Some Superstitions About Paradise

The verses depicting Paradise awake in the reader today the same sense
of grandeur, quality, beauty, richness,bounteousness, well-being, and
prosperity as they did 14centuries ago. All of the values associated
with Paradise have been desired by people of every period of history
and of every social class. For example, the gold, silver, and precious
jewels in Paradise, as described in the Qur'an, are even more in
demand today than theywere in the past.
The Qur'an also mentions that silk will befound in Paradise. Today,
either as clothingor for decorative purposes, silk is preferred as a
high quality material. At the same time, it is a symbol of wealth and
grandeur. All of the precious thingsused to describe Paradise are far
more valuable today than theywere 1,400 years ago.
Again, the beautiful residences, palaces, and mansions mentioned in
the Qur'an are luxurious places desired by everyone regardless of when
they live. Today's villas and mansions are all of this category, and
are marks of distinction, quality, and wealth.
Similarly, the thrones, couches, and cushions ofParadise form a part
of the most comfortable and grand interior decoration. This kind of
aesthetically beautiful furnishing is today displayed in the grandest
of places.
Allah is the owner of all material things, and it belongs to His glory
to find His beloved servantsworthy of all of these beautiful things,
both in this life and the next.
Does Paradise Contain Things Not Mentioned in the Qur'an?
The Qur'an describes Paradise through examples and comparisons taken
from this world, for people can imagine something unknown only in
terms of that which is known to them. However basic the description
might be, it gives a certain idea. The Qur'an's detailed and subtle
descriptions of Paradise's blessings show us that these blessings and
beauties are superior to the best, most beautiful, and highest quality
things to be found in this world.
The Qur'an describes Paradise by giving examples of the most
desirable, high quality, and rarest things. For example, women with
large dark eyes have a rare quality that gives them an extremely
aesthetic and attractive appearance. Therefore, women in Paradise
havelarge, dark gazelle-like eyes. This does not meanthat no women
there have green, blue, or brown eyes, but only serves to emphasize
the excellent quality of Paradise and Allah's statement that the
finestthings here are much finer there. To give another example: The
Qur'an says that every kind of fruit is present inParadise. But, in
various verses, bananas and figs are generally singled outmore often
as the preferred fruits. Of course, these fruits are two blessings
chosen from the infinite abundance of all fruits inParadise.
The announcement that everything desired by everyone exists in
Paradise for their pleasure and to fulfill their hearts' desire is
enough to express the idea that Paradise's blessings are infinite and
far beyond human imagination. Everyone understands the Qur'an to the
degree of his or her faith, intelligence, and sincerity. Thus
disbelievers who read it with ill-intentions will understand the
verses about Paradise according to their own sterile ideas. However,
Paradise's superior beauty is evident to anyone who thinks about such
verses with an open and intelligent awareness. Allah displaysa perfect
design even in the smallest details of this world; surely, it would be
easy for Him tocreate far more excellentthings than these.
Indifference
Some people are indifferent to Paradise, saying: "If it comes; fine.
If it doesn't, that's fine too." However, in the afterlife there are
only two possibilities: Paradise or Hell. There is no option to go to
a place in between.
It is clear that someone who does not appreciateParadise as is due,
who does not long for or desire to attain it, is unworthy of it and
will never be admitted to it. There is only one place for such a
person to go: Hell. For this reason, being indifferent to Allah's
greatest grace and gift to believers and not desiring to enter it, as
well as persisting in this attitude is one of the clearest signs that
heor she belongs among the people of Hell.

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Duas

1. When someone is in a difficulty
-
Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
When someone is in a difficulty
Recite:
الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي عَافَانِي مِمَّا ابْتَلَاكَ بِهِ
وَفَضَّلَنِي عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِمَّنْ خَلَقَ تَفْضِيلَاً
"All praise belongs to Allah who has saved me from such a condition
which is afflicted on you and favoured me over many creations". The
virtues of this dua is that the reciter will be saved from the
difficulties he has seen.
(Mishkat)
Note:
Read the dua softly so that the person in difficulty may not hear
it,on the other hand if the person in difficulty is engaged in sin
then it should be read aloud so that they may learn a
lesson.*******************************************************
2. When one sees a muslim laughing
-
Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
When one sees a muslim laughing
Recite:
أَضْحَكَ اللَّهُ سِنَّكَ
"Allah keep you laughing" (Bukhari,
Muslim)*******************************************************
3. When fearing the enemy
-
Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
When fearing the enemy
Recite:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَجْعَلُكَ فِي نُحُورِهِمْ وَنَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شُرُورِهِمْ
"O Allah, we make you the turner of the (enemies) chest (heart) and
seek refuge in You from their evils".
(Abu Dawood)*******************************************************
4. When the enemy surrounds
-
Prophet (SAW)'s Prayers
When the enemy surrounds
Recite:
اللَّهُمَّ اسْتُرْ عَوْرَاتِنَا وَآمِنْ رَوْعَاتِنَا
"O Allah, save our honourand remove the fear and keep us safe"
(Hisnul Hasin)/

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Improve Our Condition

Whilst is heartwarming to see many using social networking
beneficially, it saddens to see those using it detrimentally.
Language used, pages liked, comments made, images displayed, type
offriends or people followed, hobbies mentioned etc are all indicative
of our condition.
Let us all make an effort to improve our conditionin this regard as
there is always room for improvement – myself included.

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Muhasabah

"In reality, to take account of ourselves on an annual basis is not
adequate. This is why theMashā'ikh have advised that a person should
do muhāsabah (self-assessment) daily.
The method of making muhāsabah is to allocate time to ponder upon the
actions carried out throughout the day. If good was done then thank
Allāh and resolve to continue; and if sin was committed then repent
and resolve to abstain from repeating the same in the future."

Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi and the Thieves

One night Sultan Mahmood Ghaznawi went walking among his subjects
after taking off his royal clothes and putting on ordinary clothes. He
chanced to come upon a group of thieves who were consulting amongst
themselves. On seeing him they asked: "Who are you?"
The King (Sultan) replied:"I am also one like yourselves." They
understood that to mean that he was also a thief like themselves and
allowed him to join their company. They then continued the
conversation amongst themselves and it was decided that each one of
them should explain what speciality or skill hepossesses so that at
the time of need a task couldbe put before him to show that special
skill.
One of the thieves said: "Friends, I have a special gift in my ears,
that whenever a dog barks, I fully understand what hesays."
The second one said: "I have a special gift in my eyes, that whatever
I see in the darkness of night, Iam able to recognize it inthe light
of day."
The third one said: "I have this speciality in my arms that through
the strength that lies in my arms, I can make a hole in the strongest
wall, to enter a house."
The fourth one said: "I have this special gift in my nose that by
smelling the sand on the ground I am able to ascertain whether there
is any treasure buried underneath it or not. It isjust like in the
case of Majnoon, who without being told, merely by smelling the
ground, got to know where Layla wasburied."
The fifth one said: "I havesuch strength in my hands that no matter
how high a building is, I can climb along its wall with my rope ladder
and easily enter the building in this manner."
Thereafter they all asked the King: "O man, what special gift do you
possess which we can make use of in our thieving activities?"
The King replied: "I have this speciality in my beard that when
criminals are handed over to their executioner,I merely shake my beard
and such criminals are immediately set free." (Inother words, if as a
showof mercy I shake my beard, the criminals found guilty of murder,
are set free).
On hearing this the thieves said: "O dear Qutub, on the day of
difficulty, you will be our one means of salvation." (In other words,
if we arearrested, then through you blessings we will be saved. Now we
do not have to fear, because therest of us had the special gift which
would help us in our thieving exploits, but none of us had the means
of granting safety from punishment. This speciality lies only with
you. Now we need not have any fear of punishment. Now we canget on
with our work).
They all went in the direction of the palace ofShah Mahmood with the
King in their midst. Alongthe way a dog barked and the one who
understood the dog's language translated: "The King is also in you
midst." Although they heard it, no one paid anyattention to this
information, as their greed was uppermost in their minds. One of them
smelled the ground and explained that this is the Royal Palace . There
is a treasure in this place. Theother one threw a rope ladder against
the wall. The other one made a hole in the wall and they all entered
to burgle. Afterwards they divided the loot amongst themselves and
hastily each one of them went to hide his share of the spoils.
The King noted each one's description and found out where each of them
resided. He left them and secretly re-entered the Royal Palace . The
following day the King related the entire story to his courtiers and
thereafter sent the policemen to arrest them and to inform them of
their death sentence.
When they were broughtbefore the Court with hands bound together, they
were all trembling in fear before the King's throne. However, the
thief who had this special gift of recognizing anybody during the day
whom he had seen during the darkness, was quite at ease. In him
together with the signs of fear there were also sights of hope. In
other words, although he was struck by awe while standing before the
King and although fearing the King's wrath and revenge, he also had
the hope, that the King would be true to his word, that when in mercy
he shakes his beard, criminals will be set free. Furthermore he also
had the hope of setting free al his companions because the King will
surely not turn away from all those whom he knew and recognized.
This person's face was changing from yellow to red, as within himself
thefeelings of fear and hopealternated. The Sultan Mahmood in Kingly
dignity passed judgment that they all should be handed over to the
Executioner to be hung on the gallows. As the King himself was witness
to their crime, there was no need for any other witnesses.
As soon as the King announced his judgement, this person appealed in
great humility: "Sire, with you permission, may I say something?" The
King permitted him to speak and he said: "O Master, each one of us had
exhibited his special gift which helped in this crime. Now it is time
that the Kingly speciality should be exhibited according to the
promise. I have all the while recognized you. Remember you had
promised that in you beard there is this speciality, that if you cause
it to move in mercy, the criminal will be saved from punishment.
Hence, O King, shake you beard, sothat through the blessings of your
grace, all of us can be saved from the punishment of our crimes. Our
specialities have broughtus to the gallows. Now it is only you special
gift that is left which can save us from being punished of our crimes.
Our specialities have brought us to the gallows. Now it is only you
special gift that is left which can save us from being punished. Now
is the time for the exhibition of your speciality. Kindly shake your
beard. Because of fear our lives have reached right up to our mouths.
Please save us with the special gift that lies in your beard."
Sultan Mahmood smiled at the plea and became filled with mercy and
grace as he heard their pitiful admission of guilt. He said: "Each one
of you have exhibited his special quality to such an extent that it
has brought you to the brim of destruction, except in the case of this
one. He recognized me as the Sultan. He saw me in the darkness of the
night and recognized me as the Sultan. Hence for his having recognized
me, I set all of you free. I feel ashamed at those eyes which
recognized me notto shake my beard and thereby exhibit my special
quality."
Lessons
The first lesson containedis this story is that while a person is
committing a crime the true King of Kings is with him, and is fully
aware of all that he does. "And He is with youwherever you are." When
a person commits any disobedience to Allahhe is actually committing
treachery against Him. Anyone who fails in his duty to Allah or in the
rights which are due to me, is like a thief committing the theft of
Allah's treasures. For this reason, one should always bear in mind
that the Master is the witness, seeing us at all times, andis aware of
all that we do. If we commit any disobedience or iniquity, it means
that in His very presence His treasury is being looted and robbed.
Think for a moment! Whom are you robbing? That King and Master
tellsyou: "I am seeing what you do. I am with you. Mylaws have been
revealed to you. Today your breaking that law. Today,in this world I
will hide your fault, hoping that perhaps you will come upon the right
road. But if you do not come to your senses, then tomorrow on the day
of Qiyamat when you will be brought before Me, with hands bound
together, then who will be able to save you from My anger and
revenge?"
The second lesson from this story is that Allah willpunish sinners in
the hereafter although He may initially overlook them in this world.
We see that at the time the thieves were looting the Royal treasury,
the Sultanwitnessed the entire incident. He was with them and allowed
them to proceed without being punished. However in the end, he had
them arrested. If, at all times, this thought is uppermost in our
minds that Allah sees all our deeds then there will surely be fear in
the heart against committingsins.
The third lesson from thisstory is this that on the day of Qiyamat no
specialquality will be of any benefit. All those deeds which
contravene the laws of Allah will on the day of Qiyamat be boundaround
man's neck even though, in this world, they were considered as being
special qualities. The thieves mentioned those special gifts and
qualities as if the were qualities of virtue, but in reality those
very qualities were the cause of their destruction:
"Each one of them exhibited their special quality,
But all their qualities onlycaused their misfortune to increase."
Any special quality whichdoes not bring a person nearer to his
Creator, andwhich does not connect the heart to Allah, and which is
not a medium towards the remembrance of Allah is no quality of virtue.
In fact it is a cure and a misfortune. All the powers and attributes
of man which are used in rebellion against Allah and towards
disobedience and negligence, will one day cause him to be brought
before Allah as a criminal. All those nationswho have made great
progress and through scientific inventions havemade this world
subservient to them, but turn away from Allah, passing their lives in
disobedience, will realizeon the day of Qiyamat, whether the
speciality of scientific progress had been the cause of receiving
Allah's grace or His anger.
"Blessed be to you the subjugation of the sun and moon,
But if there is no light in the heart there is no lightanywhere."
The fourth lesson from this story is that no special quality will be
of benefit except that which leads towards recognizing Allah, just
like the person who having seen the Sultan, recognized him and through
this special quality, he not only savedhimself but was also able to
intercede on behalf of this companions. As for his other companions,
their special quality became a means towardsearning Allah's
punishment.
"Only the sight of the fortunate one was of anyuse
Who recognized the Sultan during darkness of night."
The lesson derived is thatthis world is like a place of darkness. In
the darkness of this world, every servant of Allah who follows the
Divine Laws of Shariat and through its blessings recognizes Allah,
will be provided with salvation against the punishment on hell-fire,
on the day ofQiyamat. This recognitionwill also be a means towards
intercession on behalf of other criminals,from among the sinners of
the people of faith. However, there should not be any pride and over
confidence in this recognition. In fact, one should alternate between
fear and hope and in utmost humility beg for this intercession. Then
Allah will accept this intercession from whomever He wishes according
to His Mercy . For those whom He will not accept this intercession, He
will in perfect justice exhibit Hisoverwhelming vengeance. Hence,
fortunate indeed is the person who, in the world, created within
himself the knowledge ofrecognizing Allah. The Aarifeen (True knowers
of Allah) who through their spiritual efforts andexercises recognize
Allah with their souls, will tomorrow on the day of Qiyamat see Allah
and attain salvation. Furthermore their intercession on behalf of
other sinners will also be accepted. But the disbelievers and
criminals will through their special qualities be admitted into
hell-fire. On that day these poor starving ones with pale faces,
patched coarse clothing, who today are being ridiculed and jeered at,
will feast their eyes upon the countenance of Allah. On that day, the
criminals will envy them:
"Would that we had livedlike them in the world and acquired their qualities.
Would that we had recognized Allah properly!"
The fifth lesson is this that the story also illustrates the high
position these righteous and saintly ones have as far as their
humanity is concerned. What a pity that nations and people, just like
those thieves, spend their short span of worldly lives looking upon
means of delight and comfort as special gift and accomplishment,and
look upon material progress as being actual progress. Whereas on
theother hand, they have adopted uncouth habits like urinating while
standing and cleansing themselves with paper after defecating. They
also consider it normal totake a bath sitting in a tub and allow the
water, which had become dirtied through being in contact with the anus
to be drawn into their mouth and nose. They consider those actions as
the norms of society. Can such people ever be considered to be
cultured and people of progress? What a pity it is that the beloved
cultural ways of Muslims should be cast aside and that such despicable
ways of these people should be adopted.

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Story Part 4 - Moons Peak [FINISHED]- Settling In (chapter 4)

SETTLING IN TOOK SOME time to sink in.
I'd completely pulled my old blankets and sheets and replaced them
with silk and mink I'd conveniently packed. I refused to put my
clothesany were near the old dusty drawers. Besides, that'll only seem
like I wanted to be here. I didn't.
Aretha Heins called dinner, so I washed up and changed out of my long
blazer jacket. I didn't want to ruin it, so Ishrugged on a silk teal
blouse. It hung just above my thighs, so I left my tights on.
"Willow, we're waiting for you!" she called up the stairs again.
I scowled in the mirror. Still the same. No one eats unless everyone
is seated at the table. Seriously, these people practically lived in
the stone ages.
"Coming!" I yelled back and stole one last glance in the mirror and
rushed down the stairs.
I paused when I saw the table was full with guestsI couldn't recall
even being introduced to. I automatically felt out of place. Not just
the clothesand everything, but conversations were being thrown all
over thetable and I was afraid that I'll have no interests in it
whatsoever.
Empty plates, and full glasses of wine sat in front of them, but I
felt slightly uncomfortable to be here...until I spotted Grams. I
loosened up a bit. She smiled and nodded for me to take a seat.
"Come sit over here Willow," Aretha called, as her hand waved
frantically to the chair between her and Satchel.
Blinking, I noticed Satchel's cowboy hat hadbeen removed, astonished
to see what a man he'd really turned into. His face was out in full
view, displaying wisdom, and maturity.
I sagged my shoulders, feeling bad that for how I treated him in the
last couple of hours.
It wasn't his fault I was here, and it wasn't his fault that I was in
a bad mood because I had to be here. But seeing him, brought so many
memories back, it felt likeI was a little five year old girl all over
again.
He'd obviously found some soap in the last hour, because he cleanedup
nice as I noticed his hair was gelled back, anda clean shirt clung to
his skin.
His piercing gaze was something I remember: Light green eyes that
caught the light brilliantly. He'd always had that youthful face, but
his body was something else.
He'd grown up so much.
"You gonna stand there and stare, or sit down? I'm starving here,"
Satchel murmured, breaking me out of my thoughts.
Noticing I must've lookedlike a weirdo staring at him for so long. I
caught myself blushing and stumbled to find my seat. I watched as
Satchel's elbows dug onto the table and his hands clenched together in
a praying gesture, and frowned.
I was about to ask him what he was doing, and then Aretha started
chanting a verse. Right, she was saying grace, how could I forget?
I followed in suit, and voiced a quick, "Amen" and picked up my fork to eat.
I didn't want to be rude, but all I saw on the table was a fist load
of carbs, fat, and more carbs. I watched everyone dig in,chewing on my
lips thoughtfully.
"Potato and gravy?" Aretha offered.
I shook my head. "No thanks, I don't—" I stopped talking when Satchel
leaned in to whisper in my ear and my heart flipped a 180 as he did
so.
I eyed him warily as he invaded my personal space, giving me a whiff
of his natural scent.
"I don't remember you turning down food? You used to devour mash like
ice-cream." He had a half smile on his face, as cocked an eyebrow up
ininterest.
He was right, I'd been a food lover. There wasn't one thing I didn't
like eating. Except peas, I despised peas. But growing up in New
York?And a school reputation? Well, there was only so much you could
eat to stay thin, and good looking. Carbs was on theno-no list.
I noticed he had a faint smell of aftershave on too, I was fighting
off theurge to inhale it, when he went back to digging in. He took the
bowl fromhis mother and scooped three or four loads on hisplate.
"You're really gonna eat all that?" I asked, surprised hitting my
voice. He scoffed like I'd said something stupid.
He raised an eyebrow as he reached for another bowl, and
shrugged."Unless, you want some?"He asked, shoving the meat bowl
toward me.
I shook my head and wrinkled my nose. I wasn't a big fan of red meat,
though I'd eat it if Ihad to.
He shrugged and grabbed the bowl of meat, slapping piles of it on his
plate. He didn't stop until his plate had it's own summit.
I watched in awe as Satchel made use with a knife and fork, making a
clean tidy work with the food, as if savoring it. I marveled at his
table manners, and his polite conversation starters.
His attention divided, always complimenting something or someone. He
wiped his mouth with a napkin and froze. I'd just been caught staring.
He scowled, throwing his napkin back on the table."You know you gotta
cut that out." He said a little annoyed. I cleared my throat.
"Cut what out?"
He glared. "The staring, you know it's rude to stare."
I bit my lips, slightly embarrassed at my rudimentary manners."Sorry,
just...whatever."
I went back to my almost empty plate because I was sure he was going
tomake me say things I didn't want my grandmother overhearing how foul
mymouth could get, and decided to ignore him altogether.
I'd managed to find someveggies, and a spoon full of meat. So, I
picked at it trying to avoid his eyes.
I looked up when someone addressed me with a question. It was a little
girl about seven years old sitting on the other side of him. She had
reddish brown hair, and light green eyes. She smiled trying to see
past Satchel.
"Are you Satchel's girlfriend?" The way she said "girlfriend"
soundedlike she was singing it.
I almost choked on my veggies. I'm sure I hadn't blushed this much in
less than twenty four hours.
"Shut up Derryn!" Satchelmuttered, his eyes giving her a 'warning'
look. I shook my head.
"Ah...no, just a..." I was struggling for a word. She giggled.
"That's not what Satchel said. He-" By this time, Satchel had covered
her mouth and whispered in her ear. She had a whining look on her
face, and went back to eating.
"Who's she?" I asked finally.
"Derryn, my little sister," said Satchel, as he chewed on a mouthful.
I struggled to recall if Satchel had a sister. He didn't as far as I
remembered. As if reading my mind, he answered.
"You were gone by the time she found out she was pregnant," he added.
I nodded absent mindedly. I wanted to ask him how his mother ended up
in a wheel chair, but I couldn't find the words. He'd already finished
his meal and wiped a napkin over his mouth.
He muttered a quick 'excuse me' and left the table.
I looked around the tableand all the adults were deep in conversation.
So I decided to follow him.

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Passages about Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the Torah

Jewish sources say the Mahdi (pbuh) will appear from Istanbul. Judaic
sources dating back 3000 years. "Just as Moses, after revealing
himself to his brethren in Egypt and announcingthem to that
deliverancewas near" after making his presence felt and saying that
the reign of Islam was nigh, "was forced to go into hiding for a
time,…" The Mahdi (pbuh) will remain hidden. His time of seclusion is
being described. "so also will Messiah be forced to hide himself after
the first revelations." He will remain hidden. Our Prophet (pbuh) also
says,"The Mahdi (pbuh) will remain hidden." It is the same, do you
see? (Numbers Rabbah, Chap. II; Song of Songs Rabbah, (2:9); Pesikta
Rabbathi, Chap. 36)
Song of Songs 2/9. "Just as Moses was raised in the House of Pharaoh
in Egypt," It will happen in Istanbul. Where there are Darwinists and
materialists. It says it willbe in Istanbul. "Both hadto appear and
then hide." He will closely resemble the Prophet Moses (pbuh). In the
hadiths, our Prophet (pbuh) says he will resemble the Prophet Moses
(pbuh) in that respect. "He will remain concealed like the Prophet
Moses (pbuh)," he says in a hadith. Look,a book dating back 3000years
says the Prophet Moses (pbuh) will be concealed, insha'Allah. "To be
sure, the "light of the Messiah" which is to shine wondrously into the
world, is not always seen as breaking in withcomplete suddenness;"
Itsays he will not appear all at once, the Mahdi (pbuh). "it may
become visible by gradations and stages..." He will appear gradually,
it says. "It is told of Rabbi Hiyya and Rabbi Simeon that they walked
in the valleyof Arbela early in the morning and saw the dawn breaking
on the horizon. Thereupon Rabbi Hiyya said: So too is Israel's
redemption [through King Messiah]; at first it will be only very
slightly visible, thenit will shine forth more brightly and only
afterwards will it break forth in all of its glory." What does
Bediüzzaman say? "Even if there is a false dawn, the true dawn will
appear in 30-40 years' time." The Sun will appear, he says. What does
it say here? There will be a false dawn first. The first rays of the
Sun will be seen, then will com the true dawn, the Sun. The Torah says
what Bediüzzaman said 3000 years later. The same. "Just as Moses was
raisedin the House of Pharaoh in Egypt, so the Messiah will be in
Rome. Both had to appear and then hide.
In the same way that Moses (pbuh) was raised in the house of
Pharaoh,among the enemies of his own people, the Messiah (pbuh) will
grow up in the city of Rome, in Istanbul." In other words, somewhere
in which people live by Darwinism and materialism. He will strive
against Darwinismand materialist belief.
Istanbul is the place of saintly figures, but also one of antichrists.
The Torah notes this fact. Look, a blessed individual such as the
Mahdi (pbuh) is there, but there are also people like satan there, the
supporters of the antichrist. "Ben Levi meets the Prophet Elias and
asks, 'Where can I find Moshe, the Mahdi (pbuh)?' Elias replies, 'goto
the gate of Rome, of Istanbul'." Masha'Allah, Topkapı. Istanbul has a
number of gates. "You will find him there." You will find him in
Istanbul, he says. How many yearsago? Three thousand years.

Creation in the Quran

Religion has taught the truth of creation, which all people can grasp
through reason and personal observation, since the creation of
firsthuman being. All divine religions have taught that God created
the universe by commanding "Be!" and that its flawless functioning is
proof of His great power of creation. Many verses in the Qur'an also
reveal this truth. For example, God reveals how He miraculously
created theuniverse from nothing: " The Originator of the heavens and
Earth. When He decides on something, He just says to it, 'Be!' and it
is " (Surat al-Baqara, 117).
We are also told in the Qur'an:
He created the heavens and Earth with truth. Theday He says "Be!" it
is. Hisspeech is Truth. The Kingdom will be His on the Day the Trumpet
is blown, the Knower of the Unseen and the Visible. He is the
All-Wise,the All-Aware. (Surat al-An'am, 73)
We all know that presentday science demonstrates the invalidity of the
materialist-evolutionist claim and confirms the fact of creation.
Contraryto the claims of the theory of evolution, all the proofs of
creation that surround us show that chance had no role in the
universe's coming into existence. Every detail that emerges as we
observe the sky, Earth, and all living things is intended as evidence
of God's great power and wisdom.
God Created the Universefrom Nothing
God creates everything, in the form and at the time that He chooses,
without the use of any model and out of nothing. Since He is exalted
above any defectand is rich beyond any need. He has no need of any
cause, vehicle, or stages for His creation. Nobody should be deceived
by the fact thateverything is linked to given causes and naturallaws.
God is beyond all these causes and laws, since He created them.
God, the Lord of the Earth and the Heavens, can also do away with
these causes if He so wills. For instance, He can create people who do
not need oxygen to survive, and therefore do not need any lungs. Given
this, why would He "need" to perfect the lung by making it evolveover
time or through any other mechanism? It is therefore completely wrong
for people to think of God's greatness and might as being limited to
their own feelings and reason. We can have knowledge only to the
extent that He permits.
God can use particular stages in His creation if He so wills. For
example, He produces a plant from a seed or a human being from the
coming together of a sperm and an egg cell. Yet these stages have
nothing to do with evolution and have no room for chanceor
coincidence. Every stage in the emergence of a plant, or the turningof
a single cell into a human being "in the best of forms," happens
thanks to the perfect systems created by God'sinfinite might.
God willed and created the Earth and the Heavens, all that lies
between, and all living and non-living things. This is very easy for
Him, as indicated in the Qur'an:
He created the heavens and Earth with truth. Theday He says "Be!" it
is. Hisspeech is Truth... (Surat al-An'am, 73)
Our Word to a thing when We will it is just to say to it "Be!" and it
is. (Surat an-Nahl, 40)
He gives life and causes to die. When He decides on something, He just
says to it, "Be!" and it is. (Surah Ghafir, 68)
Creation is very easy for God. As revealed in theseverses, God says to
a thing "Be!," thereby willing it to be so. God reveals in many verses
that He created the universe and living things in perfect form. It is
a grave mistake for believers to adhere to forced explanations in the
face of this evident truth and to make such specious claims that God
employed evolution to create and used mutation, natural selection, and
transitional stages between apes and humans. It is quite wrong to put
forward such accounts, for whichthere is no evidence in either the
Qur'an or science, in the hope of being accepted by evolutionists.
God makes all the laws in the universe and givesthem the form He
chooses, brings about what He wills and when He wills it, permeates
everything in the Earth and the Heavens, and rules everything with
Hispower. Yet some people do not fully comprehendHis might and thus
judgeHim based upon their own limited powers.
God reveals their existence in the Qur'an:
They do not measure God with His true measure when they say:"God would
not send down anything to a mere human being."... (Surat al-An'am, 91)
They do not measure God with His true measure. God is All-Strong,
Almighty. (Surat al-Hajj, 74)
They do not measure God with His true measure. The whole Earth will be
a mere handful for Him on the Day of Resurrection the heavens folded
up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! He is exalted above the
partners they ascribe! (Surataz-Zumar, 67)
Contrary to what those who believe in evolutionary creation suggest,
God did not firstcreate apes and then cause them to evolve into humans
through flawed transitional forms with missing organs. Rather, as the
Qur'an reveals, God created man in the most perfect manner:
We created man in the finest mold. (Surat at-Tin, 4)
He created the heavens and Earth with truth andformed you, giving you
the best of forms. And Heis your final destination. (Surat
at-Taghabun, 3)
These verses are some ofthe proofs that God created man in perfect
form, in other words, the form that he has now.
Of course, man also has several incapacities and weaknesses, all of
whichremind him of his poverty before our Lord. Deformities and
disabilities are the results of a purposeful creation, for they serve
as reminders for those who see them and as a test for those who carry
them. They are not imperfections caused by evolutionary process as
falsely claimed by the evolutionists.
In the Qur'an, God describes how easy creation is for Him:
Does He Who created theheavens and Earth not have the power to create
the same again? Yes indeed! He is the Creator, the All-Knowing.(Surah
Ya Sin, 81)
Your creation and resurrection is only like that of a single self. God
is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.(Surah Luqman, 28)

God's different forms of creation

Another important pointignored by the believers who are deceived by
theerror of evolutionary creation is God's different forms of
creation. God has produced living things that differ significantly
from humans and animals, such as angels and the jinn. Now let's
discuss this.
Two-, Three-, and Four-Winged Angels
Angels are mentioned both in Qur'an and Bible.Angels are beings that
always obey God's commands. God describes their creation in the Qur'an
as follows:
Praise be to God, the Bringer into Being of theheavens and Earth, He
Who made the angels messengers, with wings – two, three, or four. He
adds to creation in any way He wills. God has power over all things.
(Surah Fatir, 1)
As we can see from this description, the forms ofangels differ
considerably from those of human beings. God draws attention to the
different forms of creation in this verse.
God also informs how angels are at His command and obey Him:
Everything in the heavens and every creature on Earth prostrates to
God, as do the angels. They are not puffed up with pride. They fear
their Lord above them and do everything that they are ordered to do.
(Surat an-Nahl, 49-50)
The Messiah would never disdain to be a servant of God, nor would the
angels near toHim. If any do disdain to worship Him and grow arrogant,
He will in any case gather them all to Him. (Surat an-Nisa', 172)
You who believe! Safeguard yourselves and your families from a Fire
whose fuel is peopleand stones. Harsh, terrible angels are in charge
of it, who do not disobey God in respect of any order He gives them
and carry out whatthey are ordered to do. (Surat at-Tahrim, 6)
In addition, angels were created before man. In fact, God told the
angels when He was going to create the Prophet Adam(pbuh), the first
human being, and commanded them to prostrate beforehim.
At the same time, God gave the Prophet Adam (pbuh) knowledge that was
different from that of the angels, and taught him the names ofthings.
Angels do not possess that knowledge. As it is revealed in the Qur'an:
When your Lord said to the angels, "I am puttinga vicegerent on
Earth," they said, "Why put on itone who will cause corruption on it
and shed blood when we glorify You with praise and proclaim Your
purity?" He said, "I knowwhat you do not know." He taught Adam the
names of all things. ThenHe arrayed them before the angels and said,
"Tellme the names of these, ifyou are telling the truth." They said,
"Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us.
You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise." He said,"Adam, tell them their
names." When he had told them their names, He said, "Did I not tell
you that I know the Unseen of the heavens and Earth, and I know what
you make known and what you hide?" Wesaid to the angels,"Prostrate to
Adam!" andthey prostrated, with theexception of Iblis (satan). He
refused and was arrogant and was one of the disbelievers. (Surat
al-Baqara, 30-34)

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People claiming that they can make lots of money by using the jinn - Belief in the Jinn, witchcraft and the evil eye -

There is a man who claims that he deals withthe jinn, and that he is
prepared to pay huge profits to anyone who deals with him. For
example, if I give him one million, he will use mercury to deal with
thejinn, and then he will give me a profit of approximately five
million riyaals. What is your opinion of this man's claims? Is it true
that the jinn can bring money to a person who – as he claims – uses
them?
Praise be to Allaah.
In my opinion this is not permissible, because dealing with them
usually only comes after getting close to them by means of things that
they like. This is the action of the practitioner of witchcraft who
gets close to the Shaytaan by doing things that he likes, which
cancels out all his good deeds. Whenhe mentioned that he uses mercury,
this is deceit and taking people's money under false pretences, and it
may come under the heading of gambling and stealing. The shayaateen
work by illusions and magic, and it is known that they do not possess
any kind of money or currency or goods. If they give anything of that
sort to aperson, either it is an illusion that is not real, or else it
is something that has been stolen from other people. It is not right
to deal with them at all.
In fact, many of these fraudsters who claim that they can make money
are cheats and liars who deceive the people and destroy theirwealth
and efforts; it is no more than theft. The newspapers are full of
stories like this. We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.

Belief in the Jinn, witchcraft and the evil eye - Using amulets, and how to deal with nightmares

A friend of mine when he was younger could not sleep as he used to get
nightmares...he was taken by his father to a peer (a holy man) who
made him a necklace with a little box thingy ? which appareblty
contained holy scriptures? is this allowed in islam? & his isnow 24 so
what woudl you recommend for him to do to escape thes nighmares?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
It is not permissible to go to fortunetellers and soothsayers and
other such charlatans. Whoever goes to them and asks them about
anything, his prayer will not be accepted for fortydays, and whoever
believes their claim to have knowledge of the unseen or to be able to
relieve hardship and bring benefits is a kaafir,as it says in the
saheeh ahaadeeth narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
It is not permissible to use turquoise (as a charm) and amulets. A
stern warning is used in the saheeh Sunnah to the one who does that.
It was narrated from 'Uqbah ibn 'Aamir al-Juhani that a group ofpeople
came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), andhe accepted the allegiance of nine and refrained from
accepting the allegiance of one. They said: "O Messenger of Allaah,
youaccepted the allegiance of nine and not this one." He said: "He is
wearing an amulet." He put his hand in and tookit off, then he
accepted his allegiance, and said: "Whoever uses an amulet has
committed shirk (has associated partners with Allaah)." Narrated by
Ahmad, 16969. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by Shaykh al-Albaani
in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 492.
In the answer to question no. 10542 you will find the details of the
ahaadeeth which have been narrated concerning amulets, andthe rulings
of the scholars on amulets containing verses from the Qur'aan and
amulets consisting of other things.
In that answer, Shaykh Sulaymaan ibn 'Abd al-Wahhaab is quoted assaying:
"This scholarly difference was concerning hanging up amulets which
contain Qur'aan or names and attributes of Allaah, so what do you
think aboutthe things which were innovated later on, doing spells
(ruqyah) using the names of shayaateen (devils) and others and hanging
them up, and even beingattached to those shayaateen, seeking refuge in
them, slaughtering animals for them, asking them to ward off harm and
bringbenefits – actions which are pure shirk? This is prevalent among
many of the people, except forthose whom Allaah keeps safe and sound."
And Shaykh Haafiz Hukmi said:
If they (amulets) contain anything other than the two revelations and
instead contain mumbo-jumbo from the Jews or worshippers of the
temple, stars or angels, or those who use the services of the jinn,
etc., or they are made of pearls, strings, iron rings, etc., then this
is shirk, i.e., hanging them up or wearing them is shirk, beyond a
doubt.
Secondly:
In the answer to question no. 9577 you will find some means of
protection against nightmares and disturbing dreams.
And Allaah knows best.

Belief in the Jinn, witchcraft and the evil eye - Ruling on sick person visualizing the one who put the evil eye on him

How correct is it for a sick person to visualize the one who put the
eyeon him as a result of Qur'aan being recited over him, or the raaqi
asking his qareen (jinn companion) to show the sick person who put the
eye on him?
Praise be to Allaah.
For the sick person to visualize the one who put the eye on him as a
result of Qur'aan being recited over him, or the qaari' (reciter)
telling him to do so, is a devilishaction and is not permitted,
because it is seeking the help of the shayaateen (devils). The jinn is
the one who makes him visualize the person who afflicted him with the
evil eye, and this is haraam, because it is seeking the help of the
shayaateen, and because it creates enmity among people and causes fear
and terror to be spread among people. It comes under the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And verily, there were men among mankind who took shelter with the
males among the jinn, but they (jinn) increased them (mankind) in sin
and transgression"
[al-Jinn 72:6]
And Allaah knows best.
[Translator's note: Raaqimeans one who does ruqyah i.e., reciting
Qur'aan and du'aa's overthe sick for the purpose of seeking healing]

Belief in the Jinn, witchcraft and the evil eye - Ruling on learning magic and removing spells from a person affected by magic

Is it permissible to learn how to remove spells from a person affected by magic?
Praise be to Allaah.
If that is by doing something permissible, such as reciting du'aa's
that are prescribed or permitted in Islam, or by using a ruqyah that
is prescribed in Islam, there is nothing wrong with that. But if a
personlearns magic in order to counteract magic, or for any other
purposes, thenthat is not permitted andin fact is something which
nullifies a person's Islam, because it is not possible to learn it
without falling into shirk. That happens by worshipping the shayaateen
(devils), by offering sacrifices to them and making vows to them, and
other kindsof worship, and offeringsacrifices to them and seeking to
draw close to them with things that they love, until they serve a
person and do what he wants. This is the mutual benefit which Allaah
refers to in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"And on the Day when He will gather them (all) together (and say): 'O
you assembly of jinn! Many did you mislead of men,' and their Awliyaa'
(friends and helpers) amongst men will say: 'Our Lord! We benefited
one from the other, but now we have reached our appointed term which
You did appoint for us.' He will say: 'The Fire be your dwelling
place, you will dwell therein forever, except as Allaah may will.
Certainly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing.'"
[al-An'aam 6:128]

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Islam Question and Answer - Ruling on learning magic and removing spells from a person affected by magic

Islam Question and Answer - Ruling on learning magic and removing spells from a person affected by magic

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Al-Layth Ibn Sa'd: the Imaam of the Egyptians

He was one of the great Imaams of jurisprudence.He was a pious,
ascetic, truthful scholar who abstained from unlawful acts. He was
also sincere, humble, forbearing, and kind-hearted when dealing with
people.
He had strong faith in Allaah and was fearful of Him all the time. He
used to frequently recite the Quran. As well as this, he was very
generous and used to spend most of hismoney in charity especially to
support scholars, students of knowledge, and poor Muslims.
He is the Imaam, the Haafith (a title given to whoever memorizes
100,000 Hadeeths), the shaykh of Islam, the juristand scholar of
Egypt. His full name is Al-Layth Ibn Sa'd Ibn `Abdur-RahmaanAl-Fahmi.
His birth:
He was born in Sh`abaan 94 A.H., 713 A.C. in Qarqashandah, a village
twenty-two kilometers from Fustaat, Egypt. His origin goes back to
Esfehan, Persia (nowadays Iran).
Seeking knowledge
In his early years, he started to learn religious knowledge. He was a
student of some of the greatest scholars of his time, such as
`Ubaydullaah Ibn Ja'far, Ja'far Ibn Rabee`ah, Al-Haarith Ibn Yazeed,
and Yazeed Ibn Abi Habeeb. Since he was young, his teachers testified
to his excellence,genius, and sharpness of mind.
Al-Layth had high aspirations to learn. For him, learning in Egypt
alone was not sufficient. In 113, A.H., he decided totravel to Hijaaz
to perform Hajj and seek knowledge. He was twenty years old at that
time.
In Makkah and Al-Madeenah, which were considered the most outstanding
sourcesof religious knowledge in the Muslim World, Al-Layth started to
learn from a unique group of scholars of jurisprudence and Hadeeth.
Ibn Shihaab Az-Zuhari was known as the most knowledgeable haafith and
one of the first scholars to write down the Hadeeths of the Prophet ,
and he was one of Al-Layth's teachers. Al-Layth also received
religious knowledge from `Ataa' Ibn Abi Rabaah who was the Mufti and
Jurist of Makkah, Ibn Abi Maleekah, Naafi` Ad-Daylami who was the
freed slave of the reveredcompanion `Abdullaah Ibn `Umar Ibn
Al-Khattaab, Sa`eed Ibn Sa`eed Al-Maqbari, Abu Az-Zubayr Al-Makki, and
many others.
He remained fond of knowledge and had an unmitigated desire to
actively and studiously attend classes even whenhe reached the rank of
the great scholars. When he went to Baghdad in 161 A.H. in order to
teach,though he was over sixty five years old, he asked about the
house of the great scholar Hushaym Ibn Basheer who was themaster of
Hadeeth scholars in Iraq. Al-Layth asked Hushaym to send him some of
his books to study them. When Hushaym did, Imaam Al-Layth started to
read through their valuable and priceless information.
The Imaam's sessions
After spending long yearsacquiring knowledge, Imaam Al-Layth was
prominent among his contemporary scholars asa genius jurist and a
mosttrustworthy narrator of Prophetic Hadeeths. He started a class in
his mosque to teach people. A short period later, he became very
famous and students from everywhere came to learn from him. Thus he
ended up having four sessions every day:
- A session for discussing the practices of the Sultan of
Egypt. Imaam Al-Layth Ibn Sa'd attained a high rank and prestigious
standing in the sight of the `Abbasid Caliphs to the extent that if
the Sultan or the Judge of Egypt committed any wrong, Al-Layth would
write to the Emir of the Believers who, in turn, would depose them.
- A class for teaching the noble Prophetic Hadeeths
- A class for answering people's religious questions
- A session for fulfilling the requests of the poor and the
needy. The Imaam, may Allaah have mercy on him, never turned down any
request for help.
The Imaam's rank and hisknowledge
He was one of the most prominent jurists of his time. He was
well-known among people everywhere. The caliphs and Emirs came to know
him and scholars praised him and testified to his profound knowledge,
abilities of memorization,and mastery of religious affairs.
Al-'Alaa' Ibn Katheer said:
"Al-Layth Ibn Sa'd is our master, Imaam and scholar."
Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbalsaid:
"Al-Layth had profound knowledge and his narration of Hadeeths is authentic."
Imaam Ash-Shaafi`i said:
"Al-Layth is more knowledgeable than Maalik."
He means Maalik Ibn Anas, the Imaam of the people of Al-Madeenah.
Al-Layth as a ruler
Imaam Al-Layth occupied several posts. He was the head of the
Administration of Financeduring the reign of Saalih Ibn `Ali Ibn
`Abdullaah Ibn `Abbaas ofEgypt. He was also its head during the
caliphate of the `Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mahdi. Previously, the `Abbasid
Caliph Abu Ja'far Al-Mansoor asked him to be the ruler of Egypt, but
Imaam Al-Layth refused.
The character of the Imaam
Imaam Al-Layth Ibn Sa'd was an authentic narrator of Prophetic
Hadeeths and a talented jurist. He was known for his piety,
asceticism, and generosity. The Imaam was one of the wealthy scholars.
His son Shu'ayb said that his annual income was between twenty and
twenty five thousand Deenaars (golden coins). He used to spend all
this money inthe cause of Allaah. He was never liable to pay Zakaah,
simply because he would spend all his money before the year had
passed.
Imaam Al-Layth used to give out charity to three hundred needy people
every day. He never ate his food exceptin the company of people.
One day, a woman came to him and said: "O Abu Al-Haarith! My son is
sick and he craves to eat honey."
Al-Layth called his servantand said:
"Give her one hundred and twenty pounds of honey."
Imaam Al-Layth was very generous with scholars, to the extent that he
used to send one hundred Deenaars to Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas every year.
Once Imaam Maalik wrote to him that he was in debt. Imaam Al-Layth
sent him five hundred Deenaars. WhenImaam Al-Layth went to perform
Hajj and he passed by Madeenah, Imaam Maalik sent him a plate of
dates. Imaam Al-Layth Ibn Sa'd put one thousand Deenaars on the plate
and sent it backto Imaam Maalik.
When the books of Ibn Luhay`ah, a great jurist and narrator of
PropheticHadeeths, were burnt, Imaam Al-Layth immediately sent one
thousand Deenaars to him.
His death
Imaam Al-Layth Ibn Sa'd died on Friday, the fifteenth of Sh`abaan
175A.H., 791 A.C. He was buried in Cairo and his funeral was attended
by a large number of people. The people were very sad and consoled one
another.

Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah (691-751 A.H.)

"Through patience and poverty one attains leadership in religion.The
seeker of Truth needs the will that will inspire him and push him
upward and (religious) knowledge that will lead him andguide him."
These words of our hero sum up the personality of this great
man,Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, who is better known as Ibn Qayyim
Al-Jawziyyah or Ibn Al-Qayyim . He was born in 691 AH.
He began his long journey onthe road of learning early in his life,
moving from one teacher to another to quench his thirst for knowledge.
At the age of 21 (in 712 AH), Ibn Al-Qayyim met his teacher Ibn
Taymiyyah another great hero of Islam and arevivalist of the faith.
Their companionship lasted to the end of the teacher's life. Ibn
Al-Qayyim kept close company to Ibn Taymiyyah with whom he suffered
the pains of imprisonment and flogging manytimes. Apparently, it was
from Ibn Taymiyyah that Ibn Al-Qayyim learnt many special qualities
such as frankness and courage in defiance of the falsehood of others,
including those in authority. For both, the truth hadto be said
regardless of the consequences. However, unlike his teacher, Ibn
Al-Qayyim was less fierce in his attacks -- in words or actions.
The 8th century AH witnessed a state of ignorance and feuds in the
Muslim community. Muslims were fighting each other, and each trying to
impose his authority in everything, including religious opinion and
scholarship,which suffered from stagnation. The majority of religious
scholars were acting more like 'recorders' of knowledge rather than
true scholars and teachers. To them, their teachers were the main, if
not the sole, source of knowledge, and the schools of thought they
blindly imitated were the only acceptable ways.
Like his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Al-Qayyim spent his life
attempting to correct the wrong course the community was following. He
fought the exaggerated reverence for the tombs of the pious despite
the strong resistance he met from the masses. He tried to show the
errors committed by the misled sects and their blind followers. He
considered that the disputes and fights among the Muslims of his time
were caused by their sectarian attitude and chauvinistic practices,
each one considering himself and his sect or school of thought the
only right one, and claiming that everyone else was on the wrong path.
Ibn Al-Qayyim spent most of his time and great efforts trying to unite
the people, pointing out to them the dangers of blind imitation of the
predecessors. He explained that a Muslim should be open-minded; that
is, he should accept what is right and good regardless of the teacher,
as long as what he or she acceptsis consistent with the Quran and the
Sunnah, the consensus of the scholars, and the general spirit ofthe
faith. To him imitation was wrong in the following cases:
If it entails violation of Divine teachings,
If it represents an act of blind following of people we are not sure
of their knowledge,
If it is in defiance of truth after finding it.
It was blind imitation that caused stagnation in scholarship and
differences among people. Some so-called scholars, he pointed out,
were not really scholars of Islam but rather simple propagators of
others' opinions. To those people the words and views of their
teachers or leaders were the onlycorrect way of understanding
thefaith, to the extent that they subjected even the interpretationof
the Quran and the prophetic teachings to the views of their teachers,
which they wrongly took for the ultimate criteria.
Ibn Al-Qayyim considered that the sources of religious knowledge were
to be taken in the following order:
1) ) The Quran, (2) The Sunnah (the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, )
and (3) The teachings of the companions of the Prophet . To these, one
could add the consensus of Muslim scholars and analogy. Bigotry and
prejudice were to him the enemies of learning. To propagate his views,
he wrote scores of books besides teaching directly to the people.
In his private life, Ibn Al-Qayyim was a very pious and devout
worshipper who spent most of his time in prayers and recitation of the
Quran. He was, in fact, an ascetic who rejected the unorthodox
practices of some Sufis (mystics) who claimed that religious teachings
had external and internal sides, implying that religious obligations
(such as prayers, fasting during Ramadhaan etc.) did not apply to
them.
As pointed out earlier, our hero was a man of courage and frankness to
whom truth was theultimate goal. His open-minded and flexible attitude
is reflected in his views on the correct understanding of religious
laws ( Sharee'ah ), and that these should be interpreted in the
lightof the circumstances of time and place, because Islam is intended
and practicable for mankind at alltimes. He wrote many books to
explain this invaluable principle. Many of his views find their
application in the legal system of modern nations, more than six
centuries after his death in 751 AH.

Ahmad Ibn Hanbal

Ahmad bin Hanbal was born in Baghdad, in the year 780 CE. Of pure Arab
lineage, Ibn Hanbal belonged to the tribe of Shaybaan through both
parents. He was still an infant when his father died at the age of 30.
When Ibn Hanbal was fifteen, he began to study the Traditions (
Ahadeeth ) of the Prophet Muhammad, , . Seeking to learn from the
great scholars of his day, he traveled tothe cities of Koofah and
Basrah inIraq; Makkah, Hijaaz and Al-Madeenah in Arabia; and to
thelands of Yemen and Syria. He made five pilgrimages to Makkah,three
of which were on foot. Ibn Hanbal led a life of asceticism and
humility, acquiring many students. He had eight children, of whom two
were well known and closely associated with his intellectual work:
Saalih (died 880 CE) and 'Abdullaah (died 903 CE).
Ahmad bin Hanbal became so competent in the sciences of religion that
al-Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee said: "I left Baghdad and did not leave there
any man more knowledgeable than Ibn Hanbal."
His Ordeal:
The most talked about issue of Ibn Hanbal's life is the suffering to
which he was subjected during the trial, known as " al-mihnah ",
ordered by the Caliph Al-Ma'moon. The tribulation began in 833 CE,
whenthe Caliph made obligatory upon all Muslims the belief that the
Quran was created --a doctrine ofthe Mu'tazilites, a rationalist
Islamic school that claimed that reason was equal to revelation asa
means to religious truth. The Caliph had already made public
profession of this belief in 827 CE. Before this time, the Glorious
Quran had been regarded as the uncreated, eternal word of Allaah. The
inquisition was conducted in Baghdad, central location of the
'Abbaasid Caliphate, as well as in the provinces. It lasted from 833
to 848 CE, a period involving the reign of four Caliphs, ending during
the Caliphate of al-Mutawakkil, who returned people to the correct
view.
At the risk of his life, Ibn Hanbal refused to subscribe to the
Mu'tazilee doctrine. He was put inchains, beaten and imprisoned for
more than two years. After his release, he did not resume hislectures
until the inquisition was publicly proclaimed at an end. In order to
survive the ordeal, some scholars had recanted, and later claimed the
privilege of dissimulation, Taqiyyah (hiding their feelings because of
the extreme danger involved), as a justification for their behavior.
Other scholars, following the example of Ibn Hanbal refused to
renounce their beliefs.
In 833 CE, Ibn Hanbal and another scholar, Muhammad bin Nooh who had
also refused to recant, were cited to appear for trial before Caliph
al-Ma'moon, who was in Tarsus (now in modern Turkey) at the time. They
were sent off in chainsfrom Baghdad; but shortly after beginning their
journey, the Caliph died and on their trip back to the capital, Ibn
Nooh died as well.
Ibn Hanbal was ordered to appear before the new Caliph, al-Mu'tasim.
He was on trial for three days, and on the third day after the learned
men disputed with him, there followed a private conference with the
Caliph who asked Ibn Hanbal to yield at least a little so that hemight
grant him his freedom. IbnHanbal made the same reply he had been
making from the beginning of the inquisition; he would yield when
given some proof for modifying his faith derived from the Quran and
the Traditions of Prophet Muhammad, . Losing patience, the Caliph
ordered that he be taken away and lashed. Throughout the lashing, the
Caliph persisted in his attempts to obtain a recantation, but to
noavail. Ibn Hanbal's unflinching spirit affected the Caliph, but his
advisers warned that if he discontinued the punishment, he would be
accused of having opposed the doctrine of his predecessor al-Ma'moon,
and it would be counted as a victory forIbn Hanbal resulting in dire
consequences on the reign of thecaliphs. Nevertheless, the
Caliph'streatment of Ibn Hanbal had to be suspended, because of the
mounting anger of the populace gathering outside the palace and
preparing to attack it. Ibn Hanbal is reported to have been beaten by
150 lashers, each in turn striking him twice and moving aside. The
scars from his wounds remained with him to the end of his life.
The inquisition continued under the next Caliph, al-Waathiq, but Ibn
Hanbal was left alone, in spiteof attempts on the part of his
opponents to persuade the Caliphto persecute him. The new Caliph,like
his predecessor, was most likely influenced by the threat of a popular
uprising should he lay violent hands on a man popularlyheld to be a
great scholar and themost knowledgeable person of his time. The
momentum of the inquisition carried it two years into the reign of
Caliph al-Mutawakkil, who finally put an end to it in 848 CE.
Ibn Hanbal earned the greatest reputation of all the persons involved
in the inquisition and the everlasting gratitude of the Muslim people.
He is credited with having held his ground in the face of all
odds,saving Muslims from becoming unbelievers. Ibn Hanbal's record in
history is that of a great scholar who stood firm in the face of the
Mu'tazilites' heresies, and their campaign to alter Allaah's religion.
His Death:
Ibn Hanbal died in 855 CE, in Baghdad. He was then 77 years old.
People attending his funeral ceremony flooded the streets of Baghdad
and the procession was estimated at more than 800,000 mourners.

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Dought & clear - He could not do wudoo’ or tayammum in the hospital so he prayed as he was

I went to hospital and stayed there for three days. I was not able to
do wudoo' for prayer. I took a stone with me and did tayammum, but for
Fajr prayer I could not do tayammum; I am paralyzed and I cannot move
at all except with help. I did not want to miss Fajr prayer, so I
imagined myself doing tayammum and prayed Fajr. Also, I was not facing
the direction of the qiblah. Is what I did permissible or not? Do I
have to make up the prayer?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If a person who is sick is not able to do wudoo' and has no one who
can help him to do it, then he may do tayammum, even by wiping his
hands on the wall or the bed, if there is dust on it,or he can keep
with him some dust in a vessel or bag to use for tayammum. If he is
not able to do tayammum, then he may pray as he is.
The same applies with regard to facing the direction of the qiblah.
Whoever is able to do that must do it, but if he is not able to do it,
he may pray as he is, because Allah, may He beexalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning): "Allah burdens not a person beyond
his scope" [al-Baqarah 2:286].
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: If a
sick person does not have any dust, can he dotayammum using the wall
or bed, or not?
He replied: If the wall is made of "clean earth", whether it is rocks
or bricks, then it is permissible to use it for tayammum. But if the
wall is covered with wood or is painted, if there is dust on it, then
it may be used for tayammum and there is nothing wrong with it, and he
will be like one who does tayammum using earth. But if there is no
dust on it, then it does not come under theheading of "earth" and
cannot be used for tayammum.
With regard to the bed, we say: if there is dust on it, it may be used
for tayammum, otherwise it may not because it does not come under the
heading of "earth".
End quote from Fataawa at-Tahaarah, p. 240
The Standing Committee for Issuing Fatwas were asked: I am bedridden
and cannot move; how can I purify myself in order to offer the
prayers, and how can I pray?
They replied:
Firstly: with regard to purification, the Muslim is required to purify
himself with water. If he is unable to use it because of sickness or
some other reason, then he should do tayammumusing clean earth. If he
isnot able to do that, then the requirement of purification is waived
and he may pray as he is.Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation
of the meaning): "So keep your duty to Allaah and fear Him as much as
you can"[al-Taghaabun 64:16] and "and [Allaah] has not laid upon you
in religion any hardship"[al-Hajj 22:78]. With regard to what comes
out, of urine and stools, it is sufficient to clean oneself with a
stone or clean tissue, wiping the place three times or more until it
is clean.
Secondly:
With regard to prayer, the one who is sick is required to pray
standing; if he cannot dothat then he may pray sitting; and if he
cannot do that then he may pray on his side, becauseof the report
narrated from 'Imraan ibn Husayn, according to which the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Pray standing, and
if you cannot then sitting, and if you cannot then on your side." And
Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning): "So keep yourduty to Allaah and fear Him as much as you
can"[al-Taghaabun 64:16].
End quote from al-Fataawa al-Muta'alliqah bi't-Tibb wa Ahkaam al-Marda, p. 78
If you prayed Fajr without wudoo' or tayammum, and withoutfacing
towards the qiblah, because you were not able to do that,or there was
no one to help you do wudoo' or tayammum, or turn you towards the
qiblah, thenyour prayer is valid and you do not have to repeat it.
Similarly you do not have to imagine yourself doing tayammum, because
thisis not prescribed in Islamand is of no benefit.
But if you were able to do tayammum or wudoo', and face towards the
qiblah, withthe help of someone else, but you failed to ask for help,
then you have fallen short in attaining purification which is a
condition of prayer being valid, and you have to repeat the prayer
that you offered without purification or facing towards the qiblah.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - His boss tells him to accept work from contractors that is contrary to the required specifications

I work in a government department as an engineer and I have to accept
the work of the contractors. Sometimes there is some shortfall inthe
specifications, so I tell my boss at work, who in turn tells his
bosswho is in charge of the department, and he gives instructions to
overlook it and accept the work. What should I do from the shar'i
point of view if I obey my bossin this matter?.
Praise be to Allaah.
If an employee is entrusted with some work, then what he must do is
fulfil that trustproperly, because Allah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"Verily, Allaah commandsthat you should render back the trusts to
those, to whom they are due"
[al-Nisa' 4:58].
And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"Allah loves, when one of you does something, for him to do it well."
Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah,
1113.
Based on that, if this overlooking of specifications is something
minor that is usually overlooked in contractors' work, there is
nothing wrong with overlooking it.
But if it is very different from what is required, to the extent that
it may be regarded as deception or corruption,it is not permissible to
accept the work from the contractor unless one writes a report of the
shortcomings in which the contractor didnot adhere to the
specifications.
Even if in this case your boss instructs you to overlook it and accept
the work, it is not permissible for you to obey him, because he is
instructing you to deceive and lie, and the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "There is no obedience to any
created being if it involves disobedience toAllah, may He be glorified
and exalted." Narrated by Ahmad (1098); classed as saheehby al-Albaani
in Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth al-Saheehah, 197
If you can refer the matter to those responsible so that they may take
appropriate measures, that will be a good thing. But if you are afraid
that one of them may harm you, then it is sufficient to refuse to
accept the work unless the faulty specifications are recorded. Then
you will have done what is required of you in your work, so that you
will not be accused of cheating or making a deal with the contractor
later on.
It should be noted that ifa person seeks to please Allah by angering
people, Allah will be pleased with him and will make the people
pleased with him.
So strive to please Allah, may He be exalted, and do not fear the
blame of anyone for the sake of Allah.
"And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a
way for him to get out (from every difficulty).
3. And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And
whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily,
Allaah will accomplish his purpose"
[al-Talaaq 65:2-3]
We ask Allah to help and guide you.
And Allah knows best.

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Islamic Stories - the special Goat

Once there lived a very pious elderly lady namedFiddah. She was kind
and generous and always remembered Allah (SWT). One day Shaikh
Abu-ar-Rabie (RA)went to her village. He had been told that she had a
goat that gave both milk and honey. He bought a new bowl and went to
see the goat. When he got there, he was shown the goat andhe milked
it. Sure enough, sweet white milk came gushing out. Shaikh
Abu-ar-Rabie (RA)drank to his fill and thenhe asked they got the goat.
She narrated to him an amazing story.
She said, "There was a time when we were verypoor and had nothing but
a she-goat. When Eid-ul-Adha came around, my husband suggested that we
sacrifice the goat and have a feast. The she-goat was our only means
of sustenance so Ireminded my husband that Allah has not made it
necessary for us to sacrifice an animal under such circumstances.
Therefore, we spared the goat till the next Eid-ul-Adha. As chance
would have it, we had a guest on that very same day. Since Allah has
commanded us to entertain our guests, I asked my husband if he would
now slaughter the animal and I would cook its meat for our guests. My
husband tookthe goat outside behind a wall, lest the children should
cry on seeing it killed. A little while later another goat appeared
bearing an exact resemblance to our own.By Allah! This was a blessing.
A miraculous she-goat that yields bothmilk and honey was sentdown to
us as recompense for feeding our guests."
Lady Fiddah often reminded her children that the goat feeds on what
grows in their hearts. "So long as your hearts continue to be noble
and un-tarnished by evil, its milk will remain good and sweet, but as
soon as your hearts become false, its milk will also turn bad. Guard
your hearts against evil and Allah SWT will make everything beneficial
foryou."

Islamic Stories - Upon Her Return

There was a young man in Damascus who planned to leave his country to
study. His mother was very caring and supportive of him. She raised
him alone through toil and hardship. And, at last, she felt that after
all the hard work--she was proud of her son as any mother would.
"Ah! The joys of motherhood!" she said to herself. The pleasure of
staring at this little man, who once held onto her dress begging to be
carried and to be tightly clenched by her arms. She recalled the days
when he was small and helpless, and yet there he was--embarking on a
journey to be the man he was raised to be.
The young man's flight was scheduled to leave early in the morning,
thus his mother prepared food and all that was needed for this long
trip. Her acts of kindness and loyalty displayed his mother endearing
love for him. His excitement as a young man, and her hopefulness as a
proud mother, is something wecan all relate to.
That morning, she heardover the news that therewas a storm headed
their way. Out of fear that her son might die on this journey, she
decided not to wake him. Instead she left early for the market hoping
to surprise him with his favorite food later that morning.
Upon her return, she called out his name in anticipation and
excitement--for she had a few more days with him before he would
continue on with this journey. But to no avail, there was no response
from him. Allah had taken his soul away and he died in his sleep that
morning. Story obtainedfrom Al Qaseem Newspaper.
Allah Ta'ala says: Say (to them): 'Verily, the death from which you
flee will surely meet you, then you will be sent back to (Allah), the
All-Knower ofthe unseen and the seen,and He will tell you whatyou used
to do.' Al Quran[62:8]

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