The Qur’an with vowel points has not changed until our day

Allah stated in the verses that the Qur'an is unchangeable:
...THERE IS NO CHANGINGTHE WORDS OF Allah... (Surat al-An'am, 34)
The Words of your Lord are perfect in truthfulness and justice. NO ONE
CAN CHANGE HIS WORDS. He isthe All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (Surat
al-An'am, 115)
IT IS WE WHO HAVE SENTDOWN THE REMINDER AND WE WHO WILL PRESERVE IT.
(Surat al-Hijr,9)
It is truly a noble Qur'an in a WELL PROTECTED Book. (Surat al-Waqi'a, 77-78)
FALSEHOOD CAN NOT REACH IT FROM BEFORE ITOR BEHIND IT – it is a
revelation from One Who is All-Wise, Praiseworthy. (Surah Fussilat,
42)
As our Lord reveals in the verses above the Qur'an will remain
unchanged. The Qur'an has not survived to our day merely in written
form. Inthe time of our Prophet (saas) there were hafidhs learning the
Qur'an by heart. Consequently the Qur'an with vowel points in our day
was prepared in a way convenient to the memorization of the Hafidhs of
the time. The Qur'an memorized by the Hafidhs of the time of our our
Prophet (saas) is exactly the same as the Qur'an in our day
insha'Allah.

1a. There is a great secret in the difficulttests undergone by the Prophets

1a
the Prophet Job (as) displayed fortitude in the face of sickness and
physical difficulties, the Prophet Aaron (as) sought to win over a
pagan people who rejected him, the Prophet John (as) was martyred by
the deniers of his time and the Prophet Jesus (as) strove against the
snares of the hypocrites. These holy prophets wereall subjected to
great tests. The Muslims who followed the prophets also confronted
similar difficulties. People who came to believe after seeing the
proofs that Allah bestowed on the Prophet Moses (as) did so even in
the knowledge that Pharaoh would cut off their opposite hands and feet
and then kill them. The companions of our Prophet (saas) strove
against the deniers who forced them from their lands, inflicted
unbelievable tortures on them and even chose to martyr them. Believers
have been faced by severetests when cast into the flames by a society
of non-believers. Almighty Allah describes the situation of believers
cast into the flames as follows in verses:
Cursed be the Companions of the Pit –
The fire well stocked with fuel –
When they were seated right beside it
Witnessing what they did to the believers.
The only reason they punished them was because they believed in Allah,
the Almighty, the All-Praiseworthy –
Him to whom the Kingdom of the heavensand the earth belongs. Allah is
Witness of all things.
Those who persecute men and women of the believers, and then do not
repent, will have thepunishment of Hell, will have the punishment of
the Burning. (Surat al-Buruj, 4-10)
Of course Almighty Allah is He who creates, with a special creation,
prophets and believers and those believers who warn their communities,
who turn toHim, who love Him above all and live for Him alone. He has
created them for paradise. But they are nevertheless tested in the
life of this world. There is a secret behind this. The test and the
difficulties involved in it are a sign ofsuperiority, love,
self-sacrifice and a genuine and sincere love of Allah. The prophets
addto their own beauty with the fortitude, honesty, self-sacrifice,
loyalty, devotion and moral virtuethey display. These moral virtues,
which make themone of the most valuable elements of paradise, are a
superior and worthy fortitude in the face of difficulty and submission
to Allah. Almighty Allah has prepared this difficult environment of
the test inorder for us and even them to witness their devotion and
love to Him.There is no doubt that Almighty Allah always supports and
protects believers and is always bytheir side. That is why it isso
valuable for believers to know this and display fortitude in difficult
environments. The prophets and those believers who follow them will
certainly enjoy eternal life in the hereafter and the finest reward
for this excellent fortitude. Almighty Allah reveals in verses:
Such people will be repaid for their steadfastness with the Highest
Paradise, wherethey will meet with welcome and with 'Peace'. They will
remain in it timelessly, for ever. What an excellent lodging and
abode! (Surat al-Furqan, 75-76)

1. There is a great secret in the difficulttests undergone by the Prophets

1.
Almighty Allah of course knows that all the prophets He created were
pure believers possessed of lofty moral values; it is He Who created
them with a true depth and pure faith. Yet despite being our Lord's
chosen, superior and honored servants, the prophets were still
subjected to difficult tests all through their lives. Difficulties are
a great means whereby people could witness theirhonesty and adopt
their moral values as role models, for the prophets to improve their
closenessto and love of Allah, and for their goodness to increase many
times over in the Hereafter.
This climate of testing is described by means of thestories related in
the Qur'an. When he came to the sea, pursued by Pharaoh's army, the
Prophet Moses (as) saw no apparent way of escape. Those who failed to
properly appreciate theinfinite might of Allah said, "We are trapped,"
but as revealed in verses the Prophet Moses (as) said "Never! My Lord
is with me and He will guide me." (Surat ash-Shuara', 62)
Throughout that difficult time when he was imprisoned in the belly of
the fish, the Prophet Jonah (as) constantly turned to Allah and, as
revealed in a verse, "...called out (to the Lord) in absolute
despair." (Surat al-Qalam,47) The Prophet Jonah (as), who sincerely
turned to Allah during this difficult test, was rescued from the belly
of the fish through our Lord's mercy and compassion, and was then sent
to a communityas their prophet. This difficult test of the Prophet
Jonah is described as follows in the Qur'an:
Jonah too was one of the Messengers.
When he ran away to the fully laden ship
and cast lots and lost.
Then the fish devoured him and he was to blame.
Had it not been that he was a man who glorified Allah,
he would have remained inside its bellyuntil the Day they are raised again.
So We cast him up onto the beach and he was sick;
and We caused a gourd tree to grow over him.
We sent him to a hundred thousand or even more.
They believed and so We gave them enjoyment for a time.
(Surat as-Saffat, 139-148)
When our holy Prophet (saas) was attacked by the pagans on two sides
together with his community there appeared to be no escape.This was
the day of a most difficult test. At the same time, it was a very
special test in which true believers with a genuine faith in Allah,
Who trustedin Allah's help with all their hearts, and who trusted in
and embraced Him, could remain strong and expect His help. As ordained
by Allah, those who were unable to properly appreciate Him and the
hypocrites lost hope of His mercy and began dreaming up false ideas of
their own. Our All-Mighty Lord described this difficult climate in
another verse:
When they came at you from above you and below you, when your eyes
rolled and your hearts rose to your throats, and you thought unworthy
thoughts about Allah, atthat point the believers were tested and
severely shaken.
When hypocrites and people with sickness in their hearts said, 'What
Allah and His Messengerpromised us was mere delusion.' and a group of
them said, 'People of Yathrib, Your position is untenable so return!'
some of them asked the Prophet to excuse them,saying, 'Our houses are
exposed,' when they were not exposed; it was merely that they wanted
to run away. (Surat al-Ahzab, 10-13)
In this difficult climate, our Prophet (saas) and the pure believers
with him hoped for Allah's helpand support and placed their trust in
Him, saw that this had been promised by our AlmightyLord and gave
thanks. Almighty Allah reveals in a verse:
When the believers saw the Confederates they said: 'This is what Allah
and His Messenger promised us. Allah and His Messenger told us the
truth.' It only increased them in faith and in submission. (Surat
al-Ahzab, 22)
As our Lord reveals in a later verse; "Allah made it unnecessary for
the believers to fight. Allah is Most Strong, Almighty." (Surat
al-Ahzab, 25)
The Prophet Yusuf (as) also underwent many great tests and hardships
in his life. The way he wasfalsely accused and left in a dungeon for
years are ofcourse very difficult tests. But there is no doubt thatone
of the greatest tests he faced, and bore bravelyand happily for
Allah's approval, is the way he was thrown into a well byhis brothers
at an early age and waited in the darkness to be rescued. If a caravan
had not passed by during his time in the well, if the people in it had
not decided to draw water from the well, then he would have gone
through a martyrdom lasting several days. Thereis no doubt that
everything happens by Allah's Will, however. Allah created Prophet
Yusuf (as) as a worthy, superior and holy prophetand also ordained his
salvation in the finest manner in destiny.
The Prophet Lot (as) alsostruggled against the pressure from a heretical people,
:->

The question Darwinism and materialism will never be able to answer: what is the origin of life?

(The following is an excerpt from the book titled Origins of Life*, by
Hugh Ross ** and Fazale Rana *** )
Currently scientists stand no closer to understanding life's beginning
than they did when Stanley Miller conducted his first experiments
fifty years ago. Though some scientists assert that the research is in
its infancy, significant resources have been brought to bear on the
origin of life question over the past five decades. To date, no real
answers have emerged. Rather, a misguided approach has essentially
stalled the research program.
Best-selling author Paul Davies makes this point inhis book The Fifth Miracle:
When I set out to write this book, I was convincedthat science was
close to wrapping up the mystery of life's origin… Having spent a year
or two researching in the field, I am now of the opinion that there
remains a hugegulf in our understanding… This gulf in understanding is
not merely ignorance about certain technical details; itis a major
conceptual lacuna. (Paul Davies, The Fifth Miracle:The Searchfor the
Origin and Meaning of Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), pp.
17-18)
Davies' statements likely surprise most people, including scientists.
From popular media reports, one would think researchers have all but
finalized the explanation for life's beginning. But such is not the
case.
Davies explains why this mismatch persists between public perception
and stark reality:
Many investigators feel uneasy about stating in public that the origin
of life is a mystery, even though behind closed doors they freely
admit that they are baffled. There seems to be two reasons for their
unease. First, they feel it opens the door to religious …..
explanations. Second, they worry that a frank admission of ignorance
will undermine funding. (Davies, pp.17-18)
So scientists are keeping quiet and searching for new directions in
which to proceed. Their behind-the-scenes frustration became evident
(to these authors) at the combined meetings of the International
Society for the Study of the Origin of Life and the International
Conference on the Origin of Life, held both in 1999 at the University
of California, San Diego, and in 2002 in Oaxaca, Mexico (hereafter
referred to as ISSOL 1999 or ISSOL 2002). This joint scientific
meeting, held every three years, attracts leading origin of life
investigators from around the world and serves as a platform for them
to share and discuss their latest findings.
The atmosphere at such gatherings typically crackles with anticipation
as participants gather to hear about new discoveries and
breakthroughs. However, at both of these last two ISSOL events, a grim
mood laced with desperation prevailed. Participants acknowledged that
some fifty years of well-funded investigation have led to one
barricade after another. The old intractable problems remain as new
ones cometo light. (Fazale R. Rana, "Origin-of-Life Predictions Face
Off: Evolution vs Biblical Creation," Facts for Faith 6 (Q2 2001),
pp.41-47)
…..Origin of life researchers cannot identify any location on
primordial Earth suitable for production of prebioticmolecules. Those
studyingthe problems cannot explain how the uniform "handedness"
(homochirality) of amino acids, nucleotids, and sugars could emerge in
any so-called prebiotic soup.
Data from the geological, geochemical, and fossil records all place
impossible constraints on naturalistic scenarios. Life arose rapidly
and early in Earth's history - as soon asEarth could possible support
it. Origin of life researchers recognize thatlife had no more than
tens of millions of years to emerge. Life also appeared under
amazingly harsh conditions - conditions that would not allow life to
survive, let alone originate.
Earth's first life was complex chemically… Consistent with this.
Investigators have discovered that life in its most minimal form
requires an astonishing number of proteins that must be spatially and
temporally organized within the cell.
Many [under the leadership of militant atheist Richard Dawkins
converted to the Space Religion ] now speculate that life may have
originated somewhere other than on Earth.

Hazrat Maryam (mari)

Hazrat Maryam `s (Alayhas-Salam) respectable parents are Hazrat Emraan
and Hazrat Hannah. In her old age, Hazrat Hannah (Alayhas-Salam) was
expecting a child. With the birth of a son in mind, she made an oath
to Allah that the childto be born would be freed from all worldly
affairs and specially dedicated to Allah's service. Almighty Allah
blessed her with a daughter, who was to be the mother of Hazrat Isa
(Peace Be Upon Him), Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam), the chosen one
among the women.
The Holy Quraan says:
Behold! When the wife of Imraan said: " O my Lord! Ido dedicate unto
Thee what is in my womb for Thy service. So accept this of me; for
thou Hearest and Knowest all things. " When she delivered, she said: "
O my Lord! Behold! Iam delivered of a female child ! " (Surah
Ale-Emraan:35-36)
Hazrat Maryam's (Alayhas-Salam) Childhood
Thus Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) was born. She could not be devoted
to temple service as her mother had intended, due to being a female.
This was under the Mosaic Law at the time. However, as the new born
was marked out for a special destiny tobe the mother of the
miracle-child Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon Him, she was accepted for the
service of Almighty Allah.
Hazrat Maryam's (Alayhas-Salam) Miracle
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) grew up under Allah's special
protection. Her sustenance came from Allah, and her upbringing was
indeed a pure one.
The Holy Quraan, most beautifully testifies this childhood miracle of
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam):
" Right graciously did her Lord accept her, He made her grow in purity
and beauty, to the care of Zakariyya (Alayhis-Salaam)was she assigned,
every time he (Zakariyya) entered (her) chamber to see her, he found
her supplied with sustenance. He said: "O Maryam! Whence (comes) this
to you? " She said: " From Allah. For Allah provides sustenance to
whom He pleases without measure. " (Surah Ale-Emraan:37)
Hazrat Zakariyya Peace Be Upon Him looked after Hazrat Maryam
(Alayhas-Salam) whilst she was in the service of Allah.
Birth of Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon Him
So Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam) grew up in a very pious religious
environment, always remaining busy in the worship of her Creator
Almighty Allah. Then followed the miraculous birth of Hazrat Isa Peace
Be Upon Him.
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam), the mother of Hazrat Isa Peace Be Upon
Him was unique, in that she gave birth to a son by a special miracle,
without the intervention of the customary physical means.This of
course does not mean that she was more than human, any more than her
son was more than inhuman. She had as much need to pray to Almighty
Allah as anyone else.
May Almighty Allah give usall the true and proper understanding of
Hazrat Maryam (Alayhas-Salam).

Prophet Ibrahim (2)

As you may recall, most of the people at the time of Ibrahim (alayhis
salam) were idol worshippers. There were very few people who heeded
the words of Ibrahim (alayhis salam). One of the people who did follow
in the way of Allah was his wife, Sarah. She and Ibrahim (alayhis
salam) had been married for many years but did not have any children.
As they became more elderly, it seemed apparent that they would never
have a family. Sarah therefore gave Ibrahim (alayhis salam) her
slavewoman, Hajra, as a wife, in the hopes that she would be able to
bear a child for him. Ibrahim (alayhis salam) prayed for a righteous
son and his prayer was answered. To him and Hajra was born the son
Ismail (alayhis salam).
Ismail (alayhis salam) grew up strong in the belief of Allah. When he
had become old enough tohave become helpful, Ibrahim (alayhis salam)
saw in a vision from Allah that he was to sacrifice his son. You can
imagine how heavy-hearted he was at the thought of giving up that
long-awaited son. Buthe never thought to go against the command of
Allah. He went to his son and told him of the vision and asked him
what he thought of it. Now Ismail (alayhis salam), although very
young, never hesitated. If it was Allah's will, he said, he would go
along with it.
Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and Ismail (alayhis salam) prepared for the
sacrifice and just as Ibrahim (alayhis salam) was about to perform it,
Allah intervened. Allah provided a ram for sacrifice in place of
Ismail (alayhis salam), for Ibrahim (alayhis salam)and Ismail (alayhis
salam) had passed the test of faith which Allah had set for them.
Some time later, the angels who were being sent to Lut (alayhis salam)
stopped at Ibrahim's (alayhis salam) home. When he saw the two
strangers, he roasted a calfin order to entertain them.When he saw
that they didnot eat, he mistrusted and feared them. But they told him
not to be afraid. Sarahwas there and she laughedwhen they told her she
would have a son. She couldn't believe it. She wasan old woman and her
husband an old man. They told her not to wonder at Allah's decree, for
he can do all things.
Ibrahim (alayhis salam), too, couldn't believe his ears when they told
him that he would father another son endowed with wisdom. He asked
themessengers how they could say such a thing when he was such an old
man. But they assured himthat they were telling the truth.
Just as the angels had foretold, a son was born toSarah and Ibrahim
(alayhissalam). He was named Ishaaq (alayhis salam) and he later
became the father of Yaqub (alayhis salam). Itis from Ishaaq (alayhis
salam) that the children of Israel trace their roots.
It is from Ismail (alayhis salam), Ibrahim's (alayhis salam)
first-born son, that the people of Arabia trace their lineage. Thus
can twopeoples, the Jews and the Arabs, trace their beginnings back to
a single ancestor, Ibrahim (alayhis salam), the father of Ismail
(alayhis salam) and Ishaaq (alayhis salam).
You can read about Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and his sons in the
following surat of the Qur'an 11:69-76, 15:51-56,and 37: 99-111.

Prophet Ibrahim (1)

Prophet Ibrahim as a role model
We often see the term "role model" in newspapers and magazines. It
refers to someone who leads the sort of life that you would like to
live. Many of us choose our favorite sports star or film star as our
role model because we are impressed by the glitter and flair of these
wealthy people. However, if we stopped to think about what kind of
lives the starsreally lead, perhaps we would have second thoughts
about our choice of role model. How many of these stars have never
known or have forgotten Allah in their quest for fame and riches! How
often are they consumed by hate, envy, violence, drugs and other
evils! Whoreally wants that kind of life? Certainly not we Muslims.
The Qur'an tells us that theprophets should be our role models, and
Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) in particular is frequently mentioned.
He was obedient to Allah, upright, and he did not worship any god but
Allah. He turned away from those who worshipped idols, even from his
own father. He was grateful to Allah for the blessings which were
bestowed on him. Hewas rewarded with good in this world and he is
among the righteous in the hereafter.
Prophet Ibrahim's call
Prophet Ibrahim 's (alayhis salam) father, Azer, was a stone carver.
He carved theimages of the idols which his people worshipped. Prophet
Ibrahim (alayhis salam) grew up in an atmosphere of paganism, in which
Allah was just one of many gods worshipped by his people. But Allah
chose Ibrahim (alayhis salam) to be His prophet. Prophet Ibrahim
(alayhis salam) saw a star when it rose and called upon it as his
lord, but when it set he realized that it was powerless. He called
upon the moon when it rose in the sky, but it too disappeared as
itset. Then he decided to worship the sun when it rose, but even the
sun with all its brilliance had to set each evening. It wasat this
point that Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) was ready to acknowledgethe
supremacy of the Creator of all the heavenly bodies, the Lord of all
creation, and a being without equal and withoutpartners. He tried
unsuccessfully to persuadehis father and his people to discard the
useless idolsand to submit themselves wholly to Allah. He promised his
father that he would pray for forgiveness for him, and since he had
promised, he did pray. But we are told in the Qur'an that we should
shun pagans and we should not pray for them (Qur'an 9:113-114).
Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) asked his people why they worshipped
those idols which they themselves had made, instead of the true God
who had created everything and everybody.The people answered that they
worshipped the idols because their fathers had done so. One day, when
noone was about, Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) took his right hand
and smashed the idols to pieces, all except the biggest. The people
came running, asking who had destroyed their gods. Prophet Ibrahim
(alayhis salam) pointed to the big god and said, "He did it. Why don't
you ask them?" But of course those fragments of stone were not able to
speak and the people knew in their hearts that the big stone could not
have destroyed them. So Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) asked, "Why do
you worship these powerless rocks instead of Allah who is all
powerful?" Then the people were very angry and they seized Prophet
Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and threw him into a blazing fire. But Allah
was with Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) and made the blaze feel cool
to him. Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) emerged from the fire
unharmed.
In Arabia at the time of the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
threereligious groups claimed ancestry to the prophet Ibrahim (alayhis
salam). They were the Christians, the Jews, and the pagan
idol-worshippers. But the religion of Ibrahim (alayhissalam) was none
of these three. His religion was truly that of Islam , a total
submission to the will of Allah. It is he who should serve as our role
model, a man of unswerving faith introubled times.
You can read about Prophet Ibrahim (alayhis salam) as a role model
andabout his disputes over the idols in the following suras of the
Qur'an: 2:130, 135, 258; 3:67; 6:74-83; 16:120-123; 19:41-50;
21:51-71; 26:70-82; 37:83-98; 60:4-6.

Allah Will Protect Me

Once Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was taking rest under a tree
when he was returning from an expedition and hung his sword from the
tree. A Non-Muslim person came quietly, took hold of the sword and,
addressing the Prophet said to him:"O Muhammad! now who will save you
from my hand?" The Prophet heard it, rose up from his seat and said:
"Allah will save me." Hearing the name of Allah, he was overawed and
the sword slipped from his hand. The Prophet rose up from his place,
took the sword into his hand and questioned him: "Now who will save
you from my hand?" He felt sorry and begged apology. The Prophet
forgave him. He was so impressed by this kindnessthat he embraced
Islam. He then went to his tribesmen and expressed that he never found
a manbetter than Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Source: "The Miracles of the Prophet" by Shaikh Ahmed S. Dehalvi; also
related in Bukhari and other sources with slight variations.
Related to the protection of the Prophet Muhammad, Allah has mentioned
in the Quran "OApostle! proclaim the message which has been sent to
you from your Lord. If you do not do it, you would not have fulfilled
and proclaimed this mission. And Allah willdefend you against men who
mean mischief. For Allah guides not those who reject faith." (Al
Quran5:67).
( Love for Muhammad PBUH is the basic teaching of Islam.)... Islam is
not terrorism nor backwordness, but Islam isteachings of
peace."Ashadunna La illaha illallahu Wa Ashadunna Muhammadan Wa
Rasuluhu." "I bear witness that there is no god, but Allah, and
Muhammad is His Last Messenger."

Punishment of a Liar

Narrated Anas: There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read
Surat-al-Baqara and Al-Imran, and he used to write (the revelations)
for the Prophet. Later on he returned to Christianity again and he
used to say:"Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him."
Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him,but in the
morning they saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said,
"This is the act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of
our companion and took his body out of itbecause he had run away from
them." They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning
they again saw that the earth had thrown his bodyout. They said, "This
is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our
companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from
them." They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the
morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they
believed that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and
had to leave him thrown (on the ground).
Source: Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 814.
( Love for Muhammad PBUH is the basic teaching of Islam.)... Islam is
not terrorism nor backwordness, but Islam isteachings of
peace."Ashadunna La illaha illallahu Wa Ashadunna Muhammadan Wa
Rasuluhu." "I bear witness that there is no god, but Allah, and
Muhammad is His Last Messenger."

Should he send blessings on the angels in the tashahhud?

Is it permissible to send blessings on the angels in the tashahhud as
I send blessings on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
In the answer to question no. 105330 we stated thatit is prescribed to
send blessings on the angels.
But in the tashahhud doing that is not prescribed, because what must
be done is to recite only that which was proven from the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), without adding anything
to it.
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan was asked: Should blessings be sent on the
angels in the tashahhud as they are sent on the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)?
He replied:
No, the blessings that are mentioned in the tashahhud should be
limited only to that whichis narrated, but when we say al-salaamu
'alayna wa'ala 'ibaad-Allaah al-saaliheen (may peace be upon us and
upon all the righteous slaves of Allaah), that includes every
righteous slave in heaven and on earth, which includes the angels.

People of Imân and Piety Readily Accept the Truth

Allâh says,
"That home of the Hereafter (i.e. Paradise), We shall assign to those
who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land
nor do mischief by committing crimes. And the good end is for the
pious." (Al-Qasas 28:83)
Fellow Muslims! A scholar among our righteous predecessors wrote a
letter to a brother of his in which he asked him for admonition and
advice on an issue. The scholar wrotehim the following reply:
"To proceed, if Allâh is with you who are you then afraid of? And if
Allâh is against you, who is he unto him you can fix your hope? Bye."
Dear brethren! This short statement is a great admonition, a strong
reminder and a brilliant word. Allâh's care for His slave supersedes
all other cares; and with the care of Allâh, the slave is in no need
of the care of others. The special divine care means protection and
support. Allâh tells us about those who deserve this protection when
He says,
"Truly, Allâh is with those who fear Him (keep their duty unto Him),
and those who are good-doers." (An-Nahl 16:128)
May Allâh include us among the pious and the righteous. May He guide
usto the path of His sincere slaves and keep us away from causes of
His wrath and punishment.

People of Imân and Piety Readily Accept the Truth

All praise is due to Allâh, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and
blessings of Allâh be upon the Messenger, his household and
companions.
O you who believe! Fear Allâh as He should be feared and work towards
your salvation tomorrow on,
"The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, except him who
brings to Allâh a clean heart." (Ash-Shu'arâ 26:88-89)
And
"The Day when man shall remember what he strove for." (An-Nâzi'ât 79:35)
Fellow Muslims! It is part of a Muslim's magnanimity, nobility and
good manners to always seek for and surrender to the truth out of
desire for the pleasure of Allâh and out of fear of falling into the
abyss of arrogance. The Messenger of Allâh said,
"Whoever has the weight of mustard seed of pride inhis heart will not
enter Paradise."
A man said,
"[What about] a person who likes his clothes to be fine and his shoes
to be fine."
The Prophet responded,
"Verily, Allâh is beautiful and He loves beauty. Pride is disregard
for the truth and contempt for people." (Al-Bukhârî and Muslim)
Disregard for the truth is to reject it. And contempt for people is to
scorn themand show them all forms of arrogance either through words or
deeds.
Rejecting the truth also implies denying it, hating it and turning
away from it, as former people who were punished had done. The
punishment of Allâh came to them in their homes and what happened to
them becamea lesson for others. Allâh says,
"And never an Ayah (sign) comes to them from the Ayât (proofs,
evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of their Lord,
but that they have been turning away from it. Indeed, they rejected
the truth (the Qur'ân andMuhammad (peace be upon him)) when it came to
them, but there will come to them the news of that (the torment) which
they used to mock at. Have they not seen how manya generation before
them We have destroyedwhom We had established on the earth such as We
have not established you? And Wepoured out on them rain from the sky
in abundance, and made the rivers flow under them. Yet We destroyed
them for their sins, and created after them other generations."
(Al-An'âm 6:4-6)
Allâh also says,
"Indeed We have brought the truth (Muhammad (peace be upon him) with
the Qur'ân), to you, but mostof you have a hatred for the truth."
(Az-Zukhruf 43:78)
As for those who have faith and fear Allâh, their most prominent
characteristic is acceptanceof the truth, submitting to it and calling
others unto it. That is why they are thewisest of all people and the
most knowledgeable of the causes of happiness,victory and success.
Wisdom is the lost property of a believer; he takes hold of it
wherever he finds it. Refraining fromrejecting the truth is safetyfrom
being in the same group with the erroneous and deniers of the signs of
Allâh. It is also the safety from sharing in the consequences of their
rejection of the truth as a result of their arrogance inthe land.
You will notice that those who fear Allâh have habituated themselves
on accepting the truth irrespective of the person from whom the truth
comes. Hence you find them accepting the truth from children, ignorant
and enemies. This is the opinion of eminent scholars like Qâdî 'Iyâd
andothers.
Another noble quality of those who fear Allâh is that when anyone of
themdebated with someone, hesupplicated secretly for his opponent to
Allâh to strengthen his opponent, make him reach at the truth and let
the truth come from him. An example of this is Imâm Ash-Shâfi'î who
used to say,
"Whenever I argued with someone, I always wished that Allâh show the
truth through him."
Brethren in faith! The God-fearing Muslim treats his brother as gently
as he can. He lowers his voice when he speaks with him, he guards his
tongue and hands from attacking his honour and never harms him with
any form. He always bears in mind the saying of the Messenger ofAllâh
that goes thus,
"A Muslim should neither be slanderer nor a curser, nor an immodest nor foul."
And his saying,
"A Muslim is someone from whose hand and tongue the Muslims are safe."
(Al-Bukhârî and Muslim)
He also abstains from useless argument and he fears the malice and
hatred that quarrelling leads to. In this regard he follows the
Prophet's admonition that goes thus,
"I guarantee a house in the surroundings of Paradise for a man who
avoids quarrelling even if he were in the right." (Abû Dâwûd)
And his saying,
"No nation went astray after they had been on guidance except that
they were afflicted with quarrelling and deprived of (fruitful)
actions." (Ahmad and At-Tirmidhî)
In short, sincerity of purpose and an intention to arrive at the truth
is thegoal. The Muslim must beware of promoting his personal ego and
showing that he is better than other. He should also treat all people
with compassion and wish them well.

Struggles benefit - The man who wanted to help the butterfly

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hoursas it struggled to
force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making
any progress.It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and
it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He tooka pair of scissors
and snipped off the remainingbit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it hada swollen body and
small,shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that,at
any moment, the wingswould enlarge and expand to be able to support
the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact,the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.It never was
able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that
the restricting cocoon andthe struggle required for the butterfly to
get through the tiny opening were Allah's way of forcing fluid from
the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for
flight once it achieved its freedom fromthe cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If Allah
allowed us to go through our liveswithout any obstacles, it would
cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never "fly"!
I asked for Strength.........
And Allah gave me Difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for Wisdom.........
And Allah gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for Prosperity.........
And Allah gave me Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage.........
And Allah gave me Dangerto overcome.
I asked for Love..........
And Allah gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favours.........
And Allah gave me Opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted ........
I received everything I needed!
"So blessed be Allah, the best of creators!"
Sura The Believer (23) verse 14

The young girl who isn't an atheist like her teacher

A young woman teacher with obvious liberal tendencies explains to
herclass of small children thatshe is an atheist. She asks her class
if they're atheiststoo. Not really knowing what atheism is but wanting
to be like their teacher, their hands explode into the air like fleshy
fireworks. There is, however, one exception. Abeautiful girl named
Zainab has not gone along with the crowd. Theteacher asks her why she
has decided to be different. "Because I'm notan atheist."
Then, asks the teacher,"What are you?" "I'm a Muslim." The teacher is
a little perturbed now, her face slightly red. She asks Zainab why she
is a Muslim. "Well, I was brought up knowing and loving God. My mom is
a Muslim, and my dad is a Muslim, so I am a Muslim."
The teacher is now angry."That's no reason," she says loudly, "what if
your mom was a moron,and your dad was a moron, - what would you be
then?" She paused, and smiled. "Then," says Zainab, "I'd be an
atheist."
[a moron is a dumb, stupid person]