Hijabi Hayathi - Islamic Articles,-

Imagine that you were walking on a beach and found a message in a
bottle. What would you do?
You would be curious and open it for sure.. !
Imagine that one day youfound a letter in an envelope under your door,
and you see your name written on the back of the envelope. You would
find time to open it without hesitation to see what was written and
from whom!
Imagine that you received SMS on your mobile phone from someone close
to you, you wouldn't delay too long to open it, isn't?!
Now, here is this FACT !
You have received the greatest message in human history - "The
Glorious Quran", this unique message which was sent to you from The
One and Only, the eternally Besought of all!! Would you read it with
curiosity, with no hesitation? Would you find time to read it or would
you delay too longto do so?
Is it less important than the other messages?
Let's not neglect reading Quran not only because it's Allah's message
to us but also because we will be rewarded for reading it!!
Our Prophet (SalAllahu 'Aalayhi Wa Sallam) says; "Whoever reads a
letter from the Book of Allah, he will have a reward. And that reward
will be multiplied by ten. I am not saying that "Alif, Laam, Meem" is
a letter, rather I am saying that "Alif" is a letter, "laam" is a
letter and "meem" is a letter."!!
SubhanAllah !
REMEMBER !! Qur'an will be a proof for you or a proof against you on
the Day Of Judgement !

Miscellaneous Duas - Dua'a-e-Allahummah Asleh

O Allah! Reform conditions of Your servant and caliph with those means
by which You have reformed conditions of Your messengers and prophets.
Surround him with the angels and support him with the Holy Spirit.
Appoint protectors from the front and behind him, (those) who would
guard him from all troubles and calamities. Convert his fear into
security, (so that) he may worship only You and doesn't associate
anybody with You. Do not make any of Your creatures an authority over
Your vicegerent. Permit him tofight against Your enemies and his
enemies and include me among his helpers. Surely You possess power
over everything.

Fwd: [forwards4all] Lake Turkana, World’s Largest Desert Lake

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: sp chari <seshampc@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2013 09:51:23 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: [forwards4all] Lake Turkana, World's Largest Desert Lake
To: forwardsforall <forwards4all@yahoogroups.co.in>




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Fwd: [forwards4all] The World's Largest Cigar worth 200,000 Dollars

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mahek Ahmed <mahek_coolin@yahoo.in>
Date: Thu, 7 Feb 2013 14:29:47 +0800 (SGT)
Subject: [forwards4all] The World's Largest Cigar worth 200,000 Dollars
To: forwards4all <forwards4all@yahoogroups.co.in>

.
















The World's
Largest Cigar worth 200,000 Dollars














Juan Panesso has had a lot of strange
requests over the years he's managed his online cigar store-- but a
20-foot long
stogie with a $200,000 price tag was easily the strangest. And the most
stressful.

















~
Quick Links ~


--
- *-Visit -http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/- [ Usefull Islamic &
General Articles]
- - - - -
Presented by :->
" M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA "

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What the Quran Says about Women’s Rights

about Women's Rights
Prior to the advent of Islam, women were widely regarded as
non-entities in many societies around the world. Indeed, it has taken
centuries for women to gain rights equal to those of men, at least in
theory, if not in practice. But the strugglefor complete gender
equality has not ended.
Within this struggle, many fingers point to Islam as one of the
biggest hurdles to women's rights. But, when we consult the Quran,
this does not appear to be the case. Traditionally conservative
customs embedded in society do not live up to the Quran'svision of
dignity for women.
The Quran says: "O mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who
created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from
them twain hath spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful
of your duty toward God in Whom ye claim (your rights) of one another,
and toward the wombs (that bear you)" (Quran 4:1).
This verse clearly demonstrates that men and women in Islam are equal
to each other both intrinsically – within the very act of creation –
andextrinsically, with respectto both their relationshipwith one
another and their duties before God. In fact, the singling out of
women at the end of this verse for special reverence as de facto
mothers is the only indication of relative inequality, albeit in
favour of women.
In pre-Islamic Arabia, parents would often commit female infanticide
because they considered the birth of a daughter an inauspiciousomen
for the family. The Quran condemned feelings of shame at the birth of
a girl, and said ofthose who commit such acts: "He hideth himself from
the folk because of the evil of that whereof he hath had tidings,
(asking himself): Shall he keep it in contempt, or bury it beneath the
dust. Verily evil is their judgment" (Quran 16:58-59).
Fourteen centuries after Islam's beginnings and the progress,
development, education and enlightenment that followed, we still
observethe stigma attached to having a daughter in certain parts of
the world, like in much of South Asia, for example. In a society where
men often support the entire family, the birth of a son is seen as
greater cause for celebration.
Though the empowerment of women, resulting from better education and
employment, is changingsocietal structures, we must do more to honour
the gender equality expounded by the Quran.Forced marriages,"honour"
killings, and women's confinement to the home by culture, tradition
and societal norms have no endorsement from Islam.
Political and religious leaders in some of the more traditionally
conservative Muslim societies, such as the tribal areas in Pakistan,
should respect the Quranic view of women'sstatus and rights and work
to build on that dictum.
Islam granted rights of inheritance to women 12centuries before they
were granted to European women: "Unto the men (of a family) belongeth
a share of thatwhich parents and nearer kindred leave, and unto the
women a share of that which parents and near kindredleave, whether it
be little or much – a legal share" (Quran 4:7).
Islam was revealed at a time and in a society in which women
themselves had been inherited as property; it was nothing short of
revolutionary for them tohave their own inheritance rights recognised.
In Muslim discourse, the debate over women's rights, or any rights for
that matter, is always understood in the context of rights and
responsibilities from an Islamic perspective. To respect these rights
and responsibilities and to understand our role in the development of
a society, we must educate ourselves. Education and knowledge are
mandatory upon men and women in Islam.
After all, it is education that serves as a catalyst for change. "Say
(unto them, O Muhammad): Are those who know equal with those who know
not? But only men of understanding will pay heed" (Quran 39:9).
The teachings of Islam must take precedence over the cultures and
customs with embedded bias against women's constructive role in
manyMuslim societies, ironically in the name of the very religion that
hasgranted women far greater rights than these social structures are
willing to accept. Any empowerment efforts in accordance with the
Quran's vision, which upholds women's status before the law, must be
fully supported. To those who would deny women such rights, we ask,
"Will they not then ponder on the Quran?" (4:82).

the World of Islam In 20th century

the World of Islam
In 20th century, four main factors have causedthe individual and
social crisis in the Islamic societies. The considerable factors are;
1) The first is the system of governments or the famous pattern
of"nation - state", which has divided the unified Islamic communities
into the separate estates.
For instance, Bangladesh has been separated from Pakistan as a new
Islamicnation and also Pakistan has been isolated from Islamic nation
of India.
In Europe during the last years, Islamic country of Bosnia -
Herzegovina has been divided into separate parts of three and Muslims
in Albania and Kosovo, which have formed a unified Islamic Ummah, are
ruled by twodifferent systems.
Bangladesh has been separated from Pakistan as a new Islamic nation
and also Pakistan has been isolated from Islamic nation of India.
In Europe during the last years, Islamic country of Bosnia -
Herzegovina has been divided into separate parts of three and Muslims
in Albania and Kosovo, which have formed a unified Islamic Ummah, are
ruled by twodifferent systems.
2) The second factor, which had resulted from the political system
of"nation - state" or"national government", is the phenomenon of
nationalism among Muslims.
The concept of nationality, which alwayshas been praised by Muslims,
has changed into the concept of European and American nationalism.
By the way, the identity of individuals and groupsof the Islamic
nation will be transfer to the new national and governmental units.
Nationalism caused the divergence of the Islamic societies.
Islamic brotherhood, equality, freedom and justice have been replaced
by national and ethnic identity.
3) The third factor is the model of development ormodernism.
After the establishment of national governments and tendency to
nationalism is the next step to weaken the Islamic identity, the
plansof economic, national, political and cultural development were
thoroughly based on the pattern of modernity or development in Europe
and America.
So, during the recent century, the development patterns have
thoroughly changed the systems of education, bureaucracy, organizing
and organization, economic growth and expansion ofpress and media.
Islamic identity lost its value and was replaced by new identities of
modernity, such as classicidentities, Capitalism and Marxist.
4) The growth of the third factor in the Islamicsocieties, which
caused the weakness of Islamic identity, has not occurred in a natural
environment but has been grown as the Western powers began their
relations with the Muslim Ummah through colonial interventions and the
policies of cultural and economic invasion.
In other words, unilateralapproach to international relations and
diplomacy between Islamic countries and the European and American
powers caused spreadingthe non-Islamic identity.
At this time the systems of Media, universities, military,
bureaucracy, parliamentary and judiciary in Islamic countries, which
were built by the Europeans and Americans, acted as the load speakers
of non-Islamic and even anti-Islam identity.
A survey on the press dealing with Islamic identity indicates the
outstanding clues for the factors mentioned above.
The national press in Islamic countries has been imported institutions
and ideological organs for national and governmental systems.
Except for some limited periods, the national press and media always
served and promoted modernism, nationalism and non-Islamic identity,
and the national tendency is an undeniable issue in the present media
of many Islamic countries.
Internationally, the press until the Islamic Revolution of Iran
soughtto avoid the Islamic world concerns.
Over the past two decades that the Islamic movements caused the
extraordinary developments in the regional and international policies,
the main international media ruled by Europe and America intended to
blur the Islamic identity and primarily depicted a negative image for
developments in Islamic countries.
Islamic identity has been often mentioned"fundamentalists","religious
fanatics" and"insurgents and terrorists", in the international media.
In recent decades, cultural institutions and media companies have
launched a cultural aggression against Islamic countries throughthe
Western industries, which is completely along with their political and
economic plots.

Story,- The Boats of the Glen Carrig: Chapter 11

XI
THE SIGNALS FROM THESHIP
NOW SO SOON as it was clearly light, we went all of us to the leeward
brow of the hill to stare upon the derelict, which now we had cause to
believe no derelict, but an inhabited vessel. Yet though we watched
her for upwards of two hours, we could discoverno sign of any living
creature, the which, indeed, had we been in cooler minds, we had not
thought strange, seeing that she was all soshut in by the great
superstructure; but we were hot to see a fellow creature, after so
much lonesomeness and terrorin strange lands and seas, and so could
not byany means contain ourselves in patience until those aboard the
hulk should choose to discover themselves to us.
And so, at last, being wearied with watching, we made it up together
to shout when the bo'sun should give us the signal, by this means
making a good volume of sound which we conceived the wind might carry
down to the vessel. Yet though we raised many shouts, making as it
seemed to us a very great noise, there came no response from the ship,
and at lastwe were fain to cease from our calling, and ponder some
other way of bringing ourselves to the notice of those within the
hulk.
For awhile we talked, some proposing one thing, and some another;but
none of them seeming like to achieve our purpose. And after that we
fell to marvellingthat the fire which we had lit in the valley had not
awakened them to the fact that some of their fellow creatures were
upon the island; for, had it, we could not suppose but that they would
have kept a perpetual watch upon the island until such timeas they
should have beenable to attract our notice. Nay! more than this, it
was scarce credible that they shouldnot have made an answering fire,
or set some of their bunting above the superstructure, so that our
gaze should be arrested upon the instant we chanced to glance towards
the hulk. But so far from this, there appeared even a purpose to shun
our attention; for that light which we had viewed in the past night
was more in the way of an accident, than of the nature of a purposeful
exhibition.
And so, presently, we went to breakfast, eating heartily; our nightof
wakefulness having given us mighty appetites; but, for all that, we
were so engrossed by the mystery of the lonesome craft, that I doubt
if any of us knew what mannerof food it was with which we filled our
bellies. For first one viewof the matter would be raised, and when
this had been combated, another would be broached, and in this wise it
came up finally that some of the men were falling in doubt whether the
ship was inhabited by anything human, saying rather that it might be
held by some demoniac creature of the great weed-continent. At this
proposition, there came among us a very uncomfortable silence; for not
only did it chill the warmth of our hopes; but seemed like to provide
us with a fresh terror, who were already acquainted with too much.
Then the bo'sun spoke, laughing with a hearty contempt at our sudden
fears, and pointed out that it was just as like that they aboard the
ship had been put in fear by the great blaze from the valley, as that
they should take it for a sign that fellow creatures andfriends were
at hand. For, as he put it to us, who of us could say what fell brutes
and demons the weed-continent did hold, and if we had reason to know
that there were very dread things among the weed, how much the more
must they, who had, for all that we knew, been many years beset
aroundby such. And so, as he went on to make clear, we might suppose
that they were very well aware there had come some creatures to the
island; yet, maybe, they desired not to make themselves known until
they had been given sight of them, and because of this, we must wait
until they chose to discover themselves to us.
Now when the bo'sun had made an end, we felt each one of us greatly
cheered; for his discourse seemed very reasonable. Yet still therewere
many matters that troubled our company; for, as one put it, was it not
mightily strange thatwe had not had previoussight of their light, or,
in the day, of the smoke from their galley fire? But to this the
bo'sun replied that our camp hitherto had lain in a place where we had
not sight, even of the great world of weed, leaving alone any view of
the derelict. And more, that at such times as we had crossed to the
opposite beach, we had been occupied too sincerely tohave much thought
to watch the hulk, which, indeed, from that position showed only her
great superstructure.Further, that, until the preceding day, we had
but once climbed to any height; and that from our present camp the
derelict could not be viewed, and to do so, wehad to go near to the
leeward edge of the hill-top.
And so, breakfast being ended, we went all of us to see if there were
yet any signs of life in the hulk; but when an hour had gone, we were
no wiser. Therefore, it being folly to waste further time, the bo'sun
left one man to watch from the brow of the hill,charging him very
strictly to keep in such position that he could beseen by any aboard
the silent craft, and so took the rest down to assist him in the
repairing of the boat. And from thence on, during the day, he gave the
men a turn each at watching, telling them to wave to him should there
come any sign from the hulk. Yet, excepting the watch,he kept every
man so busy as might be, some bringing weed to keep up a fire which he
had litnear the boat; one to help him turn and hold the batten upon
which he laboured; and two he sent across to the wreck of the mast, to
detach one of the futtock shrouds, which (as is most rare) were made
ofiron rods. This, when they brought it, he bade me heat in the fire,
and afterwards beat out straight at one end, and when this was done,
he set me to burn holes with it through the keel of the boat, at such
places as he had marked,these being for the bolts with which he had
determined to fasten on the batten.
In the meanwhile, he continued to shape the batten until it was a
verygood and true fit according to his liking. And all the while he
cried out to this man andto that one to do this or that; and so I
perceived that, apart from the necessity of getting the boat into a
seaworthy condition, he was desirous to keep the men busied; for they
were become so excited at the thought of fellow creatures almost
within hail, that he could not hope to keep them sufficiently in hand
without some matter upon which to employ them.
Now, it must not be supposed that the bo'sunhad no share of our
excitement; for I noticed that he gave ever and anon a glance to the
crown of the far hill, perchance the watchman had some news for us.
Yet the morning went by, and no signal came to tell us that the people
in the ship had design to show themselves to the man upon watch, and
so we came to dinner. At this meal, as might be supposed, we had a
second discussion upon the strangeness of the behaviour of those
aboard the hulk; yet none could give any more reasonable explanation
than the bo'sun had given in the morning, and so we left it at that.
Presently, when we had smoked and rested very comfortably, for the
bo'sun was no tyrant, werose at his bidding to descend once more to
the beach. But at this moment, one of the men having run to the edge
of the hill to take a short look at the hulk, cried out that a part of
the great superstructure over the quarter had been removed, or pushed
back, and that there was a figure there,seeming, so far as his unaided
sight could tell, to be looking through a spy-glass at the island. Now
it would be difficultto tell of all our excitement at this news, and
we ran eagerly to see for ourselves if it could be as he informed us.
And so it was; for we could see the person very clearly; though remote
and small because of the distance. That he had seen us, we discovered
in a moment; for he began suddenly towave something, which Ijudged to
be the spy-glass, in a very wild manner, seeming also to be jumping up
and down. Yet, I doubt not but that we were as much excited; for
suddenly I discovered myself to be shouting with the rest in a most
insane fashion, and moreover I was waving my hands and running toand
fro upon the brow of the hill. Then, I observed that the figure on the
hulk had disappeared; but it was for no more than a moment, and then
it wasback and there were near a dozen with it, andit seemed to me
that some of them were females; but the distancewas over great for
surety. Now these, all of them, seeing us upon thebrow of the hill,
where we must have shown up plain against the sky, began at once to
wave in a very frantic way, and we, replying in like manner, shouted
ourselves hoarse with vain greetings. But soon we grew wearied of the
unsatisfactoriness of this method of showing our excitement, and one
took a piece of the square canvas, and let it stream out into the
wind, waving it to them, and another took a second piece and did
likewise, while a third man rolled up a short bit into a cone and made
use of it as a speaking trumpet; though I doubt if his voice carried
any the further because of it.For my part, I had seized one of the
long bamboo-like reeds which were lying about near the fire,and with
this I was making a very brave show. And so it may be seen how very
great andgenuine was our exaltation upon our discovery of these poor
people shut off from the world within that lonesome craft.
Then, suddenly, it seemed to come to us to realize that they were
among the weed, and we upon the hill-top, andthat we had no means
ofbridging that which lay between. And at this we faced one another to
discuss what we should do to effect the rescue ofthose within the
hulk. Yet it was little that we could even suggest; for though one
spoke of how he had seen a rope cast by means of a mortar to a ship
that lay off shore, yet this helpedus not, for we had no mortar; but
here the same man cried out that they in the ship might have such a
thing, so that they would be able to shoot the rope to us, and at this
we thought more upon his saying; for if they had such a weapon, then
might our difficulties be solved. Yet we were greatly at a lossto know
how we should discover whether they were possessed of one, and further
to explain our design to them. But here the bo'sun came to our help,
and bade one man go quickly and char some of the reeds in the fire,
and whilst this was doing he spread out upon the rock one of thespare
lengths of canvas; then he sung out to the man to bring him one of the
pieces of charred reed, and with this he wrote our question uponthe
canvas, calling for fresh charcoal as he required it. Then, havingmade
an end of writing, he bade two of the men take hold of the canvas by
the ends and expose it to the view of those in the ship, and in this
manner we got them to understand our desires. For, presently, some of
them went away, and came back after a little, and held up for us to
see,a very great square of white, and upon it a great "NO," and at
this were we again at our wits' ends to know how it would be possible
to rescue those within the ship; for, suddenly, our whole desire to
leave theisland, was changed intoa determination to rescue the people
in the hulk, and, indeed, had our intentions not been such we had been
veritable curs; though I am happy to tell that we had no thought at
this juncture but for those who were now looking to us to restore them
once more to the world to which they had been so long strangers.
Now, as I have said, we were again at our wits' ends to know how to
come at those within thehulk, and there we stoodall of us, talking
together, perchance we should hit upon some plan, and anon we would
turn and wave to those who watched us soanxiously. Yet, a while
passed, and we had come no nearer to a method of rescue. Then athought
came to me (waked perchance by the mention of shooting the rope over
to the hulkby means of a mortar) how that I had read oncein a book, of
a fair maid whose lover effected herescape from a castle by asimilar
artifice, only that in his case he made use of a bow in place of a
mortar, and a cord instead of a rope, his sweetheart hauling up the
rope by means of thecord.
Now it seemed to me a possible thing to substitute a bow for the
mortar, if only we could find the material with which to make such a
weapon, and with this inview, I took up one of the lengths of the
bamboo-like reed, and tried the spring of it, which I found to be very
good; for this curious growth, of which I have spoken hitherto as a
reed, had no resemblance to that plant, beyond its appearance; it
being extraordinarily tough and woody, and having considerably more
nature than a bamboo. Now, having tried the spring of it, I went over
to the tent and cut a piece of sampson-line which I found among the
gear, and with this and the reed I contrived a rough bow. Then I
looked about until I came upon a very young and slender reed which had
been cut with the rest, and from this I fashioned some sort of an
arrow, feathering it with a piece of one of the broad, stiff leaves,
which grew upon the plant, and after that I went forth to the crowd
about the leeward edge of the hill. Now when they saw me thus
armed,they seemed to think that I intended a jest, and some of them
laughed, conceiving thatit was a very odd action on my part; but when
I explained that which was in my mind, they ceased from laughter, and
shook their heads, making that I did but waste time; for, as they
said, nothing save gunpowder could cover so great a distance. And
after that they turned again to the bo'sun with whom some of them
seemed to be in argument. And so for a little space I held my peace,
and listened; thus I discovered that certain of the men advocated the
taking of the boat--so soon as it was sufficiently repaired--and
making a passage through the weed to the ship, which they proposed to
do by cutting a narrow canal. But the bo'sun shook his head, and
reminded them of the great devil-fish and crabs, and the worse things
which the weed concealed, saying that those in the ship would have
done it long since had it been possible, and at that the men were
silenced, being robbed of their unreasoning ardour by his warnings.
Now just at this point there happened a thing which proved the wisdom
of that which the bo'sun contended; for, suddenly, one of the men
cried out to us to look, and at that we turned quickly, and saw that
there was a great commotion among thosewho were in the open place in
the superstructure; for they were running this way and that, and some
werepushing to the slide which filled the opening.And then,
immediately, we saw the reason for their agitation and haste; for
there was a stir in the weed near to the stem of the ship, and the
next instant, monstrous tentacles were reached up to the place where
had been the opening; but the door was shut, and thoseaboard the hulk
in safety. At this manifestation, the men about me who had proposed to
make use ofthe boat, and the others also, cried out their horror of
the vast creature, and, I am convinced, had the rescue depended upon
their use of the boat, then had those in the hulk been forever doomed.
Now, conceiving that this was a good point at which to renew my
importunities, I began once again to explain the probabilities of my
plan succeeding, addressing myself more particularly to the bo'sun. I
told how that I had read that the ancients made mighty weapons, some
of whichcould throw a great stone so heavy as two men, over a distance
surpassing a quarter of amile; moreover, that theycompassed huge
catapults which threw a lance, or great arrow, even further. On this,
he expressed much surprise,never having heard of the like; but doubted
greatly that we should be able to construct sucha weapon, Yet, I told
himthat I was prepared; for Ihad the plan of one clearly in my mind,
and further I pointed out to him that we had the wind in our favour,
and that we were a great height up, which would allow the arrow to
travelthe farther before it came so low as the weed.
Then I stepped to the edge of the hill, and, bidding him watch, fitted
my arrow to the string, and, having bent the bow, loosed it,
whereupon, being aidedby the wind and the height on which I stood, the
arrow plunged into the weed at a distance ofnear two hundred yards
from where we stood, that being about a quarter of the distance on the
road to the derelict. At that, the bo'sun was won over to my idea;
though, as he remarked, the arrow hadfallen nearer had it beendrawing
a length of yarnafter it, and to this I assented; but pointed out that
my bow-and-arrow was but a rough affair, and, more, that I was no
archer; yet I promised him, with the bow that I should make, to cast a
shaft clean over the hulk, did he but give me his assistance, and bid
the men to help.
Now, as I have come to regard it in the light of greater knowledge, my
promise was exceeding rash; but I had faith in my conception, and was
very eager to put it to the test; the which, after much discussion at
supper, it was decided I should be allowed to do.

the history of Islam, people are being mass-conditioned to think that ''The Prophet Jesus (as) willnot return, and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not come.''

and Hazrat Mahdi (as) are two of the most valuable individuals
foretold by our Prophet (saas) and whose appearance has been excitedly
awaited for some 1400 years. However, for the first time in those 1400
years some people are now striving, in their own eyes, to cover up
these glad tidings and conditioning masses to think that "The Prophet
Jesus (as) will not return and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not come." These
people make intensive use of such tools of mass communication as the
radio, television, the internet, newspapers and magazines and are
trying to influence both Muslims and the majorityof the world
population.Muslims must therefore neutralize this mass conditioning by
constantly remembering Allah, constantly recalling that we are living
in the End Times, telling others that the Prophet Jesus (as) and
Hazrat Mahdi (as) are at work and striving for the unification of the
Islamic world and the global dominion of Islamic moral values.
The antichrist would be striving in a thousand and one different ways
to conceal and distract people from the system of the Mahdi. It
therefore causes a great many people to turn their backs on it by
causing some people to deny the system of the Mahdi entirely; by
making others talk about the system of the Mahdi as if it is something
totally unbelievable; by ensuring that some never speak about it at
all; by making it seem like it would take place hundreds of years
later; by causing some people to think that the Mahdi is a "collective
personality" and finally by convincing other people to believe in the
lie that "the Mahdi has already come and gone,"which is far from the
reality. It distracts many people with unimaginable quibbles and
tales they would never attach any credence to under normal
circumstances so they are unable to recognize even the existence of
Hazrat Mahdi (as).
One of the dictionary definitions of the word "antichrist " is someone
who subverts the truth, portraying good as evil and evil as good. The
antichrist, who wants to see people come to physical and spiritual
harm and aims to spreadstrife and corruption, will cover up everything
that is fine and good, conceal the facts and thus try to prevent
people discovering the truth. The greatest and most excellent reality
of the End Times is that we are living in the age of the Prophet Jesus
(as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as). The antichrist will therefore work mostly
on that subject. The antichrist and his supporters will strive by a
thousand and one means to conceal and gloss over the coming of the
Prophet Jesus (as) and the system of the Mahdi and, in their own eyes,
to deflect these subject matters. Almighty Allah tells us in the
Qur'an that those with a sickness in their hearts will say, 'What
Allah and His Messenger promise us was mere delusion.'
When the hypocrites andpeople with sickness in their hearts said,
'What Allah and His Messenger promised us was mere delusion.' (Surat
al-Ahzab, 12)
Figuratively, this verse also alludes to the situation of those
peoplewho lose hope in the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat
Mahdi (as). That is because under the influence of the antichrist,
these people deny 'the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat
Mahdi (as), as our Prophet (saas) reveals in the hadiths, and maintain
that our Prophet's (saas) words on the subject are "unfounded."
Today articles, which state that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat
Mahdi (as) will not come,appear in many places. More importantly, some
people regarded as Islamic scholars issue statements agreeing with
this view, as well. The fact is, however, all these people believing
that "the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) is
untrue" and supposedly an "empty promise" is actually one of the
phenomena that our Prophet (saas) has promised will take place.It is
revealed in the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) that one of the signs of
the End Times showing that the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is imminent isfor people to increasingly say,
"Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not come,there is no Hazrat Mahdi (as)". Some
of the hadiths relating this are as below:
"ALLAH WILL SEND HAZRATMAHDI (AS) when people are in despair and say,
"THERE IS NO MAHDI" … (al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat
al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman,p. 55)
HE (HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)) WILL APPEAR AT THE MOMENT THE PEOPLE LOSE HOPE
OF HIS COMING! Howhappy those who live to help him will be! Woe to
those who harbor enmity toward him (Hazrat Mahdi (as)), who oppose him
or his commands and to his enemies! (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim
Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 301)
Dawud ibn Kathir Riqqi says: I asked Imam Abu Abdullah: ...He [Hazrat
Mahdi) (as)] is long in coming, our hearts are saddened and we are
dying from a profound sorrow. He said: "HIS COMING WILL TAKE PLACE
WHEN THERE IS EVEN GREATER DESPAIR AND SORROW." (Sheikh Muhammad ibn
Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 208)
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi also reveals that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will only
be recognized through the light of faith and that only a few people
will thus recognize and take their places beside him:
The force and spiritual army this duty depends on is some followers in
full possession of titles ofloyalty and solidarity. Nomatter how few
they may be, they are spiritually as powerful and valuable as an
army.That abundant and capable army is the family of the Messenger of
Allah (saas) and a verypure army of Hazrat Mahdi (as). (Emirdag
Addendum, p. 259).
Imam Zayn al-Abidin (as)stated:
"There are some similarities between our Qaim [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] and
Allah's Messengers. He has similarities to each one of the
ProphetsNoah (as), Abraham (as), Moses (as), Jesus (as), Job(as) and
Muhammad (saas) .... to Jesus (as) in people being in conflict about
him (some people will say Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come while others
will say he will not) (Sheikh al-Saduq, Kamal al-Din, p. 322, Section
31, Hadith number 3)
All the efforts made to conceal the return of theProphet Jesus (as)
and the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) are in vain. These two holy events
are Allah's promise and will come about. This period, in which the
portents of the End Times have taken place one after the other, shows
that the second coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and the emergence of
Hazrat Mahdi (as) are imminent.By Allah's leave, these two holy
individuals will appear exactly as described in the hadiths of our
Prophet (saas) and install the moral values of Islam across the world.
Many people have fallen into a variety of errors on the subject of the
coming and existence of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Some of these are as
follows:
Even Though All the Portents Have Come about, Why Is It That Some
People Still Deny That the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as)
Will Come As Individuals?
It is a great miracle for Hazrat Mahdi (as) to remain unknown despite
all the portents of his coming having taken place and these signs
being so clear and so explicit. However, a veil has come down overmost
people's eyes and they are unable to recognize Hazrat Mahdi (as)
despite all these evident facts. This showsthe severity of the End
Times, and how much foresight has disappeared, and the kind of thought
structure that people now possess. However, by Allah's leave, the
whole world will eventually see that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat
Mahdi (as) are both individual people and will wage their intellectual
struggle in this century.
By how many means is the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) concealed?
The claims of those who try to conceal the coming of the Hazrat Mahdi (as) are:
1. Hazrat Mahdi (as) has come and gone. He appeared in the past.
2. Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a collective personality, in other words, an
invisiblespirit. And there is therefore no point in waiting for him to
appear as an individual.
3. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come, but in many centuries' time.
4. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be a regular human being. Hazrat Mahdi (as)
will be an ordinary political leader who will not perform the second
and third of the tasks that Bediuzzaman described in his works inthe
words "Hazrat Mahdi(as) has three duties," who will not wage an
intellectual struggle against materialist, Darwinist and atheist
philosophies and who will not tell people of the signs leading to
faith. He will be an ordinary political leader who will merely read
theRisale-i Nur Collection, and therefore will not be a spectacular
personality.
5. There is no such person as Hazrat Mahdi (as) and he will never come.
6. Hazrat Mahdi (as) may come but it is wrong to investigate these
matters. Hazrat Mahdi (as) must find us busy working when he comes, so
there is no need to investigate him. If he comes, he comes, and if
not, then he does not.
7. There will be an Angel over his head telling people, "This is
Hazrat Mahdi (as), follow him," and he should be immune to tanks and
guns. Someone lacking these attributes cannot be Hazrat Mahdi (as).
8. Many Mahdis will comein the End Times. Three, five or ten Mahdis
may come. They will all work silently and discharge the duties of the
Mahdi and then die, so very few people will be aware of this fact.
Trying to confuse, complicate and cover up this issue, which the
Messenger of Allah (saas)sets out so clearly in trustworthy hadiths
and which Bediuzzaman SaidNursi describes so clearlyand explicitly, is
one of the peculiar characteristics of the EndTimes.
Hundreds of millions of people have fallen into the errors concerning
the existence and coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) listed above. In the
beginning there will be very few who think that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will
come in this century. Thereason for this is the misconceptions we have
listed above. Some people would really not understand the existence of
Hazrat Mahdi (as), and some will pretend not to understand because of
their evil aims and this will continue to be like that until the
emergenceof Hazrat Mahdi (as).
It is a great miracle for Hazrat Mahdi (as) to remain unknown despite
all the portents of his coming having taken place and these signs
being so clear and so explicit. However, a veil has come down overmost
people's eyes and they are unable to recognize Hazrat Mahdi (as)
despite all these evident facts. This showsthe severity of the End
Times, and how much foresight and perspicacity have disappeared, and
the kind of thought structure that people now possess.
Some of the Verses of the Qur'an Indicating theComing of the Prophet
Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the Global Dominion of the Moral
Values of Islam
And other things you love: SUPPORT FROM ALLAH AND IMMINENT VICTORY.
Give good newsto the believers! (Surat As-Saff, 13)
We wrote down in the Psalms, after the Reminder came: 'It is My
servants who are righteous who will inherit the earth.' (Surat
Al-Anbiya, 105)
Allah has promised thoseof you who believe and do right actions that
HE WILL MAKE THEM SUCCESSORS IN THE LAND as He made those beforethem
successors, and willfirmly establish for them their religion with
which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security.
'Theyworship Me, not associating anything with Me.' Any who are
unbelievers after that, such people are deviators. (Surat An-Nur, 55)
Our word was given before to Our servants, the messengers, that they
would certainly be helped. It is Our army which will be victorious.
(Surat as-Saffat, 171-173)
Allah has written, "I will be victorious, I and and My Messengers."
Allah is Most Strong, Almighty. (Surat al-Mujadala: 21)
It is He Who sent His messenger with the Guidance and the Religion of
Truth to exaltit over every other religion and Allah suffices as a
witness. (Surat al-Fath, 28)
It is He Who sent His messenger with guidance and the Religion of
Truth to exaltit over every other religion, even though the idolaters
detest it. (Surat at-Tawba, 33)
Then We appointed you after them to be successors on the earth so We
might observe how you would act. (Surah Yunus, 14)
And We bequeathed to the people who had been oppressed the easternmost
part of the land We had blessed, and its westernmost partas well.
(Sura al-Ar'af, 137)
They desire to extinguish Allah's light with their mouths but Allah
will perfect His light, though the unbelievers hate it. (Surat
as-Saff, 8)
He bequeathed their land, their houses and their wealth to you, and
another land you had not yet trodden on. Allahhas power over all
things. (Surat al-Ahzab, 27)
Those who, if We establish them firmly on the earth, will establish
prayer and pay alms, and command what is right and forbid what is
wrong. The end result ofall affairs is with Allah. (Surat al-Hajj, 41)
It is assumed that Islam is not spreading in the world because the
Qur'an and the hadith are not being told. However for attaining true
devotion to religion, signs leading tofaith should be told and false
idols should be destroyed.
Excerpt from Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Kaçkar TV on 5 September, 2010
The Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) Will Come in This Century
However by the leave of Allah the whole world will come to realize in
the near future that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as), in
fact, will wage an intellectual struggle in this century.
Great and entirely reliable Sunni scholars have made it clear in their
works, such as the Sunan Abu Dawud and the Maktubat of Imam Rabbani,
that an individual is sent by Allah once every hundred years in order
to revive the religion and rid it of later additions:
According to Abu Hurairah's account, the Messenger of Allah
(saas)said: Allah will raise for this community AT THE BEGINNING OF
EVERY HUNDRED YEARS the one who will revive its religion for it.
(Sunan Abu Dawud 5/100)
One hadith revealing that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come in Hijri 1400
has come down from our Prophet (saas) as follows:
People will gather around Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the year 1400. (Risalat
al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 108)
The moral values of Islam will rule the world in a specific process
during this hundred years and the system of the antichrist that
opposes the moral values of the religion will be entirely eradicated.
However, following this period of rising which will last 100or so
years, the world will again enter a periodof degeneration in the Hijri
1500s.
According to a hadith narrated by many scholars, including ImamAhmad
ibn Hanbal, the great hadith scholar andfounder of the Hanbali school,
the Prophet (saas) refers to the beginning of a certain calendar,
saying, the time that had passed in the world up until him was 5600
years:
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal transmitted in his 'Ilal: FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED
YEARS HAVE PASSED FROM THIS WORLD. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi
Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 89)
On the other hand, otherhadiths contain explicit references to the
life span of the world being 7000 years:
Anas Ibn Malik narrates that the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: THE
LIFE SPAN OF THE WORLD IS SEVEN DAYS IN THE DAYS OF THE HEREAFTER.
Almighty Allah has said: ONE DAY IN THE SIGHT OF YOUR LORD IS LIKE A
THOUSAND OF YOUR YEARS. ALLAH WILL ASCRIBE THE EQUIVALENT OF GOOD
DEEDS OF THE SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS OF THE AGE OF THIS WORLD to the one
who meets the need of any ofhis brothers in the faith on the path of
Allah as if he spends his days in fasting and his nights in worship.
(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p.
88)
Narrated from Daqqaq Ibn Zaid Al-Juhani: I told the Messenger of Allah
(saas) of a dream I had had. In that dream the Messenger of Allah
(saas)was at the top step of a seven-stepped pulpit. Hesaid: THE
SEVEN-STEPPED PULPIT YOU SEE IS THE SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS OF AGE OF
THIS WORLD. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir
az-Zaman, p. 89)
Said Nursi, the mujaddidof the Hijri 1300s and the greatest one of the
last millennium, cited the Hijri 1400s as the period of dominion of
Islamic moral values. He stated that Muslims would enjoy a time of
clear and explicit victory up until then. He said that in the years
after that, the rise of the moral values of Islam would come to an end
and that the Last Day would break for the unbelievers in the Hijri
year 1545. (Allah knows the truth.)
"A group from my community will remain in truth until Allah's command
[the JudgmentDay]."
The abjad calculation of the clause "A group frommy community..."
which is 1542 (2117) implies its [the community's] time of survival.
The abjad calculation of the clause "will remain in truth" (when the
gemination mark is counted) gives 1506 (2082); it indicates until that
date it will continue its work of enlightenment evidentlyand
obviously, and maybe victoriously; then until 1542 (2117) in secrecy
and defeat. The abjad calculation of the clause "until Allah's
command" (when the gemination mark is counted) suggests that THE
JUDGMENT DAY WILL BEFALL the unbeliever in 1545 (2120). (Kastamonu
Addendum, p. 33)
The great Sunni scholar Barzanji also states that the life of the
world will not reach Hijri 1600, in other words, that the Day of
Judgment will come in the Hijri 1500s. (Allah knows the truth.)
THE LIFE OF THIS COMMUNITY WILL EXCEED 1000 YEARS, YET BE LIMITED TO
1500 YEARS... (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha'ah li-ashrat al-sa'ah, p. 299)
As-Suyuti's statement made on the basis of thehadith handed down from
our Prophet (saas) is as follows:
THE LIFE OF MY COMMUNITY WILL NOT EXCEED 1500 YEARS. (As-Suyuti,
Al-Kashf 'an Mujawazat Hazihi al-Ummah al-Alf; As-Suyuti, Al-Hawi
Lil-Fatawi, 2/248; Tafsir Ruh al-Bayan. Burusawi 4/262; Ahmad ibn
Hanbal, Kitab al-`Ilal, p. 89)
As can be seen from the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) and from
statements by great Islamic scholars, the Hijri 1400s we are living in
are the age of the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as). The Prophet Jesus
(as) will return to Earth in this century, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will
appear and, by Allah's leave, Islam will rule the world.
Statements on the subject by Mr. Adnan Oktar
"The hypnosis of the system of the antichrist also represents a veil
for the system of the Mahdi. Hazrat Mahdi (as) makes progress by means
of this hypnosis. Those whopierce that hypnosis immediately see the
truth."
"That spell casted by the antichrist is currently partially broken by
the light of the system of theMahdi. But not completely. Hazrat
Mahdi(as) is advancing by breaking that spell and hypnosis. The
luminosity in Hazrat Mahdi (as) burns it up. In other words, Hazrat
Mahdi (as)is the anti-dajjal, the anti-satan. Satan burns in the
presence of HazratMahdi (as) and cannot withstand him. The antichrist
also burns. OurProphet (saas) says, "I would immediately eliminate him
if it were my own day. But he will come in the future." In other
words, he will burn it with his radianceand luminosity. It can have no
effect. But Almighty Allah does not totally do away with that
hypnosis, so that it can act as a foundation for Hazrat Mahdi (as).
Because the system of the Mahdi is advancing within it. At the same
time, it is also a veil for the system of the Mahdi. I mean, the
presence of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not felt under this hypnosis and it
thus develops. "Hewill be known through the light of faith," says
Bediuzzaman. Muslims are unaware of him because of that hypnosis, the
hypnosis caused by the antichrist .But those who pierce that hypnosis
see Hazrat Mahdi (as) perfectly clearly. They immediately
understand.They say "It is very explicit, Allah knows the truth". They
feel him, in other words. That is what Bediuzzaman means by "the light
of faith." Faith has an illuminating and burning effect. It
piercesspells and hypnosis. It is something that burns and crushes the
satan and demolishes his influence. A believer's eyes destroy them
when he looks through insight. Hazrat Mahdi (as) eyes, for instance,
will burn satan. His glance burns. He burns wherever he looks. That is
one of his attributes. That is why satan avoids him and the people
around him. If he approached, he would burn, insha'Allah. See that
Bediüzzaman says;"through the light of faith" the Prophet Jesus (as)
will also be recognized by "his close followers and disciples". In
other words, "his elect, faithful followers will recognize him through
the light of faith." By that, the spells and hypnosis would be removed
from them. (From Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Kanal Avrupa and Çay
TV on 3 October, 2010)
"Let us pray for the hypnosis of the antichrist to be broken. Prayer
is the best thing against this hypnosis. The spell of the antichrist
is being partially broken by the luminosity of the system of the
Mahdi."
Let us pray against this hypnosis, let all Muslims pray for the
hypnosis to be broken. Prayer is the best thing against the hypnosis
of the antichrist. Because the antichrist obtains that bybegging it
from satan, by summoning him. This system, the system of
theantichrist, is in its own chain of command at themoment. And it has
hypnotized innocent Muslims. People feel a heaviness in their
brains.They should be feeling itas a peculiar idol. Almosteveryone
feels it, in other words. But they will suddenly awake. In the time of
the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as), they will enter in a
state of perfect clarity as if they were awaking from a sleep. When
they come out of that hypnosis theywill say, "It is obvious. That is
what Bediuzzaman meant. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come. It is explicitly
stated that he will come as an individual." They will understand then.
They will clearly understand the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) at that
time. (From Mr. Adnan Oktar's interview on Kanal Avrupa and Çay

Discrimination against women and its solution: Adherence to the Qur'an and the Sunnah

In societies devoid of real justice, the inequality of women and men
is a serious social issue posing majorproblems. In many countries
around the world, women are often treated as second-class citizens and
even outcasts. Perceived as weak and protection-seeking beings, they
are often abused. For the same reason, they do not hold a role in
societythat commands respect or authority.
In societies where such prejudices prevail, a woman with a remarkable
career in business life hardly findsacceptance. Generally, women are
regarded as people who lack self-confidence and determination, and who
have poor intellectual faculties. This rationalisation of
a"woman-stereotype" in society wrongly serves as an explanation for
every mistake a woman makes. In reality, such mistakes are not
peculiar to women but are universal among human beings.
Among candidates applying for job vacancies, men are usually favoured
over women, even if they possess exactly the same backgrounds,
intelligence and skills. This tendency explains why there are limited
opportunities available to women in business life.
On the other hand, the majority of women identify with this image
attributed to them. This identification makes them readily assume the
inferior roles assigned tothem in many societies.
Prejudices in social life towards gender differences have
strikingconsequences in underdeveloped countries. Let alone
theirentitlement to educationand work, they are even deprived of
making their own decisions about marriage. All sorts of women's
personal decisions rest either with their fathers or husbands.
There is an on-going effort to provide solutions to these
flawedimplementations only a few of which have been included here.
Associations founded to protect women's rights, concepts such as
freedom and equality or the feminist movement or seminars, panels and
discussions have not contributed much towards a workable solution. All
these effortsprove that these solutions inherently breed more
complications. This is a natural consequence since the real solution,
as in all other domains, is unique: adherence to the Qur'an.
In a society adhering to the Qur'an and the Sunnah, no prejudicial
distinction is made between the individuals of a society whether
women, men, wealthy, poor, young or old. Social standing, profession,
wealth, or gender do not make people enjoy particular privileges. The
good deeds one engages in and one's fear of Allah distinguish one, as
is alluded to in the verse "Take provision, but the best provision is
taqwa of Allah." (Surat al-Baqara: 197) In the Qur'an, people are not
classified prejudicially asmen or women. Allah addresses both men and
women having faith in Him and engaging in good deeds. Allah stresses
the importance of living by the values Hecommands. In that respect,
being male or female has no significance. Some of theverses stressing
this are as follows:
The men and women of the believers are friends of one another. They
command what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish salat and
pay zakat (regular charity), and obey Allah and His Messenger. They
are the people on whom Allah will have mercy. Allah is Almighty,
All-Wise. Allah has promised the men and women of the believers.
Gardens with rivers flowing under them, remaining in themtimelessly,
for ever, and fine dwellings in the Gardens of Eden. And Allah's good
pleasure is even greater. That is the great victory. (Surat at-Tawba:
71-72)
Men and women who are Muslims, men and women who are believers, men
and women who are obedient, men and women who are truthful, men and
women who are steadfast, men and women who are humble, men and women
who give in charity, men and womenwho fast, men and women who guard
theirprivate parts, men and women who remember Allah much: Allah has
prepared forgiveness forthem and an immense reward. (Surat al-Ahzab:
35)
Anyone, male or female, who does right actions and is a believer, will
enter the Garden. They will not be wronged by so much as the tiniest
speck. (Surat an-Nisa': 124)
In societies distant from religion, women encounter many difficulties,
and, in particular, those experienced after a divorce deserve special
mention. A divorce creates many problems for a woman who has been
prevented from working by her husbandand hence has come to depend
economically upon him.
That the majority of women do not have a profession, that they are not
young enough to go to work or that they are not entitled to any
socialrights make conditions hard for divorced women. The additional
benefits divorcing parties demand from each other and their insistence
on pursuing their own interests contribute to conflicts between the
parties andmake the situation even worse.
In a society of believers, however, people do not go through such
trouble when they adhere to theQur'an and the Sunnah. The respect and
love felt at the beginning of a marriage is not lost when the parties
decide to terminate their marriage since it is doneby mutual consent.
This attitude is consequent upon the rationale that parties do not
perceive each another merely as aman or a woman but as human beings
having faith in Allah, and thus Allah's most elevated creation. This
attitude maintains courtesy after a divorce.
There are many measures taken in the Qur'an securing a woman's rights
after divorce. The ones pertaining to her economic situation maintain
the welfare of a divorced woman. The following verses inform us about
the benefits and monetary assistancespecified by the mutual consent of
both parties as well as the treatment due a woman after separation:
Divorced women should receive maintenance given with correctness and
courtesy: a duty for all who are righteous. (Surat al-Baqara: 241)
… Give them a gift – he who is wealthy according to his means and he
who is less well off according to his means – a gift to be given with
correctness and courtesy: a duty for all good-doers. If you divorce
them before youhave touched them but have already allotted them a
dowry, they should have half the amount which you allotted, unless
they forgo it or the one in charge of the marriage contract forgoes
it. To forgo it is closer to taqwa. Do not forget to show generosity
to one another. Allah sees what you do. (Surat al-Baqara:236-237)
He who has plenty should spend out from his plenty, but he whose
provision is restricted should spend from what Allah has given him.
Allah does not demand from any self more than He has given it. Allah
willappoint after difficulty, ease. (Surat at-Talaq: 7)
Again from the verses, we know that, after the divorce, it is not
lawful for a man to keep anything he had given to his wife during the
marriage. All needs of a divorced woman relatedto housing are also
guaranteed during the 'iddah period after the divorce. According to
theQur'an, it is also unlawful to inherit women by force. What has
been related so far reveals that adhering to the Qur'an brings
solutions. In a society where people live by theQur'an, women are not
subjected to maltreatment and dishonoured as in other societies.

* The danger of changing the meaning of Allaah's Names and Attributes

* When dealing with the issue of belief in Allaah's Names and
Attributes, wehave to bear in mind the following important points:
1) Placing Allaah, The Most Exalted, above any likeness to human
beingsand beyond any imperfections.
2) Belief in the Names and Attributes established in the Quran and
Sunnah (the sayings, actions and approvals of Prophet Muhammad ),
without ignoring them, expanding upon them, changing or overriding
them.
3) Abandoning any desireto discover the form of those attributes by
realizing the following:
A: The attributes of AllaahAlmighty bear no resemblance whatsoever to
any human attribute. Allaah Says in the Quran (what means): "There is
nothing like Him…" [Quran 42:11]
B: The only names and attributes to be ascribed to Allaah Almighty are
those mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah.
C: We are required to believe in these names and attributes without
inquiring after their nature and manner or investigating their
essence.
This is so because attributes vary according to the self they
characterize; finding out how they manifest themselves depends upon
knowing the self and how it acts.
If someone were to ask: "How does Allaah Almighty descend to the lower
heavens?" We would reply by asking: "What is His nature?" If the
questioner says, "I donot know Allaah's nature", we say: "And we know
not how He descends!"
Tawheed of Names and Attributes is violated by the following:
1. Ta'teel (Negation): Thisis done by negating Allaah's Names or
Attributes, and denying their existence in Allaah. For instance,
negating the perfection of Allaah by denying His Names and Attributes,
or negating the proper conduct towards Allaah by abandoning worship,
or barring the created from its Creator, such as those who deny the
fact that Allaah Almighty created the universe and claim that it
developed and evolved by itself.
The deviant Islamic sect who adopted this crooked creed is called
'Al-Jahmiyyah', the followers of Jahm Ibn Safwaan. They deny the
Attributes of Allaah, the AlMighty and Exalted; in fact, their
extremists deny the Names and say:"It is not permissible to affirm a
Name or an Attribute of Allaah; for if you were to affirm a Name for
Him, you have likened Him with things with (similar) names, or an
Attribute, then you have likened Him with things of (similar)
attributes!! And whateverAllaah assigns to Himself from the Names;
then it isjust in a metaphorical sense; and not the case ofactually
naming with these Names (literally)!!"
2. Tashbeeh (Resemblance): Thismeans to resemble the attributes of the
Creator to the attributes of the created as the Christians, Jews and
some deviant sects in Islam compare the face of Allaah with the human
face, Allaah's Hand to the human hand and so on. [Al-As'ilah
Wal-Ajwibah Al-Usooliyyah, p. 35]
The people who adopted this deviant creed affirm the attributes of
Allaah, and say: "It is a must to affirm the attributes of Allaah, as
He affirmed them for Himself", but they say: "Indeed they are like the
attributes of the creation."
So, these people went into extreme in affirmation, and the people of
At-Ta'teel went into extreme in elimination of seemingly
anthropomorphic Attributes.
So these people claimed:"It is a must for you to affirm the Face of
Allaah, and this Face is like the Face of the most beautiful one from
the children of Aadam." They also claimed:"Because Allaah addressed us
with what we understand andcomprehend; (so Allaah) said (what means):
"...And remains the Face of your Lord fullof Majesty and Honour ."
[Quran55:27], so we do not understand or comprehend from the Face
except what we witness, and the best of what we see is the human."
According to their claim - we seek refuge in Allaah from such heresy -
(the Face of Allaah) is like the best one of the human youth!! And
they claim that this is rationally logical!!
3. Tahreef (Distortion): This is done through false interpretation or
change.For example, the change of the wordings of namesand attributes,
by addingto them, subtracting fromthem or changing the grammatical
constructions, such as theverse (which means): "And Allaah spoke
directly to Moosa (Moses)." [Quran 4:163) where the word Allaah they
claimed to be in the objective case, thus indicating that it was Moosa
who spoke to Allaah and not vice versa.Thus, they denied
Allaah'sattribute of talking.
Al- Jahmiyyah also adopted this innovation through such claims as that
the Istiwaa' (Allaah's Ascending above the Throne) means 'conquering
and having dominion over'; and like the saying of some of
theinnovators that 'Anger' when referring to Allaah means 'intending
to sendblessings', all of which goes under Tahreef. The true saying,
however is that Istiwaa' means ascending and being above- as is clear
in the Arabic language. The Quran came to show that its meaning is
ascending and being above the Throne in a manner which befits Allaah's
Majesty and Greatness.
4. Takyeef (to try to describe "how" an Attribute is, e.g., to say:
How Allaah's Hand is? It islike this and that, or: HowHis Descending
is? It is like this and that): This is done by attempting to determine
the manner in which Allaah's Attributes take form and also determining
their essence. The method of taking Names and Attributes mentioned in
the Quran and Sunnah at face value, without any comparison, change,
negation, nor give the"how of" is the method of the Companions their
followers and those who followed their followers, may Allaah have
mercy them.
Takyeef differs from Tamtheel and Tashbeeh in two ways:
1- Takyeef is to Relate How Something is, with restriction or not by
way of resembling. While Tamtheel and Tashbeeh indicate how something
is, in a restricted sense, by way of a likeness or resemblance
respectively.Takyeef is more general. All who do Tamtheel are doing
Takyeef. But vice versa is NOT the case.
2- Takyeef is Particular toAllaah's Attributes, while Tamtheel is
concerned with His Decree, Description and Self.
Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah (the mainstream moderate Muslims) affirm for
Allaah-The Most Exalted -what He has affirmed for Himself in His Noble
Book, or what has been affirmed for Him by His Messenger Muhammad in
the authentic Sunnah, without Tamtheel. They free Allaah - the Most
Exalted -from any resemblance to His creation, whilst also rejecting
and being free from Ta'teel.

Makkah - The dearest of all lands to Allaah and HisMessenger

The Value of Glorifying the SacredCity:
The importance of values lies in the fact that they are the criterion
by which people, ideologies,actions, positions and subjects can be
judged and measured; moreover,values decide the identityof the
community; the values in a given community have a direct effect and
influence on the manners and conductwhich the members of that
community adopt.
Whenever the values of acommunity originate from the teachings of its
faith, the behaviour and conduct of its people will reflect such a
faith and they will certainly enjoy fine and fulfilling lives within
their respective communities.
Strengthening the social values that Islam instructsand emphasises
upon is the safety valve that protects and guards the community, and
one of the greatest and most important of such values is to glorify
the symbols of Allaah. Indeed, such glorification results in lofty
social customs and etiquettes that guaranteethe stability of the
Muslimcommunity and assures happiness in this life and the Life to
come.
Allaah Almighty has madethis city a Sacred and Secure one and has
honoured His House (the Ka'bah); He made glorifying this city one of
the most honourable actsof worship by which a person draws close to
Allaah; He says (what means): "That [is so]. And whoever honours the
symbols [i.e. rites] of Allaah — indeed, it isfrom the piety of
hearts." [Quran 22: 32]
Glorifying what Allaah and His Messenger have glorified results in
establishing great social values that will yield countless benefits to
the Muslims, and will reflect the unity of the Muslims - a nation that
direct themselves to one Qiblah (direction during prayer towards
Ka'bah), believe in one religion and harbour the same objectives and
hopes, as if their hearts are that of a single person.
The Prophet taught us how to build this value ofglorifying Makkah -
since his prophethood started in Makkah itself - in a practical manner
that is away from fantasy and ina realistic manner that is easy to
comprehend, andmade it deeply rooted in the hearts in a way that
guaranteed the continuity of such glorification by those who reside in
the Sacred City and those who come to visit it. He did so with great
wisdom and with tender care which causedpeople to long to see
andglorify this Sacred City .
Words and actions that reflects its love:
Imaam Al-Bukhaari reported on the authority of 'Aai`shah that she
said: "When the Prophet came to Al-Madeenah, both Abu Bakr and Bilaal
became sick. Whenever fever attacked Abu Bakr, he would recite the
following verses of poetry:
A person wakes up among his household-active he is
While death is in fact closer to him than his shoelaces
Whenever fever eased from Bilaal,he would recite the following verses of poetry:
Will I ever again go back to spenda night- only once
In the valley with Ith-khir and Jaleel (plants) in abundance?[1]
And will I one day again drink from the water of Mijannah? [2]
And will again see (the mountains of) Tafeel and Shaamah? [3]
Then he would say: 'O Allaah! Curse Shaybah binRabee'ah and 'Utbah bin
Rabee'ah and Umayyah bin Khalaf as they forced us from our land to a
land full of diseases'. Then the Prophet said: "O Allaah! Make
Al-Madeenah dear to our hearts just like you made Makkah dear to our
hearts, and even more so. O Allaah! Bless our Saa' and our Mudd [4]
and make it a healthy place for us, and move its fever to the area of
Al-Juhfah." Bilaal also said: 'We arrived at Al-Madeenah and it was
aland full of diseases as the valley of Bathaan would have putrid
water running through it.'"
Ibn 'Abbaas narrated: "The Prophet said, addressing Makkah: "How good
you are as a land and how dear you are to my heart! Had your people
not forced me out of you, I would have never come outand left you and
would have never resided in any other city but you." [At-Tirmithi &
Ibn Hibbaan]
Ibn 'Abbaas narrated: "When the Prophet was forced to leave Makkah he
headed out toa cave, turned around, and said, addressing Makkah: "You
are the most beloved land to Allaah, and you are the most beloved land
to me. Had the polytheists not forced me out of you, I would never
have come out and left you. The worst enemy is the one who
transgresses the sanctities of Allaah, or kills a soul without
dueright or kills a soul as revenge from the era of pre-Islaamic
ignorance." Then Allaah revealed the following verse (which means):
"And how many a city was stronger than your city [i.e. Makkah]
whichdrove you out? We destroyed them; and there was no helper for
them." [Quran 47:13]" [Ibn Jareer At-Tabari] Imaam Al-Qurtubi said:
"This is an authenticnarration." [End of quote]
Imaam At-Tirmithi, Ahmad and 'Abd bin Humayd reported that 'Abdullaah
bin 'AdiyyIbn Al-Hamraa' narrated: "I saw the Prophet standing on a
hillock [5] and addressing Makkah, saying: "I swear by Allaah! You
are the best of the lands of Allaahand you are the most beloved land
to Allaah, and had it not been that I was forced to leave you, I would
have never left you."
Imaam Al-Faakihi reported on the authority of 'Amr bin Shu'ayb, who
reported from his father who reported from his father that he ('Amr's
grandfather) said: "The Prophet sent 'Itaab binUsayd as a leader for
the people of Makkah and said to him: "Do you know where I am sending
you? I am sending you to the people (dear to) Allaah. There is no city
dearer to Allaah - the Almighty, the Glorified - and to myself than
thiscity, and had it not been that its people forced me out of it, I
would never have left it."
This is Makkah and this is its virtue. Will we win thehonour of
glorifying it and loving it with its due love and glorification?
Footnotes:
[1] Jaleel: a weak plant that the residents of Makkah would use in their homes.
[2] Mijannah: a place thatwas a few kilometres from Makkah which had a market.
[3] Shaamah and Tafeel: Two mountains about 50 Km from Makkah.
[4] Saa and Mudd: measures of weight for food
[5] This small hill was at the lower end of the market overlooking Makkah.

Dought & clear,- Difference of opinion concerning the ruling onemission of wind from a woman’s front passage.

As is known, women sometimes have air (like gas or bubbles or wind)
coming out from the front passage. Sometimes it has a sound, but more
often not. As you have written on this site previously about this
issue, it has been made clear that this does not invalidate ones
wudu'.
But there is another question related to it.
A woman often experiences that some wind comes out of her while for
example moving, sitting down, praying, etc.
The problem is that its often difficult to tell from where the wind
came; whether from the front or the back passage. Because even though
shes often certain she felt something come out, shes not certain from
exactly where, so she cant know for sure if shehas invalidated her
wudu.
What is a woman to do in these situations? Especially since the
confusion and the fact that it happens often makes staying in wudu
very difficult. Even relaxing during prayer often becomes difficult
because of it.
Should she then re-do her wudu, or if it happens during the prayer,
stop praying andgo make wudu again and repeat the prayer... Or should
she go by the principle on doubt & certainty, and since she can't be
sure for 100% that she actually broke her wudu, only that something
came out from somewhere, shouldshe then go with that she's still has
wudu unless she's completely certain that it was from the back?
So, should this sister either:
A) Continue doing as she does right now: if the possibility seems
greaterthat it came from the front, she goes on that and considers
herself still in wudu'.
B) If it is certain something comes out, always consider it to be from
the front always unless she is completely certain without any doubt
that its from the back, following the general principle of doubt &
certainty regarding passing gas, and hence considers herself still in
wudu'
C) If it is certain that something comes out but it is uncertain from
exactly where, then consider it to be from the back and therefore
breaks the wudu', as to be on the safe side
D) or do none of the alternatives above, and instead do something else
completely?.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
The fuqaha' differed as to whether wudoo' is invalidated by the
emission of wind from a woman's front passage. There are two views:
1. That it does invalidate wudoo'. This is the view of the
Shaafa'is and Hanbalis.
Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Anything that comes out of the front or back passage of a man or woman
invalidates wudoo', whether it is stools, urine, wind, worms, pus,
blood, stones or anything else. There is no differentiation in that
regard between what happens rarely and whathappens regularly, and
there is no differentiation between wind coming out of the front
passage of a man or woman or from the back passage. This was stated by
ash-Shaafa'i (may Allah have mercy on him) in al-Umm, and our
companions are unanimously agreed on that.
End quote from al-Majmoo', 2/3; see also Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj by Ibn
Hajar al-Haytami, 1/127
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Saalih narrated from his father concerning a woman from whose vagina
wind is emitted: Whatever comes out of either (the front or
back)passage, wudoo' is required for it. al-Qaadi said: Emission of
wind from the penis or the woman's vagina invalidates wudoo'.
End quote from al-Mughni, 1/125. See also al-Insaaf by al-Mirdaawi, 1/195
2. That it does not invalidate wudoo'. This is the view of the
Hanafis and Maalikis.
It says in Radd al-Muhtaar 'ala ad-Durr al-Mukhtaar, 1/136: Wudoo' is
not invalidated by emission of wind from the front passage or penis,
because it is a twitch or tremor, i.e., it is not really wind; even if
we say that it is wind, it does not come from a site of impurity,
therefore it does not invalidate wudoo'.
End quote. See Badaa'i' as-Sanaa'i' by al-Kasaani,1/25
Al-'Allaamah ad-Dardeer al-Maaliki (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
If something usual is emitted from somewhere other than the two usual
passages, such as if it is it emitted from the mouth, or if urine is
emitted from theback passage, or wind is emitted from the front
passage or even from the woman's vagina, or from a hole, then it does
not invalidate wudoo'.
End quote from ash-Sharh al-Kabeer ma'a Haashiyat ad-Dasooqi, 1/118
Undoubtedly in order to be on the safe side and to ensure that one has
discharged one's duty it is better to do wudoo' inthe event of this
wind, because there is such a strong difference of opinion concerning
it and because this is moreon the safe side, as we have said. It is
also closerto the apparent meaning of the evidence, because the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "There is no
wudoo' unless there is a sound or a smell." Narrated by at-Tirmidhi,
74; he said: a hasan saheeh hadeeth.
This hadeeth and similar hadeeths on this topic were quoted as
evidence by Imam Ibn al-Mubaarak and others to show that wudoo' is
rendered invalid by emission of wind from the back passage.
Imam at-Tirmidhi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This is the view of the scholars, that he does not have to do wudoo'
except if he breaks windand hears a sound or notices a smell.
'Abdullahibn al-Mubaarak said: If he is uncertain as to whether he has
broken wind, he does not have to do wudoo' unless he is so certain
that he would swear to it. And he said: If wind is emitted from a
woman's front passage, she has todo wudoo'.
This is also the view of ash-Shaafa'i and Ishaaq. End quote.
For more information, please see fatwas no. 14383 and 114793
The view that wudoo' is required becomes stronger in the case of
uncertainty as to whether it came from the front passage or the back
passage. It is known that wind emitted from the back passage
invalidates wudoo' according to scholarly consensus. If the source of
the wind isuncertain – is it from theback passage, which invalidates
wudoo' according to scholarly consensus, or is it from the front
passage, whichinvalidates wudoo' according to many of the scholars? –
the view that it does invalidate wudoo' becomes very strong,
especially since the basic principle concerning wind is that it comes
from the back passage. As for that which is emitted from the front
passage, it is rare and is not a regular occurrence; this is the basis
on which those who said that it does notinvalidate wudoo' basedtheir
opinion.
Secondly:
If this wind is continual and happens in all situations, then this
woman comes under theheading of those who are excused, even if she is
certain that it comes from the back passage. So she should do
wudoo'for each prayer after thetime for it has begun, then offer the
obligatoryprayer and whatever shewants of naafil (supererogatory)
prayers, and she does not have to repeat wudoo' every time she passes
wind.
Shaykh ash-Shanqeeti (may Allah preserve him)was asked:
The wind that comes outof a woman's front passage happens a greatdeal
at different times; should she do wudoo' for each prayer?
He replied:
There is a well-known difference of opinion among the scholars
(mayAllah have mercy on them) concerning this issue: does the front
passage come under the same ruling as the back passage with regard to
emission of wind? Some of the scholars (may Allah have mercy on them)
said that emission of wind from the front passage comes under the same
ruling as emission of wind from the back passage. This is by way of
judging like by like; it is a strong opinion and is undoubtedly more
on the safe side.
But if it happens with a woman in a way that it is out of control, or
it causes her hardship and difficulty, in that case she comes under
the same ruling as the woman who is suffering from istihaadah
(irregular non-menstrualbleeding), such as when her bleeding is
persistent. She should dowudoo' when the time for each prayer begins,
and after that it will not matter if she passes wind. The same also
applies if she continuallypasses wind from the back passage. It is
more appropriate to be on thesafe side concerning her religious
commitment and worship. And Allah knows best.
End quote from Sharh Zaad al-Mustaqni'.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear,- She stopped working for a while and a salary was transferred to her for this period; is it permissible for her to take this salary?.

I work as a doctor, and I was compelled to travel to join my husband
for amonth so that my residence visa would notbe cancelled. I did not
go to my work during this month and I did not take a leave of absence;
Itold them that my mother was sick and needed surgery (which was
indeed the case), and she lives in another city. In the beginning I
did not regard my salary as permissible, because I did not work during
thisperiod, and I offered thesalary to my fellow doctors; some of them
were prepared to agree and others refused. But the one who is in
chargeof my work said to me: They have no right to anything you have;
take your salary in full. That was because on the dayson which I did
not go to work, no one did the work instead of me. After that, I was
nine months pregnant and I was very tired and couldnot go to work. I
had some problems at the end of the pregnancy and I did not go to work
for another month, but this time my colleague did the work instead of
me. What is the ruling on my taking the salary in these two cases? If
it is not permissible to takethe salary, what should I do with it?
Should I give it in charity or give it to my colleagues? Now I feel
that my supplications (du'aa's) are not being answered – is this the
reason? Howsound is the hadeeth, "Make sure your food is halaal and
your supplications will be answered"?.
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
It is not permissible for you to take the salary in the two cases
mentioned, so long as you did not get a leave of absence that would
make it permissible for you to take the salary even though you did
notdo the work (sick leave, if you were actually ill, or maternity
leave, if thesystem allows the pregnant woman to takea leave with
pay).
Secondly:
In the first case, you should give in charity the salary that you got,
or donate it to public facilities that the state usually spends on,
and the closer it is to the field of your work (medicine and
hospitals), the better, because there was no one who took your placeat
work and you cannot give the money back to the state.
In the second case, it also seems that you should give it in charity,
because the one who did your work in your stead did not do it in an
official capacity with permission from the onewho is entitled to give
permission for that, and the employment system does not allow an
employee to appoint someone else to act in his stead, with or without
a salary.
... And Allaah knows best......

Islamic Stories,- An Orphan's Eid

It was the day of celebration and a day of rejoicing. There was an air
of festivity in the streets of Madinah. All the people, both young and
old were dressed in their best clothes, especially for this specialday
of Eid.
As it was time for early morning Eid prayers everyone made their way
to an open piece of land on the outskirts of the city. The Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) arrived and led the prayers. After they had finished
they all greeted each other and everyonewas walking back home.The
children running and playing in excitement, smiling and laughing,
without a carein the world. As the Prophet (pbuh) walked back home, he
suddenly became aware of a little boy (Zuhair Bin Saghir) sitting by
himself on the side of the path. The little boy was crying and looked
very sad. The Prophet (pbuh) bent down and patted him onthe shoulders
and asked 'why are you crying?' 'Please leave me alone' sobbed the
little boy. The boy didn't even see who was talking to him. The
Prophet (pbuh) ran his fingers through the boy's hair and very gently
and kindly asked him again why he was crying. This time the boy said,
'My father was martyred fighting, and now my mother has married again
and my stepfather does not want me to live at home any more. Today is
Eid and everyone is happy. All the children have new clothes and nice
things to eat, but I don't have any clothes except what I am wearing.
I have no food and I don'teven have a place to live.'
The Prophet (pbuh) said to him, 'I know how you feel, I lost both my
mother and father whenI was a little boy.' The boy was surprised to
hear that it was an orphan who was comforting him, and when he looked
up to his great surprise it was the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and he
immediately jumped up to his feet out of love and respect.
The Prophet (pbuh) said to him 'If I were to become your new fatherand
Ayesha you new mother, and Fatima yournew sister, would that make you
feel better?' 'Oh yes, that would be the best thing in the world!' The
boy started smiling. The Prophet took him home and gavehim new clothes
and good food on this beautiful day of Eid. The boy indeed had a
wonderful Eid that day.
We should think of others that are less fortunate than ourselveson
this beautiful day of Eid. Not everyone has such a wonderful day. It
is a day of celebration, but take a moment to stop and think of those
who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Islamic Stories,- A Quality to Avoid

Abu Hurairah (RA) narrates that Rasulullah (peace be upon him)
happened to pass by a heap of grain and inserted his hand into it; his
fingers were moistened by the wet grain. At this, he asked the owner
of the grain: What is this? The man replied: O Rasulullah! It isdue to
rain. Rasulullah (peace be upon him) said: Why didn't you put the damp
(wet) grain ontop of the heap, so people could see it? He who deceives
people does not belong to me (my Ummah).
Source: Sahih Muslim.
We should always remember that deception is one of the qualities of
Shaitan. Others may not see us when we are deceiving them but Allah is
there watching us. A true believer knowing that he has to stand in
front of Allah will avoid such activities.