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Reflections |
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In the Name of Allah,
the Most Gracious,
the Ever Merciful
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Turning Foes into Friends
We live among friends and foes.
There are those who are fond of us and are very affectionate, and there are
others who are jealous of us and conspire to make us sink in life. Some of these
foes are covert while some can be easily identified. We really feel annoyed and
frustrated at their attitude. But can we turn foes into friends?
The answer can be in the negative and can also be in the affirmative.
In the negative, if care is not exercised and we end up responding in a negative
way and become worse foes to our foes than they are to us.
In the affirmative, if our guideline is the Qur’ānic verse: Retaliate evil with
that which is better, and he who is your foe will become your dearest friend.
But none will acquire this except those who patiently endure; none will acquire
this except those who are truly fortunate. (41:34-35).
In other words, if with patience and endurance, perseverance and forbearance we
keep on doing good turns to our foes and adversaries, it can melt their hearts
and turn them into our dearest buddies. Moral victory is what we should aim for,
as this subjugates hearts and conquers egos. Meeting our foes with a bright
smile, extending out a warm hand to them, greeting them with enthusiasm and
treating them with respect are just some starters of this journey.
Giving them gifts at opportune moments, hiding their faults when others want to
highlight them, praising their abilities when others want to play them down,
helping them in times of difficulty when few are there for them are the next
steps of this journey.
While doing our part by adopting these measures, we must also turn to God and
pray for our foes. We must seek His help and invoke Him to melt their hearts and
make them mend their ways.
And more than that seek His help to realize our own flaws and mend our own ways.
Author:
Dr Shehzad Saleem
URL:
http://www.studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=1364
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In this Issue |
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Reflections
* Turning Foes into
Friends
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Read & Reflect
* Downfall of the
Muslims
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Debate & Discuss
* Discussion Forum:
Norms of Gender
Interaction
return
to the top ^
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Express & Explain
*
General Discussion
Forum:
Arguments
regarding the
Existence of God
return
to the top ^
Pause & Ponder
* Istikharah
&
Frightening Dream s
Announcements
* Successful
Participants
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Read and Reflect |
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Downfall of the Muslims
Author
Javed Ahmad
Ghamidi
(Tr. by Shehzad Saleem)
Muslims
remained a great power in this world for almost a thousand years. No nation was
able to compete with them with regard to knowledge and wisdom, political acumen
and affluence. They reigned over the whole world during this period. This
kingdom was given to them by God and it was God who has taken it away from them.
The law of God regarding the rise and fall of nations is that for rise He
selects whichever nation He wants to according to His law of trial; however,
once He selects a nation to elevate it, He only changes this state of that
nation when that nation itself falls in decadence with regard to scientific
knowledge and morality.
Muslims are also faced with another scenario. By origin, most of them have been
Arabs. Arabs are mostly the Ishmaelites and about the Ishmaelites it is known
that they are the progeny of Abraham (sws). Hence they face the established
practice of the Almighty that is mentioned by the Qur’ān for the progeny of
Abraham (sws). As per this established practice, if they adhere to the truth
they will lead all nations of the world and if they deviate from the truth they
will be deposed from this position and will have to face the punishment of
humiliation and subjugation.
Hence if Muslims are afflicted with this punishment, then this is not a
haphazard happening nor is it the result of some conspiracy hatched by others,
as is generally alleged by our religious and political leaders. Behind this
punishment are specific reasons. The divine law of rise and fall of nations is
the cause of this punishment. If this punishment and humiliation is understood
in the light of this divine law, three causes for the downfall of the Muslims
can be pin-pointed:
Firstly, Muslims were entrusted with the Book of God. It is not merely a book.
It is the yardstick of God revealed to decide truth and falsehood. Muslims
should present all their religious differences before it and whatever verdict it
gives, they should accept it without any hesitation. It should be the basis of
their beliefs and deeds. It should be the source of all matters relating to
faith and sharī‘ah. Every research, every opinion and every viewpoint must be
kept subservient to it; so much so, even the words of the prophets of God should
not be considered authority over it; on the contrary, it should be regarded as
having authority over everything. Unfortunately, since the past many centuries
Muslims have not been able to confer this status on the Qur’ān in their beliefs
and deeds. Hence, as pointed out by Allāmah Iqbal:
خوار از مہجوریِ قرآں شدی
(You are in
a state of humiliation because of leaving aside the Qur’ān.)
Secondly, this world is a place where harnessing potentials produce results.
These potentials can be harnessed mostly by having skill and expertise in
scientific disciplines. It is this skill through which man can access the
treasures which God has concealed in the heavens and the earth. History bears
witness that the life and death of man is mostly dependent on the competence he
has in these disciplines, what to speak of rise and fall of nations. From the
discovery of fire to the invention of the wheel to the astounding advancement
and developments of the modern era this fact can be read in every page of
history. Though Muslims did show interest in these disciplines yet their
intelligentsia mostly engaged themselves in the study of philosophy and tasawwuf,
though this was not the least required. The Book of God had already been
revealed with answers to questions which philosophy and tasawwuf grapple with.
Avid interest in these disciplines made Muslims oblivious to both the Book of
God and scientific knowledge. Our age old religious seminaries are still
teaching various aspects of philosophy and tasawwuf that can be called the best
examples of useless knowledge (‘ilmun lā yanfā‘ū). Thus we can see how far the
world has advanced while Muslims gaze in wonder at these advancements.
Thirdly, Muslims have shown an utter indifference to their moral instruction. It
is as a result of this disregard that lying, dishonesty, embezzlement, theft,
fraud, adulteration, devouring of interest, deceit in weighing, false
accusations, breaking promises, involvement in occult disciplines, labelling one
another with disbelief and defiance, worshipping graves, polytheistic rituals,
detestable forms of entertainment and other similar crimes are so common in
their societies that one is struck with wonder. It was these wrong-doings of the
Israelites on the basis of which the prophets of God cursed them and they were
eternally deprived of God’s mercy. Muslims too have gone far away from it. If a
person wants to take a glimpse at them, he should read the Gospel where Jesus (sws)
has stated the charge-sheet of the Israelites, of their scholars, their
intellectuals and their rulers. The whole milieu and situation of Muslim
societies cries out that they are even worse than the Jews in their
wrong-doings.
These are the reasons of the downfall of the Muslims. If they want to come out
of this scenario of decadence and downfall, then this can neither be achieved
through warfare nor resistance movements. The past two hundred years of their
history from Sarangapattam to Afghanistan bear evidence to this. To come out of
this they will have to take remedial measures to circumvent the causes that have
become the reason for their downfall; otherwise humiliation, disgrace and
subservience will always remain their fate. The law of God is unalterable.
Muslims are now in its grasp. When they want to come out of it by fighting
others, they are in fact fighting God because it is He Who has actually let
loose His strong men on them. This is God’s punishment. The line of action to
avoid it is not the one their religious and political leaders and self-styled
mujāhidīn are suggesting them. By adopting this line of action they can neither
thwart the influence of big powers in their countries nor can they oust the Jews
and Hindus from Palestine and Kashmir. They should study the preaching of the
prophets mentioned in the Qur’ān and the Bible. Whether the prophets of God come
in the time of the subjugation of Babylon or in the times of Roman emperors,
they never suggested this to their followers. They always informed their people
of their wrong-doings, while our leaders are adept at pointing out the faults of
others and censuring them. The Qur’ān is in our hands. We can read it from the
beginning to the end. We will not find a single word in it in condemnation of
the Babylonian and Roman emperors. At every place, the Israelites are presented
with this charge-sheet of their wrongdoings. The need of the hour is to recount
the charge-sheet of the wrongdoings of the Muslims because the promise of God
with the Israelites also holds for the Muslims. It was: “If you fill My covenant
I will fulfil your covenant; My mercy is waiting; however, if you tread on that
path, I will take the path I have already adopted and the lash of My punishment
will strike you.” Men of insight should learn a lesson from this!
Read URL: http://studying-islam.org/articletext.aspx?id=1367
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Debate and Discuss |
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Discussion Forum: Norms of Gender Interaction
Bringing Friend Home?
Sabihah
I work during the day. Recently I went home
during lunch to pick something up I forgot.
A friend from work went with me. She walked into our flat with me.
Later on my mother-in-law complained and said this
friend of mine should have knocked even if she entered with me.
Is this really necessary?
atifrafi
I think to some extent your mother in law is
right. I see knocking at the door as a method to inform the house members that
someone else wants to enter and asking for the permission.
The point is why anyone needs this permission, what
I think, someone may be is in some position where he/she does not like to come
in front of anyone else. Knocking at the door provides him/her the time. May be
someone wants to cover her face/head.... ( thats just an example )
Now, as you are the family member. Rules for you
are obviously different. May be your husband (assuming you are female ) does not
wants to come in front of anyone in shorts or without shirt but he can come in
front of you in that state.
May be, your friend should have waited outside for
a while and once you are sure that everything is fine inside house, you can call
her inside then.
This is only my personal view and I am not
explaining any rule of Shariah, which I don't think I am in position to do so.
So, its not necessary for you to agree with all this.
I hope I have made my point clear.
Jhangeer Hanif (Moderator)
What I see is that your mother in law must have
felt uncomfortable to see the guest barge in unexpectedly. To find one of our
family members come home at a some unepected moment is but little problem.
However, to meet a guest when we have not been
given some time to prepare yourself causes us some irritation. Knocking at the
door is to actually allow the residents to prepare themselves for the
prospective guest.
Sabihah
Shukran for your comments.
I would have accepted it as such if it wasn't that
she doesn't request my husband's friends to do the same. It has happened several
times that I was wearing PJs and then he brings friends home without warning.
Jhangeer Hanif (Moderator)
You are right. We usually relate our actions and
decisions to what is already in practice.
However, I would suggest that sometimes we need to gauge others' actions too
whether they are morally and socially appropriate. If they are not, we
can advise them too to mend their ways. I mean instead of following suit, we
need to remain in the right side and ask others (our friends, husband, wives and
relatives) to correct their behaviour.
Ibrahimblicksjo
I think the best should have been if you informed
your mother-in-law that you had a friend with you. Since you brought a friend
(guest) then that is your responsibility. Because you have to try not to make
any of the parties uncomfortable, not your mother-in-law (because someone she
did not expect came) nor your friend.
YusufAbdulWahab
As-Salaamu Alaikum,
I think that if either you or your husbands friends
come home with either of you, out of respect for each other as well as others of
the family. your friends should wait outside for the approval to enter.
ibrahim
Quran
has demanded from us to take permission before entering to anyone's house (for
details see Surah Noor 24:27-29) But in the above case a friend, who was a lady,
was coming in with a person of that house, so she has her permission with
herself. However Quran has also told us that it is better to Say Salam to the
people of house where one is living while one enters from outside (24:61).
Actually, the Salam is a miled permission in itself as this way one informs the
people at home that one has come back now. Therefore the demand of that old lady
was not totally wrong.
However That husband must inform his wife & other
ladies at home before bringing in his friends. That is compulsory.
URL:
http://www.studying-islam.org/forum/topic.aspx?topicid=1250&lang=&forumid=32
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Express and Explain: |
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General Discussion Forum:
Arguments regarding the Existence of
God
Existence does not
necessarily have to be physical. As regards Mermaids, their existence is
imaginary or fictional. Thus if it has a name it exists.
Secondly, denial does
not mean that that particular thing does not exist. One shall have to
provide the prove for the denial. Physical existence is an attribute. So
far it seems Mermaids do not have that attribute. Their existence is
fictional. Can you deny the fictional existence of Mermaids?
Thirdly, Allah is The
Creator of Universe and Claims to be so. I have not heard of anyone
claiming to be the creator of The Creator. Answer shall be provided when
the question arises.
This is your reply to
Mr. Hanif but I would like to present my comments on your reply and I hope
you wont mind.
Dear Mr. Hanif
You Said:
Existence does not necessarily have to be physical. As regards
Mermaids, their existence is imaginary or fictional. Thus if it has a name
it exists.
Comment:
I agree with you on that, existence doesn’t necessarily has to be
physical since their are many non-physical elements which have existence
but they are invisible for us.
As far as Mermaids are concerned, no doubt they are considered to be
fictional and imaginary but if it has a particular name, it doesn’t
necessarily mean that they exists, take an example of Aliens, they have a
name but so far their existence is just a hypothesis and their are no
explicit evidence which could really prove their existence.
You Said:
Secondly, denial does not mean that that particular thing does not
exist. One shall have to provide the prove for the denial. Physical
existence is an attribute. So far it seems Mermaids do not have that
attribute. Their existence is fictional. Can you deny the fictional
existence of Mermaids?
Comment:
I agree with you, denial doesn’t mean that a particular thing does not
exist but if it does exists then their has to be some explicit evidences
which should prove its existence.
You said:
Thirdly, Allah is The Creator of Universe and Claims to be so. I have
not heard of anyone claiming to be the creator of The Creator. Answer
shall be provided when the question arises.
Comments:
According to my limited knowledge, we have not heard anyone claiming
to be a Creator of the Creator but history tells us that during the period
of Pharaoh, People of Egypt use to worship him since he use to claim that
he was (Naoozubilah) God and he gives life and death to people but he
never provided any strong evidences to prove himself as God but still
people use to blindly worship him because they feared his power of
kingdom.
Their were several people who claimed to be Gods but how would you
convince an atheist that their is no God but Allah (swt)?
aijaz47
Main Entry: alien
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 : a person of another family, race, or nation
2 : a foreign-born resident who has not been naturalized and is still a
subject or citizen of a foreign country; broadly : a foreign-born citizen
3 : extraterrestrial
Main Entry: alien
Pronunciation: ‚†-l‡-„n, ‚†l-y„n
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin alienus, from
alius
Date: 14th century
1 a : belonging or relating to another person, place, or thing : strange b
: relating, belonging, or owing allegiance to another country or
government : foreign
2 : differing in nature or character typically to the point of
incompatibility
synonyms see extrinsic
–alien£ly adverb
–alien£ness \-l‡-„n-n„s, -y„n-n„s\ noun
Main Entry: alien
Function: transitive verb
Date: 14th century
1 : alienate, estrange
2 : to make over (as property)
Above are the meaning of the word Alien from the Merriam-Webster
Collegiate dictonary.
This is in reply to
your question "who created Allah?"
My answer is that if it is created then it is not Allah.
Allah is the Supreme Creator.
Jhangeer Hanif (modeator)
You write:
Existence does not necessarily have to be physical.
Comments:
I think you want to
say that existence does not have to be 'actual'. Because we know that
mermaids do not actually exist; they are fictitious in contrast to
reality. We are not taking about the nature of God's existence -
spirirtual or physical; we are talking about whether it is actual or not.
Hence when we talk about mermaids, we know that their existence is not
actual or real. Is this the case with God?
You write:
Secondly, denial does not mean that that particular thing does not exist.
One shall have to provide the prove for the denial. Physical existence is
an attribute. So far it seems Mermaids do not have that attribute. Their
existence is fictional. Can you deny the fictional existence of Mermaids?
Comments:
In the second
response, you are again confusing 'actual or real' with 'physical'. I am
not talking about the nature of existence. I am talking about whether
something really exists? Hence the stress is on real. I had written
About second argument, If someone denies the existence of mermaids, they
are right in doing so. This does not prove the existence of mermaids -
which no one has ever been foolish enough to profess. Does it?
I meant to say that their existence is not actual. So if someone denies
that mermaid in reality does not exist, they would be right in doing so.
You write:
Thirdly, Allah is The Creator of Universe and Claims to be so. I have not
heard of anyone claiming to be the creator of The Creator. Answer shall be
provided when the question arises.
Comments:
About the third argument, the atheist would simply say that I do not see
him make such a claim. Because, if he were to see God as making a claim,
he would not question his existence since it would have been empirical for
him.
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Pause
and Ponder |
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Istikharah
and Frightening Dreams
Question:
After doing
istikharah, if a person sees a frightening dream he will most probably link it
to an indication from God that he should not do what he is planning to do
(whatever that may be ). But if common sense tells him to do whatever he is
thinking about, then what should a person do? People say that because now you
have been given the answer in your dreams it would be incorrect to do something
against what the Almighty has suggested. In other words, what should a person do
if for instance his dreams tell him not to do that thing but knowledge, common
sense and experience tell him to go for it?
Answer:
People generally
think that only through dreams does one get an indication of Allah’s will after
doing istikhārah. It is because of this misconception that they think that an
indication through a dream is the only way to know the Almighty’s will in a
particular matter. Actually, there are a number of ways in which this indication
can come. Dreams are just one of these. There may be several ways. For example,
circumstances sometimes become more clear so that a person is able to judge for
himself. Similarly, someone might just come along and help a person in his
decision. Likewise, the Almighty may directly guide a person by giving him an
inner indication.
However, whatever be the source, it is imperative
that an indication which is against divine revelation and sense and reason
should not be accepted. One should always act according to one’s common sense,
since this sense is the foremost guidance provided by the Almighty to man.
Generally, dreams help us in deciding when there is an indication from no other
source. Again, what is interpreted from them should not refute knowledge, common
sense or experience, if it is to be accepted and if it does refute any of these
bases, then that interpretation must be ignored.
wassalam
Shehzad Saleem
URL:
http://www.studying-islam.org/querytext.aspx?id=913
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