Spiritual Stories for Children: Do not Do Evil toanyone What Goes Around Comes Around

There was a man in Isfahan who used to beathis wife but unfortunately
she succumbed to his beatingthough he had not intended to kill her.
But when she was dead he became fearful of her relatives. In a state
of anxiety he came out of his house and met an acquaintance to whom he
posed his problem.
The friend told him to invite a young man to hishouse and behead him
and put the severed headnext to the wife's corpse. Then he would tell
the wife's relatives that he had found them togetherin bed and was
unable tocontrol his ire, and slew them both. The man likedthe idea
and sat at the doorway in anticipation of a young man. After sometime
a handsome youth passed by his house. He invited him inside and
beheaded him.
Then he summoned the wife's relatives and told them the fictitious
story. They were satisfied but the person who had devised this plan
had a teenage son who did not reach home that day. Theman was worried
and when the son failed to turn up he came to the house of the one
whom he had offered evil advice and asked him if he carried out the
plan suggested by him. Yes, said he and took him near the dead bodies.
He was shocked when he saw that the youth he had killed was his own
son.
His evil advice caused thedeath of his own son.
The moral of this story is that one who digs a pit for others falls
into it himself. History is replete with such incidents.
According to Tafserul Mizan the following saying was common among the
Arabs: One who digs a hole for his brother; Allah throws himheadlong
into it. A similarproverb is present in Persian also: Do not do evil
to anyone the same evil will turn towards you.
Reference: Greater Sins Vol. 3 (English) by Ayatullah Dastagaub Shirazi

Spiritual Stories for Children: Don't treat the Evildoer with Evil Tit for Tat, Backfire

There was a companion of the king who visited him all the time. He
would sit beside him and say, 'Treat the good-doer with good and don't
treat the evil-doer with evil for his evil will be sufficient for
him.'
Another man envied his position with the king and his good speech.
Theenvious man came to the king and related: 'Your companion that sits
beside you claimed that you had a bad smell.'
The king inquired, 'But how can I verify this?'
The man replied, 'Call himto you. He will put his hand on his nose as
he gets closer to you.'
The king said, 'Leave, andI will see!' This man left the king and
invited the king's companion to a meal that he had placed much garlic
in.
The companion of the king ate and then went to the king as usual and
said, 'Treat the good-doer with good and don't treat the evil-doer
with evil, for hisevil will be sufficient for him.'
The king said to him, 'Getcloser to me!' The man moved closer, and
placedhis hand over his mouth so that the king would not smell the
odor of garlic.
The king thought to himself, 'That man was truthful.' The king then
hand-wrote a letter and gave it to the companion.The king never wrote
anything unless he wanted to give someone a prize or gift.
But this letter was written to one of his administrators and contained
the following message: 'When the bearer of this letter comes to you,
slaughter him and skin him. Then fill his skin with straw and send him
back to me.'
Later, the envious man met the companion of the king on his way and
asked, 'What is this letter?'
The companion of the king replied, 'The king has given me a gift.'
The envious man asked, 'Would you give it to me.'
The companion of the king said, 'It's yours.'
The envious man took it and went to the administrator. The
administrator said to him, 'This letter is a command from the king to
slaughter you and skinyou.'
The envious man announced, 'This letter is not mine. I beseech you in
the Name of Allah to check with the king before you do anything.'
The administrator informed him that there would be no changes to what
the king had written. Then he slaughtered him, skinnedhim, filled his
skin with straw, and sent him back to the king.
In the meantime, the companion of the king returned to the king as
usual. The king was shocked and demanded, 'What happened to the
letter?'
Companion of the king said, 'So-and-so met me and asked me for it, so
I gave it to him.'
The king then challenged, 'Have you said that I have a bad smell?'
The companion of the king rebutted, 'No!'
So the king asked, 'Then why did you place your hand over your mouth?'
The companion of the king answered, 'So-and-so provided me with food
that had much garlic in it and I hated that you might smell it.'
The king declared, 'You are truthful. The evil of the evildoer is
sufficient for him.'
Noble Qur'an says:"Whoever works righteousness benefits his own soul;
whoever works evil, it is against his own soul: nor is your Lord ever
unjust (in the least) to His Servants." (41:46)

Spiritual Stories for Children: Fox and Stork What Goes Around ComesAround

A selfish fox once invited a stork to dinner at his home in a hollow
tree. That evening, the stork flew to the fox's home and knocked on
the doorwith her long beak. The fox opened the door and said, "Please
come in andshare my food."
The stork was invited to sit down at the table. Shewas very hungry and
the food smelled delicious! The fox served soup in shallow bowls and
he licked up all his soup veryquickly. However, the stork could not
have any of it as the bowl was too shallow for her long beak. The poor
stork just smiled politely and stayed hungry.
The selfish fox asked,"Stork, why haven't you taken your soup? Don't
you like it?"
The stork replied, "It was very kind of you to invite me for dinner.
Tomorrowevening, please join me for dinner at my home."
The next day, when the fox arrived at the stork's home, he saw that
they were also having soup for dinner. This time the soup was served
in tall jugs. The stork drank the soup easily but the fox could not
reach inside the tall jug. This time it was his turn to go hungry.
MORAL: A selfish act can backfire on you.

Ethical Stories: Cats and Roosters Story (What Goes Around Comes Around!)

Once upon a time in Africa, roosters ruled cats.The cats worked hard
all day and at night they had to bring all they had gathered for the
roosters. The king of the roosters would take all the food for himself
and for the other roosters.
The roosters loved to eat ants. Thus, every cat had a purse hung round
its neck, which it filled with ants for the king of the roosters.
The cats did not like the situation. They wanted torid themselves of
the king so that the food they gathered through hard work and great
difficulty would be their own. But they were afraid of the roosters.
The roosters had told the cats that rooster's combs were made out of
fire and that the fire of their combs would burn anyone who disobeyed
them! The cats believed them and therefore worked from early morning
until night for the roosters.
One night, the fire on thehouse of Mrs. Cat went out. She told her
kitten, Fluffy, to bring some fire from Mr. Rooster's house.
When Fluffy went into the house of the rooster, she saw that Mr.
Rooster was fast asleep, his stomach swollen with theants he had
eaten. The kitten was afraid to wakethe rooster, so she returned home
empty handed and told her mother what had happened.
Mrs. Cat said, "Now that the rooster is asleep, gather some dry twigs
and place them near his comb. As soon as the twigs catch fire, bring
them home."
Fluffy gathered some dry twigs and took them to the rooster's house.
He was still asleep. Fluffy fearfully put the dry twigs near the
rooster's comb but it was no use, the twigs did not catch fire. Fluffy
rubbed the twigs against the rooster's comb again but it was no use
they would not catch fire. Fluffy returned home without any fire and
told her mother, "The roost's comb does not set twigs on fire."
Mrs. Cat answered "Why can't you do anything right! Come with me I'll
show you how to make fire with the rooster's comb." So together they
went to the house of Mr. Rooster.
He was still asleep. Mrs. Cat put the twigs as near to the rooster's
comb as she could. But the twigs did not catch fire. Then, shaking
with fear, she put her paw near the rooster's comb and gently touched
it. To her surprise, the comb was not hot, it was very cold, and it
was just red colored.
As soon as Mrs. Cat realized that the roosters had lied to the cats
abouttheir combs, she joyfully went out and told the other cats about
the rooster's tricks. From thatday on, the cats no longer worked for
the roosters.
At first, the king of the roosters became very angry and said to the
cats; "I will burn all of your houses if you do notwork for me!"
But the cats said, "Your comb is not made of fire. It is just the
color of fire. We touched it when you were sleep. You lied to us.
When the king of the roosters found out that the cats knew that he
hadlied to them , he ran away. Now, whenever roosters see a cat, they
scurry away, because to this very day they are afraid of cats.

Believers' hearts are with Allah at all times and in all places

What does it mean for the heart to be with Allah at all times and in all places?
What must one do to bewith Allah at all times and in all places?
Some people never consider the great blessings they enjoy throughout
their lives. Yet starting the day in good health every morning, being
able to breathe and see, being able to enjoy scents and food and all
beautiful things and being able to appreciate love, respect and
friendship are all great blessings. In addition, possessing the
judgment with which to distinguish between good and evil, right and
wrong or beauty and ugliness is another greatblessing bestowed by
Allah because that judgment enables one toavoid wickedness and the
evil whisperings of one's earthly desires andto choose goodness and
beauty instead. What one needs to do in return is properly appreciate
our Lord, to give proper thanks to Him and for one's heart to be full
of love and fear of Him at all times.
One's heart being with Allah at all times does not mean withdrawing
from all the preoccupations of the life of this world. "The heart
being with Allah atall times means";
Being aware of the greatness, might and power of our Lord at all times,
Knowing that He sees, hears and watches oneself and all the other
entities one sees, and that He encompasses theentire universe,
Being aware that Allah is the sole judge and sole Lord of all things,
and that He is mighty enough to do what He wants when He wants,
And knowing that everything that happensin the life of this world,
whether it appears to begood or bad, is actually the functioning of
the destiny ordained by Allah.
A Person Whose Heart Is Always Full of Remembrance of Allah Has a
Clear Mind and Awareness
It is easy to recognize the clarity of mind of someone whose heart is
always full of remembrance of Allah from his face and behavior because
there is a great difference between the face of someone who believes
and knows that Allah sees him at all times and someone who is
heedless. No matter howattractive the face of someone who has
forgotten Allah, it will never reflect any spiritual beauty or an
expression full of love and meaning, humanity, humility and
intelligence. In contrast, the luminosity, beauty, intelligence and
nobility bestowed by faith and clarity of mind are striking in someone
whose heart is with Allah. In the Qur'an, Allahnotes these features of
those who sincerely believe and exhibit an unsullied devotion to Him
and reveals it is easyto recognize them by"...the traces of
prostration" in their faces:
" Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and those who are with him
are fierce to the unbelievers, merciful to one another. You see
them bowing and prostrating, seeking Allah's good favor and His
pleasure. Their mark is on their faces, the traces of prostration.
That is their likeness in the Torah. And their likeness in the Gospel
is that of a seed which puts up a shoot and makes it strong so that
itthickens and grows up straight upon its stalk," (Surat al-Fath, 29)
In addition, when we look at the lives of those whose hearts are
heedless of Allah, we seethat it is these people who suffer the worst
consequences of their heedlessness. These people, who do not believe
in our Lord, Whocreated them from nothing and has bestowed so many
blessings upon them, avoid everything that might remind them of their
responsibilities to Him. They try to ignore the way that they and the
universe were brought into being fromnothing, they ignore thefact of
death and the Day of Reckoning afterward, the countless blessings of
paradise or the infinite torments of hell because they realize that
only by heeding their consciences, they will have to reflect on Allah
and come to faith. They know that if they think about the existence of
Allah, they will remember His commandments and prohibitions and
therefore be unable to follow their own earthly desires and passions.
Hearts Only Find Peace and Ease through Remembrance of Allah
True peace, joy and happiness can only comewhen people believe in
Allah and their hearts are with Him. One can never attain true joy
andhappiness so long as remains heedless of Allah. Contrary to popular
opinion, all pleasures flee away if one does not have faith because
people cannot live by moral virtues in places where the fact that
Allah is closer to onethan one's own jugular vein is ignored, and
where there is no fear ofHis wrath. Lack of fear ofAllah brings with
it ignorance of all bounds and lawlessness, and thus a degenerate
structure. Everyone behaves as they please. For example, taking
careover one's honor and chastity, not wasting theblessings bestowed
by Allah, thinking the best of people around one (not looking for
secret flaws), not showing off, not talking behind people's backs,
treating the people around one with love and respect rather than with
the aimof seeing what one can get out of them, displaying the moral
values of which Allah approves and being gentle, kind and polite are
all important examples of moral virtues. However, someone who denies
the fact that Allah enfolds and surrounds him (surely Allah is beyond
that) will keep as far away from these moral virtues as possible and
find himself living a degenerate life.
It is for these reasons that one of the worst mistakes people make is
to imagine they can avoid their responsibilities to Allah and build
tranquil lives by not thinking and by erecting walls around their
consciences. But the fact is that no matterhow much one may be
reluctant, or outright refuse to think, the existence of Allah is
still an absolute reality. Allah is there as we have fun, watch the
television, read the newspapers, eat, talk, walk down the street,
sleep, go to school and everywhere. He is closer to us than our own
jugular vein. Wherever one looks, oneencounters manifestations of
Allah. He creates and maintainsall events. Someone whothinks along
those lines can appreciate the true nature of the life of this world
and the absolute existence and might of Allah, grasp the conceptsof
paradise and hell and be punctilious over theirreligious obligations.
Unlike the majority of other people, he knows he must be a servant of
whom Allah approves, and therefore begins to think and live by
religious moral values revealed by Allah in the Qur'an and embodied
bythe prophets and true believers. In consequence, he will take much
more pleasure from beauties and blessings than otherpeople do, and
Allah willbestow a fine life on himin this world and the hereafter.
This is revealed as follows in the Qur'an:
" Those who believe and do right actions and establish prayer and pay
alms, will have their reward with their Lord. They will feel no fear
and will know no sorrow." (Surat al-Baqara, 277)
The finest way of turning to our Lord is to begin every task by
reciting Bismillah (in the name of Allah). Embarking on every taskby
invoking the name of Allah establishes a healthier power in termsof
evoking an effect on the heart and also increases a person's proximity
to Allah, because someone who embarks on a task with the name of Allah
will know that everything happens under His control and that he will
be successful if Allah so chooses. There is no doubt that this leads
to avery deep closeness between Allah and His servant. Such a person
has comprehended his own weakness and the fact he has no power to do
anything without Allah's leave, and has thus fully submitted himself
to Almighty Allah. This position of believers is described as follows
in the Qur'an:
"Say: 'Nothing can happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us.
He is Our Master. It is in Allah that the believers should put their
trust'." ( Surat at-Tawba, 51)
A sincere, deep and uninterrupted bond established with Almighty Allah
at every moment further increases a believer's faith, fervor,
submission to Allah and love and respect for Him. It causesa person to
avoid behavior that will be displeasing to Allah, restrains the
excesses of earthly desires and evils that know no bounds, and
constantly encourages one to behave in a way that may be hoped to be
pleasing to Allah. This closeness bestows a great spiritual delight
onthe believer by drawing him closer to Allah's approval, mercy and
paradise. It makes the believer scrupulous when it comes to
maintaining the bounds set by Allah, and bestowsa great awareness and
care in seeking His approval.
The Worthy Islamic Scholar Imam Al-Ghazali Expresses His Closeness to Allah:
"He [Allah] cannot be fettered by quantities; continents cannot
contain Him, He is not bounded by directions and neither the earth nor
sky can hold Him. He is settled on the earth in the sense commanded by
Him. He neither touches the earth, nor makes His abode there, nor
settles there, nor is included in it, nor proceeds towards it, He is
beyond all these. The earth cannot carry Him, but He bears the earth
and the angels that bear the earth with His might,and these are
mastered as a manifestation of His title of the Punisher. In the same
way that His being on the earth and sky does not require Himto be
distant from the ground and soil, so it does not require proximity to
the earth and sky. On the contrary,in the same way as He is far from
under the ground, so He is far fromthe earth and sky. In addition, He
is closer to the servant than his ownjugular vein. Indeed, in the
Qur'an Allah says "He is witness of everything"(Surat al-Saba', 47) ."
(IHYA-U ULUMUDDİN, Vol. 1 p. 201, Hacetü'l İslam, Imam Gazali)
What One Needs to Do toBe with Allah at Every Moment
To Take Allah, the All-Mighty, As One's Friend and Guide
Our Lord tests His servants by creating events they perceive as
difficulties, in which they face troubles, or experience joy and
happiness. Devout Muslims seek help from Allah alone under such
circumstances and trust in Him alone. They place no hope in natural
causes, intermediaries orother people. They do not regard Allah's
creation as having any power, will or effect independently of Him.
Seeking shelter in Almighty Allah, Who creates one and is awareeven of
the secrets one conceals from others is amajor consequence and sign of
proximity to Allah.
To Pray
Prayer is a very important means by which someone who is utterly
powerless in the face of our Almighty Lord can turn to Him, confess
his sins to Him, seek help from Him alone, feel His existence and
power and maintainthat awareness at every moment of his daily life.
To Turn to Allah in All Tasks
One of the greatest signs of faith is to be aware that all blessings
belong to Allah alone, and to express this with a pure heart and
tongue. It is also one of the most sincere ways ofestablishing a deep
bond with Allah and"serving Him alone."
To Always Give Thanks
By examining the proofs of creation, believers reflect on how it is
Almighty Allah, Who bestows such blessings as the Earth's atmosphere
which protects them against dangers from space, how the Earth's crust
protects them from the boiling magma beneath,how drinking water is
created, the fruits of the earth, the creation of night and day, life,
health, consciousness, the five senses, the air we breathe and
countless other examples at every moment. And by giving thanks for
these they once again turn to Allah alone.

Mayan people believe that the year 2012 is the beginning of a new age when some blessed people will appear

Mayan people belive that the date December 21st, 2012, which is the
end of the Mayan calendar system made up of periods of thousands of
years, refers to the end of a long age.
According to the Mayan calendar the world enters a new age every
1million 872 thousand days. The history of the world consists of
periodsof nearly 5125 years and the end of each one of these periods
mark radical changes and great renovations.
According to the Mayan people, the period in which we live is the
fifthand the last period and it will come to an end onthe date
13.0.0.0.0. According to the Gregorian calendar, this date is 21
December 2012.
According to the Calendar of the Maya, the date of December 22nd 2012
would be represented by what arenamed: 13 Baktun, 0 Katun, 0 Tun, 0
Uinal, and 0 Kin. On their calendar a total of 1,872,000 days will
have elapsed since the beginning of the Maya Era, and this date will
mark the new beginningof the New Era.
For this reason, Mayan people think that December 21st, 2012 is not
only the end of a particular period. They believe that this date is
the beginning of a new period during which some wise, blessed people
will appear and bring a Golden Age to the world.
The Stella (stone structure) depicting that the date December 21st,
2012 is the time when an age will end and a new one will begin.
A stella was found nearby Nohoch Mul, the second highest pyramid among
the Coba Pyramids of the Ancient Mayan civilization. This stella
depicts the age that starts on August 11, 3114 BC and ends in December
21st 2012.
It is estimated that this stella is at least 2000 years old, because
settlements in the area where the pyramids of Coba exist have been
dated somewhere between 600 and 900 CE.
Mayan glifs signifying December 21st, 2012
According to the Mayan people the end of the long Mayan Cycle will
bring the end of the age of oppression and violence, and this will
bethe beginning of the "Golden Age". However this beginning will not
be a peaceful transformation; there will be upheavals in every corner
of the world, many disasters will come upon that will wear-out the
structures of the state. These will not happen in a short while; they
will occur in a long period of time. Again according to the Mayan
people, followingall these happenings, "great blessed people", whom
they believe will be the spiritual leaders of all humanity, will come.
Before their coming, there will be spiritual workers who will prepare
their way. Mayan people believe that the date December 21st, 2012
signifies the time when these spiritual workers will gradually
increase their influence.
Source: Entering the Chain of Union, Timothy Hogan, 2012.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Zayd ibn Thabit - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

We are in the second year of the Hijrah. Madinah the city of the
Prophet is buzzing with activity as the Muslims prepare for the long
march southwards to Badr.
The noble Prophet made a final inspection of the first army to
bemobilized under his leadership to wage Jihad against those who had
tormented the Muslimsfor many years and who were still bent on putting
an end to his mission.
A youth, not yet thirteen, walkedup to the ranks. He was confident and
alert. He held a sword which was as long or possibly slightly longer
than his own height. He went up to the Prophet, may God bless him and
grant him peace, and said: "I dedicate myself to you, Messenger of
God. Permit me to be with you and to fight the enemies of God under
your banner."
The noble Prophet looked at himwith admiration and patted his shoulder
with loving tenderness.He commended him for his courage but refused to
enlist him because he was still too young.
The youth, Zayd ibn Thabit, turned and walked away, dejected and sad.
As he walked, in slow and measured paces, he stuck his sword in the
ground asa sign of his disappointment. He was denied the honor of
accompanying the Prophet on his first campaign. Behind him was his
mother, an-Nawar bint Malik. She felt equally dejected and sad. She
had dearly wished to see her young son go with the army of mujahidin
and to be with the Prophet at this most critical time.
One year later, as preparations were underway for the second encounter
with the Quraysh which took place at Uhud, a group of Muslim teenagers
bearing arms of various kinds - swords, spears, bows and arrows and
shields - approachedthe Prophet. They were seeking to be enlisted in
any capacity in the Muslim ranks. Some of them,like Rafi ibn Khadij
and Samurah ibn Jundub, who were strong and well-built for their age
and who demonstrated their ability to wrestle and handle weapons, were
granted permission by the Prophet to join the Muslim forces. Others
like Abdullah the son of Umar and Zayd ibn Thabit were still
considered by the Prophet to be too young and immature to fight. He
promised though to consider them for a later campaign. It was only at
the Battle of the Ditch when Zayd was about sixteen years oldthat he
was at last allowed to bear arms in defence of the Muslim community.
Although Zayd was keen to participate in battles, it is not as a
warrior that he is remembered. After his rejection for the Badr
campaign, he accepted the fact then that he was too young to fight in
major battles. His alert mind turned to other fields of service, which
hadno connection with age and which could bring him closer to the
Prophet, peace be on him. He considered the field of knowledge and in
particular of memorizing the Quran. He mentioned the idea to his
mother. She was delighted and immediately made attempts to have his
ambition realized. An-Nuwar spoke to some men ofthe Ansar about the
youth's desire and they in turn broachedthe matter with the Prophet,
saying: "O Messenger of Allah, our son Zayd ibn Thabit has memorized
seventeen surahs of the Book of Allah and recites them as correctly as
they were revealed to you. In addition to that he is good at reading
and writing. It is in this field of service that he desires to be
close to you. Listen to him if you will."
The Prophet, peace be on him, listened to Zayd reciting some surahs he
had memorized. His recitation was clear and beautiful and his stops
and pauses indicated clearly that he understood well what he recited.
The Prophet was pleased. Indeed he found that Zayd's ability exceeded
the commendation he had been given by his relatives. The Prophet then
set him a task which required intelligence, skill and persistence.
"Zayd, learn the writing of the Jews for me," instructed the Prophet.
"At your command, Messenger of Allah," replied Zaydwho set about
learning Hebrew with enthusiasm. He became quite proficient in the
language and wrote it for the Prophet when he wanted to communicate
with the Jews. Zayd also read and translated from Hebrew when the Jews
wrote to the Prophet. The Prophet instructed him to learn Syriac also
and this he did. Zayd thus came to perform the important function of
an interpreter for the Prophet in hisdealings with non-Arabic speaking
peoples.
Zayd's enthusiasm and skill wereobvious. When the Prophet felt
confident of his faithfulness in the discharge of duties and the care,
precision and understanding with which he carried out tasks, he
entrusted Zayd with the weighty responsibility of recording the Divine
revelation.
When any part of the Quran was revealed to the Prophet, he often sent
for Zayd and instructed him to bring the writing materials, "the
parchment, the ink-pot and the scapula", and write the revelation.
Zayd was not the only one who acted as a scribe for the Prophet.One
source has listed forty-eight persons who used to write for him. Zayd
was very prominent among them. He did not only write but during the
Prophet's time he collected portions of theQuran that were written
down by others and arranged these under the supervision of the
Prophet. He is reported to have said:
"We used to compile the Quran from small manuscripts in the presence
of the Prophet." In thisway, Zayd experienced the Qurandirectly from
the Prophet himself. It could be said that he grew up with the verses
of the Quran, understanding well the circumstances surrounding
eachrevelation. He thus became well-versed in the secrets of the
Shariah and at an early age gained the well-deserved reputation as a
leading scholar among the companions of the Prophet.
After the death of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
peace, the task fell on this fortunate young man who specialized in
the Quran to authenticate the first and most important reference for
the ummah of Muhammad. This became an urgent task after the wars of
apostasy and the Battle of Yamamah in particular in which a large
number of those who had committed the Quran to memory perished.
Umar convinced the Khalifah AbuBakr that unless the Quran was
collected in one manuscript, a large part of it was in danger of being
lost. Abu Bakr summoned Zayd ibn Thabit and said to him:"You are an
intelligent young man and we do not suspect you (of telling lies or of
forgetfulness) and you used to write the Divine revelation for Allah's
Messenger. Therefore look for (all parts of) the Quran and collect it
in one manuscript."
Zayd was immediately aware of the weighty responsibility. He later
said: "By Allah, if he (Abu Bakr) had ordered me to shift one of the
mountains from its place, it would not have been harder for me than
what he had ordered me concerning the collection of the Quran."
Zayd finally accepted the task and, according to him, "started
locating the Quranic material and collecting it from parchments,
scapula, leafstalks of date palms and from the memories of men (who
knew it by heart)".
It was a painstaking task and Zayd was careful that not a single
error, however slight or unintentional, should creep into the work.
When Zayd had completed his task, he left the prepared suhuf or sheets
with Abu Bakr. Before he died, Abu Bakr left the suhuf with Umar who
in turn left it with his daughter Hafsah. Hafsah, Umm Salamah and
Aishah were wives of the Prophet, may Allah be pleased with them, who
memorized the Quran.
During the time of Uthman, by which time Islam had spread far and
wide, differences in reading the Quran became obvious. A group of
companions of the Prophet, headed by Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman, who was
then stationed in Iraq, came to Uthman and urged him to "save the
Muslim ummah before they differ about the Quran".
Uthman obtained the manuscript of the Quran from Hafsah and again
summoned theleading authority, Zayd ibn Thabit, and some other
competent companions to makeaccurate copies of it. Zayd was put in
charge of the operation. He completed the task with the same
meticulousness with which he compiled the original suhuf during the
time of Abu Bakr.
Zayd and his assistants wrote many copies. One of these Uthman sent to
every Muslim province with the order that all other Quranic materials
whetherwritten in fragmentary manuscripts or whole copies be burnt.
This was important in order to eliminate any variationsor differences
from the standardtext of the Quran. Uthman kept acopy for himself and
returned the original manuscript to Hafsah.
Zayd ibn Thabit thus became oneof the foremost authorities on the
Quran. Umar ibn al-Khattab once addressed the Muslims andsaid: "O
people, whoever wants to ask about the Quran, let him go to Zayd ibn
Thabit."
And so it was that seekers of knowledge from among the companions of
the Prophet and the generation who succeeded them, known as the
"Tabiun", came from far and wide to benefit from his knowledge. When
Zayd died, Abu Hurayrah said: "Today, the scholar of this ummah has
died."
When a Muslim holds the Quran and reads it or hears it being recited,
surah after surah, ayah after ayah, he should know that he owes a
tremendous debt of gratitude and recognition to a truly great
companion of the Prophet, Zayd ibn Thabit, for helping to preserve for
all time to come the Book of Eternal Wisdom. Truly did Allah, the
Blessed and Exalted, say: "Surely We have revealed the Book of
Remembrance and We shall certainly preserve it." (The Quran, Surah
al-Hijr, 15:9)

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Story - , part 11

I HAULED MY LUGGAGE up into the back of the carriage with one big huff.
I'd been cursing under my breath the whole time. Even more so at the
fact that it was barely five o'clock in the A.M. and I was stuck being
a bellhop than actually sleeping. Like normal people do at this hour.
"That's the last of them!" Grams chided from the front of the
carriage. I wiped the back of my hand on my forehead, and scowled.
"It damn well better be, or so help me God, I'm going to grow enough
muscles to carry the both of us home." I muttered to myself.
I was this close to collapsing on the ground from all the
busting-my-ass with all of this luggage. It made me regret packing
such a load in the first place.
I was ushered toward thecarriage where my Gramssat in the carrier part.
A middle-aged man was leading the carriage and I found myself angry
withhim all of a sudden, since he'd made it quite apparent that
watching agirl with ten bags - that were twice my weight – was more
helpful than suggesting to help a hand.
Shouldn't he be doing this? What ever happened to male chivalry, or
did that just happen in movies?
I bit back the urge to kickhim, or wipe that sleazy smirk off his
face. The wind ruffled his scraggy beard, and his sly blue eyes made
me shiver.
"All done sweetheart? " I grimaced as he smiled histoothless grin.
"Hop on up now, up you go." He nodded his head toward the carriage.
I glared at him hating thefact that he was rushing me. I was stalling
now, and I wasn't sure what I was waiting for, but I couldn't find the
courageto get into the carriage.
I turned to where grams was sitting and then backout toward the
estate, not sure of what or whom I was searching for.
"Willow, please get in. You'll catch a cold." I stepped closer, and
then hesitated at the silent thought that summoned to the surface.
Satchel. Why hasn't Satchel made an appearance? He knew I was leaving…didn't he?
I hadn't seen him since last night, after he'd leapt out of my window.
My head was still reeling on the idea of that even being remotely
possible. Standing here though, when I was only seconds away from
leaving.
I felt an instant tug, like something was telling meI was doing the
wrong thing by leaving without saying goodbye.
I fumbled with the front of my button down jacket, and looked up into
my grandmothers' gaze with sorrow.
"What is it dear?" I shookmy head and looked out over the vast stretch
of greenery.
Hoping I'd see the scruffyboy that I'd met just two or three days ago.
I'd given him grief over the past few days I admit, butsurely he'd
give me the benefit of the doubt or atleast see me off.
What am I saying. It's not like I like the guy... .
The instant thought made it seem false in my mind. I wasn't sure if
convincing myself of that would make me like him any less, but I
thought lying to myself would make me feel better.
It didn't, and I scolded myself for stalling.
"Grams? Is it true that you kept my fathers calls separate from me?
Did hereally want to know me?"
"Willow, please get in thecart. We're going off schedule." I glared
and had the urge to bite backa trail of cussing.
"Grams, just answer the question…please" I hastily added. Despite
being angry with her, I was in no position to disrespect her with my
tone. I softened it.
"I just want to know if my father could have loved me, given the
chance." She sighed.
"I…yes. I kept his calls from you." I frowned andstepped away from the carriage.
"Why?" I shook my head before she could interrupt.
"-And please don't tell meit was to 'protect me' because in case you
haven't noticed, I'm sixteen, seventeen in the fall, and I know that's
a petty little excuse adults tend to use on their gullible 'children'.
I'm nota child, and I want the truth." She eyed me warily and finally
nodded.
"No you're quite right. You're not a child, but you still wouldn't
understand if I told you the truth."
"Try me." I challenged. Her eyebrows raised in astonishment, but then
she masked it, gesturing for me to sit next to her, like she'd done so
often to calm me.
"How about you jump in first, and I'll tell you whatI can." I found
myself shaking my head.
"No grams. I'll jump in, only if you tell me everything I need to
know." I couldn't help but notice the shock on her face at my sudden
disobedience. I'd never raised my voice in front of her, or even went
against her word.
But something changed, and maybe she'd been hiding too much from mefor
my liking. My grandmother wouldn't budge, however, and I knew if given
the strength. I was sure she would haul me into the carriage herself.
Even the horses seemed to be losing patience with me. I didn't care.
There was something strong holding me to thisland.
Don't leave me again…
The wind carried to my ear. I whipped my head around to study my surroundings.
Nothing.
I winced as the toothless man struck the horse with a whip, making the
carriage move slightly, then winked at me.
"Time is getting along, child. What's it going to be?" I shuddered.
Grams hand was outstretched, ushering me inside and I found myself
standing there shaking my head.
"I'm sorry grams, but I'm leaving you this time. I do wish you a safe
journey home. Please forgive me." And with that I kicked off my heels
and ran in the opposite direction.
I could hear my grandmother's protests from behind me, and the gallop
of hooves as they retreated farther from my ears.
I didn't look back.
I won't leave you this time, Satchel
I promised, focusing on putting one leg in front of the other as I ran.

Tawbah - ,Dought & clear - , Is vowing part of repentance?

Do we have any chance of being forgiven if we do not vow to never
repeat the sin again.
I'm asking this because, if you think that you willmost probably do it
again, is there a point in vowing not to repeat the haram action
(knowing that to break a promise to Allah constitutes fasting for 3
days)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
No sin is too great for Allaah to forgive, no matter what this sin is,
so long as the person has repented from it. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: O 'Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves
(by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful"
[al-Zumar 39:53]
The door of repentance is open so long as death has not come to a
person, and so long as the sun has not begun torise from the west.
It was narrated that Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Allaah accepts the repentance of His slave so long as the death
rattle has not yet reached his throat." Narrated by Ahmad, 2/132,
153); narrated and classed as hasan by al-Tirmidhi, 3537; also classed
as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 3/318, 3413.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever repents before the sun rises fromthe west, Allaah
will accept his repentance." Narrated by Muslim, 3073.
So the Muslim should make the most of this opportunity and this great
bounty from Allaah, and hasten to repent so long as there is still
time; he should not delay his repentance.
But this repentance has to be sincere, as Allaah says (interpretation
of the meaning):
"O you who believe! Turn to Allaah with sincere repentance! It may be
that your Lord will expiate from you your sins, and admit you into
Gardens under which rivers flow (Paradise) the Day that Allaah will
not disgrace the Prophet (Muhammad) and those who believe with him.
Their Light will run forward before them and (with their Records Books
of deeds) in their right hands. They will say: 'Our Lord! Keep perfect
our Light for us [and do not put it off till we cross over the Siraat
(a slippery bridge over Hell) safely] and grant usforgiveness. Verily,
You are Able to do all things'"
[al-Tahreem 66:8]
The scholars have stated that sincere repentance is that which meets
five conditions:
1- It should be sincerely for the sake of Allaah.
2- There should be real regret for sins committed in the past, and
the person should wish that he had never done them.
3- He should give up the sin immediately. If the sin consists of
doing something haraam, he should stop doing it at once. If the sin
consists of not doing something that is obligatory, he should start to
do it at once. If the sin has to do with people's dues, his repentance
is not valid unless he gives them those dues.
4- He should resolve never to go back to that sin in the future.
5- That should not come after the time when repentance is
accepted, as stated above.
See Majaalis Shahr Ramadaan by Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 143.
Hence we know that it isnot one of the conditions of repentance that
one should not repeat the sin, rather the condition is the sincere
resolve notto repeat it. If a person repents from a sin that he used
to commit, then the Shaytaan toys with him and makes him go back to it
- there is no power and no strength except with Allaah - he should not
despair of the mercy of Allaah. He should repent once again and Allaah
will accept it, for Allaah's bounty and forgiveness are immense.
It was narrated from AbuMoosa al-Ash'ari (may Allaah be pleased with
him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Allaah spreads out His hand at night to accept the repentance
ofthose who committed sin during the day, and He spreads out His hand
during the day to accept the repentance of those who committed sin
during the night (and this will continue) until the sun rises from the
west."
Narrated by Muslim, 2759.
It was narrated from AbuHurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
he heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) say: "A personcommitted a sin and said, 'O Lord, I have
sinned; forgive me.' His Lord said: 'Does My slave know that he has a
Lord Who forgives sin and punishes for it? I have forgiven My slave.'
Then as much time as Allaah willed passed, and he committed sin again.
He said, 'O Lord, I have sinned; forgive me.' His Lord said: 'Does My
slave know that he has a Lord Who forgives sin and punishes for it? I
have forgiven My slave.' ..."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,7505; Muslim, 2753
But the wise Muslim should be sincere towards Allaah in his
repentance, and sincerely resolve not to repeat the sin, and regret
what he has donein the past. His repentance should not merely be words
that are spoken by his lips when the rest of his faculties pay no
heed; that is the repentance ofliars.
With regard to making vows not to commit this sin again, there is no
need for that. Sincere repentance is that whichfulfils the conditions
mentioned above.
It remains to comment on that which the questioner mentioned about the
one who breaks his vow having tofast for three days. This is not
always the case. Rather what the one who breaks his vow has to do is
to free a slave, or feed or clothe ten poor persons. If he cannot do
any of these things, then he has to fast for three days, but fasting
is only an option is he is unable to do any of the three other things,
as is indicated by the verse in which Allaahsays (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Allaah will not punish you for what is unintentional in your oaths,
but He will punishyou for your deliberate oaths; for its expiation
(adeliberate oath) feed ten Masaakeen (poor persons), on a scale of
the average of that with which you feed your own families, or clothe
them or manumit a slave. But whosoever cannot afford (that), then he
should fast for three days. That is the expiation for the oaths when
you have sworn. And protect your oaths (i.e. do not swear much).Thus
Allaah makes clear to you His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses,
lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) that you may be grateful"
[al-Maa'idah 5:89]
And Allaah knows best. May Allaah send blessings and peace upon our
Prophet Muhammad and his family and companions.

Tawbah - ,Dought & clear - , If the apostate repents, his repentance is accepted

One of the brothers came to me one day expressing regret and feeling
ashamed of himself because of his bad behaviour towards Allaah - this
is the best that he could call it himself - because one day in a fit
of anger towards his fiancée he reviled Allaah - we ask Allaah to keep
us safe and sound. He came to me in a state of regret and told me that
he had shamed himself, and now he felt too ashamedeven to pray. He is
- praise be to Allaah - a person who is religiouslycommitted.
I hope that you can tell us how to advise him, and explain the shar'i
ruling on what happened to him and how he may expiate for that if
expiation is required.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Undoubtedly what your friend did is bad behaviour towards his Lord,
may He be glorified and exalted. HisLord is the One Who created him in
the best form and guided him to the true religion and honoured him
with intelligence, hearing and sight, and then he reviled Him and
insulted Him?! If this was done with regard to any human who had
honoured him in some insignificant worldly matters, that would be
counted as a bad attitude and bad behaviour, so how about with Allaah,
may He be exalted, and there is no comparison between at all the
honouring and kindness of a fellow-human and the honouring and
kindness of the Creator, may He be exalted.
This reviling puts a person beyond the pale of Islam and makes him an
apostate. There is no difference on this ruling among the scholars.
Ibn Qudaamah al-Maqdisi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Whoever reviles Allaah has committed an act of major kufr (which puts
him beyond the pale of Islam), whether he was joking or said it in
earnest. The same applies to anyone who mocks Allaah, may He be
exalted, or His signs, Messengers or Books. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"If you ask them (about this), they declare: 'We were only talking
idly and joking.' Say: 'Was it at Allaah , and His Ayaat (proofs,
evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that you
weremocking?'"
[al-Tawbah 9:65]
al-Mughni (12/298).
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Reviling Allaah or His Messenger is inward andoutward kufr, whether
the one who reviles them believes that it is haraam or regards it as
permissible, or he is unaware of the ruling. This is the view of the
fuqaha' and all the ahl al-sunnah who say that faith consists of words
and deeds.
Al-Saarim al-Maslool (1/513).
In al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (22/184) it says:
The fuqaha' are unanimously agreed that whoever reviles Allaah, may He
be exalted, is a kaafir, whether he is joking, serious or making fun.
In (24/139) it says:
The fuqaha' are unanimously agreed that whoever reviles Islam or the
religion of the Muslims is a kaafir.
Shaykh 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Reviling the deen is one of the worst of major sins and the greatest
of evils. The same applies to reviling the Lord, may He be glorified
and exalted. These are two of the gravest things that nullify Islam
and aremeans of apostatizing from Islam. If the one who reviles the
Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, or reviles the deen is a
Muslim, then he becomes an apostate from Islam thereby, and he becomes
a kaafir. He should be asked to repent and if he repents (all well and
good), otherwise he should be executed on the orders of the
authorities via thesharee'ah court. Some ofthe scholars said: he
should not be asked to repent, rather he should be executed because
his crime is so great. But themore correct view is thathe should be
asked to repent so that Allaah may bless him with guidance and he may
adhere to the truth. But he should be punished by flogging and
imprisonment so that he will not go back to such a great crime.
Similarly, if he reviles the Qur'aan or the Messenger or any other
Prophet, he shouldbe asked to repent and if he repents (all well and
good), otherwise heshould be executed. Reviling the deen, reviling the
Messenger and reviling the Lord, may He be glorified and exalted, are
all things that nullify Islam. The same applies to mockingAllaah and
His Messenger, or Paradise or Hell, or the commandsof Allaah such as
prayer and zakaah. Making fun of any of these things nullifies Islam.
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"If you ask them (about this), they declare: 'We were only talking
idly and joking.' Say: 'Was it at Allaah , and His Ayaat (proofs,
evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His
Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)that you were
mocking?'
66. Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed"
[al-Tawbah 9:65-66]
We ask Allaah to keep us safe and sound.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (6/387).
And he (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Everyone who reviles Allaah, may He be glorified, in any way, or who
reviles the Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) or any other Messenger in any way, or reviles Islam or criticizes
it, or mocks Allaah or His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him), becomes a kaafir and an apostate from Islam if heclaims to
be a Muslim, according to the consensus of the Muslims, because Allaah
says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: 'Was it at Allaah , and His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses,
lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) and His Messenger that you were
mocking?'
66. Make no excuse; you disbelieved after you had believed"
[al-Tawbah 9:65-66]
The great scholar Imam Abu'l-'Abbaas ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have
mercy on him) explained the evidence concerning this issue in his book
al-Saarim al-Maslool 'ala Shaatim al-Rasool ("The unsheathed sword
against the one who reviles the Messenger"). The one who wants to
learn more about the evidence on this issue may refer to this book, as
it is very useful and itsauthor is a great scholar who had vast
knowledge of shar'i evidence, may Allaah have mercy on him.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (7/77,87).
In the answer to question no. 42505 you will find the fatwa of Shaykh
al-'Uthaymeen on the ruling on reviling Allaah and His Messengerand
reviling the deen.
Secondly:
Although the sin that your friend has committed is very great and the
rulings concerning it are very strict, Allaah has opened the gate of
repentance to the one who wants toturn back from his sin and wants to
repent andseek forgiveness. He should not despair of the pardon and
forgiveness of Allaah. That is what the shaytaan wants from thesinner
and apostate. Yes,he should feel regret for his sin, but that should
not become a barrier between him and Allaah that prevents him from
repenting and seeking forgiveness.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Say: O 'Ibaadi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves
(by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allaah, verily, Allaah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving,
Most Merciful"
[al-Zumar 39:53]
It was narrated from AbuMoosa (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah
holds out His hand at night to accept the repentance of those who have
sinned during the day, and He holds out his hand by day to accept the
repentance ofthose who have sinned at night - until the sun rises from
its place of setting."
Narrated by Muslim (2759).
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It was said to al-Hasan al-Basri: One of us feels too shy before his
Lord to ask forgiveness for hissin then go back to it, then ask
forgiveness then go back (to his sin)?He said: The shaytaan wishes
that he could achieve that with you. Do not tire of seeking
forgiveness.
And it was narrated that he said: I think that this is the attitude of
the believers - i.e., every time a believer sins, he repents.
Jaami' al-'Uloom wa'l-Hukam (1/165).
Our advice to him is to repent and regret what he did, and to do a lot
ofrighteous deeds and strive to be better after repentance than he was
before he committed this major sin, and Allaahaccepts the repentance
of the one who repents.
And Allaah knows best.

Tawbah - ,Dought & clear - , Expiation for gossip

With regard to expiationfor gossip, is saying "Lord forgive me and the
believing men and women and the Muslim men and women" sufficient to
ask for forgiveness for the one I gossiped about, or must I pray for
him by name?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Gossip is a major sin, andundoubtedly all Muslims know this, and they
know the punishment that Allaah will inflict on the one who gossips.
The seriousness of this sin is due to two reasons:
1- It has to do with people's rights, so it is more serious because
it involves wrongdoing against people.
2- It is an easy sin that most people commit, except those on whom
Allaah has mercy. People usually regard easy things as insignificant
although they are serious before Allaah.
With regard to expiationfor gossiping, it is essential to note a few
important points:
Firstly: In a number of fatwas on our site we have pointed out that
expiation for gossip includes praying for forgiveness for the one you
gossiped about, andmaking du'aa' for him, and praising him in his
absence. We hope that the reader will look at these fatwas and read
the words of the scholars. See the answers to questions no. 6308 ,
23328 , 52807 and 65649 .
Secondly: Stating that praying for forgiveness is the expiation for
gossip does not mean that it is sufficient. The basic principle is
that sins cannot be erased except by sincere repentance which is
accompanied by giving up the sin, regretting it, resolving not to go
back to it and being sincere atheart in one's dealings with the
Creator, may Hebe glorified. Then there is the hope if one repents in
this manner, Allaah will forgive him his sins and pardon his errors.
With regard to people's rights and transgressions against people, they
can only be expiated if the people affected pardon him andforgive him.
The evidence for that is in the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), who said: "Whoever has wronged his
brother with regard to his honour or something, let him ask him for
forgiveness before the time when there will be neither dinar nor
dirham, and if he has any good deeds itwill be taken from him in
proportion to the wrong he did, and if he does not have any good deeds
(hasanaat), some of the other person's evildeeds (sayi'aat) will be
taken and given to him to bear." Narrated by al-Bukhaari (2449).
The command is to seek forgiveness for wrongdoing before scores are
settled amongpeople on the Day of Reckoning, when scores will be
settled with hasanaat (good deeds) and sayi'aat (bad deeds),and true
losses will be borne by those who wronged people with regard to their
wealth, honour and blood.
Thirdly: What the one who wants to free himself of the sin of gossip
must do is strive hard to seek forgiveness from the one whom he
gossiped about, and ask him to pardon him, and apologize to him with
kind and good words, and he should be as humble as he can in that,even
if he has to buy an extremely valuable gift or offer financial help.
The scholars have stated that all of that is permissible when it comes
to restoring people's rights.
Because the scholars among the righteous salaf and fuqaha' thought
that seeking people's forgiveness for gossip might lead – in some
cases – to greater evils such as grudges or breaking of ties, and
people might feel resentment and grudgesto an extent that is known
only to Allaah, most of the scholars granted concessions allowing one
not to seekforgiveness (from the victim), and they hoped that it would
be sufficient to pray for forgiveness for the victim of gossip and say
du'aa' for him and praise him in his absence.
Other scholars were of the view that nothing could expiate for gossip
but the forgiveness of the one who was wronged. But the correct view
is that if theone who gossiped repents sincerely, he does not have to
tell the one about whom he gossiped about that, especially if he fears
thatthis would cause more trouble, as is usually the case.
Praying for forgiveness for the one he gossiped about is an
exceptional case and is a case of necessity dictated by sharee'ah,
where warding off harm takes precedence over bringing benefits.
From the above it may be understood that the one who regards the sin
of gossip as insignificanton the basis that prayingfor forgiveness is
sufficient to expiate this sin is incorrect. His thinking is wrong for
three reasons:
1- He forgets that the basic condition for repentance is regret,
giving up the sin and sincerely repenting to Allaah. This condition
may not be truly met in the case of most people.
2- The basic principle in expiation with regardto people's rights
is striving to seek their pardon. If he thinks that telling the person
about the gossip will lead to a greater evil, then he mayresort to
praying for forgiveness for him in that case, otherwise the basic
principle is that he should seek pardon fromthe one whom he wronged.
3- This shows you that if the person who was gossiped about has
heard about what another man has said about him, then – in this case –
it is essential to seek forgiveness from him directly, so that the
harm suffered by the victim will be undone and his resentment may be
dispelled. If he does not pardon or forgive, then there is no option
after that but to pray forforgiveness for him and say du'aa' for him.
Fourthly:
Then after all that, does the questioner think that praying for
forgiveness in general terms – "O Allaah, forgivethe believing men and
women" – is sufficient toexpiate for the sin of gossiping?!
We say that when we hope that Allaah will accept du'aa' and prayers
for forgiveness as an expiation for bad deeds, it is essential to be
sincere towards Allaah in this du'aa', to seek out means of drawing
close to Allaah, and to repeat it in times and places where du'aa's
are answered, and pray for all goodness and blessing in this world and
in the Hereafter. Undoubtedly such a du'aa' requires usto specify the
person for whom we are praying, either mentioning him by name or
describing him, by saying: O Allaah, forgive me and the one whom I
have gossiped about and wronged; O Allaah, pardon us and him, and
whatever else you can say in your du'aa'.
As for praying in generalterms, it does not seem to be sufficient to
achieve what you are hoping for from Allaah. Just as you gossiped
about him by mentioning his name or describing him, and you singled
him out for harm, so too you should pray specifically for him and ask
for forgiveness for him, so that the bad deeds will be replaced by
good.
Fifthly:
It should be noted that the purpose behind praying for forgiveness and
saying du'aa' is to ward off bad deeds withgood, and to compensate for
misdeeds. Hence it is not limited to prayers for forgiveness in
exclusion to other good deeds. Rather you can do a good deed and
dedicate its reward to the one about whom you gossiped, such as giving
charity on his behalf or offering him some help, or supporting him at
times of hardship, and trying to compensate him for the wrong you did
as much as you can.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in
Majmoo' al-Fataawa (18/187-189):
As for the rights of the one who was wronged, they are not waived just
because one repents. This is a right and there is no difference
betweena killer and other wrongdoers. If a person repents from
wrongdoing, the rights of the one whom he wronged are not
waivedbecause of his repentance, rather it is part of his repentance
tocompensate him to a level commensurate with his wrongdoing. If he
does not compensate him in this world then he will inevitably
compensate him in the Hereafter. So the wrongdoer who has repented
should do a lotof good deeds, so that when those who have been wronged
claim their rights, he will not end up bankrupt. And if Allaah wants
to compensate the one who was wronged then no one can prevent His
bounty, such as if He wants to forgive sins lessthan shirk for
whomeverHe wills. Hence in the hadeeth about qasaas, for which Jaabir
ibn 'Abd-Allaah rode for a month to 'Abd-Allaah ibnUnays to hear it
from his lips – which was narrated by Imam Ahmad (3/495) and others,
and which al-Bukhaari quoted as evidence in his Saheeh – it says:
"When the Day ofResurrection comes, Allaah will gather all creatures
in a single plain so that the announcer will be able to make them all
hear his voice and the watcher will be able to see all of them, then
He will call them in a voice that will be heard from afar just as it
is heard from nearby: 'I am the Sovereign, I am the Judge. None of the
people of Hell should enter Hell if they have any right due from any
of the people of Paradise, until the score is settled, and none of the
people of Paradise should enter Paradise if they have any right due
from any of the people of Hell, until the score is settled.'"
And in Saheeh Muslim it is narrated from Abu Sa'eed: "When the people
of Paradise cross al-siraat and stand on a bridge between Paradise and
Hell, they will settle their scores with one another, and when they
are cleansed and purified, permissionwill be given to them to enter
Paradise."
When Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, said (interpretation of
the meaning): "neither backbite one another" – as gossip is a
transgression against people's honour – He then said: "Would one ofyou
like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Youwould hate it (so hate
backbiting). And fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is the One Who forgives
and accepts repentance, Most Merciful" [al-Hujuraat 49:12].
So He told them to repent from gossip, because it is a kind of wrongdoing.
This applies if the one who was wronged found out about the gossip.
But if he gossiped about him or slandered him and he did not know
about it, it was said that one of the conditions of repentance is
telling him, and it was said that this is not essential, which is the
view of the majority. Both views were narrated from Ahmad. But he
should still do good things for the one who was wronged, such as
saying du'aa' for him, praying for forgiveness for him, and doing good
deeds and giving him the reward for that, so as to make up for
gossiping about him and slandering him. Al-Hasanal-Basri said: The
expiation for gossip is praying for forgiveness for the one about
whomyou gossiped. End quote.
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear - , Is it prescribed to repeatthe phrases of the iqaamah twice?

Is there any shar'i reasonwhy the iqaamah (call immediately preceding
the prayer) cannot be done in the same manner as the adhaan, with the
addition of the phrase Qad qaamat is-salaah (prayer is about to begin)
which is said twice. In other words, can the iqaamah be said in the
following manner: Allaahu akbar Allaah akbar, Allaahu akbar Allaahu
akbar, ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, ash-hadu an laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah, ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasool-Allaah, ash-hadu anna
Muhammadan Rasool-Allaah. Hayya 'ala'l-salaah, hayya 'ala'-salaah,
hayya 'ala'l-falaah, hayya 'ala'l-falaah. Qad qaamat is-salaah, qad
qaamat is-salaah Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allaah
(Allaah is most Great, Allaah is most Great, Allaah is most Great,
Allaah is most Great. I bear witness thatthere is no god but Allaah, I
bear witness that there is no god but Allaah. I bear witness that
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah, I bear witness that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allaah. Come to prayer, come to prayer. Come to
success, come to success. Prayer is about to begin, prayeris about to
begin. Allaah is most Great, Allaah is most Great. There is no god but
Allaah)."
Is this the way it is done according to the madhhab of Imam Abu Haneefah?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The iqaamah (call immediately preceding the prayer) has been proven in
several versions from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), such as the following:
Saying each phrase once, apart from the takbeer ("Allaahu akbar") at
the beginningand the end, which is said twice, and the phrase Qad
qaamat is-salaah (prayer is about to begin), which isalso said twice.
So the number of phrases is eleven in total. This is the madhhab of
the Shaafa'is and Hanbalis, and is also the opinion of the Maalikis,
but they also say Qad qaamat is-salaah (prayer is about to begin) only
once.
See: al-Mughni (2/59); al-Mudawwanah (1/179).
This is the iqaamah of Bilaal, the mu'adhdhin of the Messenger
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
According to the hadeeth of 'Abdullah ibnZayd about the adhaan:
He said: Then he went a short distance away from me, and said, "When
the prayer is about to start, say, Allaahu akbar Allaah akbar,
ash-hadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah, ash-hadu anna Muhammadan
Rasool-Allaah. Hayya 'ala'l-salaah, hayya 'ala'l-falaah. Qad qaamat
il-salaah, qad qaamat il-salaah. Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, laa
ilaha ill-Allaah (Allaah is most Great, Allaah is most Great. I bear
witness thatthere is no god but Allaah. I bear witness that Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allaah. Come to prayer, come to success. The
prayer is about to begin, the prayer is about to begin.Allaah is most
Great, Allaah is most Great. There is no god but Allaah)." When
morning came, I went to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) and told him what I had seen. He said, "This is
a true dream, in sha Allaah."
Narrated by Abu Dawood (499). Al-Albaani said: (It is) hasan saheeh.
It was narrated that Anasibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: Bilaal was ordered to saythe phrases of the adhaan twice and the
phrases of the iqaamah once.
Narrated by al-Bukhaari (605) and Muslim (378).
It was narrated that Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
In the adhaan at the time of Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) each phrase was said twice, and in the iqaamah
each phrase was said once, except that he would say: Qad qaamat
is-salaah, qad qaamat is-salaah (prayeris about to begin, prayeris
about to begin).
Narrated by Abu Dawood (510); classed assaheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
Abi Dawood.
In another version, the phrases of the iqaamah are exactly like the
phrases of the adhaan, with the addition of the phrase Qad qaamat
is-salaah (prayer is about to begin), which issaid twice. So the
number of phrases is seventeen in all. This is the view of the Hanafis
and some of the Shaafa'is.
See: al-Mabsoot (1/219).
This is the iqaamah of Abu Mahdhoorah (may Allah be pleased with him),
which was taught to him by the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him).
It was narrated that Abu Mahdhoorah (may Allah be pleased with him)
said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) taught me the iqaamah with seventeenphrases: "Allaahu akbar,
Allaah akbar, Allaahu akbar, Allaah akbar; ash-hadu an laa ilaah
ill-Allaah, ash-hadu an laa ilaah ill-Allaah; ash-hadu anna Muhammadan
rasool-Allaah, ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasool-Allaah; hayya 'ala
as-salaah, hayya 'ala as-salaah; hayya 'ala'l-falaah, hayya
'ala'l-falaah; qad qaamat is-salaah, qad qaamat is-salaah; Allaahu
akbar,Allaahu akbar; Laa ilaahaill-Allaah.
Narrated by Abu Dawood (502) and at-Tirmidhi (192); classedas saheeh
by al-Albaani.
Everything that is provenfrom the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) is Sunnah and should be followed. So there is
nothing wrong with the mu'adhdhin reciting the iqaamah of Bilaal or
the iqaamah of Abu Mahdhoor (may Allah be pleased with them both),
although what is better is to do one sometimes and the othersometimes,
so that the entire Sunnah will have been followed.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said, after noting that the
hadeethsindicate that saying the iqaamah in both forms ispermissible:
As that is the case, the correct view is the view of ahl al-hadeeth
and those who agreed with them, which is to accept everything that has
beenproven concerning that from the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) and not to reject any of it, because varying the
format of the adhaan and iqaamah is like varying the format of
recitations and tashahhuds and the like. No one has the right to
reject any precedent or Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) established for his ummah. As for
those who have gone so far as to disagree and split to the point of
forming friendships, feeling enmity and fighting on the basis of such
matters, in which either of the two versions are acceptable, they come
under the heading of those who divide their religion and break up into
sects (cf. 6:159). To follow the Sunnah properly in such cases means
doing it one way sometimes and the otherway sometimes, one wayin some
place and another way in another place, because abandoning what has
been narrated in the Sunnah and adhering to something else may leadto
what is Sunnah being regarded as an innovation and what is mustahabb
being regarded as obligatory, which would lead to division and
differences if others follow the other way. The Muslim should pay
attention to general principles whichinclude adhering to the Sunnah
and the main body of Muslims (as-sunnah wa'l-jamaa'ah), especially
with regard tomatters such as prayer incongregation.
End quote from Majmoo'al-Fataawa, 21/66
He also said:
No one has the right to take the words of one ofthe scholars as a
slogan that must be followed and forbid anything elsethat is mentioned
in the Sunnah; rather everything that is mentioned in the Sunnah is
broad in scope, such as the adhaan and iqaamah.
The one who says the phrases of the iqaamah twice has done well and
the one who says them once has done well, but the one who regards
theone way as being obligatory but not the other is mistaken and has
gone astray. And the one who regards as a friend the one who doesit
one way but not the other just because of that is also mistaken andhas
gone astray.
End quote from Majmoo'al-Fataawa, 22/46
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - , Working out the ‘iddah following the death of the husband according to the Hijri date

I want to find out when my mother's 'iddah will end. My father (may
Allah have mercy on him – I hope that you will pray for mercy and
forgiveness for him) died on Friday 6/4/2012.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We ask Allah, may He be exalted, to have mercy on your father and
forgive him, and to havemercy on all the deceased Muslims, for Heis
All-Hearing, All-Responsive.
Secondly:
If a woman's husband dies, if she is pregnant her 'iddah ends when she
gives birth, because Allah, may He be exalted,says (interpretation of
the meaning): "And for those who are pregnant (whether they are
divorced or their husbands are dead), their Iddah (prescribed period)
is until they deliver (their burdens)" [at-Talaaq 65:4].
If she is not pregnant, then her 'iddah is four months and ten days,
because Allah, may He beexalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they(the wives)
shall wait (asregards their marriage) for four months and ten days"
[al-Baqarah 2:234].
Thirdly:
The woman whose husband has died must observe 'iddah followingthe
lunar calendar, not the solar calendar, because the Islamic rulings
are based on lunar months.
Months are to be counted by new moons if the husband died at the
beginning of the month. If some months are thirty days and others are
twenty-nine days, then the counting is still correct and the woman in
'iddah does not have to make up anyof the days from the months that
were twenty-nine days.
It says in al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (29/315-316): Counting the months
of the 'iddahin the event of divorce, annulment or death of the
husband, is to be based on the lunar, not solar, calendar. If the
divorce or death occurred at the beginning of the month,then the
months are to be counted by the new moons, because Allah, may He be
exalted, says: "They ask you (O Muhammad SAW) about the new moons.
Say: These are signs to mark fixed periods of time for mankind and for
the pilgrimage" [al-Baqarah 2:189], even if that falls short by a few
days, because Allah has commanded us to observe 'iddah by the months.
He, may He be glorified, says: "their Iddah (prescribed period) is
three months" [at-Talaaq 65:4] and "four months and ten days"
[al-Baqarah 2:234].So attention must be paid to the months, whether
they are thirty days or less. End quote.
But if he died during themonth – as in the case mentioned in the
question – then she should observe 'iddah for the remainder of the
first months and for three months thereafter,with their new moons,
whether they are twenty-nine or thirty days, plus ten days, then she
should add whatever she missed of the first month. There are two ways
to work out what she missed of the first month
1. She may regard the first month as thirty days, whether the
month in which the event occurred was thirty or twenty-nine days, and
if she observed 'iddah for twenty days of that month, she should
complete ten more days in the fifth month, and so on.
2. She may observe 'iddah in the fifth monthfor a number of days
equal to what she missed of the first month, whether the month was
thirty days ortwenty-nine days.

Protective Jealousy is the Characteristic of the Noble

Protective jealousy is an innate noble characteristic upon which a
sound person whom Allaah has honored and favored was created. Islam
elevated the rank of this sublime trait and laudably mentioned it to
the extent that it considers defending one's honor and being
protectively jealous about inviolable matters a type of Jihaad. For
this, a person may offer everything and sacrifice his soul, and such a
person would be at the same rank as the martyr in Paradise. It was
narrated on the authorityof Sa'eed ibn Zayd that he said, "I heard the
Prophet saying: 'A person who is killed while protecting his property
is a martyr, a person who is killed while defending his life is a
martyr, a person whois killed while defending his religion is a
martyr, and a person who is killed while defending his family is a
martyr.'
"
The Meaning of Protective Jealousy
It is a change in the state of the heart and feelings of anger that
arise due toa person's feeling that others might share or aspire to
share something that he owns. This feeling appears among the spouses.
Both men and women share this instinct, although theprotective
jealousy of women is greater. This feeling becomes more intense when
the womanfeels that her husband is betraying her or that he desires
another woman. Likewise, the man feels the same when he has suspicions
regarding his wife's behavior or feels that she desires other men.
Protective Jealously from the Sharee'ah Viewpoint
For both men and women, protective jealousy, when called for and shown
in a moderateway, is a praiseworthy trait and it is a necessity for
spouses in order that they can live in kindness. Each of them also has
to consider the protective jealousy of the other and know that every
matter has a moderate and sensible point between its two extremes. It
was proven that the Prophet said: "There is jealousythat Allaah loves
and jealousy that He hates. There is pride that Allaah loves and pride
that He hates. The jealousy that Allaah loves is jealousy regarding a
matter of suspicion. The jealousy that He hates is jealousy regarding
something that is not doubtful. The pride that Allaah loves is a man's
pride when fighting and when givingin charity. The pride that Allaah
hates is that shown in oppression andboasting." [Ahmad and others,
Al-Albaani - Saheeh]
Protective Jealousy is an Indication of Manliness
Protective jealousy, whenjustified and shown in a moderate manner, is
an indication of true manhood. It leads to the protection of honor,
the safeguarding of sacred ordinances, the veneration of the symbols
of Allaah, and the promotion of adherence to the limits that He has
set. It denotesthe strength of one's faith and shows that it is
instilled in his heart. Little wonder then that unethical practices,
impermissible exposure of women's beauty, immorality and
licentiousness prevails throughout the western world and other similar
communities. The reason behind this is either the lack of or the
complete absence of protective jealousy.
Even in the pre-Islamic era, this characteristic prevailed among the
Arabs who experienced the meanings of these virtues. They would be
protectively jealous even about their neighbors' honor from their own
desires. Manly zeal could also drive these people toincite wars for
the sake of any assault against a woman, to protect her honor, or in
response to her seeking refuge. The cause of the war of Al-Fijaar that
broke out between the Arabs was that a group of youth from Banu
Kinaanah saw a woman in the market of 'Ukaath and asked her to uncover
her face, and when she refused they began mocking her. Thereupon, she
screamed, "O people of 'Aamir!" Immediately their fighters responded
to her request. The tribe of Kinaanah stood to defend their youth. The
tribe of Hawaazin stood on the side of Banu 'Aamir and Quraysh stoodon
the side of Kinaanah, which resulted in a countless number of victims
and much bloodshed.
Excessive Protective Jealousy
Excessive jealousy is a source of trouble for the person and those
aroundhim. Many so-called honor-related crimes are committed due to
rumors. This extent of jealousy, which is hazardous, may drive a
person to kill others without any justification or sound evidence for
hisaction. This happens in many places. Some husbands have the disease
of bitter doubts which turns their marital life into unbearable
turmoil. It was narrated that the Prophet forbade that a man should
unexpectedly come to his wife at night,doubting her fidelity
andprobing into her lapses. [Muslim] It is improper for a husband to
have no confidence in his wife, and he should not be excessive in
monitoring her each and every action. There is no doubt that such
behavior damages the marital relationship and severs what Allaah The
Almightyhas ordered to be joined.
'Ali ibn Abi Taalib would say, "Do not have excessive jealousy over
your wives such that you would cause them to be slandered." Also,
Mu'aawiyah said, "There are three characteristics of
nobility:Forgiveness, having a flatabdomen and avoiding excessive
protective jealousy."
Therefore, moderation inthis regard is very important and the limits
of the required protective jealousy are determined by the texts of the
Sharee'ah. It was narrated that the Prophet said: "Allaah becomes
jealous and the believer also becomes jealous. Allaah becomes jealous
when the believer commits what He has forbidden." [Al-Bukhaari]
Protective jealousy is required if women violate the prohibitions of
Allaah The Almighty, and in this case such jealousy is praiseworthy.
Conversely, being void of such jealousy in these situations is
dispraised and is the cause of a person being prevented from entering
Paradise. The proof of this is what was narrated on the authority of
'Ammaar ibn Yaasir that the Prophet said: "There are three types of
people who will never enter Paradise: A Dayyooth, a woman who assumes
a masculine attitude and an alcoholic." His Companions asked, "O
Messenger of Allaah, we know what an alcoholic is, but what is a
Dayyooth?" He replied: "He is the person who does not care who has
private access to his womenfolk." The Companions asked, "Whoare the
women who assume a masculine attitude?" He replied: "They are women
who imitate men."
Considering the Protective Jealousy of Others
When a man feels the pain of a loss or jealousy when his friend
forsakes him and befriends someone else, then we should consider the
jealousy of the mother-in-law. A mother in this situation feels as if
she has lost her son to someone else, after having cared for him
throughout his entire lifeand sacrificed every dear and precious thing
to make him a man of consequence in this life. Also, just as the
person feels jealous over his wife, he should consider her jealousy
over him. It is improper to show his admiration for other women, not
to mention narrating his pre or post-marital relationships, as this is
not a source of pride. Rather, a person should keep it hidden, repent
from such an act if they have happened, and adhere to Sitr (covering
and protection).
A woman should also control herself as much as she can, otherwise
herjealousy would be irrepressible. Commenting on the versein which
Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {And they will have therein
purified spouses.} [Quran 2:25], Ibn Al-Qayyim said, "They are
purified from menstruation, urination and any harm that afflictswomen
in this world. Their souls are also purified from jealousy, wanting to
harm their husbands and desire for other men."
The Jealousy of Allaah The Exalted
Sharee'ah texts prove that Allaah The Exalted becomes jealous . His
jealousy is a fact and He becomes jealous in a manner that befits His
majesty and perfection. Amanifestation of His Jealousy is His dislike
thatHis slave should fall into acts of disobedience or associate
anything in what is due solely to Him in terms of obeying His commands
and avoiding His prohibitions. It was narrated that the Prophet said:
"Allaah becomes jealous and the believer also becomes jealous. Allaah
becomes jealous when the believer commits what He has forbidden."
[Al-Bukhaari] In another Hadeeth, he said: "No one is more jealous
than Allaah The Almighty. Because of His jealousy, Allaah has
prohibited immorality, both apparent and concealed, and no one likes
to be praised more than Allaah The Almighty." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Another narration of this Hadeeth states: "The believer gets jealous
and Allaah is even more jealous." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
It was narrated in a Hadeeth that the Prophet said to his Companions
about one of them: "Are you surprised at Sa'd's jealousy over his
honor? By Allaah, I am more jealous over my honor than he is over his,
and Allaah is more jealous than I am." [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

Guided to Faith by a Blind Boy - II

I wiped away his tears with my hands and held his hand. I wanted to
take him to the mosque by car but he refused, arguing that it was
close by and that he wanted to walk to the mosque. I felt ashamed
because Icould not even remember the last time I had entered the
mosque. However, it was the firsttime I was feeling fear and regretfor
my negligence over the past years.
The mosque was full of worshippers, but I managed to find a place for
Saalim in the first row. We listened to the Friday Khutbah (sermon)
together and he prayed beside me; actually, no,I prayed beside him.
After the end of the prayer, Saalim asked me to hand him a copy of the
Quran. I was surprised: how could he read when he was blind?
I was about to ignore his request, but I responded for fear of hurting
his feelings. I handed him the copy of the Quran.
He asked me to open it and get the beginning of Chapter Al-Kahf. I
kept on turning the pages one time and searching for the page number
in the index another time until I finally found it.
He took it from me, put it before him and started to recite the
Chapter while his eyes were closed. He had memorized the whole
Chapter!
I was ashamed of myself. I pickedup another copy of the Quran.
I felt a shiver going through my body as I read more and more of it. I
asked Allaah The Almighty to forgive and guide me and began crying
like a child. I kept reading the Quran and asked Allaah The Almighty
to forgive and guide me.
There were still some people at the mosque performing the voluntary
prayer. I was embarrassed and tried to hold back my tears, but my
crying turned into weeping and sobbing.
I did not feel a small hand touching my face and wiping away my tears.
It was Saalim. I embraced him, looked at him andsaid to myself: "You
are not the blind; rather, I was the blind one when I followed some
dissolute persons who were dragging me to Hell."
We returned home to my wife, who was very worried about Saalim. Her
worry turned into tears of joy when she came to know that I had
performed the Friday prayer with Saalim.
From that day on, I did not miss any congregational prayer in the
mosque. I deserted my bad companions and had righteous companions whom
I befriended at the mosque. I tasted the sweetness of faith with my
new friends and learnt things from them that I had been too
preoccupied by worldly pleasuresto know. I never missed a gathering of
knowledge or a Witrprayer and completed the recitation of the Quran
many times within one month, by the grace of Allaah The Almighty. I
kept my tongue often busy with remembrance of Allaah The Almighty,
hoping that He would forgive me for past habit of backbiting and
mocking people. Ifelt that I got closer to my family.The look of fear
and pity that always loomed in my wife's eyes disappeared.
Now, a smile never leaves Saalim's face. Anyone who sees him would
feel as if he owns the whole world with everything in it. I praised
Allaah The Almighty so much for His favors.
One day, my righteous friends decided to visit a remote area in order
to give Da'wah. I was hesitating about going with them. I performed
the Istikhaarah prayer and consulted my wife. I had expected that she
would refuse but her answer wasthe opposite!
She was very happy and even encouraged me. She used to see me
traveling for dissolute purposes to commit lewd acts in the past
without consulting her. Iwent to Saalim and told him that I was going
away for a few days, and he embraced me with his small arms and bid me
farewell. Ileft home for three months and ahalf. During that period, I
used tocall my family whenever I had thechance. I missed them so much!
Imissed Saalim so much!
I wished to hear his voice. He wasthe only one who I could not speak
with since I had traveled for he was either in school or the mosque
whenever I called them.
Whenever I told my wife how I missed him, she laughed from sheer joy
and happiness. The last time I called her, however, she did not sound
her normal self and I did not hear her expected laugh.
I asked her to convey my greetings to Saalim. She replied, "In shaa'
Allaah (God Willing)" and kept silent.
Finally I went back home. I knocked on the door, hoping to see Saalim
opening the door, but I was surprised when my son Khaalid, who was
less than four years old, opened the door. I carried him in my arms
while he cried out in joy, "Father! Father!"
I do not know why I felt a sense of distress when I entered the house.
I sought refuge in Allaah The Almighty from the accursed devil. My
wife came forward with an unusually strained face: it was as if she
was faking her joy and happiness.
I looked at her carefully and then asked her, "What is the matter?"
She said, "Nothing." Suddenly I remembered Saalim and said, "Where is
Saalim?"
She lowered her head and did notanswer and some tears fell on her
cheeks. I cried out, "Saalim! Where is Saalim?" Thereupon, I heard
only the voice of my son, Khaalid, saying in a childish tone, "Saalim
went to Paradise...he is with Allaah…"
My wife could not bear her sorrow in silence anymore and burst into
tears. She was about to fall unconscious on the ground, and left the
room.
Later, I came to know that Saalimhad contracted fever two weeks before
my return. My wife took him to the hospital but his fever got worse
and he died.