The New Millennium

The New Millennium
By Maulana I. Suleman
Assalamu Alaikum, dear respected brothers, sisters, elders, and young friends.
Humanity, at this moment in time, human civilization andhuman beings
are all waiting for the mew millennium from the far east coast of
Moscow to the far westcoast of the United States of America; right up
north to the north pole and down to Antarctica. The whole of mankind
is spinning and revolvingaround one word, which is known as the
Millennium. Leaflets have been posted through letterboxes informing
parents, children, neighbors, and societies about what the millennium
bug is. But the fact of the matter remains that this notion of the
millennium has gripped the world and the tools by which the brains are
captured by the TV, Sky TV, and cable TV. These are the tools by which
the brains of the humans are captured. There is a great deal of
apocalyptic hype as weapproach the new millennium. Ordinary people are
grasped by anxiety, where as, scientists, politicians, economists,
religious leaders and the media are busy in anticipating and
predicting the future and the most affected generation is the young
generation. Thisconcept of the new millennium is nothing new.
We should look one thousand years ago when the first millennium came
and see what the history books say. I will quote a particular work by
Professor William Durant, a professor at the University of Berkeley in
California, USA. He wrote the history of civilization over thirty
years. At the time of the last millennium, human beings thought that
the Day of Judgement was going to come. Forthe preparation for theDay
of Judgement they decided to build churches so everyone turned towards
God because they thought the day of Judgement was coming and they
thought, Now, we haveto face our Lord. What will our answers be? But
this Day of Judgement did not come. And if you read the books of
Christianity, they will tell you that the next year after the
millennium is called, The Biggest Disappointed. The biggest
disappointed because Qiyyamah never came. They have a church in
Germany called the Reformation Church. They decided that people are
gettingso far away from Allah:We need to reform, resurrect our Iman.
Thats why they have the Reformation Church and this concept was also
hit tothe Muslim communities. We are now in our 15th century when the
one thousandth Hijri came. Allama Suyooti (R.A.) stated in his work
that this Ummat (of Rasoolullah) will pass their first millennium,
which occurred four centuries ago. He collected all those ahaadith,
which proved that the Muslims will go past the first millennium
because people were concerned at that time like other communities so
he proved in his book by collections of the Prophet SAW that they will
pass the new millenium, which was the first millennium for the Muslims
(according to the Islamic calendar).
So this concept about the millenium was relevant to the Muslims as it
was to the Christians. Some groups of the Christian churches believe
that Y2K will bring the Day of Judgement and others believe that the
time of the millenium is the time of partying. If we put the money
that will be spent in celebrating the new millenium in one corner and
you look at the third world debt on the other corner, you will see
that the world will be spendingthree times as much more money than the
debts of the third world countries.
Human behaviour has come to such an extentthat not only have
theyforgotten Allah, but also they have decided to take the satanic
path, the path of Shaytaan in celebrating. We need to understand the
story line as to why thenew malls, movie theaters, football stadiums,
etc. are being built. We have tounderstand the times and the world we
are facing and then see what the problem is and try to find a solution
for our children and I particularly address those brothers who have
children because it is the future of your child that is at stake now
and the Quran addresses all of us: This world is full of pleasures and
pursuits.If you look at the scenarios around us, you will see stickers
onthe back of cars spreading messages like, Its good to show off. And
if you ask people what they do when they get upset, a lot of people
say, I go shopping. There used to be a time when people used to go to
churches and mosques to find some satisfaction and internal security
and peace in them. But now, we have to go to the big malls and big
arcade places and big cinemas. These are plans of Shaytaan to deviate
mankind away from his goal in life, away from the remembrance of their
Lord. And your Lord says: O man! What has lured you away from your
Gracious Lord, Who created and molded you and gave you an upright
shape?
When the Prophet SAWcame into this world, the community, at the time,
was known as Ummi, or illiterate. They did not know how to live life.
They didnt know what the potential of the humanbeing was and the
Prophet SAW, himself, was not described as a person fully educated
with a professorship or a Ph.D. He was also described as an Ummi. On
the one hand, we have a Prophet who is Ummi and on the otherhand we
have a community who is Ummi. The Prophet SAW stands up to his
community and makes two major claims. Claim number one: I have been
sent into this world as an educator. He had nevereven seen the face of
a teacher and he claims to be an educator. Claim number two: I have
been sent into this world to perfect the best moral conductin human
behaviour, to educate them, and make sure that they live life as human
beings, not as animals of a jungle. This was a major challenge given
to the Prophet SAW. When the last sermon was delivered in the field of
Arafah, there were 125,000 people present. There is no other period of
time in the past two millenniums that one person has changed the lives
and minds of so many people in a period of 23 years. Professor William
Montgomery Watt, lecturer at Edinburgh University, wrote a book called
Muhammad at Mecca, Muhammad at Madina. He is described as a
professional and number one expert on the life of the Prophet SAW. He
said, One thing baffles me. I cannot understand how one man, who hasno
formal education, could lead a community who behaved like animals and
created those human beings, which the world had never seen, created
them into the best individuals. This baffled the professor. These were
Christians who studied Islam and said that the Muslims were the people
who gave the world a lifestyle to live and the intelligence to think
and today the Muslims are living like animals!
You must have heard the name of Ubay bin Khalaf. He was the person who
left no stone unturned in demonstrating his enmity against Islam.
Allama Zahabi has written in his book which is about major sins that
those people who do not perform their salah regularly because they
were too busy in business (or work) would be resurrected on the Day of
Judgement with Ubay bin Khalaf, who was a commercial businessman in
the city of Makkah. And if you were away from salah because you were a
king of a country, then your resurrection will be with Pharaoh because
he forgot Allah. And if you are at a ministerialor a professional
position and that leadsyou away from the remembrance and worship of
Allah, your resurrection will be with Haman. And if your material
assets deviated you from the remembrance of Allah, your resurrection
will be with Qaroon.
Ubay bin Khalaf had a brother called Ummayah bin Khalaf, who was
killed in the Battle of Badr in the year 2 Hijri, year 620. Ummayah
bin Khalaf had a son named Safwaan bin Ummayah. Safwaan wanted to
assassinate the Prophet SAW in revenge of his fathers death. He was a
leader at the time and hired the services of a hit man, a professional
assassin, whose name was Umayr bin Wahb. Umary, after financial
security from Safwan went ahead and dipped his sword into poison and
traveled 600 kilometers from Makkah to Madina. When he got to the
mosque, the Prophet SAW was already giventhe news for the reason he
had come. When he came, the Prophet SAW told him in one ear and not in
front of everyone that, O Umary, have you come to kill me? Safwaan was
shocked and said, How do you know, O Prophet of Allah? The Prophet SAW
replied, I was informed by that Creator who has the information of
everything. And at this moment, Umary said that this person can only
be a Prophet and recited the shahadah. Eight years later, Makkah was
conquered. Umayr saidto the Prophet SAW, You may remember Safwaan, the
one who issued a contract against you. Today, he has fled to Jeddah
and wants to commit suicide because he feels that his life will be
taken (for trying to kill the Prophet SAW eight years before). The
Prophet SAW took his turban off and sent it to Safwaan. When Umayr
came back, he said, Safwaan feels secure from you now and needs two
monthsto think about this. TheProphet SAW said, Givehim four months.
After that, the Prophet SAW took Safwaan to Hunayn and Taif and he
gave him a share of the booty and the spoils of war after which
Safwaan said, This type of behaviour can only be expected from a
Prophet, so the answer to the questionProfessor William M. Watt put
forward in his book is the fact thatIslam was not spread by the sword,
but by the behaviour of the Prophet SAW. The same people who came to
cut off the neck of the Prophet SAW put their necks in his laps. This
kind of person does not rule over the land and territory. This kind of
person rules over the hearts of the people.
So, how do we educateourselves? At the time of the Prophet SAW there
was a Jewish community, there was a Christian community,there was a
community that did not believe in any god. The same communitiesare
here today. The thing that changed the Arabian society was the
characteristics of Rasoolullah SAW. In this day and age, this isa form
of dawah and tableegh propagation of Islam and it is upon the mothers
and fathers to make sure that that type of education is supplied to
our children. Who knows how the next generation will face our deaths.
Are we going to spend our lastdays in this world in nursing homes? Are
they going to remember us at the time of death? As one poet says: Life
is thing that turns on wheels. Death is thing that everyone feels. If
life was a thing that money could buy, the rich would live and thepoor
would die. Allah, in his wisdom, has made it so that the richand the
poor, together must go.

Those who seek to depict Muslims as shedders of blood are mistaken; Islam is a religion of affection, compassion and love

In recent times in particular, some Christians have been making a
number of unrealistic claims regarding Muslims. These people depict
Muslims as bloodthirsty and oppressive individuals, using specific
incidents as evidence, in their own eyes at least, even though this is
all a very far cry from the true facts. They interpret, in their own
eyes, the oppressive system that manifests itself in a number of areas
of the world and that various forces unjustly seek to ascribe to
Islam, in disfavor of the Islam faith. They try to give a totally
different impression of theIslam revealed in the Qur'an, citing
various warsthat took place out of necessity in the past, in which
Muslims were obliged to defend themselves. This is a graveand
groundless calumny. The people in question areunacquainted with Islam,
are unaware of the true face of those who perpetrate cruelty in the
name of Islam and are unable to evaluate the state of affairs in
question in a healthy and rational manner.
The people who make thisclaim imagine that it is genuine Muslims who
abide by the Qur'an that spread terror in the name of Islam. The fact
is, however, that they have nothing to do with the Qur'an or Islam.
The great majority of the well-known terrorist leaders today are
intelligence agents who have been trained for purposes of provocation.
These are members of well-known intelligence agencies in America and
Europe and receive their instructions directly from those intelligence
organizations. All these people have received a Darwinist and
materialist education. They are people who are unable to properly
appreciate Allah, who fail to live by the trueIslamic moral values
commanded by Him, who live far removed from the fine, warm and loving
moral values of our Prophet (saas) and have fallen under Darwinist
indoctrination . They are people who have agreed on the errors of
Darwinism, that conflict is the only road to progress and that
violence and oppression are essential components of life. The fact
they may appear to be Muslims, belong to any Muslim country or that
their identity documents state they are Muslims does not alter that
fact. These people live on an entirely Darwinist world view. This is
how they evaluate the people around them: according tothe errors they
have accepted "human beings are slightly more developed animals; they
have no souls personal identities or responsibilities. In any animal
community, the weak must be weeded outand eliminated."
The terrorist leaders in question are actually people raised to be
"spoiled and faddish" in a manner far removed from Islamic moral
values in America and various European countries, who are always in
the night clubs, have an atheist mindset and have embraced the
negative and degenerate aspects of Western culture. It needs to be
stated here that one may have led all kinds of different lifestyles
before beginning to live by the moral values of the religion, and that
is not something to be criticized.One may hope for Allah's forgiveness
for these errors if one genuinely repents and turns to beliefin Him.
But it is different with the people in question. When the time comes
for these people to go to work, they grow beards and start work
looking like Ahl al-Sunnah (those Muslims who believe and live
according to the Qur'an). They receive their orders from the aforesaid
intelligence agencies under atheist masonic control and unhesitatingly
carry out the requisite actions. They have nothing to do with Islam.
Their religion is not Islam, but Darwinism, materialism.
It is impossible for sincere Ahl al-Sunnah (Muslims who fully abide by
the Qur'an) to support and be a part of such a repressive system that
exists in opposition to the Qur'an. The people who carry out this
oppression in the world are the followers of Ibni Miskeveyh, the
Darwinists, materialists, socialist sympathizers and admirers of
Stalin, Che, Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler and Mao of this world. (tobe
continued)

Dought & clear - , Ruling on buying special sweets sold on the Prophet’s birthday (Mawlid).

Is it haram to eat the special sweets made for the occasion of the
prophet's Birthday, a day before or after or onthe same day? What is
the ruling on buying these sweets especially that this type of sweets
is related only to this occasion?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Celebrating the Mawlid (Prophet's birthday) is bid'ah (an innovation).
Itis not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) or any of his companions or the Taabi'een or the Imams.
Rather it was innovated by the 'Ubaydis (Fatimids), who also
introduced other innovations and misguidance.
The fact that this celebration is an innovation has been discussed in
the answer to question no. 10070 and 70317 .
Secondly:
The basic principle is that it is permissible to eat and drink sweets
that are free of harmful ingredients, so long as that is not helping
in evilor propagating or encouraging its survival.
It seems that buying Mawlid sweets at the time of that celebration
comes under the heading of helping and propagating it; rather it is a
kind of establishing that festival or eid, because an eid is something
that people observe regularly. If it is their custom to eat this
specific food or they make it for that festival, unlike their habits
at other times of the year, then buying and selling it, and eating it
or givingit as a gift, on that day, ispart of celebrating that
festival or establishing it.So it is better for you notto do that on
the day of the celebration.
In Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa'imah there is a discussion to do with
Valentine's Day and buying sweets that have been coloured red and on
which hearts are drawn, as an expression of celebrating that innovated
festival. It says:
The clear evidence from the Qur'aan and Sunnah - on which there is
consensus among the early generations of the ummah - that there are
only two Eids or festivals in Islam: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Any
festivals other than these, whether they are connected to a person,
agroup, an incident or anything lese, are innovated festivals and it
is not permissible for the Muslims to celebrate them or approve of
them, express joy on them or help with them in any way, because thatis
transgressing the sacred limits of Allaah, and whoever transgresses
the sacred limits of Allaah has wronged himself. ... It is also haraam
for a Muslimto help with this festival or any other haraam festivals
in any way, whether it has to do with food, drink, selling, buying,
manufacturing, giving, corresponding, announcing or anything else,
because all of that is cooperating in sin andtransgression and
disobedience to Allaah and to the Messenger of Allaah, (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), and Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning):
"Help you one another in Al-Birr and At-Taqwa (virtue, righteousness
and piety); but do not help one another in sin and transgression. And
fear Allaah. Verily, Allaah is Severe in punishment"
[al-Maa'idah 5:2]
End quote.
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear - , He noticed the smell of maniy on his clothes after he woke up; does he have to do ghusl?.

I have a question and I hope you can answer it. One day I woke up and
I noticed the smell of maniy, but I checked myself and could not
seeany trace of it, so I thought there was no need to do ghusl,
because maniy is something clear and well known. Three days later the
same thing happened to me, but I found traces of it, so I did ghusl.
That led me towonder whether there had been any maniy present on the
first occasion, but I had not noticed it. Do I have to repeat the
prayers of those three days?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
If a person has an erotic dream but does not see any maniy, he does
not have to do ghusl, according to scholarly consensus. If he sees
maniy but does not remember having an erotic dream, then he has to do
ghusl, according to scholarly consensus. What counts with regard to
ghusl being obligatory is the presence of maniy or traces thereof.
See the answer to question no. 22705 and 111846
If you checked your clothes and did not find any trace of maniy, then
you do not have to do ghusl just because you noticed the smell of
maniy. A similar smell may be detected on clothing after sweating.
It was narrated that Umm Salamah said: UmmSulaym came to the Messenger
of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and said: O
Messenger of Allah, Allah is not too shyto tell the truth. Does a
woman have to do ghuslif she has an erotic dream? The Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "If she sees water (a
discharge)."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,130; Muslim, 471
It was narrated from AbuSa 'eed al-Khudri that the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Water (ghusl) is for water
(maniy)."
Narrated by Muslim, 518.
It was narrated that 'Aa'ishah said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) wasasked about a man who notices some
wetness but does not remember having an erotic dream. He said, "He
should do ghusl." He was asked about a man who thinks that he had an
erotic dream but does not see any wetness. He said, "He does not have
to do ghusl." Umm Salamah said, "O Messenger of Allaah, does a woman
have to do ghusl if she sees something like that?" He said, "Yes,
women are the twin halves of men."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 113; Abu Dawood, 236; classed as hasan by
Shaykh al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:Ibn al-Mundhir narrated
that there was consensus on the idea that if a man sees in his dream
that he ejaculated or had intercourse, but does not find any wetness,
then he does not have todo ghusl. And Allah knows best.
End quote from Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, 2/161
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: If he dreams that he
ejaculated but does not see any maniy, then he does not have todo
ghusl. Ibn al-Mundhir said: The scholars from whom I learned were
unanimously agreed on that. … But if he wakes up and sees maniy,
although he does not remember having an erotic dream, then he has to
do ghusl, and we do not know of any difference of opinion concerning
that either. End quote from al-Mughni, 1/130. See also Fath al-Baari
by Ibn Hajar, 1/389
And Allah knows best.


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Muhammad Al-Faatih: about whom the Prophetgave glad tidings

For eight centuries, the conquest of Constantinople, now Istanbul ,
Turkey , was a dream for the Muslim commanders. Ever since the era of
the revered companion, Mu`aawiyah Ibn Abu Sufyaan, there had been many
attempts to conquer it, but none had succeeded.
Every Muslim commanderwanted to be the conqueror praised in the
narration in which the Prophet said: "You will conquer Constantinople
. Its commander is the best and its army (that will conquer it) is the
best."
Who was then the personabout whom the Prophet gave glad tidings? It
was Muhammad Al-Faatih son of the Ottoman Sultan Murad II.
Muhammad Al-Faatih as a child and his excellent preparation:
Muhammad Al-Fatih was born on 27 th Rajab, 835 A.H., 30 th March,
1432. Hewas brought up under the supervision of his father, Sultan
Murad II, the seventh Ottoman Sultan. His father prepared and trained
him to shoulder the responsibilities of the position of a Sultan.
Muhammad Al-Fatih memorized all the Quran, learnt the Prophetic
narrations, Islamic jurisprudence, mathematics, astronomy and the
skills required for war.
He also learnt Arabic, Persian, Latin and Greek languages. He joined
his father in his battles and conquests.
His father appointed him as a ruler of a small emirate so that he
could receive practical training on administering state affairs under
the supervision of some of the top scholars of that time. This matter
influenced the character of the young prince and tinted his
personality with Islamic morals and manners.
Shaykh Aaq Shamsd-Deen, one of the scholars who supervised the
upbringing and education of Muhammad Al-Faatih, managed to inculcate
in his heart the spirit of Jihaad and the desire to be a person with
high ambition.
The Shaykh also told Muhammad Al-Faatih that he may be the one
referred to in the Prophetic narration mentioned above. All thisshaped
the character of Muhammad Al-Faatih. He was devoted to Jihaad, highly
ambitious, widely cultured, and had deep knowledge of the skills ofwar
and combat.
Taking power and his efforts to achieve the glad tiding:
After the death of his father, Sultan Murad II on5 th Muharram, 852
A.H., 7 th February, 1451 A.C., Muhammad Al-Faatih took over and
became the Sultan of the OttomanEmpire . He was a strong young man,
only twenty years old, very enthusiastic and ambitious. He was
thinking of the conquest of Constantinople, the capital of the
Byzantine Empire . This dream overwhelmed him to the extent that he
would not talk about any subject except for the conquest of
Constantinople . He would not even allow anyone who was sitting with
him to talk, except about the expected conquest.
The first step in achievinghis dream was to take control of the Strait
of Bosporus so that he couldprevent any support or supplies that might
come to Constantinople from Europe . So he built a huge castle on the
European seashore of the Strait of Bosporus . Along with top senior
officials, he personally participated in building the castle. It took
three months to build this castle that came to be known as the Roman
Castle. On the other bank of the Strait of Bosporus , there was the
Castle of Anatolia . It then became impossible for any ship tocross
unless it obtained permission from the Ottoman forces.
At that time, a talented engineer managed to make a number of cannons
for the Sultan, Muhammad Al-Faatih . One of these cannons, never known
before that time, was 700 tons and its projectile weighed 1,500
kilograms.
The sound of its shell could be heard from a long distance away. It
was pulled by one hundred oxen aided by one hundred strong men.This
giant cannon was called the Sultanic Cannon.
The conquest of Constantinople and the realization of the glad tidings:
After completing his preparations, Sultan Muhammad Al-Faatih marched
to Constantinople with an army of two hundred and sixty-five thousand
fighters. This army had infantry forces as well as horsemen. Huge
cannons supported this army. The army besieged Constantinople and the
Ottoman cannons started to fire their missiles at the fortified walls
of the city day and night. From time to time, the Sultan surprised the
enemy witha new war plan until the city defenders lost control and
their forces gave up.
At dawn of Tuesday, 20 th Jumaadaa Al-Awwal, 827 A.H., 29 th May,
1453 A.C., the Ottoman forces managed to penetrate the walls and drive
away the defenders who fled. The people of Constantinople were taken
by surprise when they saw the Ottoman flags waving on their walls and
the soldiers flooding into the city.
After the Ottoman forces conquered the city, Sultan Muhammad arrived
on his horse in a great procession that included his ministers and
army commanders. Ever since that time, the Sultan was known as
Muhammad Al-Faatih (theConqueror). The soldiers were shouting:
Mash-Allaah! Mash-Allaah!Long live our Sultan! Long live our Sultan!
The Sultan's procession marched until it reached Hagia Sophia church
where the people of the city had gathered. When they knew that the
Sultan had arrived, they bowed and prostrated and they were all
weeping and crying because they did not know their fate; what Sultan
Muhammad Al-Faatih would do to them.
When the Sultan arrived, he dismounted from his horse and prayed two
Rak`ahs thanking Allaah Who had blessed him with this conquest. Then
the Sultan addressed the people of the city who were still bowing and
prostrating in tears:
Stand up! I am Sultan Muhammad and I would like to tell you, your
brothers, and all the people present that your lives and freedoms are
protected.
The Sultan ordered that the church be turned intoa mosque and for the
first time, the call for prayer was heard from this place. Until now,
this mosque is still known as the Mosque of Hagia Sophia. He also
decided to take Constantinople as a capital of his country. Itwas
called Islambul, meaning the House of Islam. Later on the word was
viciously twisted to become Istanbul .
The Sultan was very tolerant and merciful with the people of the city,
and acted according to the teachings of Islam. He commanded his
soldiers to treat their prisoners of war in a good manner. The Sultan
himself paid the ransoms for a large number of prisoners of war from
hisown money. He also allowed those who left the city when it was
under siege to return home.
The aftermath of the conquest of Constantinople :
Muhammad Al-Fatih attained this victory when he was twenty three years
old. This indicated his early military genius. He also deserved the
glad tidingsof the Prophet who foretold that a good person would
conquer that city.
Later on, Muhammad Al-Faatih headed to complete his conquests inthe
Balkan. He managed to conquer Serbia , Greece , Romania , Albania and
Bosnia Herzegovina. He also looked forward to conquering Rome so that
he would have another source of pride in addition to the conquest of
Constantinople .
In order to achieve this great hope, he needed toconquer Italy . He
prepared a tremendous fleet for this mission. He managed to land his
forces and a large number of cannons near the Italian city Otarant.
Consequently he managed to capture its castle in Jumaadaa Al-Awwal 885
A.H., July 1480 A.C.
Muhammad Al-Fatih decided to take Otarant as a base for his
northernmilitary operations until he could reach Rome . TheEuropean
world was terrified because of this attempt and they expected the fall
of the historical city, Rome , intothe hands of Muhammad Al-Fatih .
However, he died suddenly (on 4 th Rabee' Al-Awwal, 886 A.H., 3 rd
May, 1481 A.C.) while he was preparing to realize this dream. All
Europe was very happy when they knew about his death. The Pope of Rome
ordered that thankfulness prayer be held in churches as a means of
expressing joy and happiness over the news.
Muhammad Al-Fatih as a statesman and a sponsor of civilization
During the reign of Muhammad Al-Faatih andbecause of his wise
leadership and well-planned policy, the Ottoman State reached
boundaries that it had never done before.
All these conquests were not the only achievements of Muhammad
Al-Faatih mayAllaah have mercy on him. Through the help of some of his
loyal men, he managed to establish a constitution based on theBook of
Allaah and the Sunnah of His Prophet and the Ottoman state adhered to
this constitution for about four centuries.
Although he was very busy, he managed to establish more than 300
mosques, 192 of which were in Istanbul alone. Healso built 57 schools.
Among his most famous architectural monuments are the Mosque of Sultan
Muhammad, the Mosque of Abu Ayyoob Al-Ansaari,and Sarai Tub-Qabu
Palace .
Muhammad Al-Faatih was known for his love for literature. He was a
good poet and a regular reader. He liked the company of scholars and
poets and made some of them ministers. Whenever he heard about a great
scholar in any field, he would help and support him or ask him to come
to Istanbul inorder to benefit of his knowledge.
The character of Muhammad Al-Faatih :
Muhammad Al-Faatih was a committed Muslim who abode by the rulingsof
Islamic jurisprudence. Because of the way he was brought up, he was a
pious man. As for his military conduct, it was very civilized and it
was unfamiliar to Europe in itsMedieval Ages.
Owing to his ambition fostered by his teachers who always encouraged
him to be the conqueror of Constantinople , he managed to make the
greatest of his achievements by conquering this city.
Muhammad Al-Faatih managed to realize his dreams through hard,
continuous work, and well-organized planning.For example, before
besieging Constantinople , he prepared for the warby making cannons,
preparing his fleet, and making use of all the factors that might
renderhim victorious.
Through high ambition, determination, and the effort to achieve his
goals, he managed to materialize his dream, make his hope an existing
reality which made him one of the great Muslim heroes and conquerors.

A husband's responsibilities towards his family

The family is that brick which forms the foundation of a society. It
is composed of individuals that have permanent relations established
between them. Most importantly, it possesses almost a majority of the
different kinds of personal relations. Because of this, there must be
certain etiquettes placedin order to control and regulate these
relations. This is such that it can be maintained in the best possible
manner, and so that it can generate and produce its proper fruits.
Family relations consist of the relationship between the spouses from
one perspective, the relationship between the parents and the children
from a second perspective, and the relationship between the children
themselves from a third perspective.
Etiquettes pertaining to the Husband
1. It is not from the deficiencies, but rather from good manners, that
the husband shares in the responsibility of specified matters, such as
the mending of garments or what is similar to that.
2. It is appropriate for a man to not restrict himself from serving
himself. This is since the wife takes care of the household affairs.
So therefore, it is from good manners that the husband extends a
helping hand to his wife in the house, during times of necessity, such
as when she is sick, pregnant, has given birth or similar to that.
3. The exemplary husband is he who cooperates with his wife by bearing
good relations and showing kind manners (to her), according to the
full extent of themeaning contained in these (last)two expressions.
Truly, the husbands who are best at working alongside their wives are
the best of mankind in the view of Islam.
4. Beware of characterizing the relationship between the spouses with
over-seriousness! For indeed characterizing the family life with a
militaristic nature amounts to one of the causes for failure and bad
results.
5. From the kind and noble manners of the husband is that he complies
and assents to the requests of his wife, so long as they are not
forbidden in Islam.
6. The husband should specify a time in which he can play around and
pass free time with his wife.
7. The relationship between the spouses must contain one singular and
specific nature. And it cannot be this way unless the couple begin
demolishing all the obstacles and impediments that stand between them.
For example, the husband should notfeel timid and restrain himself
from drinking out of the same cup that his wife drinks out of.
8. There is no human being that is perfect. So there is no doubt that
the husband will see things in his wife that do not comply with his
natural disposition and preferences. If these aspects are not in
opposition to the fundaments of Islam or to the obedience of the
husband and hisrights, then at that point, he should not try to change
her personality. He should also remember that if there are some
characteristics that he doesn't find pleasing in his wife, then indeed
she has other characteristics, which are definitely pleasing to him.
9. Do not let Ramadhaan be a barrier that impedes you from showing
affection to your wife. But this is so long as you are ableto refrain
yourself, since what is forbidden during the days of Ramadhaan is only
sexual intercourse. Showing affection to one's wife during Ramadhaan
can be done during the night andif during the day (while they are
fasting), it can be done by other than kissing and huging.
10. Do not chase after the small errors of your wife and recount them
to her, for too much blaming and reprimanding will worsen the
relationship betweenthe two of you, and it will pose a threat to your
marital life.
11. If you are able, do not hold back from providing your wife with
good clothing and food, andfrom being generous in spendingmoney on
her. This is of course according to the extent of your ability.
12. Do not give little importance to implementing the
punishmentrequired for any acts in opposition to the Islam, which your
wife has committed, whether it is in the home or outside it. This
should be the onlyreason that causes you to become angry.
13. What has been stated previously does not mean that you should
leave matters alone until that result comes to happen. Thus, whenever
you realize that a matter is left alone, weigh it with seriousness and
determination, without being too harsh or rude about it.
14. Do not attempt to meddle into your wife's housework affairs that
do not fall into your area of duties and responsibilities, such as the
food and the order of the house because woman like to put their
personal touch on the house (herkingdom).
15. Beware of scolding your wife or blaming her for a mistake she
committed, in the presence of others, even if they are your own
children. For indeed that is an actthat goes against correct behavior
and it will lead to raising anger in the hearts of people.
16. If you are forced to place punishment upon your wife after having
adviced her and she didn'trespond then let it be by staying away from
her at bedtime. And do not boycott her except that it is done within
the household. And avoid using foul language, insulting her, beating
her and describing her with repulsive names.
17. Having jealousy and caring about the bashfulness of your wife is a
praiseworthy thing, which shows your love for her. However it is on
the condition that you do not go to great extremes in this jealousy.
For then at that point, it would turn into something worthy of no
praise.
18. Entering the house: Do not alarm your family by entering upon them
suddenly. Rather, enter while they are aware of it, and greet them
with Salaam. Andask about them and how they aredoing. And do not
forget to remember Allaah, the Mighty and Sublime, when you enter the
house.
19. Beware of spreading any secrets connected with the intimate
encounters you have with your wife, for that is something restricted
and forbidden.
20. Constantly maintain the cleaning of your mouth and the freshening
of your breath.
21. Guardianship of your wife doesn't mean that you can exploit what
Allaah has bestowed upon you from taking charge of her, such that you
harm and oppress her.
22. Showing respect and kindnessto your wife's family is showing
respect and kindness to her. This applies on the condition that it is
not accompanied by an act forbidden in Islam, such as intermingling of
the sexes or being in privacy (with them).
23. Too much joking will lead to (your family having) little fear (of
disobeying you) and a lack of respect for you.
24. Be prompt in fulfilling the conditions, which you promised to your
wife during the pre-marriage agreement.
25. When you lecture your wife orreprimand her or simply speak toher,
choose the kindest and nicest of words and expressions for your
speech.
26. It is not proper for you to ask your wife to look for work outside
of the house or to spend upon you from her wealth.
27. Do not overburden your wife with acts that she is not able to
handle. Consider, with extreme regard, the environment she was raised
up in. Rural service is not like urban service, and the serviceof a
strong woman and her preparation for it is not like the service of a
weak woman.

Islamic Stories - , Thirst for Learning

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
"After the passing away of the Prophet (peace beupon him), I said to
an Ansari friend of mine: 'The Prophet is not now with us. But a large
number of Sahabah are still among us. Let us go to them and get
knowledge of the Islamic practices.' He said: ' Who is going to
approach you for learning a regulation in the presence of these
eminent Sahabah?' I wasnot discouraged. I kept up my quest for
knowledge and approached every person who was supposed to have heard
something from the Prophet. I managed to gather substantial
information from the Ansar. If on my visit to someone of the Sahabah,
I found him asleep, I spread my shawl at the gate and satwaiting.
Sometimes my face and body would getcovered with dust, but I kept
sitting till they woke and I was able to contact them. Some of them
said: 'Abdullah you are the cousin of the Prophet; you could have sent
for us. Why did you take the trouble of coming to our places?' I said
to them: 'I must come to you, for I am a student and you are my
teachers.' Some people for whom I had waited said: 'Since when have
you been waiting for us?' I informed them that I had been sitting
there for a pretty long time. They said: 'What a pity! You could have
awakened us from our sleep.' I said: 'I did not like to disturb you
for my own sake.' I thus carried on my pursuits, till there came a
time when people began to flock to me for learning. My Ansari friend
realizedthis at that time and remarked: 'This boy has surely proved
himself more sensible than us.'"
Source: From the book"Stories of the Sahabah" by Shaikh Muhammad
Zakariyya Kaandhlawi.
Besides our quest for knowledge to earn a livelihood in this world, we
must as well gain sufficient knowledge of Islam. No matter what age
group we belong to at this moment, we should atleast have that much
Islamic knowledgewith which we can turn our 24 hours life into
worship. Those with knowledge and practice will be exalted in this
world and in the hereafter.

Islamic Stories - , Army of Elephants

The following incident ismentioned in Surah Feel of the Holy Quran and
it happened during the period of the birth-year of Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him). Abraha Al-Ashram was the governor of Yemen on
behalf of the king of Ethiopia. He (Abrahah) thought to build a
house(like the Kabah at Makkah) in Sana (the capital of Yemen) and
call the Arabs to performthe pilgrimage there in Sana instead of the
Kabah in Makkah, with the intention of diverting the trade and
benefits from Makkah to Yemen. He presented his idea to the king of
Ethiopia who agreed to it. So the house (church) was built and he
named it Al-Qullais; there was no church of its like at that time.
Then a man from the Quraish tribe ofMakkah came there and was
infuriated by it, so he relieved his nature (stools and urine) in it,
soiled its walls and went away. When Abrahah Al-Ashram saw that, he
could not control his anger and raised an army to invade Makkah and
demolish the Kabah.He had in that army thirteen elephants and amongst
them was an elephant called Mahmud which was the biggest of them. So
that army proceeded and none amongst the Arab tribes that faced them
(fought against them) but was killed and defeated, till itapproached
near Makkah. Then there tookplace negotiations between Abrahah
Al-Ashram and the chief of Makkah (Abdul Muttalib bin Hashim, the
grandfather of the Prophet), and it was concluded that Abrahah would
restore the camels of Abdul Muttalib which he had taken away, and then
he (Abrahah) would decide himself as regards the Kabah. Abdul Muttalib
ordered the men of Makkah to evacuate the city and go to the top of
the mountains along with their wives and children in case some harm
should come to them from the invading oppressors. Then that army moved
towards Makkah till they reached valley Muhassir. While the army was
marching towards Makkah, in the middle of the valley, suddenly it was
overtaken by flocks of birds, flocks after flocks, air-raiding that
army with small stones slightlybigger than a lentil seed.There never
fell a stone on a soldier except it dissolved his flesh and burst it
into pieces. So they perished with a total destruction. Abrahah
Al-Ashram fled away while his flesh wasbursting into pieces till he
died on the way (back to Yemen). Such was the victory bestowed by
Allah, (the All-Majestic, All-Powerful) to the people of Makkah and
such was the protection provided by Him for His House (Kabah in
Makkah).
Extracted from Tafsir of Surah Feel (Surah 105)