The Age of Ignorance

After the Prophet (sallallahu alaiyhi wassallam) of Allah , Isa ibn
Maryam, there was a long period without a Prophet. Light and knowledge
disappeared. Christianity fell into disrepute and became a matter of
sport for the corrupt and the hypocrites. From the verybeginning,
Christianity had been subjected to alterations by extremists and to
interpretations by the ignorant. The simple teaching of the Messiah
was buried beneath the transgressors' evil behaviour.
The Jews had become a society obsessed with rites and rules lacking
all life and spirit. Apart from that, Judaism a tribal religion, did
not carry a message to the world nora summons to other nations nor
mercy to humanity at large.
The Magians were devoted to fire-worship. They built altars and
shrines to fire. Outside the shrines they followedtheir own pursuits.
Eventually, no difference whatever could be discerned between the
Magians and those with no religion or morality.
Buddhism, a religion widespread in India and Central Asia, was
transformed into outright paganism. Altarswere built and images of the
Buddha set up wherever it went.
Hinduism, the basic religion of India, is distinguished by its
millions of idols and gods, and by the unjust separation that exists
between its castes, discrimination between the castes being a harsh
reality of daily life.
The Arabs also suffered from a paganism and idol-worship of the most
abhorrent kind that had no parallel, even in pagan Hindu India. They
were involved in shirk and adopted gods other than Allah. Every tribe,
region or city had a particular idol. Indeed, every house had a
private idol. Inside the Ka'bah, the house which Ibrahim (peace be
upon him) had built for the worship of Allah alone, and in its
courtyard, stood three hundred and sixty idols.
THE ARABIAN PENINSULA:
The morals of the Arabs were corrupted and they were obsessed with
drinking and gambling. Their cruelty and so-called zeal reached the
point where they buried baby girls alive. Raiding was widespread as
well as highway robbery against trading caravans. The position of
women in society was so low that they could be inherited like property
oranimals. Children were murdered because their parents feared the
poverty that would come from raising them. The Arabs were fond of war
and did not hesitate to shed blood. A minor incident could stir up a
war lasting for many years in which thousandsof people would lose
their lives.
CORRUPTION:
In short, at this time, mankind was on a suicidal course. Man had
forgotten his Creator andwas oblivious of himself, his future, and his
destiny. He had lost the ability to distinguish between good and evil,
and what is beautiful andwhat is ugly. Throughout vast regions no one
was concerned with religion at all and no one worshipped his Lord
without associating something with Him. Allah Almighty spoke the truth
when He said: 'Corruption has appearedin the land and sea through what
the hands of People have earned, that He may let them taste some part
of that which they have done, that perhaps they will return.' (30:41)
THE PROPHET(SALLALLAHU ALAIYHI WASSALLAM) IS SENT TO THE ARABIAN PENINSULA:
Allah chose the Arabs to receive the call of Islam and to convey it to
the furthest corners of the world. These people were simple-hearted
with no complicated ideologies which would have been difficult to
remove. While the Greeks, Persians and people of India were arrogant
about their many sciences, their fine literature and their splendid
civilisation, the Arabs followed only simple traditions related to
their desert existence. It was not difficult to sweep these away and
replace them with a freshvision.
The Arabs were in a natural state. When it was difficult for them to
grasp the truth, they fought it. However, whenthe covering was removed
from their eyes, they welcomed the new beginning and, having embraced
it, would risk their lives for it. They were honest and trustworthy,
hardy, courageous and fine horsemen. They also possessed a will of
iron.
In Makkah , a city in the Arabian peninsula, was the Ka'bah which had
been built by Ibrahim and Isma'il (peace be upon them). In it, Allah
alone was to be worshipped and it was tobe a centre for calling people
to tawhid for all time. Tawhid, meaning the Oneness of Allah, is in
sharp contrast with the worship of idols.
The first house established for people was that at Bakkah, a blessed
place and a guidance for the worlds. (3:97)

Before Prophethood

AND THE QURAYSH:
After a long journey, Ibrahim (Alayhis salam) approached Makkah, which
lies in a valley between desolate mountains. As there was no water,
crops could notgrow and human life could not be sustained there.
Accompanied by his wife Hajar and his sonIsma'il, Ibrahim was fleeing
from the cult of idol-worship which had spread throughout the world.
He wanted to establish a centre in which Allah alone would be
worshipped and to which people could be called. It would be a beacon
of guidance and a sanctuary of peace, radiating true faith and
righteousness.
Allah accepted Ibrahim's intention and blessed thespot. After Ibrahim
had left the inhospitable territory, water flowed from a spring to
provide his small family with the means to survive. Hajar and Isma'il
dwelt in this arid place far away from other people. Allah blessed the
spring of Zamzam and, to this day, people continue to drink its water
and to take it with them to all corners of the globe.
While Isma'il was growing up, Ibrahim visited his family. He wanted to
sacrifice Isma'il, who was still onlya child, in order to show that
his love of Allah was greater than his love for his son, just as Allah
had commanded him to in a dream. Isma'il also agreed to Allah's
command that he should be sacrificed. But Allah saved him and provided
a ram from Paradise as a ransom to be sacrificed instead. Isma'ils
survival meant that he would be able to help his father in calling
people to Allah and to become the ancestor of the last Prophet of
Allah, His exalted Messenger.
On a later visit to Makkah,Ibrahim and his son together constructed
the Ka'bah, the House of Allah. They prayed to Allah to accept the
House and to bless their action. They also beseeched Allah to allow
them to live and die in Islam and for Islam to continue after their
death. They asked Allah to send a Prophet from among their descendants
to renew the call of his ancestor Ibrahim and to complete what he had
begun.
'When Ibrahim and Isma'il raised the foundations of the House,
praying, "Our Lord, accept this from us. You are the Hearing, the
Knowing. Our Lord, and make us surrender to You, and make of our
descendants a nation that surrenders to You. Show us our rites and
turn to us, You are the One who turns, the Compassionate. Our Lord,
and send among them a Messenger from among them who will recite to
them Your signs and teach them the Book and the Wisdom and purify
them. You are the Mighty,the Wise. " ' (2: 129-9
Allah blessed their descendants and the family multiplied in that
barren valley. Adnan, a descendant of Isma'il (peace be upon him) had
many children. Among Adnan's descendants Fihr ibn Malik, in
particular, was a distinguished chiefof the tribe. From Fihr's
descendants Qusayy ibn Kilab emerged. He ruled Makkah and held the
keys to the Ka'bah. He inspired obedience, was the guardian of the
waters of Zamzam and was responsible for feeding the pilgrims. He also
presided at the assemblies where the nobles of Makkah gathered for
consultationand he held the banner for war. He alone controlled the
affairs of Makkah.
Among his sons Abd Manaf was the most illustrious, while his eldest
son, Hashim became a great man of the people. He provided food and
water for the pilgrims coming to Makkah. He was the father of
Abdul-Muttalib, the Messenger of Allah's grandfather, who was also in
charge of feeding and giving water to the pilgrims. He was honoured
and held in high esteem by his people and his popularityoutstripped
that of his ancestors. His people loved him.
The descendants of Fihr ibn Malik were called Quraysh. This name came
to predominate over all others and the tribe adopted it. All the Arabs
recognised the excellent lineage and nobility of the Quraysh. Their
eloquence, civility, gallantry and high mindedness were unanimously
accepted.
IDOL WORSHIP IN MAKKAH:
The Quraysh continued tohold to the religion of Ibrahim and Isma'il,
glorifying the creed of tawhid and the worship of Allah alone, until
Amr ibn Luhayy became their chief. He was the first to deviate from
the religion of Isma'il and to set up idols which he encouraged people
to worship. Once he had travelled from Makkah to Syria on business
where he saw people worshipping idols. He was so impressed that he
brought some idols back to Makkah and set them up, commanding the
people there to venerate them.
Traditionally some people would take a few stones from the Haram, the
sanctuary, with them when they travelled fromMakkah as a token of
respect for the holy spot. This led to the day when they began to
worship any stones they liked. Later generations lost track of the
reasons why stones were originally venerated and the Quraysh were
happy to worship stone idols just like the people were doing in
surrounding countries.
THE EVENT OF THE ELEPHANT:
During this period a significant event took place which portended
another happening of even greater importance.It meant that Allah
desired a better future for the Arabs and that theKa'bah would take on
an importance never before attained by any place of worship anywhere
in theworld.
Abrahah al-Ashram, the viceroy of Negus, the King of Abyssinia, who
ruled over the Yemen, built an imposing cathedral in San'a' and named
it 'al-Qullays'. He intended to divert the Arab pilgrimage to San'a'.
As a Christian, he was jealous that the Ka'bah should be the place
where pilgrims gathered and he wanted this position for his church.
The Arabs were stunned by the news. They could not equate any other
place with the love and respect they had for the Ka'bah. They could
not contemplate exchanging it for any other house of worship. They
were preoccupied with the news and discussed it endlessly. An Arab
daredevil from the Kinanah tribe went so faras to enter the cathedral
and defecate in it. Abrahah was furious when he heard about it and
swore that he would not rest until he had destroyed the Ka'bah.
He set out for Makkah with a strong force that included elephants. The
Arabs had heard some frightening stories about elephants. They were
both distressed and alarmed. Although they wanted to obstruct the
progress of Abrahah's army, they realised that they lacked the power
to fight him. They could only leave the matter to Allah and trust to
the fact that He was the Lord of the Ka'bah and would protect it. This
trust is amply demonstrated by aconversation between Abrahah and the
leader of the Quraysh, Abdul-Muttalib, the grandfatherof the Prophet.
Abrahah had seized two hundred camels of his, so Abdul-Muttalib sought
permission to see him. Abrahah treated him with respect, descended
from his throne and sat down beside him. When Abrahah asked what he
wanted, Abdul-Muttalib replied, 'I want you to return my two hundred
camels.'
Abrahah was taken by surprise. He asked, 'Do you wish to speak to me
about your two hundred camels that I have taken but say nothing about
the House on which your religion and that of your forefathers depends
I have come to destroy it, yet you do not speak to me about it!'
Abdul-Muttalib replied, 'I am the owner of the camels. The House also
has an Owner. He will defend 'It will not be defended against me,'
retorted Abrahah. 'That remains to be seen,' said Abdul-Muttalib.
As Abrahah's force drew near, the Quraysh hid high up in the
mountainsand down in the ravines. They feared the army's approach and
waited to see how Allah would savethe sacred sanctuary. Abdul-Muttalib
stood with a group of Quraysh and took hold of the door of the Ka'bah,
imploring Allah to help them against Abrahah and his army.
Abrahah drew up his soldiers to enter Makkah fully intending to
destroythe House. His elephant, whose name was Mahmud, was prepared
for the attack. However, the elephant knelt down on the road and
refused to get up in spite of severe beatings. When they turned it to
face Yemen it got up immediately and moved off.
Allah then sent flocks of birds from the sea; each bird carried stones
in its claws. Whenever a stone struck one of Abrahah's soldiers it
killed him. The Abyssinians fled in terror,rushing back as the stones
hit them. Abrahah was badly hurt. When his soldiers tried to take him
with them, his limbs fell off one by one. They tookhim to San'a' where
he died a miserable death. The Qur'an relates:
'Have you not seen What your Lord did with the people of the Elephant?
Did He not make their plan come to nothing. He sent birds against them
in flocks, stoning them with stones of baked clay. He made them like
eaten stubble.'(l 05: 1-5)
When Allah repelled the Abyssinians from Makkah,the Arabs respect for
the Quraysh increased. They said, 'These are the people of Allah.
Allah fought on their side and helped them to defeat their enemy.'
The Arabs attached great importance to this event and rightly so. They
dated their calendar from it, saying, 'This occurred in the Year of
the Elephant,' and 'So-and-so was born in the Year of the Elephant' or
'This occurred so manyyears after the Year of the Elephant.' The Year
ofthe Elephant was 570 in the Christian calendar.
ABDULLAH AND AMINAH:
Abdul-Muttalib, chief of the Quraysh, had ten sons. Abdullah, the
tenth, was the noblest and his father married him to Aminah, daughter
of Wahb, leader of the BanuZuhrah. At that time, her lineage and
position made her the best woman in the Quraysh.
However before long Abdullah died, leaving a pregnant wife who was to
become the mother of the Messenger of Allah. Aminah saw many signs and
indications that her son would become an important figure in the
future.
NOBLE BIRTH AND PURE LINEAGE:
The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was
born on Monday, 12 Rabi'al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant (570
C.E.). It was the happiest day ever. His ancestry can be traced back
to the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
His full name is Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim
ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy ibn Kilab ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn
Ghalib ibn Fihribn Malik ibn an-Nadr ibnKinanah ibn Khuzaymah ibn
Mudrikah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar ibn Nizar ibn Ma'add ibn Adnan. The
lineage of Adnan goes back to the Prophet Isma'il, the son of the
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon both of them).
The Prophet's mother sent a message to his grandfather,
Abdul-Muttalib, telling him that she had given birth to a boy. He came
and looked at the baby lovingly. Then he picked him up and took him
into the Ka'bah. He praised Allah and prayed for his grandson whom he
named Muhammad. The Arabs were not familiar with this name and were
surprised by it.
BABYHOOD:
It was the custom in Makkah for suckling babies to be put in the care
of a desert tribe where they grew up in the traditional healthy
outdoor environment. Abdul-Muttalib looked fora wet-nurse for his
fatherless grandson, whom he loved more than all his children. Halimah
as-Sa'diyah who received this good fortune had left her home to find a
suckling child. It was a year of severe drought and her people were
suffering hardship. They needed some income, The baby (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) had been offered to many nurses but they had
refused him, because they were hoping for a good payment from the
child's father. 'An orphan!' they would exclaim, 'What can his mother
or grandfather do!'
Halimah also left him at first but her heart had warmed to him. Allah
inspired her with love forthis baby so she returnedto fetch him and
took him home with her. Up until this time she had been an unlucky
person but now she found countless blessings. Her animals' udders and
her own breasts overflowed with milk and her aged camel and lame
donkey were rejuvenated. Everyone said, 'Halimah you have taken a
blessed child.' Her friends envied her.
She continued to enjoy prosperity from Allah until the baby had spent
two years with the Banu Sa'd and was weaned. Hewas growing up
differently from the other children. Halimah took him to his mother
and asked if she could keep him for a longer- period and Aminah
agreed.
While the infant, who was to become the Messenger of Allah, was with
the Banu Sa'd two angels came and split open his chest. They removed a
black clot from his heart and threw it away. Then they cleansed his
heart and replaced it.
He tended sheep with hisfoster brothers and was reared in an
uncomplicated, natural environment. He lived the healthy life of the
desert and spoke the pure Arabic for which theBanu Sa'd ibn Bakr were
famous. He was sociable and popular. His foster brothers loved him and
he loved them.
Eventually he returned toMakkah to live with his mother and
grandfather. He thrived under Allah's care and grew up to be healthy
and strong.
THE DEATHS OF AMINAH AND ABDUL-MUTTALIB:
When the Messenger of Allah was six years old, his mother, Aminah,
died.She had taken him to Yathrib to visit her relatives and on the
journey back her death occurred at al-Abwa between Makkah and Madinah
. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) must have felt very
lonely at this time but he went to stay with his grandfather who was
extremely kind to him. Hewould sit Muhammad (peace and blessings be
upon him) on his favourite seat in the shade of the Ka'bah and
affectionately caress him.
When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless himand grant him peace)
was eight, Abdul-Muttalibalso died.
HIS UNCLE,ABU TALIB:
The Messenger of Allah then went to live with hisuncle, Abu Talib, the
full brother of his father, Abdullah. Abdul-Muttalib had told Abu
Talib to takegood care of the boy so he was always protective towards
him. He treated him with more kindness than he showed to his own sons,
Ali, Ja'far and Aqil.
DIVINE TRAINING:
As he grew up, the Messenger of Allah was protected by Allah Almighty.
He distanced himself from the obscenities and bad habits of the
Jahiliyyah. He outshone everyone in manliness, character, modesty,
truthfulness, and trustworthiness. He earned respect and the name
'trustworthy'. He respected family ties and shared the burdens of
others. He honoured his guests and demonstratedpiety and fear of God.
He always provided his own food and was content with simple meals.
When he was about fourteen years old, the Fijar War broke out between
the tribes of Quraysh and Qays. The Messenger of Allah was atsome of
the battles, passing arrows for his uncles to fire. He learned about
war and about horsemanship and chivalry during these tribal
encounters.
MARRIAGE TO KHADIJA(R.A.):
When the Messenger of Allah was twenty-five, he married Khadijah bint
Khuwaylid, a Qurayshi woman of excellent character who was then forty
years of age. She had a fine intellect, noblecharacter and great
wealth. She had been widowed when her husband, Abu Halah, died.
Khadijah was a businesswoman who hired men to trade goodsfor her and
gave them a share of her profits. The Quraysh were a merchantpeople.
She tested the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah, his noble
character and his sincerity when he took some of her goods to Syria to
trade. When she was told about his outstanding competence on this
journey she expressed her desire to marry him although she had refused
the offer of many noblemen of the Quraysh. The Messenger of Allah also
wished to marry her. His uncle Hamzah conveyed the khutbah, the
marriage proposal, to Khadijah's family and they all readily agreed to
it. When the marriage took place Abu Talib delivered the khutbah at
the ceremony.
Khadijah was the first woman that the Messenger of Allah married and
she bore him all his children except Ibrahim.
REBUILDING THE KA'BAH:
When the Messenger of Allah was thirty-five, the Quraysh decided to
rebuild the Ka'bah. Apart from needing a new roof, they found that the
stone walls, that were higher than a man's head, had no clay to
bindthe stones together. Theyhad no alternative but to demolish the
building and erect it again.
When the rebuilding had reached the point where the traditional Black
Stone had to be put in place, they began to argue. Each clan wanted to
have the honour of carrying out this prestigious task. They began to
argue fiercely among themselves. During these pagan days far more
trivial issues than this could spark off a war.
They prepared to fight. The Banu Abdu'd-Dar brought a large bowl
filled with blood. They and the Banu Adi put their hands in the blood
and took a vow to fight to the death.
It was a sign of death and evil. The Quraysh remained in that sorry
state for several days, before agreeing that the first person to enter
the door of the mosque should make the decisionabout placing the Black
Stone. The first to enter was the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless
himand grant him peace). When they saw him, they said, 'This is the
trustworthy one. We are pleased. This is Muhammad.'
The Messenger of Allah called for a piece of cloth He took the stone
and placed it in the centre of the cloth. Then he said that each clan
should take a corner of the clothand lift it together. They did this,
bringing it to its position. He put the BlackStone in place with his
own hands, and then the building continued.
This was how the Messenger of Allah prevented a war from breaking out
among the Quraysh by a supreme demonstration of wisdom.
HILF AL-FUDUL:
The Messenger of Allah was present at the Hilf al-Fudul. This was the
most renowned alliance ever heard of in Arabia. Itwas formed because a
man from Zabid had arrived in Makkah with some merchandise and al-As
ibn Wa'il, one of theQuraysh nobles, bought goods from him and
thenwithheld payment. The Zabidi asked the Quraysh nobles for help
against al-As ibn Wa'il, but they refused to intervene because of his
position. The Zabidi then appealedto the people of Makkah as a whole
for support.
All the fair-minded youngmen were full of enthusiasm to put the matter
right. They met in the house of Abdullah ibnJud'an who prepared food
for them. They made a covenant by Allahthat they would unite with the
wronged man against the one who had wronged him until the matter was
settled. The Arabs called that pact Hilf al-Fudul, 'The Alliance of
Excellence'. They said, 'These people have entered into a state of
excellence.' Then they went to al-As ibn Wa'il and took from him what
he owed to the Zabidi and handed it over.
The Messenger of Allah was proud of this alliance. He held it in such
high esteem that, after receiving the message of Islam, he said,'In
the house of Abdullah ibn Jud'an I was present at an alliance which
was such that if I was invited to take part in it now in Islam, I
would still do so.' The Quraysh pledged to restore to everyone whatwas
their due and not to allow any aggressor to get the better of those
hehad wronged.
In Allah's wisdom, His Messenger was allowed to grow up unlettered. He
could neither read norwrite. Thus, he could never be accused by his
enemies of altering otherideologies. The Qur'an indicates this when it
says, 'Before this you did not recite any Book nor write it with your
right hand for then those who follow falsehood would have doubted.'
(29: 48)
The Qur'an called him 'unlettered' and said, 'those who follow the
Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, whom they find written down with
them in the Torah and Evangel.' (7:157)

Story,- The Boats of the Glen Carrig: Chapter 10

X
THE LIGHT IN THE WEED
NOW THE WIND was very violent from the sea, andthreatened to blow down
our tent, the which, indeed, it achieved at last as we made an end of
a cheerless breakfast. Yet, the bo'sun bade us not trouble to put it
up again; but spread it out with the edges raised upon props made from
the reeds, so that we might catch some of the rain water; for it was
become imperative that we should renew our supply before putting out
again to sea. And whilst some of us were busied about this, he took
the others and set up a small tent made of the spare canvas, and under
this he sheltered all of our matters like to be harmed by the rain.
In a little, the rain continuing very violent, we had near a
breaker-full of water collected in the canvas, and were about to run
it off into one of the breakers, when the bo'sun cried out to us to
hold, and first taste the water before we mixed it with that which we
had already. At that, we put down our hands and scooped up some of the
water to taste, and thus we discovered it to be brackish and quite
undrinkable, at which I was amazed, until the bo'sun reminded us that
the canvas had been saturated for many days with salt water, so that
itwould take a great quantity of fresh before all the salt was washed
out. Then he told us to lay it flat upon the beach, and scour it well
on both sides with the sand, which we did, and afterwards let the rain
rinse it well, whereupon the next water that we caught we found to be
near fresh; though not sufficiently so for our purpose. Yet when we
had rinsed it once more, it became clear of the salt, so that we were
able to keep all that we caught further.
And then, something before noon, the rain ceased to fall, though
coming again at odd times in short squalls; yetthe wind died not, but
blew steadily, and continued so from that quarter during the remainder
of the time that we were upon the island.
Upon the ceasing of the rain, the bo'sun called usall together, that
we might make a decent burial of the unfortunatelad, whose remains had
lain during the night upon one of the bottom-boards of the boat. After
a little discussion, it was decided to bury him in the beach; for the
only part where there was soft earth was in the valley, and none of us
had a stomach for that place. Moreover, the sand was soft and easy to
dig, and as we had no proper tools, this was a great consideration.
Presently, using the bottom-boards and the oars and the hatchet, wehad
a place large and deep enough to hold theboy, and into this we placed
him. We made no prayer over him; but stood about the grave for a
little space, in silence. Then, the bo'sun signed to us to fill in the
sand; and, therewith, wecovered up the poor lad, and left him to his
sleep.
And, presently, we made our dinner, after which the bo'sun served out
to each one of us a very sound tot of the rum; for he was minded to
bring us back again to a cheerful state of mind.
After we had sat awhile, smoking, the bo'sun divided us into two
parties to make a search through the island among the rocks, perchance
we should find water, collected from the rain, among thehollows and
crevasses; for though we had gotten some, through our device with the
sail, yet we had by no means caught sufficient for our needs. He was
especially anxious for haste, in thatthe sun had come out again; for
he was feared that such small pools as we should find would bespeedily
dried up by its heat.
Now the bo'sun headed one party, and set the big seaman over the
other, bidding all to keep their weapons veryhandy. Then he set out to
the rocks about the base of the nearer hill, sending the others to
thefarther and greater one, and in each party we carried an empty
breaker slung from a couple of the stout reeds, so that we might put
all such driblets as we should find, straight away into it, before
they had time to vanish into the hot air; and for the purpose of
bailing up the water, we had brought with us our tin pannikins, and
one of the boat's bailers.
In a while, and after much scrambling amid the rocks, we came upona
little pool of water thatwas remarkably sweet and fresh, and from this
we removed near three gallons before it became dry; and after that we
came across, maybe, five or six others; but not oneof them near so big
as the first; yet we were notdispleased; for we had near three parts
filled the breaker, and so we made back to the camp, having some
wonder as to the luck of the other party.
When we came near the camp, we found the others returned before us,
and seeming in a veryhigh content with themselves; so that we had no
need to call to them as to whether they had filled their breaker. When
they saw us, they set out to us at a run to tell us that they had come
upon a great basinof fresh water in a deep hollow a third of the
distance up the side of the far hill, and at this the bo'sun bade us
put down our breaker and make all of us to the hill, so that he might
examine for himself whether their news was so good as it seemed.
Presently, being guided by the other party, we passed around to the
back of the far hill, and discovered it to go upward to the top at an
easy slope, with many ledges and broken places, so that it was scarce
more difficult than a stair to climb. Andso, having climbed perhaps
ninety or a hundred feet, we came suddenly upon the place which held
the water, and found that they had not made too much of their
discovery; for the pool was near twenty feet long by twelve broad, and
so clear as though it had come froma fountain; yet it had considerable
depth, as we discovered by thrusting a spear shaft down into it.
Now the bo'sun, having seen for himself how good a supply of water
there was for our needs, seemed very much relieved in his mind, and
declared that within three days at the most we might leave the island,
at which we felt none of us any regret. Indeed, had the boat escaped
harm, we had been able to leave that same day; but this could not be;
for there was much to be done before we had her seaworthy again.
Having waited until the bo'sun had made complete his examination, we
turned to descend, thinking thatthis would be the bo'sun's intention;
but he called to us to stay, and, looking back, we saw that he made to
finish the ascent of the hill. At that, we hastened to follow him;
though we had no notion of his reason for going higher. Presently, we
were cometo the top, and here we found a very spacious place, nicely
level save that in one or two parts it was crossed by deepish cracks,
maybe half a foot to a foot wide, and perhaps three to six fathoms
long; but, apart from these and some great boulders, it was, as I have
mentioned, a spacious place; moreover it was bone dry and pleasantly
firm under one's feet, after so long upon the sand.
I think, even thus early, I had some notion of the bo'sun's design;
for I went to the edge that overlooked the valley, and peered down,
and, finding it nigh a sheer precipice, found myself nodding my head,
as though it were in accordance with some part formed wish. Presently,
looking about me, I discovered the bo'sun to be surveying that part
which looked over towards the weed, and I made across to joinhim.
Here, again, I saw that the hill fell away very sheer, and after
thatwe went across to the seaward edge, and thereit was near as abrupt
as on the weed side.
Then, having by this timethought a little upon the matter, I put it
straight to the bo'sun that here would make indeed a very secure
camping place, with nothing to come at us upon our sides or back; and
our front, where was the slope, could be watched with ease. And this I
put to him with great warmth; for I was mortally in dread of the
coming night,
Now when I had made an end of speaking, the bo'sun disclosed to me
that this was, as I had suspicion, his intent, andimmediately he
called to the men that we should haste down, and ship our camp to the
top of the hill. At that, the men expressed their approbation, and we
made haste every one of us to the camp, and began straightway to move
our gear to the hill-top.
In the meanwhile, the bo'sun, taking me to assist him, set-to again
upon the boat, being intent to get his batten nicely shaped and fit to
the side of the keel, so that it would bed well to the keel, but more
particularly to the plank which had sprung outward from its place. And
at this he laboured the greater part of that afternoon, using the
little hatchet to shape the wood, which he did with surprising skill;
yet when the evening was come, he had not brought it to his liking.
But it must not be thought that he did naught but work at the boat;
for he had the mento direct, and once he had to make his way to the
top of the hill to fix the place for the tent. And after the tent was
up, he set them to carry the dry weed to the new camp, and at this he
keptthem until near dusk; forhe had vowed never again to be without a
sufficiency of fuel. But two of the men he sent to collect
shell-fish--putting two of them to the task, because he would not have
one alone upon the island, not knowing but that there might be danger,
even though it were bright day; and a most happy ruling it proved;
for, a little past the middle of the afternoon, we heard them shouting
at the other end of the valley, and, not knowing but that they were in
need of assistance, we ran with all haste to discover the reason of
their calling, passing along the right-hand side of the blackened and
sodden vale. Upon reaching the further beach, we saw a most incredible
sight; for the two men were running towards us through the thick
masses of the weed, while, no more than four or five fathomsbehind,
they were pursued by an enormouscrab. Now I had thought the crab we
had tried to capture before coming to the island, a prodigy
unsurpassed; but this creature was more than treble its size, seeming
asthough a prodigious table were a-chase of them, and moreover, spite
of its monstrous bulk, it made better way over the weed than I should
have conceived to be possible--running almost sideways, and with one
enormous clawraised near a dozen feet into the air.
Now whether, omitting accidents, the men would have made good their
escape to the firmer ground of the valley, where they could have
attained to a greater speed, I do not know; but suddenly one of them
tripped over a loop of the weed, and the next instant lay helpless
upon his face. He had been dead the following moment, but for the
pluck of his companion, who faced round manfully upon themonster, and
ran at it with his twenty-foot spear. It seemed to me that the spear
took it about a foot below the overhanging armour of the great back
shell, and I could see that it penetrated some distance into the
creature, the man having, by the aid of Providence, stricken it in a
vulnerable part. Upon receiving this thrust, the mighty crab ceased at
once its pursuit, and clipped at the haft of thespear with its great
mandible, snapping the weapon more easily than I had done the same
thing to a straw. Bythe time we had raced up to the men, the one who
had stumbled was again upon his feet, and turning to assist his
comrade; but the bo'sun snatched his spear from him, and leapt forward
himself; for the crab was making now at the otherman. Now the bo'sun
didnot attempt to thrust thespear into the monster; but instead he
made twoswift blows at the great protruding eyes, and in amoment the
creature had curled itself up, helpless, save that the huge claw waved
about aimlessly. At that, the bo'sun drew us off, though the man who
had attacked the crab desired to make an end of it, averring that we
should get some very good eating out of it; but to this the bo'sun
would not listen, telling him that it was yet capable of very deadly
mischief, did any but come within reach of its prodigious mandible.
And after this, he bade them look no more for shellfish; but take out
the two fishing-lines which we had, and see ifthey could catch aught
from some safe ledge on the further side of the hill upon which we had
made our camp. Then he returned to his mending of the boat.
It was a little before the evening came down upon the island, that the
bo'sun ceased work; and, after that, he called to the men, who, having
made an end of their fuel carrying, were standing near, to place the
full breakers--which we had not thought needful to carry to the new
camp on account of their weight--under the upturned boat, some holding
up the gunnel whilst the others pushed them under. Then the bo'sun
laid the unfinished batten along with them, and we lowered the boat
again over all, trusting to its weight to prevent any creature from
meddling with aught.
After that, we made at once to the camp, being wearifully tired, and
with a hearty anticipation of supper. Upon reaching the hilltop, the
men whom the bo'sun had sent withthe lines, came to show him a very
fine fish, something like to a hugeking-fish, which they had caught a
few minutes earlier. This, the bo'sun, after examining, did not
hesitate to pronounce fit for food; whereupon they set-to and opened
and cleanedit. Now, as I have said, it was not unlike a great
king-fish, and like it, hada mouth full of very formidable teeth; the
useof which I understood the better when I saw the contents of its
stomach, which seemed to consist of nothing but the coiled tentacles
of squid or cuttle-fish, with which, as I have shown, the
weed-continent swarmed. When these were upset upon the rock, I was
confounded to perceive the length and thickness of some of them; and
could only conceive that this particular fish must be a very desperate
enemy to them, and able successfully to attack monsters of a bulk
infinitely greater than itsown.
After this, and whilst the supper was preparing, the bo'sun called to
some of the men to put up a piece of the spare canvas upon a couple of
the reeds, so as to make a screen against the wind, which up there was
so fresh that it came near at times to scattering the fire abroad.
This they found not difficult; for a little on the windward side of
the fire there ran one of the cracks of which I have made previous
mention, and into this they jammed the supports, and so in a very
little time had the fire screened.
Presently, the supper was ready, and I found the fish to be very fair
eating; though somewhat coarse; but this was no great matter for
concern with so empty a stomach as I contained. And here I would
remark, that we made our fishing save our provisions through all our
stay on the island.Then, after we had cometo an end of our eating, we
lay down to a most comfortable smoke; for we had no fear of attack,at
that height, and with precipices upon all sides save that which lay in
front. Yet, so soon as we had rested and smoked awhile, the bo'sun set
the watches; for he would run no risk through carelessness.
By this time the night was drawing on apace; yet it was not so dark
but that one could perceive matters at a very reasonable distance.
Presently, being in a mood that tended to thoughtfulness, and feeling
a desire to be alone for a little, I strolled away from the fire to
the leeward edge of the hill-top. Here, I paced up and down awhile,
smoking and meditating. Anon, I would stare out across the immensity
of the vastcontinent of weed and slime that stretched its incredible
desolation outbeyond the darkening horizon, and there would come the
thoughtto me of the terror of men whose vessels had been entangled
among its strange growths, and so my thoughts came to the lone
derelict that lay out there in the dusk, and I fell to wondering what
had been the end of her people, and at that I grew yet more solemn in
my heart. For it seemed to me that they must have died at last by
starvation, and if not by that, then by the act of some one of the
devil-creatures which inhabited that lonely weed-world. And then, even
as I fell upon this thought, the bo'sun claptme upon the shoulder, and
told me in a very hearty way to come to the light of the fire, and
banish all melancholy thoughts; for he had a very penetrating
discernment, and had followed me quietly from the camping place,
having had reason once or twice before to chide me for gloomy
meditations. And for this,and many other matters, I had grown to like
the man, the which I could almost believe at times, was his regarding
of me;but his words were too few for me to gather his feelings; though
I had hope that they were as I surmised.
And so I came back to the fire, and presently, it not being my time to
watch until after midnight, I turned into the tent for a spell of
sleep, having first arranged a comfortable spread of some of the
softer portions of the dryweed to make me a bed.
Now I was very full of sleep, so that I slept heavily, and in this
wise heard not the man on watch call the bo'sun; yetthe rousing of the
otherswaked me, and so I cameto myself and found the tent empty, at
which I ran very hurriedly to the doorway, and so discovered that
there was a clear moon in the sky, the which, by reasonof the
cloudiness that had prevailed, we had been without for the past two
nights, Moreover, the sultriness had gone, the wind having blown it
away with the clouds; yet though, maybe, I appreciated this, it was
but in a half-conscious manner; for I was put about to discover the
whereabouts of the men,and the reason of their leaving the tent. With
this purpose, I stepped out from the entrance, and the following
instant discovered them all in a clump beside the leeward edge of the
hill-top. At that, I held mytongue; for I knew not but that silence
might betheir desire; but I ran hastily over to them, andinquired of
the bo'sun what manner of thing it was which called them from their
sleep, and he, for answer, pointed out into the greatness of the
weed-continent.
At that, I stared out over the breadth of the weed,showing very
ghostly in the moonlight; but, for the moment, I saw not the thing to
which he purposed to draw my attention. Then, suddenly, it fell within
the circle of my gaze--a little light out in the lonesomeness. For the
space of some moments, I stared with bewildered eyes; then it came to
me with abruptness that the light shone from the lone derelict lying
out in the weed, the same that upon that very evening, Ihad looked
with sorrow and awe, because of the end of those who had been in
her--and now, behold, a light burning, seemingly within one of her
after cabins; though the moon was scarce powerful enough to enable the
outline of thehulk to be seen clear of the rounding wilderness.
And from this time, until the day, we had no moresleep; but made up
the fire, and sat round it, fullof excitement and wonder, and getting
up continually to discover if the light still burned. This it ceased
to do about an hour after I had first seen it; but it was the more
proof that some of our kind were no more than the half of a mile from
our camp.
And at last the day came. [ tobe continued....]

Imam Mahdi (as),- Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens his graciousappearance): Sun BehindThe Clouds

Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens his graciousappearance): Sun
BehindThe Clouds
Huda has sat in front of her computer, and her love out of curiosity
has pushed her to search inside some Islamic Web sites . During that
time, she has faced some questions about Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah
hastens his gracious appearance). And this haspushed her to look
deeply in her readings, but she has found herselfpowerless to solve
them. Therefore, she has brought her private copybook about Al-Imam
Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens his gracious appearance), and she
hasrecorded all the questions in order to get enough and satisfied
answers. After she has finished, she has closed her computer. Then,
she has begun to look for hermother inside the house, but she has not
found her. Thus, she has gone to the garden, and she has found her
grandmother sitting there.
Huda: Oh! My grandmother, where is my mother, I have been looking for her?
Grandmother: She has gone to the neighbor, and she will come soon.
Huda: Well, I will sit with you for awhile, until the return of my
mother. But you have to tell me "why are you sitting alone?"
Grandmother: I like to enjoy the Sun light, because our bodies need
this kind of light.
Huda: But the sky is covered with clouds, and cloud has kept the Sun.
Grandmother: This does not form an obstacle. Though, light can reach
us. But can you tell me about the copybook in your hand?
Huda: It is a note book about Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens his
gracious appearance); you have made me remember to ask you, mydear
grandmother.
Grandmother: I am at your command, with pleasure.
Huda: There are people who say that the Shiites believe in a hidden
Imam. And he has disappeared for more than one thousand year. Until
now, they talk about him and mention his favors and they are
continually calling Allah (SWT) to support him. And they are waiting
his appearance to fill the earth with justice. But nowadays he is
hidden. What is the benefit whichpeople will get from this
disappearance? And I have seen some web siteshave dared to say that
there is no difference between the existence ofAl-Imam Al-Mahdi (May
Allah hastens his graciousappearance) and his absence. In both cases,
there is no difference. The grandmother has smiled after she has heard
that speech.
Huda: Why do you laugh?
Grandmother: I have laughed about the bats' speech.
Huda: The bats' speech?
Grandmother: Yes, my dear. This question has made me remember a tale I
have heard from myteacher; when I have been at your age.
Huda: What is that tale?
Grandmother: I will answer these questions, and then I will narrate
the tale of "blind bat".
Huda: Well my grandmother. I am eager to hear you, and my pen is ready
to record your answers.
Grandmother: Huda you have to know that the main reasons behind asking
these wicked questions is that those people have weak faith and lack
of knowledge intheir God and his Holy Book. What I want to say:Is it
reasonable to say that anything we can notsee is useless?
Huda: Are there things we can not see them, andwe can get benefits from them?
Grandmother: Yes, my dear. I will give a simple example. Can you tell
me that there is a person hasseen the air which is considered the main
element of life?
Huda: No one has seen it.
Grandmother: If we can not see it, can we deny its effect in the life
of human beings?
Huda: Absolutely not.
Grandmother: Therefore, there is a similarity between the existence
ofAl-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens his graciousappearance) and the
existence of air. All beings depend in her existence upon Him, but he
is hidden. His disappearance dose not mean that beings become
independent, and not in need of him? Absolutely, they are in need of
him in every minute, because the earth must have a successor from
Allah (SWT). Otherwise, the earth will be filled with chaos.
Huda: I can say that this isthe first benefit.
Grandmother: Yes, my dear. The existence of Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May
Allah hastens his graciousappearance) is a source of getting knowledge
and faith. Therefore, whodoes not know the Imam of his era, he will
die as those who do not believein Islam in the earlier ages.
Huda: This is the second benefit.
Grandmother: You know my dear that Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens
his gracious appearance) is the right Imam who is chosen by Allah
(SWT) in our era to be a witness for us in the Hereafter. If he is not
existed in our world, who will be a witness for us in the Hereafter?
Huda: This is the third benefit.
Grandmother: His existence among us is considered a source of safety
and stability for ourselves, because his existence as the existenceof
the prophet of Allah (Allah's blessings be uponhim and his progeny).
If we are assured of his existence, even if he is absent. We will know
that torture will be away from us and mercy will include us. And his
existence has to be a reliable source of safety and stability.
Huda: This is another great benefit.
Grandmother: The existence of Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens his
gracious appearance) is a kind of mercy for us, he helps poor people,
guide the lost people, and save the believers. Do you see how many
sick man was recovered by the blessings of Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah
hastens his gracious appearance).
Huda: Are there any otherbenefits?
Grandmother: The benefits of Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens his
gracious appearance) existence can not be counted, his existence is
giving hope to those who waiting him. Also, there are another
benefits, he is taking care of his Shiites and call Allah (SWT) to
send His blessings on them. Therefore, people will get great benefits
from his call which Allah (SWT) will never disappoint him at all.
Huda: I wonder how I forget all these benefits.
Grandmother: I have not finished until now. His existence is giving
vitalityto the message of Islam and continuing its existence and
keeping itssacred rules.
Huda: I have never imagined all these benefits.
Grandmother: And those who believe in his Imamate and wait for thelast
moment in their life, they will get Allah's blessings absolutely.
Huda: Praise be to Allah (SWT) for all these benefits and blessings.
Grandmother: I will end my speech with another great benefit. The
benefitwhich we get it from his existence as the benefit which we get
it from Suneven if it is covers by clouds. All beings like trees,
human beings, plants, lands need sun light. And if it is beyond
clouds: If night is continuing for ever, can we say that life will
continue in this world? The existence of Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah
hastens his gracious appearance) gives brightness to this world and
without him the world will be dark. Without him there is no light,
stability, etc. Can we live without the existence of sun?
Huda: I think I have got acceptable answer. Now, I am eager to hear
the tale of "The Blind Bat."
Grandmother: I have been told that there has been a blind Bat, who
flew during the brightness of the day to hunt insects to eat them.
Huda: How can this blind bat hunt them?
Grandmother: The bat has an unbelievable high sensitive ability to
hear. The bat produces ultrasound and when it hits certain things,
this ultrasound will go back to him. Thus, the bat will be able to
know the place of this thing and attack on it swiftly, and this bat
hates high sounds because these sounds will disturb him. Whenever the
feast has come, children group around the swings, and they have been
laughed loudly; therefore, the bat has disturbed from that.
Huda: What the bat has done to them.
Grandmother: The bat has cried loudly, don't play here. Go to your
home. I hate loud sounds.
Grandmother: But the children have not pay attention to him or obey
his order. The bat has decided to cut the swingsropes because they
have been an obstacles restrain his flying.
Huda: Has the bat done that?
Grandmother: Yes, the bat has cut the swing ropes into small pieces in
order to prevent them from playing with swingsand not tie them again.
Huda: This bat is an animal without heart or conscience.
Grandmother: Yes, my dear. This is the habit of wicked people.
Huda: Surely, the childrenhave become sad.
Grandmother: Off course my dear. But fortunately sun was seeing what happened.
Sun: I have to do something to prove for those children that I love
their laugh and their playing.
Huda: What can sun do?
Grandmother: Sun has cried loudly.
Sun: Do you think I will be silent without punishing you. Oh, blind bat.
Huda: What has sun doneto bring back happiness for children again?
Grandmother: Sun has sent its ropes of light to all children in order
to make new swings. The children have become very happy. The blind
bathas feared a lot when thelaughs of children have spread again and
the bat has wondered. Thus the blind bat has decided to cut sun ropes
also. But the blind bat can not do that because they have been very
strong. Whenever the bat has been flown and hits one of the sun ropes,
the bat has become very tired and fallen on the ground and had no
longer able to control himself.
Huda: What has happened then?
Grandmother: When the children have finished their play and sun has
set, the bat has got up and it has begun to fly without hearing their
laughs. Therefore, the bat has decided not to flyduring the brightness
of the day and the blind bathas begun to tell the animals about sun.
The bat has told them that sun is useless and harmful and many other
lies about sun. From that day whenever I hear someone talks about our
sun Al-Imam Al-Mahdi (May Allah hastens his gracious appearance) I
remember this tale.

Imam Mahdi (as),- Birthday of Imam Mahdi, Awaited Hope for Humanity, Advent of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS)

Imam Al-Mahdi (as): The Awaited Hope for Humanity
The belief in the Mahdi is not only an essential doctrine deep-rooted
in Islamic faith; it is rather an embodiment of human nature
regardless of one's religious affiliations. For it is the universal
desire of humans as a whole to try to achieve or at least witness the
realisation ofthe ultimate objective of their existence, through which
they will achieve perfection and social happiness in its entirety.
Therefore, by reason of inner necessity and inspiration, humans will
see a day when society will be replete with justice.
More importantly, from a religious perspective the concept of the
Mahdi is the culmination of human struggle in their path towards Allah
the Almighty. It is when true Justice will be establishedthrough human
hands but with Divine succour resulting in the prevalence of truth
over falsehood and all its offshoots.
And say: "Truth has (now)arrived, and Falsehood perished: for
Falsehood is(by its nature) bound to perish." (Holy Qur'an, 17:81)
Having identified that the need for the Mahdi is a subject of inner
necessity that is instilled into the hearts of humans, it is essential
to outline the duties of the human race as a whole intrying to achieve
a purgatory state of social felicity in the outward absence of the
Mahdi that would lay a foundation for his imminent reappearance.
However, in the case of such a state being reached, it prompts one to
question the fundamental motive behind the concealment of the Mahdi
despite when the social and political factors are welcoming to his
presence and his precepts. To this we say; Yes Indeed, this is exactly
where the problem lies! The principle reason that is delaying the
reappearance of the Mahdi is that the people aren't ready to
acknowledge the perfect leader and the perfect ideology that is to be
established by him, as clearly mentioned by the Mahdi himself in one
of his narrations;
'If our Shi'a (followers), may Allah help and succeed them to His
obedience, were united in wholeheartedly honouring the promise and
obligation that is upon them, there would have been no delay in
meeting us (i.e. in our reappearance), and bliss and felicity for them
would have hastened by seeing us with full knowledge and certainty of
testifying to our (leadership)'
Therefore, each and every one of us has to be very cognisant of their
acts, in relation to the part we play during the occultation of the
Mahdi. This period has been like none other before nor is the test set
upon the Muslim Ummah and humanity at large like any before. With lack
of direct contact with the divine leader of the time and the many
injustices that have overwhelmed today's society resulting in moral
demise on another side, many seek the help of Allah (SWT) and pray for
the hasty reappearance of the Mahdi and his promised victory. Strong
faith in the promised triumph in the midst of injustice anddarkness is
a means of separating the true believers from the rest. A brief look
into history shows endless of these so-called followers who eventually
betrayed theirleaders and thus put eternal shame and disgrace on
themselves. Aperfect example being the story of the inhabitants of
Kufah in Iraq at the time of the great ancestor of the Mahdi, Imam
Husayn son of Imam Ali (as), for whom he weeps blood each day until
the day of his reappearance.
Certainly those fortunate and blessed individuals who will take part
in this grand culmination of servitude, which will result in the
prevalence of Truth over all forms of falsehood, will be those whose
conviction in the Mahdi and the promised day is resolute. The
believers will be constantly tested by those whose aim is staunchly
fixed in denying the Mahdi, by using arguments such as his age, for
the Mahdi's age is now 1176 years. Many find it difficult to believe
that a human canlive for a period of this length, however, the
impossibility in this objection is relative and its relation is to
some person, place and time. What is impossibility to one person, time
or placemay be very possible to another, as we well know. Moreover, it
should be said that living for such a length of time is neither a
scientific nor a logical impossibility. Today scientists have
succeeded in prolonging the life of certain animals, hundreds of times
beyond their normal life spans by artificially creating conditions
that delay the degeneration of their tissues and cells. The failure of
this being effectively carried out on humans is merely due to the
increased difficulties involved, however, it is inno way an
impossibility, from a scientific point of view, to achieve this in the
future.
Imam Mahdi (as) was born on the fifteenth of Sha'ban in the year two
hundred and fifty five (255) after Hijrah. His birth was kept secret
since the authorities of the time were actively seeking to execute him
should he be found alive.The circumstances of his birth were
therefore, very similar to that of theProphet Moses (as) who was also
been searched for by the authorities of his time, for the Pharaoh was
well aware of the prophecy that a child would grow up to prevailover
him and his evil ruleand would replace this with the belief in the
true One God whose Power, Might and Wisdom is Absolute.
Similarly, the Abbasid Caliphate was well awareof Imam Mahdi (as) and
of how he would fill the world with justice and truth after it had
been filled with injustice and falsehood, from several traditions
originating from Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). These narrations are
present to date in both Shi'a and Sunni books.
"The world will not come to an end until a man from the descendants of
Husayn takes charge of the affairs of the world and fills it with
justice and equity as it is filled with injustice and tyranny."
At the age of five, after the tragic martyrdom of his father, the
eleventh divine successor of Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) - Hassan son
of Ali , Imam Mahdi went into a minor occultation. Duringthis period,
Imam Mahdi (as) was in contact with his followers through appointed
deputies. This lasted for a period of about sixty nine years. A few
days before the death of his fourth and final deputy Imam Mahdi (as)
informed his followers, through his deputy, that there would be no
more deputies after the death of the current one and after thisperiod
Imam Mahdi (as) would go into a Major Occultation, which wouldcontinue
until the day Allah (SWT) grants permission to the Imam Mahdi (as) to
manifest himself. During this period, none would be able to approach
Imam Mahdi (as) through deputies or through direct contact. In regards
to the duration and the importance of this period, Holy Prophet
Muhammad (saw) was once asked about the nature of the reappearance of
Imam Mahdi. In his reply Holy Prophet likened the time of the
Reappearance of Imam Mahdi to that of the Hour of Resurrection and
then narrated the Quranic verse;
"He alone will manifest it at its proper time. It is heavy in the
heavens andthe earth. It cometh not to you save unawares" (Holy
Qur'an, 7:187)
An important question is raised in relation to this specific period,
by those who doubt or question the existence of Imam Mahdi (as). What
is the benefit of divine Imam tohis followers during his occultation?
In order to answer this question, one should realise that the position
and the role of an Imam is not only to administer the affairs and the
needs of Muslim Ummah, rather he is the link between man and God, the
link between the material and the spiritual worlds. Moreover, his
physical presence or absence has no bearing on his position in regards
to this role. This can be derived from one of the sayings narrated by
Imam Mahdi (as) himself;
'My benefit (to the people) during my occultation is similar to that
of the sun when it disappears from sight behind the clouds.'
Examining the above saying from a scientific approach, we understand
that just like how the Earth is sustained with the Sun's energy and
light irrespective of whether itis behind clouds, similarly, we derive
immense spiritual benefitfrom our Imam regardless of whether he is
physically with us or not. Furthermore, one can also obtain another
important role of Imamate from the saying above. Today, we know that
the Sun is the centre of the solar system and its existence nourishes
and nurtures for the planetary objects around it, similarly Imam's
sole presence, whether active or not, is of paramount importance as it
is the source of life for all as without the existence of God's proof
on Earth the world is tantamount to complete annihilation.
We therefore have to be mindful of what we do and should endeavour in
making our souls pure bynourishing them with theDivine light thus
making our souls the abode for Allah (SWT) and his beloved angels.
Spiritual perfection should be our goal and if there is any doubt as
to whether Imam is aware of our actsand is overlooking the welfare of
his followers, a saying by Imam Mahdi (as) should suffice;
'We have not ignored your consideration, and have not forgotten your
mention; otherwise hardship would have descended upon you andyour
enemies would have exterminated you.'
Imam Mahdi (as) is therefore watching over our affairs and is
patiently awaiting our response to his call. The matter regarding the
return of Imam is not onesimply related to awaiting a time frame
chosen by the Almighty Allah (SWT), rather in accordance to the
narration from Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) , it has a direct
relationship with our own actions, as he says;
'The best of actions is awaiting Al-Faraj (the return)'
The emphasis in this saying is on the word 'actions', because it is in
reference to participating in an actionin order to bring about that
awaited time. From this narration stems the School of Awaiting whichis
a comprehensive study into the necessary approaches and actions of the
Muslim community in order to hasten the appearance of the return.
It is therefore necessary for everyone to work tirelessly for this
objective and to remember that this mission is the only legitimate
solution to theproblems faced by mankind at large. It is
theresponsibility of everyone to remind those around them of this
sacred mission and it is likewise their responsibility to sacrifice
their time, efforts and even their finances for the cause of the
awaited Imam.
It is a frequent saying amongst many Muslims, when they remember
themartyrs of Karbala to chant: "If only we were with you, for surely
we would have been victorious." We today have that option, we have an
Imam in occultation waiting for us to reach out towards him. He is
patiently waiting for that time to come where a small group of people
would truly be of his followers such that he may appear and lead this
Muslim Ummah towards salvation, and yet we as apeople sit and do
nothing.
Advent of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS)
Ali and his family were very pious and religious people, they would
visit Islamic Center's and Masjid's every Thursday and Friday, they
would seldom missed any opportunity as far as"rights of Allah" like
performing prayers and other mandatory religious requirements was
concerned but the same could not be said when it came to the rights of
the oppressed. Not that they did not like to help the oppressed
buttheir "hectic schedule" and "low priority" prevented them from
making the necessary effort in that direction.
It was the auspicious night of 15th Shab'an thebirth anniversary of
Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS) and Ali was extremely please with
himself as he was able to joined the congregation at the Islamic
Centre to celebrate the occasion and to perform special prayers,
including the supplications invoking Allah (SWT) to hasten the advent
of Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS). After staying awake throughout the
night in prayers and assuming close proximity of Imam Mehdi (ATFS), he
peacefully went to sleep.
Ali woke up on a bright, sunny morning and looked out of the window.
It looked like a perfectly normal day, but then he remembered it
wouldn't be as perfect as he would've liked it to be. Just this past
week, the sun had started risingfrom the west and setting in the east.
The meteorologists at NASA kept saying again and again on the news
mediathat it was only the dust from the severe earthquakes occurring
around the world that was causing this outstanding mirage. Thatit
wasn't the only thing making 'top headlines' on the news though. A
powerful man was slowlytaking over the world under the guise of "war
on terror". Could he be the prophesized"Sufiani" Ali wondered, the
evil person appearing before the advent of Imam Mehdi (ATFS) as he sat
in his bedtrying to remember where he had heard about him before. Was
it in one of the Islamic speeches or at "Sunday Madrassa", Yes, he
said tohimself it was at "Sunday Madrassa" that's where he had heard.
But what did they warn us about"Sufiani"? He is a rich, powerful man
with plenty of resources. He will buy the high profile people from the
Muslim Ummah to promote his evil plan while the majority will remain
completely oblivious to what is really going on, their primary and
only concern would be to satisfy their desires whatever that may be,
consumption, sex, love, status, money, etc. In the mean time, Sufiani
and his army shall be pulling the strings and profiting from global
exploitation with no resistance because the masses were simply
mindless zombies.
Ali was just getting readyto get out of bed when he heard a loud voice
saying that the one who will rid the world of injustice has come. Just
as the voice stopped speaking, Ali heard another voice that spoke to
him softly, in a very soothing tone that immediately made him feel
very sleepy. "Go backto sleep" it said. "There isno one here your mind
is playing tricks on you. Think of how tired you are and how warm your
bed is. Go on back to sleep." Like a fool, Ali listened to the voice
and went back to sleep.
The sound of the doorbell woke him up, Alitried to ignore it but the
persistent ringing convinced him that whoever was there was not going
away. Finally Ali dragged himself out of the bed to open the door. He
saw a handsomeyoung stranger staring athim with kindness. The stranger
greeted him in an extremely polite way. Ali usually wouldn't
invitestrangers in his house, but something about thisman made him to
invite him inside. As the stranger stepped in, he said "are you ready
to join me in my struggle to spread justice in this world". On hearing
this, Ali was baffled, confused and perplexed, gatheringenough courage
he asked, "Who are you?" The stranger politely replied, "you always
stood-up whenever my name was uttered as a indication of joining me in
my struggle, on hearing my name you would place your right hand on
your head as a sign of offering your head in my cause" - The time has
come, Islam needs your sacrifice in order to restore the justice and
peace". He further continued "I am preparing an army that will help us
get rid of these evil people, and restore peace and justice". On
hearing his words, rush of adrenaline soared through Ali's vein,
comprehension dawned on him as he realized that he was in the presence
of his Imam. Ali's knees felt weak as relief washed over him.
Ali replied, "O my Imam, I have patiently waited foryou all along
during these hard times and I would be highly obliged to join your
army if you could solve my simple little problems, you see I just
bought my first big house and to pay the"mortgage" for this I and my
wife have to work round the clock. The big house without the furniture
was worthless so we bought new furniture's. In this new neighbourhood
all my neighbours had new latest car so we got new cars. To watch the
annual Hajj Pilgrimage live from Makkah and Ashura live from Karbala
we bought new plasma TV, all this recent expenditures has put us in
tremendous debt. Than we have this"recurring" expense of my children's
that are undergoing graduation, can you help me with thissmall
problem. The Imam stood in silence, he did not speak......
Ali continued......if my problems could be solve, I would gladly
joined you. I know I am sounding similar to my forefathers that left
your forefathers stranded before but let me tell youthat my
forefathers were wrong because they had more time then we have, you
see we are terribly swamp at times for weeks together I don't get time
to see my wife or my children's we just exchange messages on"voice
mails" and"emails". If I had time I would have gladly joinedyou
however I promise you that every evening I will perform additional
prayers for your success, please consider me with you spiritually and
financially. The Imam looked at Ali walked away towards the door
saying, "You are the real cause of my delay, you are still not ready
for my mission".
Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar! Ali opened his eyes, he was jolted awake by
the sound of the adhan emanating from his digital alarm clock. He sat
up in his bedand looked around his master bedroom. His heart was still
beating fast as he realized that it was a tragic dream. A dream that
has shattered all his hope, all along he has thought that he was
waiting for his Imam but his dream has proved otherwise. He had
gathered enough "signs on the appearance" of Imam but failed to meet
the "conditions of appearance" he realized how unprepared he was for
his Imam's advent, he cried from the depth of his heart, he fell to
the floor crying in shame andsaying "O Allah let this tragic dream
become wake-up call for my preparation, give me courage and hope to
work for the condition that will result in the final uprising of Imam
Muhammad al-Mahdi (ATFS)".
Birthday of Imam Mahdi (ATFS) is the day of the Oppressed People of the World
The appearance of the Imam Mahdi (as) is Allah'sfavour for the
oppressed and the weak, and is a means of their coming to power and
gaining the promised divine succession of the world. Holy Qur'an says
"We have decided to grant favour to the suppressed ones by appointing
them leaders and heirs of the earth", (Al-Quran: Chapteral-Qasas,
28:5). The appearance of Imam Mahdi (as) means the realization of the
promise Allah (SWT) made to the righteous in Holy Qur'an. "Verily we
have written in the Psalms (zaboor) after the Torah had been
revealed:My righteous servants shall inherit the earth." (Al-Quran:
Chapter al-Anbia, 21:105)
This auspicious occasion of birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi (atfs)
surely revives our hopes for a better future ahead when Imam Mahdi
(as) reappears from the occultation. Additionally, it is a special
reminder to those suffering under oppression and tyranny that
resistance and resilience in the face of injustice will only serve
them in the long-haul. The belief in Imam Mahdi(as) is a manifestation
forglobal community that the battle between truth and falsehood will
culminate in favour of forces of truth once the Promised one returns.
The continuation of the occultation of Imam Mahdi (as) is meant to
preserve the vigilance and advance the cause ofjustice. It is
important that as part of our waiting of Imam Mahdi (as), we
persistently oppose all bullying powers (global, domestic,secular,
religious or in any other form or shape),and remain steadfast during
adversarial times. The global dominance of few arrogant and oppressive
powers has yielded two billion starved people across theglobe,
millions displaced due to warmongering policies and majority of
nations subservient. In such circumstances, the silver lining is the
belief in the eventual global just governance of the ultimate saviour.
It convinces human beings that the world status quomust be denounced
and wait for a turnabout in the living conditions of the humanity at
large. Hence, it is imperative and incumbent upon the well-wishers and
followers of Imam Mahdi (as) to lay the practical groundwork necessary
for his return in addition to the prayers.

Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee: the grand jurist for the Sunnah

Everything was placid in the large valley except for the voice of a
two-year old child who was weeping. His motherembraced him, took him
close to her chest, and patted his shoulders withtenderness and
compassion. The youngster quickly went into sleep as his mother stared
at the far horizon saying in a low weakened voice : "May Allaah have
mercy on your soul: father of Mohammad (her husband); you took us with
you from Makkah toGaza in search of our daily bread and good life, yet
you died and were buried here. Here am I on my way to Makkah again to
have your son raised among his tribe and clan 'Banu Al-Muttalib'."
The poor mother went into a bitter fit of weeping and crying as she
remembered those few years she had spent in Palestine with her beloved
husband, who was the best husband, brother, and friend for her.
However, the happy and beautiful days passed as quickly as clouds, or
as a short but pretty dream.
In the honorable Makkah,the mother lived with herchild in the
protection of her husband's family. Sheraised her son by giving him a
good education and instructions, flowing on him her love and
compassion, so the youngster grew up with a well balanced psyche,
apeaceful nature, and great ethics. The virtuousmother took on her
shoulders the responsibility of teachingher son the Quran, reading,
and writing so that he may be well armed by both religion and
knowledge. Thus, she sent her son to one of the small schools (
Kuttaab , Pl : Kataateeb) despite her poverty and inability to save
the instructor's wage. Yet, Mohammad went to his first day at school
almost unable to walk properly, and when the instructor saw Mohammad,
he sort of belittled him and told him: "O my son, just sit next to me
and listen carefully to your elders sothat you may get used to reading
and memorization."
However, the young Mohammad Ibn Idrees Ash-Shaafi'ee was glittering
with intelligence and ingenuity. He used to incredibly quickly learn
by heart whatever he heard from what the teacher dictated to his
students. Every single dayin the small school his knowledge increased
along with his enthusiasm to learn more. His teacher then loved him
more and actively pushed him forward. The youngster naturally became
more and more distinguished, until his teacher told him one day, "My
son, you arehighly smart and intelligent to the extent that I hardly
make any effort with you that is worth any wage. All I need from you
is to teachon my behalf when I am not present." The youngster rushed
happilyto his mother to tell her the happy news that she would not
have to pay anymore for the teacher. The virtuous mother was glad for
her son's excellence and encouraged him even more to study. This led
him to embark actively on the completion of learning the Quran by
heart which he finally completed when he was only seven years old.
Being in great happiness for her son's completion of the memorization
of the Quran in that fast manner, she started thinking how could she
best direct this smart child towards more excellence. She sent him to
attend the lessons given around the sacred Mosque of Makkah. The boy
started to listen to prominent scholars; and as he did not have the
price for paper on which to write what he listenedto, he used
parchment, palm tree leaves, and camel shoulder bones. During this
early period of his quest for knowledge, Ash-Shaafi'ee intelligently
realized the importance of the learning the classical Arabic language
from its pure sources, in order to understand the Quran and the Sunnah
, (the Prophet Muhammad's ( ) sayings, acts, and approvals) in the
best possible way. He went tothe Huthayl tribe, which was among the
most eloquent Arab tribes, andstayed with them for long years in which
he learned their eloquence, memorized their poems, studied from them
the biographies of Arabs both pre-Islam and after Islam, and learned
knighthood and archery. He eventually became a brave unrivaled knight
and a skillful archer who rarely missed his target.
As years passed, Ash-Shaafi'ee returned to his beloved hometown
Makkah. No sooner had he quenched his longings to his mother, he
continued his quest for knowledge enthusiastically. He headed for the
Grand Mufti (Religious Jurist) of Makkah, the sacred Mosque, Muslim
Ibn Khaalid Az-Zinji who became the first teacher for him in Fiqh
(Islamic Jurisprudence). He also, started studying Hadeeth under the
supervision of Sufyaan Ibn 'Uyaynah, the narrator of the sacred
Mosque. In a shorttime, Ash-Shaafi'ee rose to prominence as
anexcellent Islamic scholar. His mentor, Muslim Ibn Khaalid gave him
permission to answer thereligious enquiries when Ash-Shaafi'ee was
only fifteen. He told him proudly, "O Mohammad! Give fatwa and answer
the questions of people. By Allaah! Now it is opportune for you to
give fatwa." His other mentor, Sufyaan Ibn 'Uyaynah, used to refer
enquirers to him while he turned towards him and pointed "ask this
boy."
While still studying in Makkah, Ash-Shaafi'ee heard of the renown
scholar of Madeenah, Imaam Maalik Ibn Anas . He wanted to become a
student of Imaam Maalik yet he saw with his sharp intellect that he
should not go to him unprepared and void. He memorized Maalik's famous
book "Al Muwatta" in only nine days. After that he went off to see
Imaam Maalik in his house in Madeenah. Ash-Shaafi'ee spoke eloquently
and politely with the Imaam and told him that he wished to become his
student. The Imaam looked at the boy for a long time as the boy was
telling his story of how he sought knowledge so far. The Imam had an
astonishing physiognomyand a penetrating insight; he told him: "My
son! By the Will of Allaah you will have a great future. Tomorrow come
to me and bring with yousomeone who could readthe Muwatta' well as I
fear you would not be able to read it by yourself." Ash-Shaafi'ee
responded with the same politeness "Imaam, I will read it myself from
memory without a book."
Ash-Shaafi'ee remained in the companyof Imaam Maalik for a long time.
The Imaam loved him a lot, and in 179 A.H after Imaam Maalik passed
away, Ash-Shaafi'ee returned to Makkah fromMadeenah armed with a great
load of knowledge which had influenced his life. In Makkah he was
wedded to Hameedah Bint Naafi', a grand daughter of Caliph 'Uthmaan
Ibn 'Afaan, MayAllaah be pleased with him, and had two sons and a
daughter from her.
In the courtyard of the well of Zamzam and next to Prophet Ibraaheem's
Maqaam (the stone on which he stepped up to put the bricks in the
Ka'bah), Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee sat down to teach people and around him
many students were gathered from everywhere. His circle became very
prominent in the sacred mosque of Makkah and even became well
knownoutside Makkah until it reached Iraq . Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Mahdi,
one of the scholars of Iraq sent him a letter requesting that he
authors a book on the evidences of legislation from Quran, Sunnah and
the consensus of the religious scholars, as wellas other issues upon
which the science of Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) isbuilt.
Ash-Shaafi'ee wrotethe book and named it Ar-Risaalah (The Treatise)
which became the first book that founded what came to be called: 'Ilm
Usul Al Fiqh (The science of the sources of Islamic Jurisprudence), of
which Ash-Shaafi'ee was the organizer, classifier, and the inventor of
its issues.
In 195 A.H the Imaam Ash-Shaafi'ee traveledto Baghdad for the second
time and continued to teach therefor two years. Many studied under
his supervision including Imaam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal who later said "Had
it not been for Ash-Shaafi'ee we would not have known the
understanding of Hadeeth ." Before he left Iraq he had finished
writing his large book Al Hujjah (the Proof), in which he put down
the essence of his new schoolof jurisprudence .
In 199 A.H the Imaam went to Egypt where he stared to spread his
knowledge between the Egyptians who loved him very much. More
studentscame to him from all overthe world. Towards the end of his
life, the Imaambecame very sick. This illness continued with him for
four years yet it did not stop him from teaching or lecturing. When he
came back to his house after teaching, he used to force himself to
ignore the pains of thesickness and get absorbed in writing, and
editing and proofreadingthe book of Hujjah which he wrote in Iraq .
After the proofreading and editing, he renamed the edited book: Al Umm
(the Mother). The Imaam remained to follow his daily routine until
illness forced him to retire and stop teaching. His students used to
visit himto console him in his sickness. One day one of his students
entered his room and asked him:"How do you feel this morning O Imaam?"
Ash-Shaafi'ee answered: "I feel that I am traveling away from this
world, away from the brothers, drinking from the cup of death, and
approaching Allaah the Glorious. By Allaah I do not know if my soul
will go to heavenso that I may congratulate it, or to hell so that I
may lament." He then went into crying. OnFriday, the last day of Rajab
the year 204 A.H, his pure soul went up to its Provider and Caretaker.
He was buried in the cemetery of Qurashiyyeen amidst the cemeteries of
Banu Al-Hakam in Egypt . May Allaah bless the Imaam's soul and admit
him into his wide paradises.

Eight medical reasons to prohibit swine flesh

Why did Islam prohibit eating theflesh of swine?
The answer to this question has remained debatable among Muslims and
those of other religions who eat the flesh of swine and breed pigs, as
they were unconvinced of the reasons for which Islam forbade eating
the flesh of swine until they werepanic-stricken by the epidemic
outbreak of swine flu that overwhelmed the world.
Let Dr. Hassaan Mustafa, a member of the World Union of Health in
Canada, enumerate to us the diseases transmitted by the flesh of swine
to man:
1. The pig cannot get rid of the entire quantity of uric acid that
isformed in its body, given that it isthe main element of urine. It
getsrid of only 2% and 98% remains in its flesh. That simply means
that the flesh of swine is saturated with the main element of urine,
which the bodies of all living beings on the surface of the earth
endeavor to get rid of through the urinary system, due to the
poisonous substances it contains. This is why those who eat the flesh
of swine have high rates of arthritis, due to the high rate of uric
acid in their blood.
2. The flesh of swine is hard to digest; and it takes four
completehours in order to be digested, given that the amount of
digested protein that is absorbedafter that process does not exceed
14%. For this reason, the flesh of swine is nutritiously bad and
unworthy of the money paid for it, given that the flesh of swine, in
many countries, is moreexpensive than the flesh of other animals whose
flesh is edible with no similar problems.
3. The flesh of swine contains high rates of the growth hormone, which
accelerates the proliferation of cancer cells if there are any.
4. The fat of swine is hard to digest and emulsify in the digestive
system. The greatest portion of it is formed of harmfulsaturated fats.
It is absorbed from the intestines into the blood in the form of huge
molecules, that might possibly sediment on the walls of blood vessels
and block them, causing blood clot, let alone sclerosis andnoticeable
high rates of cholesterol and saturated fats (triglycerides) in the
blood.
5. The fat of swine sediments in the human body in the same place it
comes from in the pig; and this is indeed strange!!! If thefat comes
from the belly of the pig, it would settle in the belly of the person
who eats it. In this way, the fat of swine helps distort the human
body.
6. Eating the flesh of swine paves the way for many ailments and skin
problems and diseases, like pimples, sores, fat sacks, and itching,
for it contains a high rateof histamine.
7. Pigs and their flesh are the source of more than 57 parasitic,
germ-caused and virus-caused diseases transmitted to man, of which a
mention may be made ofTrichinella, from which the flesh of swine could
hardly be free. Trichinella parasites remain in the muscles of man,
causing severe pains that might probably paralyze their movement. They
might also remain in the diaphragm, causing breathlessness and
consequently death. Moreover, those parasites might remain for more
than thirty years in the muscles after encasing themselves in a calcic
sac.
It is quite interesting to know that an American researcher published
on the Archives of Internal Medicine website in 11/6/2001 that the
renowned German musician Mozart (d.1791) likely died because of eating
uncooked flesh of swine 44 days before the beginning of his 15-day
fatal ailment. He was infected by Trichinella, which hadnot yet been
known at that time.
8. The body of the pig in itself is regarded as a biological factory
that has the potential to producevirus-caused diseases and epidemics
that might affect man due to the genetic resemblance of pig cells to
those of man. The world pandemic called swine flu which we are
witnessing now is a result of the metamorphosis and merging of the
viruses of bird flu, human flu and swine flu, together inside the body
of the pig. They have been metamorphosed into a new deadly virus that
is transferred from pigs to people and from man to man. In Canada, a
case has been recently recorded where that disease was transmitted
from an infected person to a herd of pigs, thus making that pandemic
enter a dangerous integrated cycle.

Proxy detention 'collusion' exposed

Governments around the world, including those of Arab and European
states, have colluded inthe secret detention of 'terrorismsuspects',
UN investigators have reported.
An extensive report, released on Wednesday, paints a disturbing
picture of a systematic secret detention program involving many
countries.
Officials found that secret detention "may even amount to acrime
against humanity".
The 222-page document, which will be presented at a forthcoming
meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, is the result of several years
of investigation, and notes that secret detention is "a manifold human
rights violation that cannot be justified under any circumstances".
Despite clear laws that outlaw the secret detention of prisoners in
both war and peace, the investigators concluded that in the years
following the 9/11 attacks, several countries took part in the US-run
secret detention program.
Complicity
Criticisms of US detention policy since 2001 are nothing new, but the
report will make for uncomfortable reading for leaders in countries
accused of colluding with Washington in theCIA's now defunct rendition
and detention program.
The UK, Canada, Australia and Germany are all accused of"taking
advantage of the situation of secret detention," by sending questions
and receiving information from prisoners held in proxy detention.
The report also notes that the US"asked partners with poor human
rights records to secretly detain and interrogate persons on its
behalf," accusing Jordon, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Pakistan, Ethiopia,
Djibouti, and possibly Uzbekistan of holding prisoners on behalf of
the CIA.
The authors admit that some of the claims of complicity cannot be
confirmed, but say the"consistency of many of the detailed allegations
provided separately by the detainees adds weight" to arguments placing
the countries at the centre of an international extra-legal detention
system.
While many of the allegations in the report date back to the Bush
years, investigators criticize Barack Obama, the US president, for not
going far enough in overhauling the system he inherited on taking
office.
While the report acknowledges Obama's achievements, it says there is
more to do, including revealing the whereabouts of prisoners who have
disappeared in the system.
"Clarification is required as to whether detainees were held in CIA
'black sites' in Iraq and Afghanistan or elsewhere when President
Obama took office, and,if so, what happened to the detainees who were
held at that time," the report says.
Disappearances
The issue of what has happened to prisoners held in US secret
detention in the past extends beyond those who were in US custody when
Obama took office.
The report details the case of a prisoner who disappeared beforeBush
left the White House, Mustafa Setmariam Naser.
The author of a number of books and other publications on Islam and
jihad, the Syrian and Spanish national was seized in Pakistan in2005
and handed over to the US authorities. He has not been heard of since,
although last year the FBI said he was no longer in US custody.
A June 2009 statement from the CIA on the issue of Naser's whereabouts
said that the agency "could neither confirm nor deny the existence or
nonexistence of records responsive to your request," adding that even
if the CIA did have the records, they would be classified.
Campaigners now believe that Naser could be in Syrian custody and are
calling on the US government to reveal where he isbeing held.
The report also attacks the Obama administration for its treatment of
prisoners in Afghanistan, specifically those held in a prison at
Bagram Airbase, describing the situation there as one of "great
concern".
The US is holding around 650 prisoners at Bagram. Earlier this month
the Obama administrationreleased a list of their names, thefirst time
prisoners held in Afghanistan have been formally identified.
The UN investigators urged the USto release additional information,"on
the citizenship, length of detention and place of capture ofall
detainees currently held" at the prison.
Reactions
Accusations of complicity in the US rendition program have prompted a
furious reaction fromsome of the governments singledout by the report.
The UK, which is accused of complicity in the cases "of
severalindividuals, including Binyam Mohamed, Salahuddin Amin, Zeeshan
Siddiqui, Rangzieb Ahmed and Rashid Rauf," rejected the report
as"unsubstantiated and irresponsible".
"There is no truth in the suggestion that it is our policy to collude,
solicit or participate in abuses of prisoners," a spokesman for the
British foreignoffice said, adding that any debate on the issue "needs
to be informed by more than unsubstantiated rumor and allegation".
But the report concludes that secret detention is a reality that needs
to be addressed.
"The evidence gathered by the four experts for the present study
clearly show that many states, referring to concerns relating to
national security - often perceived or presented as unprecedented
emergencies or threats - resort to secret detention," it says.
"With very few exceptions, too little has been done to investigate
allegations of complicity."
PHOTO CAPTION
A mobile guard tower stands over a camp at the US military prison in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in October 2009.