Saturday, August 3, 2013

6 Bible verses coinside with Quran

GOD SUSTAINS
There is no creature on Earth that is not dependent upon God forits
provision. He knows where it lives and whereit dies. They are all in a
Clear Book. (Qur'an, 11:6)
God expands provision to anyone He wills and restricts it. They
rejoice in the life of this world. Yet the life of this world,
compared to the hereafter, is only fleeting enjoyment. (Qur'an, 13:26)
New Testament
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat
or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more
important than food, andthe body more importantthan clothes? Look at
the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in
barns... Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you
byworrying can add a single hour to his life?... So do not worry,
asking:"What shall we eat?" or"What shall we drink?" or"What shall we
wear?" For the pagans run after all these things... But seek first His
kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to
you as well. (Matthew 6:25-27, 31-33)
Old Testament
The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the
proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every
living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and loving toward
all that He has made. (Psalm 145: 15-17)
TO REFRAIN FROM VANITY IN WORSHIP
So woe to those who perform prayer, and are forgetful of their
prayer,those who show off
(Qur'an, 107:4-6)
New Testament
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to
pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen
by men. I tell you the truth: They have receivedtheir reward in full.
But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray...
(Matthew 6:5-6)
As he taught, Jesus said:"Watch out for the teachers of the law. They
like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the
marketplaces, and have the most important seats in the synagogues and
the places of honor at banquets. They devour widows' houses and, for a
show, make lengthy prayers. Such men will bepunished most severely."
(Mark 12:38-40)
Old Testament
.... You are always on their lips but far from their hearts. (Jeremiah 12:2)
SINCERE PRAYER
Call on your Lord humblyand secretly. He does notlove those who
overstep the limits [that He has established]. (Qur'an, 7:55)
Remember your Lord in yourself humbly and fearfully, without loudness
of voice, morning and evening. Do not be one of the unaware. (Qur'an,
7:205)
He is the Living-there is no god but Him-so call on Him, making your
religion sincerely His. Praise be to God, the Lord of all the worlds.
(Qur'an, 40:65)
O you who believe! Seek help in steadfastness and prayer. God is with
the steadfast. (Qur'an, 2:153)
"Our Lord, do not take usto task if we forget or make a mistake! Our
Lord, do not place on us a load like the one You placed on those
before us! Our Lord, do not place on us a load we have not the
strength to bear! And pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You
are ourMaster, so help us against the unbelievers."(Qur'an, 2:286)
New Testament
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and
requests. (Ephesians 6:18)
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2)
And [we] will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the
word. (Acts 6:4)
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think
they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them
... This, then, is howyou should pray: "... Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give
us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil." (Matthew 6:7-13)
Old Testament
O Lord, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in Your
faithfulness and righteousness, come to my relief. (Psalm 143:1)
I spread out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched
land. Answer me quickly... Let the morning bring me word of Your
unfailing love, for I have put my trust in You. Show me theway I
should go, for to You I lift up my soul. Rescue me from my enemies, O
Lord, for I hide myself in You. Teachme to do Your will, for You are
my God… Lead meon level ground. … Preserve my life; in Your
righteousness, bring me out of trouble. In Your unfailing love,
silence myenemies... (Psalm 143:6-12)
GOD RESPONDS TO PRAYERS
If My servants ask you about Me, I am near. I answer the call of the
caller when he calls on Me. They should therefore respond to Me and
believe in Me so thathopefully they will be rightly guided. (Qur'an,
2:186)
He Who responds to the oppressed when they call on Him and removes
their distress, and has appointed you as inheritors of the land. Is
there another god besides God? How little you pay heed! (Qur'an,
27:62)
New Testament
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the
door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who
seeks finds, and the door will be opened to him who knocks. (Matthew
7:7-8)
Therefore I tell you:"Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you
have received it, and it will be yours." (Mark 11:24)
Old Testament
In your distress you called and I rescued you. I answered you out of a
thundercloud. (Psalm 81:7)
THE FEAR OF GOD
[Prophets are] those who conveyed God's Message and had fear of Him,
fearing no one except God. God suffices as a Reckoner. (Qur'an, 33:39)
[People of intelligence are] those who join what God has commanded to
be joined and are afraid of their Lord and fear an evil Reckoning.
(Qur'an, 13:21)
Their sides eschew their beds as they call on theirLord in fear and
ardent hope. And they give of what We have provided for them. (Qur'an,
32:16)
Old Testament
In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was
blameless and upright; he feared God. (Job 1:1)
The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the
Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than
gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey
from the comb. (Psalm 19:9-10)
Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:11)
Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in Hisways. (Psalm 128:1)

Bible verses coinside with Quran

NOT TO WRONG PEOPLE
Give relatives their due, and the poor and travellers. That is best
forthose who seek the pleasure of God. They are the ones who are
successful. (Qur'an, 30:38)
Give your relatives their due, and the very poor and travellers...
(Qur'an, 17:26)
Old Testament
Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but fear your God. I am the Lord. Do not pervert justice; do not show
partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your
neighbor fairly. (Leviticus 19:14-15)
He [a righteous man] does not oppress anyone,but returns what he
tookin pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery, but gives his
food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked. He does not
lend at usury or take excessiveinterest. He withholds hishand from
doing wrong, and judges fairly between man and man. (Ezekiel 18:7-8)
RESPECTING PARENTS
Your Lord has decreed that you should worship none but Him and that
you should show kindness to your parents. Whether one or both of them
reach old age with you, do not say"Ugh!" to them out of irritation and
do not be harsh with them, but speak to them with gentleness and
generosity. Take them under your wing, out of mercy, with due
humilityand say: "Lord, show mercy to them as they did in looking
after me when I was small." (Qur'an, 17:23-24)
Old Testament
Honor your father and your mother... (Exodus 20:12)
PROTECTING THE NEEDY
... Any wealth you give away should go to your parents and relatives,
and to orphans, the very poor, and travellers. Whatever good you do,
God knows it. (Qur'an, 2:215)
What reason could you have for not fighting in the Way of God-for
thosemen, women, and children who are oppressed and say: "Our Lord,
take us out of this city whose inhabitants are wrongdoers! Give us a
protector from You! Give us a helper from You!"? (Qur'an, 4:75)
Old Testament
Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry
out to Me, I will certainly hear their cry. (Exodus 22:21-23)
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of
the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them
fromthe hand of the wicked. (Psalm 82:3-4)
Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless? You demanded
security from your brothers for no reason; you stripped men of
theirclothing, leaving them naked. You gave no water to the weary and
you withheld food from the hungry. But as for themighty man, he had
the earth;And the honorable man, he dwelt in it. And you sent widows
away empty-handed and brokethe strength of the fatherless. (Job
22:5-9)
TO GIVE AWAY FOR THE SAKE OF GOD
You will not attain true goodness until you give of what you love.
Whatever you give away, God knows it. (Qur'an, 3:92)
It [the charity] is for the poor who are held back in the Way of God,
unable to travel in the land. The ignorant consider them rich because
of their reticence. You will know them by their mark. Theydo not ask
from people insistently. Whatever good you give away, God knows it.
(Qur'an, 2:273)
They will ask you what they should give away. Say: "Whatever is
surplusto your needs." (Qur'an, 2:219)
New Testament
...The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the
one who has food should do the same. (Luke 3:11)
Share with God's people who are in need. Practicehospitality. (Romans 12:13)
There were no needy persons among them. Forfrom time to time those who
owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and
put it at theApostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he
had need. (Acts 4:34-35)
NOT TO BRAG ABOUT SPENDING FOR THE SAKE OFGOD
And [We have prepared a humiliating punishment] also for those who
spend their wealth to show off to people... (Qur'an, 4:38)
O you who believe! Do not nullify your charity by demands for
gratitude or insulting words, like him who spends his wealth, showing
off to people and not believing in Godand the Last Day... (Qur'an,
2:264)
If you make your charity public, that is good. But if you conceal it
and giveit to the poor that is better for you... (Qur'an, 2:271)
New Testament
Be careful not to do your"acts of righteousness" before men, to be
seen by them. (Matthew 6:1)
So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as
the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored
by men. I tell you the truth: They have received their reward in full.
But when you give to the needy, donot let your left hand know what
your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret...
(Matthew 6:2-4)
THE REWARD FOR DOING GOOD
Perform prayer and give the alms. Any good you send ahead for
yourselves, you will find with God. Certainly God sees what you do.
(Qur'an, 2:110)
New Testament
Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous
and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for
themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may
take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

Bible verses coinside with Quran

GOD CREATES EVERYTHING
WITH A DESTINY
We have created all things in predestination.Our command is only one
word, like the blinking of an eye. (Qur'an, 54:49-50)
Have they not reflected within themselves? God did not create the
heavens and Earth, and everything between them, except with truth and
for a fixed term. Yet many people reject the meeting with their Lord.
(Qur'an, 30:8)
Old Testament
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under
Heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be
added to it and nothing taken from it... (Ecclesiastes 3:14)
EVERYTHING IS RECORDED IN A BOOK
You do not engage in any matter, recite any of the Qur'an, or do any
action without Our witnessing you while you are occupied with it.Not
even the smallest speck eludes your Lord, either on Earth or in
Heaven. Nor is there anything smaller than that, or larger, which is
not in a Clear Book. (Qur'an, 10:61)
Old Testament
Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were
written in Your book before one of themcame to be. (Psalm 139:16)
NOT KILLING SOMEONE WRONGFULLY
... [They] do not kill anyone God has made inviolate, except with the
right to do so, and do not fornicate; anyonewho does that will receive
an evil punishment. (Qur'an, 25:68)
New Testament
... "Do not murder, do notcommit adultery, do not steal, do not give
false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother." (Mark
10:19)
Old Testament
You shall not kill. (Exodus 20:13)
O city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and
defiles herself by making idols, you have become guilty because of the
blood youhave shed. (Ezekiel 22:3-4)
... There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the
land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of
this the land mourns... (Hosea 4:1-3)
FORNICATION
And do not go near to fornication. It is an indecent act, an evil way.
(Qur'an, 17:32)
New Testament
He [Jesus] went on:"What comes out of a man is what makes him
'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts,
sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance,and folly. All of these evilscome
from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" (Mark 7:20-23)
Old Testament
You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14)
AVOIDING THEFT
O Prophet! When believing women come to you pledging allegiance to you
on the grounds that they will not associate anything with God, steal,
fornicate, kill their children, or give a false ascription of
paternity-making up lies about their bodies-or disobey you in respect
of anything right, then accept their pledge and ask forgiveness for
them. God is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Qur'an, 60:12)
Old Testament
"Do not steal... Do not deceive one another." (Leviticus 19:11)
NOT BEARING FALSE WITNESS
[Believers are] those who do not bear false witness and who, when they
pass by worthless talk, pass by with dignity. (Qur'an, 25:72)
O you who believe! Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for God
alone, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives...
(Qur'an, 4:135)
Old Testament
Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a
malicious witness. Do notfollow the crowd in doing wrong. When you
give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with
thecrowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
(Exodus 23:1-3)
Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-The Lord detests
them both. (Proverbs 17:15)
Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with
the Lord our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery. (2
Chronicles 19:7)

Story - You are stupid

Hi i am uttam
when i was at 12th class igo to for my exams.first day i saw her she
is so simple.wen i saw her i fall in love.ijust watching and watching
her.but i have not enough powr totalk to her.second day i ask her wats
ur name shesays anchal.i m just feel like awesome.my exams are going
on this is last day of my exam bt i didntsay any thing to her.i think
if she not accept mypraposal then.after think this i stop my self to
propose her.
time is passing after one year at 20th july a new msg for me on
fb"wats your real hometown"
i said kanpur.
anchal- pls tell me your real hometownhometown.
me- kanpur.were your centre was at clmc.
anchal-yes
after reading this i was confirmed that she is my anchal.
at 24th july i proposed at railway station.she hold my hand and get up
me ncome out of that station.
all is going good but after some time she says iwant brk up?i m
shochedn asking her why was shedoing this?but she never rply till
today.i m stiil loveher as i saw i first time.i missed her so much n
love her so much to
i check my inbox daily that prhaps she call me msg me but i was wrong.
but i still love her so much...

Story - Second time around...

wanted to share with you guys my story, about me rose and my fiance cj....
accidentally meet him (cj)on a online chat room, since then we dated
on and off.. for 6 years. (yeah six years)..
so since then i got bored with him (cj) on our 2nd anniversary and
when onseeing someone new, infact that the was the time that he
cheated on me too.. (both of us cheated).
so me and him decided to end our relationship for 3 years, after that
i was hopelessly seeing someone who could care more for me.. but i was
wrong. i meet another guy he was working on abar as a bartender (ian
who is separated with 1 kid). then just in a snap of a finger we
clicked (became lovers in no time). it was on and off relationship too
but it was the worst relationship i'd been with. he was a abusive guy
emotionally,physically and mentally :( .
he was high on drugs, flirting with some woman and even not respecting
my mother which in fact two of us living with my mom and niece.
i thought to myself that there's no perfect in relationship...since i
was in my relationship my ex ( cj who is my fiance now) we been
hanging out alot...
he was my shoulder to cry on every time my bf was on his high of his
time.. i was crying, then i found out that he was having affair with
his co-worker. on a bar.
that pisses me off. even his own family knows about it but they don't care.
so since then i was thinking what to do withmy life, it was Christmas
2012 i seek god's help i even do some novena forme to enlightened my
feelings. after i finish my novena after that night, i dreamed..., i
was dreaming that my bf was truly having an affair with his co-worker.
i guess god did give me signs.
i ended my relationship with him (ian). even it hurts me alot i need
to stopped knowing that it will be good for me.
i seek help of my ex (cj), knowing that he will help me cope my broken
heart.. we decided to be together again.
so since then it's 4 months now.. oh wait... its been 3 years and 7
months now.. if its estimate our relationship:)
i am more bless to meet him again, knowing that god really gave me a
reason to meet someone new and have my lesson. and now im back to my
first love (cj).
i'd learn my lesson alot, itshould be equal to both of you to love one
another. and more of it don't cheat be faithful to one another.. cause
god really saw whats on your heart. im thankful that i found my center
on this life.. which is balance with my heart and mind..
now we were planning our wedding next year. and hopefully it will be a
dream wedding for two of us, cause we promise to our self that god
will be center in our relationship.
hopefully this story i share with u will bring u rainbow after the rain :)

Hadees

25 Ramadan Demolition of the Idol Al-'Uzza. After conquering Makkah,
the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, dispatched Khaalid ibn
Al-Waleed, may Allaah be pleased with him, to knock down the idol of
Al-'Uzza. It was a house inNakhlah that Quraysh, Kinaanah and Mudhar
would sanctify. Khaalid, may Allaah be pleased with him, demolished
thehouse and killed a priestess, called Al-'Uzza, who was serving the
house – 8 A.H. - Demolition of the Idol Suwaa'. The Prophet,
sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, sent 'Amr ibn Al-'Aas, may Allaah be
pleased with him, to demolish the idol Suwaa',which belonged to Banu
Huthayl ibn Ilyaas. He destroyed it and found its inner cabinet empty
– 8 A.H. - The Release of Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbalfrom Prison. This
took place during the Fitnah)tribulation( of "the Creation of the
Quran" that was promoted by the Caliph Al-Ma'moon, who forced people
to saythat the Quran was created. Some scholars remained steadfast on
the truth, including Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. After the death
ofAl-Ma'moon, the Caliph Al-Mu'tasim followed the same course and
torturedImaam Ahmad severely. On the 25th of Ramadan, he was released
from prison – 241 A.H. - The Death of the poet, man ofletters, and
linguist Abu Al-Fadhl Ahmad ibn Muhammad Al-Maydaani An-Naysaaboori.
He accompanied Imaam Al-Waahidi, the scholar ofTafseer, and learnt
from him. He wrote excellent books, such as Al-Amthaal, which has
never been equaled, and As-Saami fil-Asaami. He also heard Hadeeths
fromscholars – 518 A.H. - The Battle of 'Ayn Jaalut )Ain Jalut(.
After the Tartars' massive invasion of the Muslim lands and the
gruesome massacres theycarried out, Muslims managed to stop their
invasion after a battle launched between the two parties at 'Ain
Jalut)Spring of Goliath( located between Bisan and Nablus. The
Muslims' motto in this battle was,"Waa Islaamaah )O our Islam(," and
Muslims attained victory under the command of the great leader Qutuz –
658 A.H. - The Ottomans conquered Belgrade - 927 A.H.

Ramalan Articles, - Ramadan: A School for Training the Soul

Ramadanis the month of piety and fasting. It helpsone control oneself
and make a commitment to piety. The verses about fasting in the
ChapterAl-Baqarahstart with)what means(:}O you whohave believed,
decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you
that you may become righteous{]Quran 2:183[. This is whyfasting
inRamadandisciplines and trains Muslims. It teaches them patience and
good morals and enables them to exercise these values, which last with
them for the rest of their lives. That is why many
PropheticHadeeths)narration( clarify the educational purposes of
fasting. Abu Hurayrahnarrated that the Messenger of
Allaah,,said:"Whoever does not give up false statements)i.e. telling
lies( and acting upon them, and intolerance, Allaah Is not in need of
his )fasting( leaving his food and drink."]Al-Bukhaari[.
It was also narrated on the authority of Abu Hurayrahthat the
Prophet,, said:"If any one of you is fasting, he should neither
indulge inobscene language, nor raise his voice; and if anyone reviles
him or tries to quarrel with him, he should say: I am fasting."
In addition, Ibn Mas'oodnarrated that the Prophet,, said:"Whoever
among you can marry, let him marry, because it helps him lower his
gaze and maintain his chastity, andwhoever is not able to marry, he
should fast, as fasting will be a shield for him )since it diminishes
his sexual desire(."]Al-Bukhaari andMuslim[
Thus, fasting is considered anexpiation according to
theHadeethnarrated on the authority of Huthayfahin which the Prophet,,
said:"The afflictions caused for man via his wife, money and neighbor
are expiated byhis prayers, fasting and charity."]Al-Bukhaari[
Allaah The Almighty has made a door to Paradise calledRayyaanfor those
who fast. Sahl ibn Sa'dnarrated that the Prophet,,said:"There is a
gate in Paradise called Rayyaan, and those who observe fasts will
enter through it on the Day of Judgment and no one except them will
enter through it. It will be said, 'Where are thosewho used to observe
fasts?' They will get up, and no one except them will enter through
it. After their entry, the gatewill be closed and nobody will enter
through it."]Al-Bukhaari and Muslim[
Another narration reads:"Paradise has eight gates, and one of them
iscalled Rayyaan through which no one will enter but those who
observe fasting."]Al-Bukhaari[
Fasting is a means of spiritual training for the Muslim in this world
which helps him to control and discipline his desires, as well as
elevatehis rank in the sight of Allaah The Almighty, and it opens a
door of Paradise for him, from which he can enter. Fasting is
obligatory inRamadanand permissiblein any other month. It is not
forbidden except on the two'Eedsand the dayof doubt )the last day
ofSha'baan( and it is disliked on the Days ofTashreeqand on Friday or
Saturday, when each day is fasted alone voluntarily.

Ramalan Articles, - Change and Ramadan

"The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned, their
hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them, it
increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely."]Quran 8:2[
Have you ever read abouttheemaan)faith( of a fellow Muslim online or
in a magazine? Most likely the feeling you were left with was probably
a sense of wonder, and possibly bittersweet inspiration. Many Muslims
are blessedwith being able to relate how the light of Allaah, the
All-Powerful, is ever-present in their lives, or how they have found
peace in fulfilling the rites of Islam. These true-life stories are
heartwarming. But not every Muslim can speak from the same place. Some
may not have as tight a grip on their faithas they would like.
It is a cold, hard fact that life always intervenes to test our faith
to the limits. Some of us can bear hardships and resisttemptations.
Most of us can't. Often we feel disconnected from our Creator, as if
wandering in a dark abyss, unaware of just how precarious our
situation may be.
Butemaanis like a river of depleting ebbs and mighty flows, at times
receding into the distance, then raging back to bubble over its banks.
We all feel it. At moments of great joy or fear, most of us turn to
Allaah, praising Him, seeking help and mercy, and ouremaanskyrockets.
In others, when we're jostling in the mundane world pursuing our
earthly tasks, ouremaancan dip downward.
This is what Allaah is telling us when He All-Mighty Says )what
means(:"The believers are only those who, when Allaah is mentioned,
their hearts become fearful, and when His verses are recited to them,
it increases them in faith; and upon their Lord they rely - the ones
who establish prayer, and from what We have provided them, they
spend."]Quran 8:2-3[.Emaanrises and falls depending on what we do—for,
indeed, one's actions are a part of one'seeman, perhaps the best
indicator of its vigor.
The question is how seriously do we take this fluctuation to ensure we
are not drawn away from life's purpose by thewhispers of Satan. Do you
take precautions against this? Do you feel it vital to protect and
enhance youremaanon ongoing basis?
If you do, there is a real opportunity for you to light up your life
this Ramadan. And I know you know that. But the opportunity, to me, is
notin Ramadan itself, but liesinstead in being able to awaken yourself
to the fact that Allaah has created us innately amenable to change.
More specifically, this opportunity, or rather the challenge, is
whetherone succeeds in making his answer to these questions an
inspired move that allows him to overcome the murmurs of vanity and
doubts in his heart? Will he muster every bit of willpower to
courageously steer himself back in line with guidance he certainly
recognizes to be true? Or shall the darkness of his weakemaanenveil
him and cause him to stray far from its broad path.
Every Muslim who has fasted Ramadan and experienced its affirmingand
inspiring power and all it brings with it knowsthat seizing this
opportunity for change isactually the easier choice, for, indeed, it
leads to ease.
Here is the main reason why.
In this month, 14 centuries ago, the Quran was revealed to the Seal of
Allaah's Messengersto call all of mankind back to the One and Only
God, Allaah the Lord and Creator of all. Allaah Says what means:"The
month of Ramadan ]is that[ in which was revealed the Quran, a guidance
for thepeople..."]Quran 2:185[ and"O mankind, there has to come to you
instruction from your Lord and healing for what is in the breasts and
guidance and mercy for the believers."]Quran 10:57[
So, this means of change is mercy and guidance from Him. And the gates
to this mercy and guidance are open throughout the year but especially
so during the days and nights of Ramadan.
If youremaanis not where you want it to be, use this Ramadan as a
springboard to recommityour life to God. Start now and keep
youremaangoing all year round by arming yourselfwith`ilmand
`amal—knowledge and action.
If you believe this and truly seek to change, you will succeed.

Ramalan Articles, - A time for jubilation

Ramadan is back. And yes, all the jubilation germinating in our
households for months now has fully sprung. Spreading through the
world, crossing every kind of barrier—literal and figurative,
manmadeand natural Ramadan seeks every square foot on the face of
earth wherein is a fasting Muslim, to cheer his heart, inspire his
soul, and enrich his sense oftaqwa.
What an amazing mode of worship is the fasting of Ramadan!
Sure, fasting Ramadan is the Third Pillar upholding the edifice of
Islam. Yes, it is a time for profound reflection and nurturing that
special God-consciousness oftaqwa. True, it is a way of boosting
self-control, an extended training period of intensive worship.
But that's not all. Ramadan is a season of harvest, a time of year in
the time of man to reap joy in sowing the fruitful seeds of happiness
for our Hereafter. In fact, so much is the delight of Muslims of all
backgrounds and places in the fertile fields of Ramadan that some
scholars openly worry that our Ramadan euphoria grows so overwhelming
that it may distract us from the essence of fasting.
In a well-knownhadeethof Prophet Muhammadwe are told that a fasting
person is promised with certainty two joyous moments every time we
fast:"One at the time one breaks his fast. And another when one meets
his Lord"]Muslim[. Thehadeethdoes not limit the joy of fasting to only
these two moments. But you better believe it does, indeed, restrict
them to just those who fast. These twin joys are exclusive to fasting
and fasters. They come only to the latter because of the former.
It's not that the fasters may again eat and drink when they break
their fast. That's not the sourceof their joy. It's the fact that they
succeeded to establish their reward with Allaah, who enabledthem to
keep their fast pure, however hard it was physically or mentally and
in spite of their being able to break it when no other human was
looking. That's the sheer joy of a faster. He was able to
overcomehimself, hisnafs, and keep it honest and whole-some, inside
and out. That's the cause of celebration.
ThehadeethI just mentioned is a divine pronouncement, ahadeethqudsi.
It actuallybegins with the Prophettelling us that Allaah Says:"All the
deeds of a Son of Aadam are his]since he claims sincerity in doing
them for Me, butcannot prove it in this world[ except for fasting.It
is ]always genuinely done[ for Me, and I]consequently give unspecified
abundant[ reward for it."
So whoever fasts cannot but fast honestly and purely for Allaah's
Sake. Every Muslim knows this. This is what fills every Muslim with
glee in and about Ramadan, plain and simple.
Ah! Now that's real and absolute happiness, the kind of gladness that
only comes from having certain knowledge that one has achieved
sincerity in worship and gainedtaqwa. Meet rare contentment! It's a
feeling that only issues from a secure place of sheer confidence
within us, one that guarantees us an unimaginable reward from a Loving
and Merciful Lord—the true and only God who has Himself shown us a
recurring way of worshipthat solidifies our relationship with Him
through trust and conviction.
It is surely awe-inspiring to realize that worship is joyful, and that
the more sincere and authentic our worship, the more joy we will find
in it and because of it. The significance of Ramadan in the spiritual
storehouse of man cannot be overstated or overestimated. And it is all
ours! And it comes with a divine warranty ofhuman success, along with
a Heavenly security that it will perfect the way we worship our Lord
and serve Him exclusively!
The Muslim asks for nothing more. That is why Muslims used to do more
in Ramadan, though they were doing it on a lot less. Some of the most
important achievements of our 'Ummah materialized in this least
materialistic of months.
Is this do-more-with-less ethic of our righteous predecessors true for
you? What did you attainlast Ramadan? The one before?
Many of us do more for ourselves in Ramadan than any time of year. But
compared to what? And what have you done for your family, your local
community, your Ummah in past Ramadans?
Do you know what you want to achieve this Ramadan?

Fathwa - Friend's sister is"marrying" a non-Muslim

Question:
I am asking this question on behalf of afriend. She comes froma family
where her mother is a convert, her father a pious Muslim, and she and
her siblings were raised in an Islamic environment. Her older sister
was previously married to a very difficult man, and she has children
from that first marriage. She finally got the strength to leave him,
but now, after having considered a number of Muslim men who each
turned out to be poor choices for marriage, she has decided to marry a
non-Muslim. He is a good man, seems to bemorally upright, and treats
her much better than the Muslim men have. My friend knows that this is
not acceptable religiously and is concerned not only about her sister
and the future of her sisters' children, but is also worried about how
she herself shoulddeal with the situation. Should she keep her
distance altogether (thereby somewhat cutting off relations with her
sister, which of course she does not think is right to do), or be nice
to the guy because he is nice and also because setting a goodexample
will be good da'wah, or just maintain a relationship with her sister
while trying to "ignore" the presence of the "husband"? And if this
marriage lasts inthe present condition (with him not converting,
etc.), should she allow her own children to interact with this
"family"?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum,
Given the sensitivity of the situation, it is best if this matter is
taken up with a leading member of the community.
I can only give you some general advice:
1.Just because some Muslim men are bad husbands doesn't meanthat all
of them are. This is not an excuse to give up on Muslim men.
2.Marriage to a non-Muslim man remains impermissible, despite the
sister's harsh experiences withMuslim men.
3.Shunning the man is not a good idea. The sin is hers not his.
Therefore, he is deserving of kind treatment, which is thebest da'wah.
4.She needs to let her sister know that this situation is unlawful,
and, therefore, very displeasing to Allah. If she really wants
barakain her marriage, then she'll ask this man to take shahada.
5.She should not cut her sister off. However, sheshould also maintain
some distance because continuing things"business as usual" may convey
the impression that she endorses the situation.
6.It is probably best not to allow her children tostay in her sister's
home until the situation becomes lawful.And Allah knows best.

Fathwa - What a loving muslim wife should do when herhusband shakes hands with non-muslim women?

Question:
What a loving Muslim wife should do when her husband shakes hands with
non-Muslim women ?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most MercifulDear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum,
The solution is clear. Explain to your husband that it is not
permissible to shake hands with unrelated members of the opposite sex.
If he fears embarrassment, then offer to shake the women's hands for
him. And explain to the women in a nice way that Muslim culture does
not permit men and women, who are not related, to shake hands.
Nevertheless, if your husband persists, then leave this between him
and Allah. He may have to figure out this issue for himself.
Just advise him to be cautious and fear Allah inhis dealings, and then
goon with your life.
And Allah knows best.

Fathwa - Divorce due to leasing a car

Question:
I got married 6 months ago and have a leased car. My husband is
totally against interest bearing transactions - I understand that, and
am trying to find alternatives so that I don't have to lease a car
again. However - can my husband divorce me due to the fact that I am
involved in an interest-bearing transaction? He is very much against
this however he knew that prior to us getting married. He is very
stubborn about his religious beliefs and imposes them on me which is
causing issues in my marriage. Can you provide some guidance.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Dear Sister,
Assalamu alaikum,
Instead of threatening divorce, the best approach would be for your
husband to assist you in getting out of thissituation. If you're
leasing a car, then you need to examine the terms of the contract
andsee if you can either terminate it or exchange the car for a
no-interest lease. The rush to divorceis a bad move. If your husband
knew you had this car, and married youanyway, then he really can't
blame you. I suggest you both speak to a marriage counselor to explore
what deeper issues may be involved.
I think one of these deeper issues may be what you termed as
yourhusband's "imposition ofhis religious beliefs." When two people
marry, they must respect the fact that each partner has his/her own
approach to Islam. The way of hikma, or gentle wisdom, is not to try
to force our opinions downthe other's throat, but to explain to each
other in a beautiful way why we think our position is sound. Allah
Most High says, "Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and
beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and
most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His
Path, and who receive guidance" (An-Nahl, 16:125).
Paying interest on a car is unlawful, and your husband is entitled to
be concerned. Nonetheless, he needs to do what is most pleasing to
Allah, and that is helping you secure a halal vehicle.
And Allah knows best.

Start with yourself beforeothers

Who to start with?
In Da'wah )call to Islam(, start with yourself before the members of
your family and other people and look at what is lacking in you in
order that you may start treating it.
So if there is a common deficiency between you and one of your
companions or family members, then join him with youin resolving this
problem becausethe Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam
said:"Whoever from amongst you sees an evil he should change it with
his hand and if he is not able to, then with his tongue andif he is
not able to, then he should hate it in his heart, and that is the
weakest level of faith."]Muslim and Ahmed[
How is your relationship with Allaah?
How is your humbleness in prayer?
Read about that which will betteryour condition and that of your
prayer, increase your humblenessin it and soften your heart.
Are you one whose supplications are answered or do you notice most of
your supplications not being answered?
Look into your Aqeedah )Faith( and the level of your certainty and
reliance upon Allaah, and observe closely your food and drink - are
they from that which is Halaal )lawful( or Haraam)unlawful(, or is
there some doubt about their source?
If the situation was one that requires enjoining good and forbidding
evil, what would you do? Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alaihi wa
sallam said:"By Him in Who's Hand is my soul,you will enjoin good and
prohibitevil or )else( Allaah will soon sendupon you a punishment from
Him, then you will call upon Him and He will not answer you."]Ahmed
and At-Tirmithi[
Maybe you would benefit from reading Hadeeths )Prophetic narrations(
pertaining to the punishment of the grave and thatof its bliss, about
the terror of the Resurrection, and the torment of the Hell Fire. You
could well continue reading for days, weeks or months, accompanying
that with good actions and self-struggle.
It is imperative that a person takes his soul to account and treats
his deficiencies. Match yourself against the Quran and the Sunnah
)Prophet's, sallallaahualaihi wa sallam, tradition( to know who you
are, and look what you have set aside for Allaah to know what Allaah,
the Almighty and Majestic, has prepared for you because of the saying
of the Messenger of Allaah,sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam:"Whoever wants
to know what Allaah has prepared for him then he should look to what
he has prepared for Allaah."]As-Silsilah As-Saheehah[
Are you prepared for the meetingwith Allaah?
Have you fulfilled the rights of thecreation, one to another? Or are
you in a constant state of postponing and deferring?
Have you converted your knowledge of repentance into crying and penitence?
Have you turned whatever you have read about loving Allaah into real
love for your Muslim brothers?
Do you often visit them, and overlook their faults? Do you aid the
needy from amongst them, feel delight for their happiness and grieve
for their sorrow?
Do you taste the sweetness and delight of Faith?
Are Allaah and his Messenger, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam,
morebeloved to you than anybody else?
Do you give precedence to the love of Allaah over wealth, business,
whims and desires?
Test yourself when you hear the call to prayer, if you notice a desire
to delay answering it in order to pursue your interests in trade )for
example( then know that Satan has succeeded in gradually leading you
astray and that your love for Allaah is deficient. In this way it is
upon you to consolidate yourself, giving precedence to the orders of
Allaah over any other worldly matter.
How is your abhorrence of entering into disbelief? Do you abhor it as
you would abhor being thrown into the Hell Fire?
Do you live this abhorrence and this feeling in you, so that your
sincerity to Allaah is cultivated and that you may hasten to purify
your soul?
Contemplate the Hadeeth of Umm Salamahwho said: '"Most of the
invocations of the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam,
used to be:"O Changer of the Hearts make my heart firm upon your
religion."]Ahmed and At-Tirmithi[
Reflect upon how Ibraaheem)Abraham(feared associatingpartners with
Allaah, so he used to supplicate )what means(:"Andkeep me and my sons
away from worshipping idols."]Quran 14:35[
This is what Abu Ad-Dardaa'used to fear hence his saying: 'Verily what
I fear from my Lord on the Day of Resurrection is thatHe calls me in
front of all creationand says to me "O 'Uwaymir )i.e., Abu Ad-Dardaa'
himself(," so I say, "Here I am My Lord at Your service," so He says,
"What did you act upon from the knowledge that you acquired?"
Don't forget the supplication of Yousuf )Joseph()which means(:"Cause
me to die as a Muslim and join me with the righteous."]Quran 12:101[
You should aid yourself through fear: living with the fear of eternal
abode in the Hell Fire. Don't rest and sit around while the sweetness
of Faith is missing or is weakened. How many people set out on
journeys for the purpose of treating their illnesses and how many of
them spend out of their wealth to treatthese illnesses? Do not the
souls and the hearts have more priorityin being treated, as their
matter is one of total eternity? Bring to mind the Hadeeth,"Every
slave will be resurrected upon that which he died."]Muslim[, then
expect death at any moment.
It is better for you if you were to meet death whilst trying to
improve your own condition thanto die whilst striving to improve
others', being held accountable at the same time for leaving off
obligatory actions just like the lantern that burns itself out and
gives light to others, as in the Hadeeth:"The example of the scholar
who teaches the people good things but forgets himself is that of a
lantern, it gives light to the people but burns itself
out."]At-Tabaraani[

Women's liberation through Islam - I

Today people think that women are liberated in the West and that the
women's liberation movement began in the 20th century. Actually, the
women's liberation movement was not begun by women but was revealed by
Allaah)God( to a man in the seventh century by the name of Muhammad.
The Quran and the Traditions of the Prophetare the sources from which
every Muslim woman derives her rightsand duties.
Human Rights:
Islam, fourteen centuries ago, made women equally accountable to
Allaah in glorifying and worshipping Him - setting no limits on her
moral progress. Also, Islam established a woman's equality in her
humanity with men.
In the first verse of the chapter entitled "Women", Allaah Says)what
means(:"O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who createdyou from a
single person)Aadam(, and from him )Aadam( He created his wife
]Hawwaa)Eve([, and from them both, He created many men and women and
fear Allaah through Whom you demand your mutual )rights(,and )do not
cut the relations of( the wombs )kinship(. Surely, Allaah is Ever an
All-Watcher over you."]Quran 4:1[
Since men and women both came from the same essence, they are equal in
their humanity. Women cannot be by nature evil)as some religions
believes( or then men would be evil also. Similarly, neither sex can
be superior because it would be a contradiction of equality. Allaah
Says )which means(:"O mankind! We have created you from a maleand a
female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one
another. Verily, the most honorable of you with Allaah is that
)believer( who is the most pious of you. Verily, Allaah is
All-Knowing, All-Aware."]Quran 49:13[
Allaah also Says )what means(:"Verily, the Muslims men and women, the
believers men and women, the men and women who are obedient )to
Allaah(, the men and women who are truthful )in their speech and
deeds(, the men and women whoare humble )before their Lord(, the men
and women who give charity, the men and women who observe fasting, the
men and women who guard their chastity )from illegal sexual acts(,and
the men and women who remember Allaah much with their hearts and
tongues. Allaah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great
reward)i.e.Paradise(."]Quran 33:35[
Civil Rights:
In Islam, a woman has the basic freedom of choice and expressionbased
on recognition of her individual personality. First, the non-Muslim
woman )from the people of the Book( is free to maintain her religion.
Allaah Says)what means(:"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily,
theRight path has been made distinct from wrong path."]Quran 2:256[
Women are encouraged in Islam to contribute their opinions and ideas.
There are many traditions of the Prophetwhich indicate women would
pose questions directly to him and offer their opinions concerning
religion, economics and social matters.
A Muslim woman chooses her husband and keeps her family name after
marriage. A Muslim woman's testimony is valid in legal disputes. In
fact, in areas in which women are more familiar, their evidence is
conclusive.
Social Rights
The Prophetsaid:"Seeking knowledge is a mandatefor every Muslim )male
and female(."]Ibn Maajah[ This includes knowledge of the Quran and the
Hadeeth as well as other religious knowledge. Men and women both have
the capacity for learning and understanding. Since it isalso their
obligation to promote good behavior and condemn bad behavior in all
spheres oflife, Muslim women must acquire the appropriate Islamic
education to perform this duty in accordance with their own natural
talents and interests.
While maintenance of a home, providing support to her husband, and
bearing, raising and teaching of children are among the first and very
highly regarded roles for a woman, if she has the skills to work
outsidethe home for the good of the community, she may do so )if
shehas to( as long as her family obligations are met, and as long as
there is no intermingling between her and men in the work place.
Islam recognizes and fosters the natural differences between men and
women despite their equality. Some types of work are more suitable for
men and other types for women. This, in no way,diminishes either's
effort nor benefit. Allaah will reward both sexes equally for the
value of their work, though it may not necessarily be the same
activity.
The success of a society can be traced to the mothers. The first and
greatest influence on a person comes from the sense of security,
affection, and training received from the mother. Therefore, a woman
having children must be educated and conscientious in order to be a
skillful parent.

Attire and adornment – II

A Muslim is encouraged to adorn himself when going to the Mosque. The
Messenger of Allaahsaid:"Whoever performs Ghusl )i.e., a ritual bath(
on Friday, wears from the best of hisclothing, goes to the Mosque,
does not step over people's heads )in trying to reach the front rows(
and does not talk whilst the Imaam is talking; this will be an
expiation for his previous sins."
Healso said:"Whoever performs Ghusl on Friday, wears from the best of
his clothing, perfumes himself if he has any, goes to the Mosque, does
not step over people's heads )when trying to reach the front rows(,
then prays whatever Allaah decreed for him to pray, and doesnot talk
from the time the Imaam starts talking until he finishes, this will be
an expiation for his sins between that Friday and the next."
In this regard Allaah Says what means:"O Children of Aadam! Take your
adornment ]i.e., wear your clothing[ at every Masjid…"]Quran 7: 31[
Nowadays, people go to parties wearing their very best clothing, but
if they go to pray in the mosque, they wear the clothes that they
sleep in, or their most inferior clothing.
What type of clothes do stores sell for men nowadays? They sell
clothes that are outrageous and reflect a total lack of manhood, and
which contradict basic moralvalues. These are clothes that are
absolutely unfit for men to wear, like tight trousers which form the
parts, or jeans with advertisements of intoxicants, or clothes that
contain images of actors, actresses, dancers and singers. Some of
these clothes are in shocking colours, or are so baggy that they look
ridiculous.
Some men are shameless enoughto wear shorts in public, claimingthat
they are 'beachwear' - as if the Lord of the beach is different from
the Lord of the Mosque. As soon as a new fashion comes out, regardless
of how immoral or prohibited it is, many Muslims rush to wear it.
When some people see a person having his garment fall no lower than
the level of his mid-shin, as per the instructions in the Sunnah, they
accuse him of beingbackward and an extremist, but at the same time,
they themselves may wear Bermuda shorts, which are no longer than the
clothing they mock. It seems that just because the latter was designed
by the non-Muslims, it is the only acceptable type of clothing.
Sometimes one thinks that people have no brains and are like
programmed machines whose remote controls are in thehands of the Jews
and the westerners. Women are exposingtheir bodies and wearing tight,
transparent garments with splits.They wear short dresses and make up
in order to seduce men. All the evil designs that the non-Muslims have
concocted are adopted in our countries, and this in addition to what
takes place during weddings, where dresses are so transparent that
itis as if these weddings are meat markets!
Where are the men who are supposed to be the guardians of these women?
Where are the men with protective jealousy?
Such clothing, which seduces men and moves their lusts and desires, is
unacceptable to Allaah.What is our role in forbidding such things from
occurring? Why do men insist on remaining useless and silent? Where is
their manhood?
Some women wear clothes that are manly. Also, we witness that even
very young girls are wearingrevealing clothes and are growing up while
being accustomed to this; it therefore becomes impossible to convince
them to change their minds, or to teach them chastity, when they
become older.
The high heels that women wear almost cause them to tumble. They also
affect the manner in which they walk as well as harm their spinal
cords and cause foot-joint pain.
One is truly grieved at the level towhich the Muslims have sunk with
regards to clothing. Those who wear clothing that is distinctly for
the disbelievers will have the following prophetic narration apply to
them:"He whoresembles a people will be with them )i.e. on the Day of
Resurrection(."
Those who feel proud of wearing such clothing and who walk arrogantly
will meet Allaah while He is Angry with them. Those who wear
fashionable clothing inorder for others to look at and pay attention
to, will have the following prophetic narration apply to them:"He who
wears a garment of fame in this life - Allaah will make him wear a
garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, then He will set it
on fire."]Ibn Maajah[ Doing anything for the purpose of attracting
people's eyes and attention will fall under this narration; the
psychological punishment of it is humiliation, while the physical
punishment is fire.
Nowadays, people are obsessed with doing things that are out of the
ordinary; they are obsessed with doing things that are strange with
regards to their hairstyles, clothing, footwear, and even socks - to
the point thatsome wear two different coloured socks to stand out.
Many people wear clothes that have crosses on them, while
'Aa'ishahsaid: "We do not wear clothes that have crosses imprinted
upon them."
Likewise is the case with wearingclothes that have pictures of animate
objects upon them, in which case one must disfigure the image, leaving
no trace of thehead and what it contains )i.e. eyes, mouth and nose(.
Sufficient for us is the statement of Imaam Abu Al-Hasan
Al-Qasfaanregarding whether or not a Muslim woman can expose her
breasts, back or stomach to another woman, he said: "She is only
allowed to expose what she would expose to men who are
non-marriageable to her. This is due to the fact that the lusts and
desires of some women towards others are stimulated when they see such
areas exposed. Thus, a woman may only expose the places of adornment
on her hands and feet, regardless of whether or not the woman is
attractive."
Unfortunately, women nowadays wear garments that contain splits that
are up to their thighs, and sometimes even higher. This is something
that is resented by women who have a pure nature, and we are talking
about common women and not womenwith knowledge or students of
knowledge.
We witness how the enemies of Allaah, have spread nakedness by all
possible means, through sports, swimwear, jogging-wear, gymnastics,
and so on. In fact, the chairman of a football league was complaining
that the female footballers were not wearing seductive enough attire
whilst playing. They aim to spread corruption globally via athletics,
and this is why some female athletes have moved on to become movie
"stars".
Will we rise to face this? Will we stand for the truth? Will our
protective jealousy wake up and cry out loud? Will we begin checking
the clothes that we buy for our wives and daughters to ensure they do
not contradict Islamic teachings? When will we begin inspecting our
wives and daughters before they leave to attend wedding parties to
ensurethat what they are wearing will not cause the wrath of Allaah?
Or will we continue to hastily drop them off while never bothering to
check what they wear? Where is our jealousy? Where is our chastity?
Where is virtue? When will we adhere to the rulings of Allaah?

Dought & clear - The story of Tha‘labah who saw a woman doing ghusl, and died from fear of Allah

I would like to find out whether a story I have heard is saheeh
(sound, true). If it turns out to be da'eef (weak), is it still
permissible to tell it?Because telling it has a good effect on
people's hearts. When I tell it, do I have to do point out that it is
da'eef? The story is as follows:
Tha'labah ibn 'Abd ar-Rahmaan was an orphan boy of the Ansaar, who was
no older than sixteen years. He often used to sit with the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), who sent him on an errand
one day to the markets of Madinah. He passed by one of the houses of
the Ansaar, and looked at the door of the house, which was open. There
was a curtain to the hamaam (bathroom) that was closed, but the wind
came and lifted thecurtain, behind which there was a woman whowas
doing ghusl. He glanced at her once or twice, then he realised what
was happening and took the matter veryseriously. He was afraid that
verses would be revealed concerning himand that he would be described
as one of the hypocrites because of this sin. He was afraid to go back
to the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), so he went
out into the desert, and no one knewwhere he had gone. When three days
had gone by, (the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him))
instructed some of the Sahaabah to go and lookfor him in Madinah, but
they found no trace of him. He waited until forty days had passed,
then he instructed them to look for him in the wilderness areas,
because he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was worried
about him. They went and looked for him, and they came to a group of
Bedouin and described him to them. The Bedouin said: Perhaps you are
looking for the weeping boy? They said:Where is he? They said: On the
slopes of this mountain; he will come down at the end of the day. So
they lay in wait for him then they caughthim and carried him to his
house, because he was exhausted from weeping so much. The Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went to him, and Tha'labah
asked him whether any verses had been revealed concerning him. He
said: "No." Tha'labah became very sick, and the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) sat beside him untilhe died (may Allah be
pleased with him). Then they offered the funeral prayer for him and
when they carried the bier to bury him, the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) was walking on tiptoe. 'Umar asked him
about that and he said: "Woe to you, O 'Umar. ByAllah, I cannot find
any place to put my feet because so many of the angels are crowding
around me."
Praise be to Allah.
The story mentioned in the question is a summary of a lengthy story
that was narrated from Jaabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with
him) who said:
A young man of the Ansaar who was called Tha'labah ibn 'Abd ar-Rahmaan
became Muslim, and he used to serve the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him). He sent him on an errand, and he passed by the
door of a man among the Ansaar, where he saw an Ansaari woman doing
ghusl. He looked repeatedly at her, after which he became afraid that
Revelation would come down to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him), so he went out, fleeing, and came to a
mountainous area between Makkah and Madinah, where he hid. The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) missed
him for forty days, and these were thedays when they said his Lord had
forsaken him and was displeased withhim, then Jibreel (peace be upon
him) came down to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah
be upon him) and said: O Muhammad, your Lord conveys greetings of
peace (salaam) to you, and says: The man from your ummah who has fled
is in these mountains, seeking refuge with Me from My Fire. The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "O
'Umar! O Salmaan! Go and bring Tha'labah ibn 'Abd ar-Rahmaan to me."
They set out through thestreets of Madinah and were met by one of the
shepherds of Madinah whose name was Dhufaafah. 'Umar said tohim: O
Dhufaafah, do you know anything about a young man in these mountains?
Dhufaafah said to him: Perhaps you are looking for the one who is
fleeing from Hell? 'Umar said to him: How do you know that he is
fleeing from Hell? He said: Because in the middle ofthe night he came
out tous from these mountainswith his hand on his head, saying: Would
thatYou took my soul as You took other souls and my body as You took
other bodies, and not expose me on the Day of Judgement! 'Umar said:
He is the one we are looking for. So Dhufaafah set out with them, and
in the middle of the night he came outto them from those mountains,
with his hand on his head, saying: Would that You took my soul as You
tookother souls and my body as You took other bodies, and not expose
me on the Day of Judgement! 'Umar went to him and embraced him and
(Tha'labah) said: I want to be safe from the Fire. 'Umar said to him:
I am 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. He said: O 'Umar, does the Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) know of my sin? He
said: All I know is that he remembered you yesterday, and the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) wept.
Tha'labah said: O 'Umar, do not let me enter upon him except when he
is praying, and Bilaal is sayingQad qaamat as-salaah(Prayeris about to
begin – i.e., the iqaamah or call immediately preceding the prayer).
'Umar said: I shall do that. Then they brought him to Madinah and
arrived when the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) was praying Fajr. 'Umar and Salmaan hastened to join the row
(of worshippers), and no sooner did Tha'labah hear the recitation of
the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but
he fell unconscious. When the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) said the salaam (at the end of the prayer), he
said: "O 'Umar, O Salmaan, what happened to Tha'labah ibn 'Abd
ar-Rahmaan?" They said: He is over there, O Messenger of Allah. The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stood up
and said: "O Tha'labah!" He said: Here I am, O Messenger of Allah. He
looked at him and said: "What kept you away from me?" He said: My sin,
O Messenger of Allah. He said: "Shall I not tell you about a verse
that will expiate sins and errors?"He said: Yes, O Messengerof Allah.
He said: "Say:Allaahumma aatina fi'd-dunya hasanah wa fi'l-aakhirati
hasanah waqinna 'adhaab an-naar(O Allah! Give us in this world that
which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us
from the torment of the Fire) (cf. al-Baqarah 2:201)." He said: My sin
is too great, O Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah(blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Rather the word of Allah is
greater."Then the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) instructed him to go home. He fell sick for eight days, then
Salmaancame to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) and said: O Messenger of Allah, do you want to visit
Tha'labah, because he is sick? The Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Let us go to him." When he entered
upon him, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) took hold of his head and placed it in his lap, but he pulled his
head away from the lap of the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said to him: "Why did
you pull your head away from my lap?" He said: Because it is full of
sins. He said: "What do you feel?" He said: I feel something like the
crawling of ants between my skin and mybones. He said: "What doyou
long for?" He said: The forgiveness of my Lord. Then Jibreel (peacebe
upon him) came down to the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him) and said: Verily your Lord conveys greetings of
salaam to you and says: If this slaveof Mine were to meet Mewith an
earthful of sins, Iwould meet him with a similar measure of
forgiveness. The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) said: "Should I not tell him about that?" He said: Yes
indeed. So the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) told him about that, and he gave a shout then died. The
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave
instructions that he should be washed and shrouded, and he offered the
funeral prayer for him. Then the Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) began walking on tiptoeand they said: O
Messenger of Allah, why do we see you walking on tiptoe? He said: By
the One Who sent me with the truth as a Prophet, I could not put my
feet on the ground because of the many wings of the angels whocame
down to accompany his funeral procession.
Narrated by Abu Na'eem inHilyat al-Awliya', 9/329-331; and inMa'rifat
as-Sahaabah, 1/498, and via him by Ibn al-Jawzi inal-Mawdoo'aat, 3/121
Al-Kharaa'iti narrated it inI'tilaal al-Quloob, 272; it was narrated
via him by Ibn Qudaamah inat-Tawwaabeen, 105-108
It was narrated by Abu 'Abd ar-Rahmaan as-Sulami inTabaqaat
as-Soofiyyah, p. 51; and by Ibn Mandah in brief, as mentioned
inal-Isaabahby Ibn Hajar, 1/405
All of them narrated it via Sulaym ibn Mansoor ibn 'Ammaar: my father
told us, from al-Munkadir ibn Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from his
father, from Jaabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him)… And
he quoted the story.
But the report of al-Kharaa'iti does not refer to the verse in which
Allah, may He be exalted, says (interpretation of the meaning):"your
Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased withyou" [ad-Duha
93:3].
This hadeeth is da'eef, and has a number of problems.
1.
None of the scholars stated in clear terms thatSulaym ibn Mansoor ibn
'Ammaar was reliable.
Ibn Abi Haatim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: My father narrated
from him, and Iasked him about him. I said: The scholars of Baghdad
criticise him. He said: Stop. I asked IbnAbi'th-Thalj about him. I
said to him: They are saying that he wrote down hadeeth from Ibn
'Aliyyah when he was young. He said: No; rather he was older thanus.
End quote.
Al-Jarh wa't-Ta'deel, 4?216
Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
He was criticised but his hadeeth was not rejected. End quote.
Al-Mughni fi'd-Du'afa', 1/285
Some of the scholars stated that there was an investigation to see if
there were any similar reports, but it was not thorough.
Ibn 'Iraq said:
There was an investigation to see if there were any other reports that
were similarto that of Sulaym. That was narrated by 'Uthmaan ibn 'Umar
ad-Darraaj in his book. He said: Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn
Hishaam at-Taaliqaani told us: my grandfather told me: Mansoor ibn
'Ammaar told us. But I donot know who this at-Taaliqaani was. End
quote.
Tanzeeh ash-Sharee'ah, 1/349
2.
The preacher Mansoor ibn 'Ammaar.
He was extremely eloquent in preaching and was able to move people
deeply. He preached in Baghdad, Syria and Egypt, and he became very
famous.
Abu Haatim said: He is not qawiy (strong). Ibn 'Adiyy said: His
hadeeth is odd. Al-'Uqayli said: Heis influenced by Jahami views.
Ad-Daaraqutni said: He narrated from da'eef narrators hadeeths that
were not narrated by others.
See:Mizaan al-I'tidaal, 4/187-188
3.
Al-Munkadir ibn Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir
Ibn 'Uyaynah said: He was not a scholar of hadeeth. It was
narratedfrom Yahya ibn Ma'een: He is insignificant. On one occasion he
said: There is nothing wrong with him. Abu Zar'ah said: He is not
qawiy (strong). Abu Haatim said: He was a man who did not understand
hadeeth. He made many mistakes and did not memorise the hadeeth of his
father. Al-Jawzjaani and an-Nasaa'i said: (He is) da'eef . al-Haafiz
Ibn Hajar summed up the ruling on him inat-Taqreeb, where he said: His
hadeeth is not very strong.
See:Tahdheeb at-Tahdheeb, 10/318
4.
There are also problems in the text of the hadeeth:
The verse referred to in the hadeeth –"your Lord has not forsaken you,
nor is He displeasedwith you" [ad-Duha 93:3]– was revealed in Makkah
before the Hijrah, but this hadeeth suggests that it was revealed in
Madinah after the Hijrah. This is a serious contradiction.
Ibn al-Jawzi (may Allah have mercy on him) was certain that it is
fabricated, as he said:
This is a fabricated hadeeth that is very strange, and the fabricator
exposed his fabrication when he said: that was when the verse"your
Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased with you" [ad-Duha
93:3]was revealed to him. But this verse was revealed to him in
Makkah, and there is no scholarly disagreement concerning that.
Moreover there was no one among the Sahaabah who was called Dhufaafah.
Its isnaad contains a number of da'eef narrators, including
al-Munkadir, of whom Yahya said: He is insignificant, and Ibn Hibbaan
said: He used to say things on the basis of his imagination. So his
reports are not valid to be used as proof. Another (of these da'eef
narrators) is Sulaym ibn Mansoor, who was criticized by some scholars
of hadeeth. End quote.
Al-Mawdoo'aat, 3/123. As-Suyooti agreed with him inal-La'aali
al-Masnoo'ah, 1/416
Ibn al-Atheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
There are other issues in it apart from its isnaad. The verse"your
Lord hasnot forsaken you, nor is He displeased with you" [ad-Duha
93:3]was revealed in the early days of Islam, in Makkah,and the
hadeeth which proves that is saheeh. But this story supposedlytook
place after the Hijrah, and the two reports cannot be reconciled. End
quote.
Asad al-Ghaabah, 1/385
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Ibn Mandah said – after narrating it in brief: Mansoor is the only one
who narrated it. I [i.e., al-Haafiz ibn Hajar] say: There is some
weakness in him, and his shaykh is weaker than him. The content of the
hadeeth also indicates that it is weak, because the verse"your Lord
has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased with you" [ad-Duha 93:3]was
revealed before the Hijrah, and there is no difference of scholarly
opinion concerning that.End quote.
Al-Isaabah, 1/405. It was narrated and confirmed by as-Sakhkhaawi
inat-Tuhfah al-Lateefah fi Tareekh al-Madinah ash-Shareefah, 152.
To sum up: the isnaad of this story is a chain of weak narrators, and
its text also shows that it is strange. So it is not permissible to
narrate it or speak of it unless one explains that it is da'eef (weak)
and that it has todo with heart-softening reports (raqaa'iq) which we
cannot be less stringent about. That is because its isnaad is
extremely weak, and those scholars who regarded it as permissible to
narrate da'eef hadeeths in the category of heart-softening reports
stipulated that they should not be extremely weak and should not have
any odd content.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - How can sins happen in Ramadaan when the devils are chained up?

I heard the imam mention that the shaytan is not present inthe month
of Ramadhan. If this is truewhy is it hard for a muslim to stay away
from sins during the month of ramadan evenif the muslim is performing
his or her regular duties.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
The idea that the devils are not present in Ramadaan is not
correct.What is proven from the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) is that the devils are chained up during Ramadaan.
Al-Bukhaari (1899) and Muslim (1079) narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "When Ramadaan comes, the gates
of Paradise are opened, the gates of Hellare closed, and the devils
are chained up."
See question no. 39736.
Al-Qurtubi said:
If it is said, How come we see many evil actionsand sins happening in
Ramadaan? If the devils are chained up that would not happen.
The answer is that evil actions are reduced on the part of those who
fast meeting all the conditions of fasting andtaking care to observe
the proper etiquette; or that only some of the devils are chained up,
namely the maarids (strong ones), and not allof them, as it says in
some reports; or that evils are reduced in this month, which is
something noticeable – fewer evils happen in this month than in
others. If all of them were to be chained up that does not mean that
evil and sin would not happen, because there are other causes of evil
apart from the devils, such as evil souls, bad habits and human
devils.
FromFath al-Baari.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen was asked inFataawa al-Siyaam(p. 466):
How can we reconcile between the idea that the devils are chained up
in Ramadaan and the fact the people commit sin?
He replied:
The fact that sin happensin Ramadaan does not contradict the report
that the devils are chained up in Ramadaan, because the fact that they
are chained up does not prevent them from moving. Hence it says in the
hadeeth: "And the strong devils are chained up, and they cannot
achieve what they usually achieve (at other times)." Narrated by
Ahmad, 7857; this hadeeth was mentioned by al-Albaani inDa'eef
al-Targheeb, 586; he said: it is da'eef jiddan (very weak).
It does not mean that the devils do not move at all, rather they can
move and lead people astray, but their activities during Ramadaan are
not like their activities at other times.

Dought & clear - Is the husband obligedto give zakaat al-fitr on behalf of his Christian wife?

There is a Muslim man living in a western country, and he is married
to a Christian woman. Does he have togive zakaat al-fitr on her
behalf?
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Zakaat al-fitr must be paid on behalf of every free Muslim, male or
female, old or young. With regard to the non-Muslim, zakaat al-fitr is
not obligatory for him, because of the hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah
be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) enjoined zakaat al-fitr upon the people at
the end of Ramadan, a saa' of dates or a saa' of barley, upon
everyone, free or slave, male or female, among the Muslims. Narrated
by al-Bukhaari (1504) and Muslim (984).
It says inMughni al-Muhtaaj(2/122): No zakaat al-fitr is required of
one who is originally a non-Muslim, because the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) said: "of the Muslims", and this is the
consensus of the Muslims. al-Maawardi said: … because it is a
purification, and he (the non-Muslim) is not one of its people [i.e.,
it is a purification from sin, and there is no purification from sin
for the non-Muslim unless he becomes Muslim]. Endquote.
Abu Ishaaq ash-Shiraazi said inal-Muhadhdhab: Nothing is required of
him except the zakaat al-fitr of a Muslim. If the one on whose behalf
he is giving it is a non-Muslim, he is not required to give zakaat
al-fitr on his behalf, because of the hadeeth of Ibn 'Umar, "[it was
enjoined] upon everyone, male or female, free or slave, among the
Muslims". Moreover, the purpose of zakaat al-fitr is purification of
the one on whose behalf it is given, and the disbeliever cannot be
purified [of sin]. End quote.
An-Nawawi said: ash-Shaafa'i and his companions said: He is not
obliged to give anything except the zakaat al-fitr of a Muslim; if he
has a relative or a wife or a slave who is a non-Muslim, he is obliged
to spend on them, but he is not obliged to give zakaat al-fitr on
their behalf. There is no difference of opinion concerning this matter
among us. This was also stated by Maalik, Ahmad and Abu Thawr. End
quote fromal-Majmoo'(6/74)
Al-Hijjaawi said inZaad al-Mustaqni': He should pay it on his own
behalf and on behalf of any Muslim on whom he spends.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said inash-Sharh
al-Mumti'(6/155): It may be understood from the author's words (may
Allah have mercy on him) that he should not give zakaat al-fitr on
behalf of a non-Muslim wife or a non-Muslim slave. End quote.
To sum up: the Muslim husband does not have to pay zakaat al-fitr on
behalf of his non-Muslimwife.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - Eating iftaar with one whose wealth is haraam

Should we accept the Aftar which is given by aperson who is getting
almost HARAM money.
Praise be to Allaah.
If most of the man's wealth is haraam, then it is permissible to
accept his invitation.
The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) accepted
invitations to meals withthe Jews, even though Allaah had described
them as consuming riba (usury) and consuming the people's wealth
unlawfully. One of the salaf said concerning such cases: It is a gain
for you and his sin is against him.
It is also permissible for you not to accept his invitation as a
rebuke to him for his haraam earnings. This is preferable if that will
make him give up the evil that he is doing.
And Allaah knows best.

Islamic Ideology, Nafs, Rooh, Soul, Spirit, Nafs-e-Ammara, Nafs-e-Lawwama, Nafs-al-Mutmainnah

Knowing one's self:Before we talk about practical solutions and life's
experiences relativeto "shaping one's self," we must know our Nafs
(Nafs is an Arabic word meaning self) and find out in what way we can
re-shape, train, nourish, and transform it from its lower position to
a higher level of existence.
We are aware that there are various orders and systems in the world
and each one has defined man and his Nafs in its own way. One of these
systems in our age is the materialist order of Marxism which has
engulfed half of our globe and ideologically ithas seriously clashed
with our Islamic ideology. Marxism has simply defined man as ananimal.
Physiology and Biology:In Marxism man is like an animal who conducts
his activities solely for the sake of his enjoyments; there is no
spiritual beyond this existence. Even those Marxists who try to bestow
a 'spirit' on man simply resort to a definition of him as a material
phenomenon; a definition which is rejected by us. Stalin, oneof the
leaders and ideologues of the Marxists had a popular saying; "Man's
perceptiveactivities revolve around his personal (material) gains."
Thus with such a definition man's Insaniat (humanity) and his Nafs
come to a halt.
We pass all other schools and come to the Divine school in which we
come across two kinds of human beings; man made of mud and Insan made
of the Divine essence. And man's goal in this life is to go through an
evolutionary cycle in order to become transformed into a Divinelike
Insan; namely, to create a gigantic leap in man. In order to
accomplish this task we run across the Divine school which extends
from minus infinity to plus infinity.
In order to know man Islamtakes three distinct levels into
consideration;Jism (body, physique),
Nafs (personality, character), and
Rooh (soul, spirit).
Namely, in one of the philosophical outlooks ofIslam, man is composed
of three parts;Jism,the physique which is of material substance and we
deal with it in physiology and biology. Thus our bodies are known to
various systemsand as far as these scientific areas are concerned
Islam has no disagreement with anyone.
Nafs:Nafs in man is the totality of sentiments, tendencies, desires,
wishes, experiences, and our heredity characteristics; in short, itis
man's personality.
What creates a differencebetween one man and another is Nafs rather
than Rooh. It is man's Rooh which transform and evolves.
Rooh:Based upon the Qur'anic verse; "They ask thee concerning the
spirit (of inspiration). SayThe spirit cometh by command of my Lord:
of Knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O
men!)." (Holy Qur'an 17:85) This verse teaches us that the spirit is
an 'Amr' i.e. the work of Allah. In other words, it isa created thing,
not self-existent. The Holy Qur'an does not go beyond telling us that.
It does not tell us the nature of the spirit. However, just like our
ignorance of the nature of electricity or magnetism does not prevent
us from taking full advantage of these wonders of creation, we can
advance ourselves spiritually by taking full advantage of the
functions of the spirit.
Rooh is something which descends to man from God and we interpret it
as our 'inside Prophet' namely, it is a representative from the Lord
inside Insan. And this what is interpreted as 'Gabriel' in the case of
the Prophet as was the Holy Spirit in Jesus (pbuh). It is the
relationship of God with man that appears under various names in
different Prophets. This spirit is clean and innocent and it cannot
err. Rooh never appears in plural form in the Holy Qur'an(although
common men have pluralized it; 'Arwah') since it is a single reality.
So there is no difference between your soul and my soul, the two of
them 'is' a reality like the sun which radiates its, light upon all
men. While the plural of Nafs is Anfos (or Nafus). And when and entire
group of people get killed we say; "Their Nafus died rather than their
Arwah," since the latter, being God's manifestation, cannot be killed.
Where man develops the capability, aptitude, and the worth to discover
Rooh, he will be aided by the latter. And when a disease attacks and
the body andNafs loose their natural balance Rooh falls into disuse
and cannot establish relationship with man.
What distinguishes one man from another is Nafswhich contains our
personalities. And in our opinion the part of us which is responsible
in front of the Lord in the final day is the Nafs of each of us. And
it is Nafs which errs not the Rooh. The body is not that important
since it is in constant process of change and transformation.
However,what we believe to be the essence of man was placed in the
Nafs, and it is Nafs which will be interrogated in the last day.
In order to talk about theshaping of one's self we must concentrate
upon the analysis and examination of Nafs. Once we reach this stage we
come right across the sacred Islamic school and we are proud that
Islam has conducted in-depth and extensive analysis in this area
unparalleled in any other school or system.

SEARCH FOR TRUTH: The Truth Found

I was born of staunch Catholic Christian parents.My father was a
preacherwho knew the Bible almost by heart my mother, an orthodox
Catholic, would only give us the morning coffee after her return from
Church.
Even from my youngest days, I was made to memorize certain verses from
the Bible.
By the time I had completed the study of all the four Gospels and knew
many important verses, in those four books, by heart.
My father sometimes took me along with him when he went to preach, and
from the special attention he paid to my knowing certain controversial
points, and his teaching me the methods of explaining to the others
those intricacies, it was quite obvious that he wanted me to succeed
him in his profession. The strong desire of the paternal love to make
me a priest was implemented by educating me with a detailed knowledge
of the Bible and the science of ministering it to others. By the time
I reached the Form IV in school I could preach the gospels in my own
way, supervised by my father. Many senior missionaries admired my
knowledge of the important doctrines of the faith. I passed the Form
VI and joined College. There I came in contact with several classmates
who were Protestants, and some of whom were wellversed in the study of
theProtestant Bible.
I often met my Protestantclassmates and discussed matters regarding
differences in our faith and the performance of rituals. There were
also some Muslim students, but I met them only in the play ground as I
hated meeting Muslims whom I took to be dangerous fanatics. By the
time I completed the first year in College, I wassufficiently grounded
in the knowledge of the Christian faith as held by the Catholic Church
and had also considerable knowledge of the Protestant view point.
Appreciating this knowledge of the Catholic faith in my young age I
was given a scholarship from the church funds and in return for the
help I received, I was required to receive special coaching in the
guidanceof deeper thoughts about certain parts of theHoly Book, under
of the Chief Priest of the Church who loved to teach me very much and
was very intimately attached to me. He used the special devotional
methods of worshiping Jesus and his Holy Mother. Having appeared in
the first group for my intermediate course I used to sit working at
hissubjects till late at night.
One night when all were asleep and I was absorbed in my studies an
idea suddenly struck my mind to examine the doctrine of the Holy
Trinity, the Basic formula of the Christian faith. The question, how
three different things can be one and the same, arose in my mind i.e.
how anything singularly absolute in its unity with its indivisible
oneness, can ever by itself becomedivided into three separate beings
with three variant native attributes opposed to each other justifying
the distribution into the three different entities.
My failure to reconcile mybelief in the Trinity with the reasoning of
the science of logic, created amental restlessness in me.Days passed
on and manya time I thought of asking my father to help me in solving
the problem which was puzzling my mind. But I knew that my father
would never appreciate the least doubt in the dogmatic belief of the
Catholic School and my venture to discuss anything hated by the
Catholic faith, would onlycreate further problems in my domestic life.
However, one day when Ifound my father in a happy mood, I asked him as
to how he would defend the Christian faithin the Holy Trinity
againstthe attacks from the members of the other religions of the
world. The answer was:
"In matters of faith one has to stop reasoning. One should belief in
the doctrine only by one's heart and mind."
This reply from my father upset me further more and disappointed me to
avery great extent and all my thinking got centeredin the question
which had become a definite problem to puzzle my mind further and I
wondered saying:
"What! Is this the Foundation upon which is built the huge edifice of
the Christian faith? Is the basis of my own faithonly a matter of a
blind following of some dictated belief which cannever stand reasoning
or the independent scrutinyby the dispassionate and impartial
arguments from the clean conscience?"
I became much worried and made up my mind to find some arguments to
somehow make my muchdisturbed mind at least imagine that one could at
one and the same timebe three different persons, and the three
different persons could at the same time remain one.
One day our Mathematics Professor was sitting alone in his room and I
got in with his permission and asked him if he would help me to solve
something whichto me was an intricate and a perplexing problem. He
very kindly asked me what it was. I told him to explain to me in what
sense one and the same person could bethree different beings, and the
same three different beings with their individual differences could at
the same time be the indivisible absolute one?