existed forever. Rather, the universe, and time itself, had a beginning in the Big Bang, about 15 billion years ago.”[i]

According to contemporary cosmologists, the universe began at time zero with the event commonly called the “Big Bang”. The theory postulates that the universe began as a “singularity”, an extremely hot and dense entity that expanded and subsequently cooled, going from something incredibly small and hot to the current size and temperature of our universe. In light of these facts, it is interesting to note that there is no scientific explanation as to what happened before time zero. In addition to this, the Big Bang theory can only postulate what happened 1 x 10-34 seconds after the Big Bang but not anytime before it. What happened before this particular point in time is unknown.

In the context of the above discussion, it can be concluded that generally physicists agree that as a result of the Big Bang, physical time and space were created as were energy and matter. So two premises can be drawn from all the above: 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause 2. The universe began to exist - Therefore the universe has a cause. How do we get to this conclusion? Well, if everything we know and see that begins to exist has a cause, for example a noise in the room or the pyramids at Giza, then the universe - which also began to exist - must also have a cause.

The Cause for the Universe = God?

Our discussion so far has provided good reasons to believe that there must have been a cause for the universe. However, this doesn’t tell us much about what the cause is, but if we think deeply about the nature of the cause - also known as conceptual analysis - we can conclude that it must be very powerful as it brought into existence the entire universe, and it must be:

One...

The cause for the universe must be a single cause for several reasons. An attractive argument to substantiate this claim includes the use of the rational principle called Occam’s razor. This principle is commonly summarised as “the simplest explanation is the best explanation”. In philosophical terms the principle enjoins that we should not multiply entities beyond necessity. What this basically means is that we should stick to explanations that do not create more questions than it answers. In the case of the cause for the universe we have no evidence to claim multiplicity, in other words more than one, and if we did it would create more questions than it answers.

Uncaused & Eternal...

This cause must also be uncaused due to the absurdity of an infinite regress, in other words an indefinite chain of causes. To illustrate this better, if the cause of the universe had a cause and that cause had a cause ad infinitum, then there wouldn’t be a universe to talk about in the first place. For example, imagine if a Stock Trader on a trading floor at the Stock Exchange was not able to buy or sell his stocks or bonds before asking permission from the investor, and then this investor had to check with his, and this went on forever, would the Stock Trader ever buy or sell his stocks or bonds? The answer is no. In similar light, if we apply this to the universe we would have to posit an uncaused cause due to this rational necessity.

However, some philosophers and scientists claim that “why doesn’t the cause be the universe itself?” and “why can’t the cause stop at the universe?” Well, the problem with these claims is that they would imply the universe created itself, which is absurd because how can anything exist and not exist at the same time? Finally, it would be irrational to claim that whatever begins to exist causes itself!

Immaterial...

The cause has to be immaterial since it created everything. If you were to take any state of physical existence, you would come to the conclusion that, that state of physical existence owes itself to another state of physical existence. And that state of physical existence, owes itself to another state of physical existence. But you can’t go back states of physical existences ad infinitum. There has to be a beginning to the entire state of physical existences. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that the origin of all creation has to be a non- physical state.

After thinking about the nature of the cause for the universe we come to the remarkable realisation that it has all the basic attributes of the traditional monotheistic God, namely that He is one, eternal and immaterial. But what reasons do we have to start claiming that a particular religion is true? This leads us to discuss the Qur’an, the book of the Muslims.

The Qur’an

The Qur’an is no ordinary book. It has been described by many, who engage with the book, as an imposing text, but the way it imposes itself on the reader is not negative, rather it is positive. This is because it seeks to positively engage with your mind and your emotions, and it achieves this by asking profound questions, such as “So where are you people going? This is a message for all people; for those who wish to take the straight path.”[ii] and “Have they not thought about their own selves?”[iii]

However, the Qur’an doesn’t stop there, it actually challenges the whole of mankind with regards to its divine authorship, it boldly states “If you have doubts about the revelation we have sent down to Our servant, then produce a single chapter like it – enlist whatever supporters you have other than God – if you truly think you can. If you cannot do this – and you never will – then beware of the fire prepared for the disbelievers, whose fuel is men and stones.”[iv]

This challenge refers to the various wonders in the Qur’an, even within its smallest chapter, that give us good reasons to believe it is from God. Some of these reasons are historical and scientific.

Historical...

There are many historical statements in the Qur’an that show us good reasons that it is from God. One of them is that the Qur’an is the only religious text to use different titles for the rulers of Egypt at different times. For instance while addressing the Egyptian ruler, at the time of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph), the word “Al-Malik” is used which refers to a king (note: that during the middle old kingdom Hyksos Asiatic families were governing Egypt and they did not use the title Pharaoh, as the Qur’an mentions “The King said, 'Bring him to me straight away!’”).[v]

In contrast, the ruler of Egypt at the time of the Prophet Musa (Moses) is referred to as Pharaoh, in Arabic “Firaown”. This particular title began to be employed in the 14th century B.C., during the reign of Amenhotep IV. This is confirmed by the Encyclopedia Britannica which states that the word Pharaoh was a title of respect used from the New Kingdom (beginning with the 18th dynasty; B.C. 1539-1292) until the 22nd dynasty (B.C. 945-730). So the Qur’an is historically accurate as the Prophet Yusuf lived at least 200 years before that time, and the word “King” was used for the Hyksos kings, not Pharaoh.

In light of this, how could have the Prophet Muhammad known such a minute historical detail? Especially when all the other religious texts, such as the Bible, just mention Pharaoh as a title for all times? Also, since people at the time of the revelation did not know this information and hieroglyphs were a dead language, what does this say about the authorship of the Qur’an? There is no naturalistic explanation.

Scientific...

The Qur’an always mentions nature as a sign for God’s existence, power and majesty. Every time these are mentioned, they are expressed with a great accuracy, and they also give us information that could have never been known at the time of the Prophet Muhammad. One of these signs includes the function and structure of mountains. The Qur’an mentions that mountains have “peg” like structures and that they have been embedded into earth to stabilise it, a concept known in Geology as isostasy. The Qur’an mentions: “We placed firmly embedded mountains on the earth, so it would not move under them…”[vi] and “Have We not made the earth as a bed and the mountains its pegs?”[vii]

The Qur’an’s eloquent renderings of the facts mentioned above are confirmed by modern science which only came to be understood by the end of the 20th Century. In the book Earth, by Dr. Frank Press, former president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, states that mountains are like stakes, and are buried deep under the surface of Earth.[viii]

With regards to the vital role of mountains, it was formerly understood that mountains were merely protrusions rising above the surface of Earth. However, scientists realised that this was not actually the case, and that the parts known as the mountain roots extended down as far as 10 to 15 times their own height. With these features, mountains play a similar role to a nail or peg firmly holding down a tent, which has been discovered by modern geological and seismic research, a concept known as isostasy.[ix]

In conclusion, how can we explain this in the light of the fact that this is relatively recent science (with no one at the time of the revelation knowing this information)? What does this tell you about the author? Again, there is no naturalistic explanation.

Is Life Absurd without God?

The writer Loren Eiseley said that man is a cosmic orphan. This is quite profound, as man is the only creature in the universe who asks: why? Other animals have instincts to guide them, but man has learned to ask questions. If many of these questions raised by man exclude God then the conclusion is simple: we are the accidental byproducts of nature, a result of matter plus time plus chance. There is no reason for your existence and all we face is death. Modern man thought that when he had got rid of God, he had freed himself from all that repressed and stifled him. Instead, he discovered that in killing God, he had also killed himself.

If there is no God, then man and the universe are doomed. Like prisoners condemned to death we await our unavoidable execution. What is the consequence of this? It means that life itself is absurd. It means that the life we have is without ultimate significance, value, or purpose. For example, according to the atheist worldview this life is purposeless, or at best, just assembled to propagate our DNA. The way some atheists get out of this is by saying we can create purpose for ourselves, however this is a self-delusion as we try and find some purpose by attributing purpose to the things we do in life, but remove purpose from our very own lives. Also, without God our lives do not have any ultimate meaning. If our ends are the same, in that we just pass out of existence, what meaning does that give our lives? Does it even matter if we existed at all? If the universe was never in existence what difference would it make?

Existentialists such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus understood the meaningless reality of life in absence of acknowledging the purpose of our existence. This is why Sartre wrote of the “nausea” of existence and Camus saw life as absurd, indicating that the universe has no meaning at all. The German Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche argued in clear concise pronouncements that the world and human history do not have any meaning, any rational order or aim. Nietzsche argued that there is only a mindless chaos, a directionless world tending towards no end. It is not wonder the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer said he would have wished the world never existed. All of these views on the world are absurd conclusions carved by the atheist world view.


References:
i http://www.hawking.org.uk/index.php/lectures/publiclectures/62
ii Qur’an Chapter 81 Verses 26 – 28
iii Qur’an Chapter 30 Verse 8
iv Qur’an Chapter 2 Verse 23
v Qur’an Chapter 12 Verse 50
vi Qur’an Chapter 21 Verse 31
vii Qur’an Chapter78 Verses 6-7
viii Frank Press, and Raymond Siever, Earth, 3rd ed. (San Francisco: W. H. Freeman & Company: 1982)
ix M. J. Selby, Earth's Changing Surface (Oxford: Clarendon Press: 1985), 32.

Courtesy, One Reason
URL: www.onereason.info
Email: info@onereason.info

HALLOWEEN: Celebration OR Trap of Shaytan?

Over recent years, Halloween night has gained popularity worldwide as a day of celebration and merriment. It is a day of masks and costumes, jack-o-lanterns and "trick or treating". For the grown ups, it is a night of partying and "letting loose", usually till the break of dawn.

Question is though, is it an innocent celebration or is there more to it than this?

If we go by definition and a brief history of the event, we find the following comments in the Encyclopedia Britannica:

“Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britain and Ireland.”

“The date was connected with the return of herds from pasture, and laws and land tenures were renewed.The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. It was the only day on which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes.”

So does Islam agree with the above? Allah (SWT) mentions in the Qur’an:

“Verily, the Promise of Allah is true, let not then this (worldly) present life deceive you, nor let the chief deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah.”

[Qur'an 31:33]

The commandment does not end there, Allah, the Almighty, has asked us not to even follow anything remotely associated to Shaytan (Satan).

“O you who believe! Follow not the footsteps of Shaytan.”

[Qur'an 24:21]

Below is a short video clip on the subject of Halloween by Sheikh Abdul Hakim Quick. See what he has to say.

The Messenger of Allah (peace & blessings be upon him) warned us about blindly imitating the ways of the disbelievers. He said:

"Whoever imitates a people, is one of them."

[Abu Dawood, 3512]

Even if you look at the issue of Halloween from a purly non-Muslim perspective, you will in-sha'Allah find the truth to be surprisingly clear. Let us see what the experts have to say.

Brothers & sisters in Islam; we claim to love Allah and obey Him, can we then associate ourselves to rituals and practices that are a celebration of all things displeasing to Allah? Which way of life are we preferring for ourselves and our families? Allah (SWT) makes it clear in the Noble Qur'an:

"Whoever seeks a religion (a way of life) other than Islam (complete submission to Allah), it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers."

[Qur'an 3:85]

To conclude, we are commanded in Islam to do all things pure and righteous, staying away from those that are based upon falsehood, rebellion against Allah and disobedience to His commands; for that is the real & true path to success both in this life and in the ever-lasting life of the Hereafter.

“Help you one another in Al‑Birr and At‑Taqwa (virtue, righteousness and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Severe in punishment."

[Qur'an 5:2]

Who is Oppressing Women?

Islam is a religion that provides the complete solution for all of humanity’s problems. In it, there is great stress on respecting, honouring and showing kindness towards one’s fellow human beings. Islam makes many such acts an obligation on mankind so that when a person honours another, in effect he elevates his own position before Allah.

“And indeed We have honoured the Children of Adam...”

[al-Isra 17:70]

However, there is someone who is working round the clock to dishonor and degrade man. Do you know who that is? Do you know who is your greatest enemy?

It is none other than Satan (Shaytan; Iblis). And it is no surprise that Allah (SWT) has warned us about him time and time again in the glorious Qur’an.

“Indeed, he (Satan) is to you a clear enemy.”

[al-Baqara 2:208]

And what was the promise of Satan to Allah (SWT)? What has he sworn to do? What is the mission of his life? This has been mentioned to us in the Qur’an also, in Surah al-A’raaf, ayat 16 & 17:

“… Surely I will sit in wait against them (human beings) on Your Straight Path. Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left…”

[al-A’raaf 7:16-17]

So the question for us now is; what did Satan wish to gain from the first mistake that he made man do? If you recall, it was when he made Adam and Hawwa (peace & blessings of Allah be upon them) eat from the tree. Why did he make them do that? What was his agenda? We find from the Qur’an that as a direct consequence of this mistake that Satan made them commit, Adam and Hawwa were made uncovered and exposed.

“Then when they tasted of the tree, that which was hidden from them of their shame (private parts) became manifest to them and they began to cover themselves with the leaves of Paradise (in order to cover their shame).”

[al-A’raaf 7:22]

This is in fact the real weapon and the true agenda of Satan; to make man stripped of his clothing, naked and unprotected. As Allah the Almighty, has mentioned in Surah al-A’raaf, ayah 27:

“O Children of Adam! Let not Shaytan deceive you, as he got your parents (Adam and Hawwa) out of Paradise, stripping them of their garments, to show them their private parts.”

[al-A’raaf 7:27]

Regarding Satan, Allah the Exalted has mentioned that he (Shaytan) orders mankind towards indecency and immorality.

“He (Shaytan) commands you only what is evil and sinful”

[al-Baqara 2:169]

The relationship between a person and his modesty (haya) is so well intertwined that it is embedded in the very fabric of his being. Once a person loses his modesty, he then feels no shame or hesitation in committing any transgressions against Allah.

Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) emphasized on the importance of modesty by saying:

“Emaan (faith) and Haya (modesty) are like twins, they go hand in hand.”

[Hakim]

This means that both faith and modesty are so deeply related to one another that if one of them goes, the other goes too. Satan realizes this; and those who carry his agenda and follow in his footsteps realize it too.

Leaders & Followers

The question is, who do we need to follow? Do we follow those who degraded the status of women to mere posters and ad campaigns? Those who hindered and degraded the high status of women merely for the satisfaction of their own lusts & desires? Those who turned the honourable figure of the mother to that of a slave, who can be thrown into an Old People’s Home when she has fulfilled her duties? Those who exploited women to serve as marketing gimmicks, just so they can earn a few extra dollars in their trade?

And the Jews, upon whom is the Wrath of Allah, took this to a whole new level by blatantly abusing the woman, her beauty and her body for their own evil ends, giving birth to the multi-billion dollar industry we know today as pornography.

The same filth was carried to the doorstep of every Muslim country. Wherever they went, the first plan of attack against the people was to completely extinguish their inherent modesty.

An evident example from the pages of history was the strategic, pre-planned placement of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923, as the new leader of the young Turkish Republic. Of all the wonders that are associated to Ataturk, one of the greatest ones perhaps was his role in taking the crown and glory of the household, pulling her out of the privacy of her home, making her the glitter and glamour, the sparkle and dazzle of the bazaars and marketplaces.

For a woman to leave her home and work along with men was given the dubious title of “Women’s Liberation” whereas in reality this was not liberation, rather a way to further degrade the position of women in society.

Islam does not forbid the woman to step out of her house and work to earn for herself but this must always be done keeping in mind the limits set by Allah and His Messenger (ﷺ). We must seize to be blinded away from the truth and instead open our eyes and our hearts to see how our enemies have been slowly poisoning our communities. First the woman was plucked out of the four walls of her home, then she was instructed to doll up and beautify herself, then to mix freely with men who were non-mahrams, all this in the name of “Women’s Rights”. Whatever evils were left unfinished, the media made sure they took good care of them; guiding women on a daily basis, via gossip digests, magazines, dramas, talk-shows etc. on how to let no one get in the way of anything they wish to do outside of their house. Whether it the pursuit of a career or nurturing “friendships” or having a good time out. Even if it is the parents, the husband, the siblings or any other members of the family, all of them can be put aside for the sake of one’s own pleasures.

Thus when a woman steps outside her house, hiding away from the eyes of her father, brother, husband or son, beautified and dressed from head to toe in an attire that begs “look at me”, meeting freely and openly with men, an obvious question comes to mind. Is this woman fooling the world or has she herself been fooled by Satan?

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was once taking one of his noble wives from the masjid to her house at night when two of his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) passed by.

The Prophet (ﷺ) stopped them and said, listen this is my wife Safiyya bint Huyayy. The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) said that O Messenger of Allah, would we even think this way about you? The Prophet (ﷺ) replied:

“Satan flows inside man like blood.”

[Sahih Bukhari]

So who would now guide us better than the guidance we have already received from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)? Similarly, he (ﷺ) also said:

“Whenever a man is alone with a woman, the third with them is Satan.”

[at-Tirmidhi]

The Condition of Women before Islam

The condition of women before the arrival of Islam was not much different in terms of their degradation than it is today. It was common practice to call out the names of someone’s sisters or daughters in events and gatherings and recite disgraceful poetry about them to the attendees. Fornication was not considered to be a sin. The woman was a toy at the hands of man after divorce, whereby the man could divorce her as many times as he wanted and likewise, get back together with her whenever he wanted. During her menstrual cycle, the woman was considered filthy and as a result was confined to a room where only her basic necessities were provided to her.

Even in those times, women were forced to dress up and beautify themselves so that others may fulfill the lust & hunger of their eyes. The biggest ignorance was that in order to falsely claim to defend the honour of women, infant girls were even buried alive!

Islam came to elevate the status of women in society, to give them unparalleled respect and most importantly, to give them their due rights in every aspect of life.

In the form of the hijab the woman was given the ultimate fortress; a shelter for her, protecting her day in and day out from the constant attacks of Satan, those of the ever watchful evil eyes and against those in whose hearts there is a disease of corruption and immorality.

In the form of the mother she was granted the status of the most honoured in the world. As a sister she was the gentle, kind and compassionate caregiver. As a good wife she was given the distinction of the best of what the world has to offer! And as a daughter, a man was promised the good news of paradise if he raised her up well with a good Islamic upbringing.

The woman was educated about her role in society, towards her children and her home and thus was made to be the queen of her household. The entire responsibility of caring for her needs and providing for her was put as an obligation on her husband.

The woman was commanded that her dressing up, beautification and sensuality was exclusively between her and her husband. This not only developed a sweet, pure and ever-lasting love between the husband and wife but also prevented society from being corrupted and falling into great temptations and fitna.

Women of Islam please think!

What are we preferring for ourselves? The respect and honour given to us by Islam or the objectification under the guise of liberation given to us by the non-believers?

Do we prefer to be the coolness of the eyes for our husbands or the items of lust in the eyes of strangers? Do we prefer to be the comforting shade under which our children can grow or the society butterflies, judged by the way we look?

Which traditions are we following? Which nations are we imitating?

Is it our desire to be turned away in our old age, left at the mercy of Old People’s Homes and be deprived of the genuine love and care of our children?

Lets think and reflect.

What is it that is causing the women across the US and Europe to rush towards Islam? What is it that is causing the women in France to put their future on the line and fight for their right to wear hijab? What is causing women to come to the shelter of Islam in the modern world we live in today? What is causing women to give up the non-Muslim names given to them at birth and adopt names like Amina, Hafsa, Khawla and Khadija?

If we reflect for a while, if we take some time to ponder, we will realize that it is the established honour, the immense respect, the high status, the true human rights, the God-given protection, the spiritual comfort and the complete peace of mind, body and soul that Islam provides which is attracting women by the thousands towards this beautiful deen of Allah!

Come let us also become daughters of Islam. Let us relive the personalities Zainab and Fatima. Let us revive the memory of Asma and Ayesha.

Lets us be of those who will never let the religion of Allah be tarnished; rather be those who will always brighten, glorify and honour the name of Islam for as long as we live!

[Adapted & translated from an Urdu post written by Brother Abdul Jabbar Bilal, may Allah bless & reward him for his efforts.]

Supercharged Ramadan!

Rev up your Emaan | Turbocharge your Taqwa | Boost the Rewards!

Here’s a question. Let’s see if you can answer. What are the only things that we can take with us after we leave this world? Is it our money? Or maybe a favourite book, game or toy? Interestingly enough, the only things that we can take with us, are none other than our deeds. In fact, they will be the only currency worth anything on the Day of Judgment. Rupees, dollars and dirhams won’t work. Just our plain old good deeds.

The month of Ramadan is a very special month. It only comes once a year and presents us with an excellent opportunity to earn good deeds by the truckloads! Allaah opens for us the gates of Paradise, locks away the devils and multiplies all goods deeds we do countless times over! So the same good deed done in any other month, carries a lot more weight when done in Ramadan. This is how special this month is. So what do you say, should we not prepare to earn plenty of good deeds and get ourselves into Supercharge mode?!

Now I am going to give you a list. Write it down, memorize it or put it up in your room because it contains some great ideas on how you can make the most of this month!

Fasting: This is what this month is all about! But remember, fasting does not just mean starving yourself. It means being extra careful of all the commands of Allaah, like praying on time, being kind to others and not wasting time in useless activities. This best part is that if you do this right, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said, all of your past sins can be forgiven!

Night prayer: See if your father or uncle can take you to pray taraweeh at the masjid. It is not compulsory that you go every single night but still keep in mind that it holds immense rewards with Allaah and this is the only month when you can get a chance to do this!

Charity: Give as much as you can this month. Be it in the form of money, old toys or clothes or even books. The Prophet (ﷺ) used to start giving in charity even before the month started and increased his efforts many times over all throughout the month.

Feed the poor: Save some pocket money to give iftaar to a fasting person. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that the one who does so will get the reward exactly equal to the one who is fasting!

Read the Qur’an: The Qur’an was revealed in this month and what better way to earn good deeds than by taking out time to read the book of Allaah. Give yourself a target that you must complete before the end of the month, like reading certain portions every day, or reading the translation and tafsir (explanation), or memorizing certain surahs. The choice is yours but do give yourself a challenging target and make sure you achieve it!

Duas: If there was ever a time to get your prayers fulfilled, that time is now. Every Muslim, every day and every night, will have a prayer that is answered by Allaah! So go ahead and make dua as much as you can, morning, afternoon, evening and night.

No arguing or fighting: If someone is arguing or fighting with you while you are fasting, don’t fight back and ruin your fast. Just step away and tell the person twice, very clearly, that you are fasting. In-sha’Allaah if they are wise, they will back away too.

Last 10 days: This is very important! Save your strength especially for the last ten days of Ramadan, then pull out that Nitrous Oxide and go into hyper drive! These are very special nights and one of them is Laylatul Qadr, the night that is better than a thousand months! That means over 83 years! For most people that’s a lifetime. So worshipping Allaah in this one night is better than a lifetime of worship! It’s amazing how Allaah gives us so many opportunities to earn tons of good deeds yet how few actually make the most of it!

Finally, remember that the purpose of this month is to instill taqwa (Allaah consciousness) in our hearts. If we can stay away from food & drink all day because we know Allaah is watching, how about also staying away from all the bad deeds throughout the year? Is Allaah not watching us then? Think.

The Last Day on Earth

Do you have a good imagination? Yes? Then try imagining this. Imagine a day, a quiet, peaceful, normal day, just like any other day. Suddenly a loud deafening sound is heard by everyone across the planet; as if a huge trumpet has been blown! The earth begins to rattle and shake fiercely and all things living find themselves dead. Then there is complete silence. Not a word. Not even a whisper.

BOOM! Another loud sound is then heard and slowly people begin to rise from their graves. When we look towards the sky we find it red and torn apart. Stars come crashing down and the sun is not where it used to be. When we look towards the earth, we see mountains floating about as if they are weightless; seas turning violent, gushing forth and overflowing. Wild animals that were once predator and prey, on that day are herding together in groups; while human beings are running away from one another. A father running away from his son, a husband from his wife, a brother from his brother and a mother leaves her infant behind. Can you imagine what would cause people to behave this way? What would be scaring people so much? Their hearts would be beating out of their chests and their eyes lowered in fear and humiliation. Everyone will only be worried about themselves and themselves alone.

Today, right this very minute, people are stressed about their jobs or businesses, some are worried about homework or school exams, some are planning weddings and yet others are planning vacations to their favourite holiday spots. But on that day, all these thoughts and worries will disappear and the only thought that will be on the minds of everyone will be the question: What will become of me? Will I be sent to live forever in paradise or will my final resting place be the fires of hell?

"Then, for him who transgressed all bounds (in disobedience to Allaah). And preferred the life of this world; Verily, his abode will be Hell-fire. But as for him who feared standing before his Lord, and restrained himself from impure evil desires, and lusts. Verily, Paradise will be his abode."

[an-Naziat 79:37-41]

Very clearly, people will remember each and every thing that they did in their lives; whether it was good or bad, big or small. They will remember all the times when they obeyed Allaah and those times when they did not. Many will feel great regret that day, thinking, I wish I had done more to please my Lord. I wish I had not been in the company of those who took me away from the path of Allaah. I wish… I wish… I wish…

As strange as it may sound, this is not fantasy. This is not a fairytale or a horror story. This is a day that is sure to come. A day that has already been planned. A day that is without a doubt, a reality. No one can escape it. No one can ask for timeout. No one can be absent on that day. A day witnessed by all.

The question for us to think about is: what have we prepared for that day? Allaah asks us in the Qur’an:

“O man! What has made you careless about your Lord, the Most Generous?”

[al-Infitar 82:6]

This is Allaah’s beautiful way of asking us why we have become so obsessed with this worldly life and have forgotten all about Him. Isn’t it time now that we turn our attention towards our Lord and Master? The One who created us and gave us everything that we have in this world? Wouldn’t it be better to live our lives according to what He has commanded us to do rather than to do whatever it is that we ourselves desire?

Those from among us who choose to become good Muslims and remain obedient to Allaah; surely Allaah will give them peace in this life and a huge reward in the next. A reward so grand that it can not even be imagined, no matter how hard we try! And finally, on the day when all others would be scared and worried, the true believers would be smiling happily, under the complete protection and mercy of Allaah, the Most High!