Why an authoritarian rule is against Islam

Forcing people to believe in a religion or to adopt its forms of
belief is completely contrary to the essence and spirit of Islam. That
is because according to Islam, true faith is only possible with free
will and freedom of conscience.
In the contemporary world, there are people who envisage or
supportauthoritarianism in the name of Islam. However this is a great
misconception. Islam is areligion which provides and guarantees
freedomof ideas, thought and life. It has issued commands to prevent
and forbid tension, disputes, slander and even negative thinking among
people. In the same way that it is determinedly opposed to terrorism
and all acts of violence, it has also forbidden even the slightest
ideological pressure to be put on them:
There is no compulsion in religion. True guidance has become clearly
distinct from error.(Surat al-Baqara: 256)
So remind them! You areonly a reminder. You arenot in control of
them.(Surat al -Ghashiyya: 21-22)
Forcing people to believe in a religion or to adopt its forms of
belief is completely contrary to the essence and spirit of Islam. That
is because according to Islam, true faith is only possible with free
will and freedom of conscience. Of course, Muslims can advise and
encourage each other about the features of Qur'anic morality. All
believers are charged with explaining Qur'anicmorality to people in
thenicest manner possible. They will explain the beauties of religion
in the light of the verse,"Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom
and fair admonition..."(Suratan-Nahl: 125), however, they must also
bear in mind the verse,"You are not responsible for their guidance,
but God guides whoever He wills."(Surat al-Baqara: 272)
Thus true Muslims will never resort to compulsion, nor any kind of
physical or psychological pressure. Neither will they use anyworldly
privilege to turn someone towards religion. When they receive a
negative response to what they say, Muslims will reply along the lines
of:"To you your religion, and tome, mine"(Surat al- Al-Kafirun: 6)
The world we live in contains societies with all kinds of beliefs:
Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, deist and even pagan.
Muslims living in such a world must be tolerant of all beliefs they
come up against, no matter what they may be, and behave forgivingly,
justly and humanely. This responsibility placed on believers invites
people to the beauty of the religion of God by means of peace and
tolerance. The decision whether or not to implement these truths,
whether or not tobelieve, lies with the other party. Forcing that
person to believe, or trying to impose anything on him, is a violation
of Qur'anic morality. In fact, God issues a reminder to believers in
the Qur'an:
If your Lord had willed, all the people on the earth would have
believed. Do you think you can force people to be believers?(Surat
Yunus: 99)
We know best what theysay and you [O Muhammad] are not a compeller
over them. But warn by the Qur'an whoever fears My warning.(Surat Qaf:
45)
A model of society in which people are forced to worship is a complete
contradiction to Islam. Belief and worship are only of any value when
they are directed to God by the free will of the individual. If a
system imposes belief and worship on people, thenthey will become
religious out of fear of that system. From the religious point of
view, what really counts is thatreligion should be lived for God's
good pleasure in an environment where peoples' consciences are totally
free.
When we look at the history of Islam, the way that Muslims have
translated this importantfeature of Qur'anic morality into the life of
society can be seen quiteclearly. Since the Prophet Muhammed, true
Muslims have always brought with them an atmosphere of freedom and
tolerance wherever they have gone. They have enabledpeople whose
religions, languages and cultures are completely different from one
another to live together in peace and harmony under one roof, and
provided peace and harmony for its own members. One ofthe most
important reasons for the centuries-long existence of the Ottoman
Empire, which spread over an enormous region, was the atmosphere of
tolerance and understanding that Islam brought with it. Within this
multi-national structure, all ethnic and religious groups have been
free to live according to theirown religions, and their own rules.
Barbarism in the name of religion, that is so preoccupying the world
at present, is the work ofignorant and fanatical people, completely
estranged from Qur'anic morality, and who have absolutely nothing to
dowith religion. The solution to these people and groups who try to
carry out their savagery under the mask of religion is the teaching of
true Qur'anic morality.
Islam and Qur'anic morality are solutions to the scourge of bigotry,
barbarism and terrorism,not supporters of it.

The pleasant conversations of believers

The believers don't seek such goals of their lower selves as to put
themselves in the forefront or have the final say. Therefore they
have a reasonable, calm manner. Out of their understanding of
courtesy based on their commitment to the Quran's moral values,
they always allow others to be in the forefront, try to benefit from
what others say and refrain from acting in an ignorant fashion.
Their conversations are sincere and honest. Since believers consult
each other in everything they do, everyone's opinions count. The
believers stay away from proud and stubborn actions such as 'my ideas
are better'. A believer is always aware of the fact that someone
else might know better. For these reasons, these good conversations
help believers gain a stronger faith, think deeper, comprehend
things better and ponder more on the signs leading to faith.
Conversations are actually very good opportunities to get to know
the people, benefit from their ideas and thoughts. The emotions,
thoughts, desires as well as their mistakes reflect on their talks.
The tone is an important indicator to tell a deep believer apart
from a person with low moral qualities. Because a believer, out of
his firm fear of Allah, never makes the person he is talking to
uncomfortable. His speech is sincere, wise, inspires confidence,
courteous, reasonable, humble and positive. He carefully avoids void
and unnecessary conversations that could lead people to pessimism,
despair and conflicts.
What is "Wisdom"?
The word 'wisdom' has a wide meaning which can be summarized as
'putting things in the perfect way possible both in speech and
manners, concisely speaking, yet with immense meaning, and the deep
understanding capacity that Allah bestowed on His Prophets and holy
servants'. Islamic scholars defined wisdom in many ways, but the
majority agrees on the following:
"Wisdom is beneficial knowledge and sincere actions." (Elmalili M.
Hamdi Yazir, True Religion, Language of the Quran I, 915)
So, talking wisely should be understood as beneficial, concise, true,
essential talks done at the right time and at the right place.
The conversations of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) are the best examples
of conversations
A believer, even if he has knowledge of the subject discussed, thinks
of the possibility that other person might know that subject as
well, and therefore listens to his brothers and sisters with
interest and courtesy. This superior moral value of believers comes
from the fact that they follow Quran's verses, and look up to the
Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) in everything they do. Imam Gazali,
describes the conversations of the Prophet Mohammad as follows,
based on the hadiths:
"...He would pay compliment to everyone present at his sight.
Therefore, everyone would get the idea that they were the most
merited there. The way he sat, listened, his words, beautiful
compliments were only for the people that sat at his presence. But
his gatherings were places of respect, humility and safety… He
would call his companions with their appellation to compliment them
and if any of them didn't have appellation, they would find
appellation for them and address them so…" ( Hujjat-ul-Islam, Imam
Ghazzali, , Ihya Ulum-id-din ,, 2. cilt, Çeviri: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle,
Huzur Yayın Evi, 1998, s.798)
Aisha (ra) explains the words of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) on how
a Muslim should talk:
" When he talked, his words didn't come in a rapid succession like
yours do, he would talk little but in a concise way. But you keep on
adding new sentences." ( Al Fawaid, Hujjat- ul-Islam, Imam Ghazzali,
Ihya Ulum-id-din, vol.2, Translation: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur
Publishing House, Istanbul 1998, s. 800)
"The Messenger of Allah, the Prophet Mohammad (saas) talked very
concisely (with short, concise words, which convey lots of meanings.
His short sentences would give the message he intended, he never
said less or more than exactly what is needed. His words followed
each other in a harmonic way, he would pause between sentences,
making sure that his listeners understood and memorized what he
said. He had a strong and pleasant voice. He talked when necessary
and always told the truth." (Abu Dawud, , Hujjat-ul-Islam, Imam
Ghazzali, Ihya Ulum-id- din, 2. cilt, Çeviri: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle, Huzur
Yayınevi, İstanbul 1998, s. 800)
"When he paused, the people in his presence started talking. No one
would argue in his presence." (Tirmidhi; Hujjat-ul-Islam, Imam
Ghazzali, , Ihya Ulum-id-din , vol.2, Translation: Dr. Sıtkı Gülle,
Huzur Publishing House, Istanbul 1998, s. 800)
"He was very genial, he always smiled at the Companions, liked what
they said, listened to them very carefully and considered himself to
be one of them as well." (a.g.e.)
"He gives wisdom to whoever He wills and he who has been given
wisdom has been given great good. But no one pays heed but people of
intelligence ..." (Surat al-Baqara, 269)
As the verse states, not only Prophets but ordinary people can be
wise as well. All believers- women and men- can ask our Lord to
grant them such a blessing.
The believers are aware of the huge blessing in wisdom, and ask
Allah to grant them 'wisdom, eloquence and articulateness. Allah
gives the Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) prayer as an example to believers
in the Quran:
" My Lord, give me right judgement and unite me with the righteous;
and make me highly esteemed among the later peoples; ." (Surat
ash-Shu'ara, 83-84)

According to Quran's moral values, the importance of allowing others to have the final say

Almighty Allah ordered believers preach their religion to others as
well. Therefore, telling the existence, oneness and greatness of
Allah and inviting them to live by the Quran values, is a great
blessing and a very important worship for Muslims. For this reason,
believers remember Allah, always say the best of the words, preach
the message of Islam, enjoin the good, and forbid the bad. However,
they avoid turning conversations into a monologue, without
allowing anyone else to speak, as they know this is not the attitude
preached by Quran's moral values.
Allah states in the following verse that everything everyone says
are recorded:
" No indeed! We will write down what he says and prolong the
punishment for him. We will inherit from him the things he is talking
about and he will come to Us all alone." (Surah Maryam, 79-80)
Therefore people are responsible for every idea and thought they
have, everything they do, just like everything they say and they
will be treated accordingly in the hereafter. For this reason the
goal of a person must be avoiding to say a word that could make him
ashamed and repent at the Sight of Allah.
Those who are aware of this important truth revealed by our Lord in
the Quran and who live by these good moral values, are no doubt the
'believers'. The believers, spend all their lives to gain the
pleasure of Allah. Everything they do, every decision they make,
their actions, behaviors are all intended to please Allah. The same
thing goes for their speeches, conversations and tone. The
believers, in pursuit of Allah's pleasure, will speak only if what
he is going to say, will make a positive contribution to the person
he is talking to. They never seek to draw attention, show off their
knowledge when they are speaking to someone. Sometimes they don't
talk at all, and just listen. And sometimes it might be just a
couple of sentences that is needed to convey his opinion and chooses
to benefit from the ideas of the other person instead. However,
some people use a far different style of speech other than the one
based the Quran's moral values.
The mistakes that prevent a conversation from being a wise one
The believers will only speak for Allah's pleasure, and only if that
speech is going to make a positive impact on the person he is
speaking to. He doesn't seek to be on the forefront. However, many
people just try to be one in the spotlight, making all the talk,
acting with an attitude of 'I know the best, so I have to talk the
most'. Some of these undesired qualities can be listed as follows:
never listening to anyone, and interrupting others, usually talking
with a loud voice. This way these people think that they can make
others listen to them and gain their respect. They never hesitate to
shout in attempts to show how right they are, or to deter, convince
or silence others. However Muslims talk with a reasonable level of
voice. Allah shows the Prophet Luqman (pbuh) as an example to
believers. The Prophet Luqman (pbuh) advises his son as follows:
Be moderate in your tread and lower your voice. The most hateful of
voices is the donkey's bray . (Surah Luqman, 19)
These people don't ever think of listening to others or benefitting
from their ideas. According to them, turning conversations into a
one-man conference is an achievement, makes them superior,
therefore they never imagine that it could disturb other people.
According to them, it is not possible for others to have more
knowledge in a subject or put it in a more clever way. This is an
attitude the believers must refrain from strictly. Our Lord states
as follows:
... We raise the rank of anyone We will. Over everyone with
knowledge is a Knower. (Surah Yusuf, 76)
People with the 'I know the best' attitude, usually try to give the
appearance of being the smartest, wisest and most knowledgeable
person around. They don't need deep knowledge or expertise to act
like that, it could be something everyone knows, or that they only
know of superficially, or that they heard from others. In every
opportunity, they try to prove their so-called knowledge and
experience to people around them. Just like it is the case in many
other bad habits, the source of 'I know the best' attitude comes from
the inner self, the enemy of wisdom and common sense.
Listening to a speaking person courteously without interrupting is a
good attitude, which will hopefully be a means for Allah's
pleasure. Such behavior will also be an indication of respect to the
speaker. However, people away from Quran's moral values, usually
don't listen to others, and even interrupt or talk at the same
time. This is especially common on debate programs on TVs. Even
well-educated people that are expected to behave in a more proper
way, can be very impolite and uncivil. Such people, instead of
trying to benefit from what is explained, just strive to make others
listen to them and concede defeat.
Making long sentences during conversations is another attitude that
usually makes others uncomfortable. Usually, one is expected to
pause between sentences and ask the opinions of others. If another
person starts speaking too, he also must avoid repeating the
sentences, and make long sentences. Also, changing the subject and
starting to talk about something else while someone is still trying
to say something are other actions that must be abstained from.
Believers, out of courtesy, listen to the speaker while looking in
the face of that person, not force anyone to listen, especially if
that person is trying to leave.
Listening to a speaking person courteously without interrupting is a
good attitude, which will hopefully be a means for Allah's
pleasure. Such behavior will also be an indication of respect to the
speaker.
It is of course very natural for a specialized person to talk, in an
area that requires expertise. However, everyone should join in so
that everyone can express their opinions and ideas. This will make
sure that everyone's opinions are learned, and it also gives the
opportunity to have an idea about people's personality. Thoughts
such as 'he knows less than I do, so he shouldn't talk' or 'only
those ones with knowledge should talk' are wrong. Maybe someone has
less technical knowledge compared to others, but one who has been
given wisdom by Allah, may come to realize aspects of the subject
that others are unknown to others. Or perhaps the person that knows
all the details about the subject got drowned in details and missed
the big picture. For these reasons, it is significant that every
person that is participating in a conversation, expresses their
ideas so that new ideas and points of view are known.
The Prophet Mohammad (saas) also drew attention to unnecessary
conversations which don't include praising Allah in one hadith:
Ibn Umar (RA) narrates:
"The Prophet Mohammad (saas) said: "Don't talk too much other than
for praising Allah. Because talking too much other than talking
about Allah, will make the heart gloomy (hard). Know that, one that
is farthest from Allah is who has a gloomy heart."(Tirmidhi, Zuhd
62, (2413). (5891)

Story, - He doesn’t even consider kis ...

I am married for two years now and I am already used to the impatience
of my husband, every time we go to bed he wants to make wild sex (Ok,
not every day, but 3-4 times aweek). But after it's over he totally
loses interest inme – he immediately turns to the other side and falls
deeply asleep.
He is not as kind as to kissme, or caress me – he falls asleep in his
half of the bed, as if I don't exist.And this gets from bad to worse
for me.
I am asking myself " Does he need me at all – or he simply needs the
sexual satisfaction?"
I bury my head in the pillow and cry silently.
Sometimes he notices that I cry and opens his eyes in surprise – " Why
are you crying now? What is wrong again? " – and that's all.
I tried a couple of times to shorten the distance inbed after the
sexual act, to show him that I need caress and tenderness.
But nothing worked – "Go to sleep, I am tired, I need to get up early
in the morning cause I havean important meeting" – that would be his
way of turning down my attempts to show him that I need him after sex.
I don't know what to do?
I am afraid to tell it straight forward...
I don't want tenderness that is obtained by begging!

Story, - IT'S NOT MY LIFE

I appeal to the women, who are not spoilt, whichinsist on their
principals, but are forced to compromise, I appeal to the resigned
mothers who combine family withcareer, and I appeal to the beautiful
loners.
I have married 13 years ago against my parent's will. I've been crying
in my first marriage night, sitting on the bedroom suit. I gave birth
to two children, which are very close with me. They painfully miss me,
when Iam travelling, or I am working, or I am under treatment far from
home.
I will not go in details about my life.
My real problem, which I am trying intuitively to solve, started 4
years ago.We have never had regular sexual life with my husband, but
some years ago he definite boycotted the intimacy with me.
I've tried to talk to him – he didn't want. I did my best to be very
gentile with him – no success. I've been bagging him to sleep with me.
I am an attractive woman, lovable and tender. I could not find
explanation for his behavior. I felt physical pain from the need of
sex. I had dizziness, I fainted I've been trembling; my hands and
tongue were tingling. I had two hard nerve crises. I have been
testingdifferent medicines for a long time, while the doctors were
trying to diagnose my problem. I've passed so many diagnoses and
finally they said panic disease. During a scandal with myhusband he
mentioned that I am zero in the bed. I was so deeply hurt, that I
became speechless.
I haven't been touched by a man for about a year. The ruins from the
decided woman woke upin me and I betrayed. AndI did it again – with
otherman. I started to discoverhow different I can be when I am really
excited. Excuse me for the naturalistic descriptions, but I have
nothing to lose, a lot of women would understand.
My husband was jealous, even though he didn't know for the others. I
was trying not to be. When one morning he said that he'd been writing
SMS with a woman we knew, but her husband understood.Everything
turned. He had been sleeping with her. He did not deny. Before the
confession sheused to come to our house only when he was alone. After
his confession about the relationship with her I started to calm him
down. It was seen he wasmuch tensed. The atmosphere at home
waspoisoned for the next two weeks. I wished to hurt him, and I told
him I had other men too. Since that moment already seven months except
thatwe don't make sex, we talk officially only. We started to chase
each other. And we fight in a really ugly way.
We have totally different eyesight for our kids' upbringing.
No more tenderness.
Each of us steals it outside. He sits chatting when we are at home. I
start to act bitingly.
We turned on co-tenant, which are growing up common kids. We hate each
other. We are jealous form each other. We can't stand each other. We
avoid each other. We talked for separation.
He said he can't stay away from our daughter.What about our son? I
can't live without my kids, but I can't bear him anymore. I feel
incapableof falling in love again. He suspects I want to live with
another man. It's funny and miserable. I just can't live with him. I
am shocked. I can't leave.And I have no where. I have no resources. I
am unable to take care of mykids alone. And I can't stay without them.
It's a long story.
What am I supposed to do??

The Prophet's way in correcting people's mistakes

Anas Ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, said:"Whilst we were in
the Mosque with the Messenger of Allaha Bedouin came and stood
urinating in the Mosque. The Companions of the Messenger of Allahsaid,
'Stop it! Stop it!' and were about to attack him. But the Messenger of
Allahsaid, 'Do not interrupt him; leave him alone.' So they lefthim
until he had finished urinating, then the Messenger of Allahcalled him
and said to him, 'In these Mosques it is not right to do anything like
urinating or defecating; they are only for remembering Allaah, praying
and reading Qur'aan,' or words to that effect. Then he commanded a man
who was there to bring a bucket of water and throw it over the
)urine(, andhe did so.")Muslim(
The principle which the Prophetfollowed in dealing with this mistake
was to treat the man gently, not to be harsh with him.
The Prophetwas thinking of the likely consequences of the two options
- stopping him or leaving him alone. If they tried to stop him,
forcing a man to suppress his urination could do him harm, and if he
was unable to stop but moved away because he was afraid of them, the
impurity would be spread over a wider area of the Mosque and on the
man's body and clothing. TheProphethad the farsightedness to see that
leavingthe man alone until he had finished urinating was the lesser of
two evils, especially since the man had already started doing it,and
it was a problem that they would be able to do something about by
cleaning it afterwards. So he told his companions to leave him alone
and not to interrupt him.
Ibn Hajarmentioned in his commentary a number of things we learn from
the hadith about the Bedouin, among which are the following:
- We should be gentle when dealing with one who is ignorantand teach
him what he needs to know without rebuking him, so long as he is not
acting out of stubbornness, especially if he is one who needs to be
won over.
- The Prophetwas kind and he dealt nicely with him.
- The idea of taking precautions against impurity was established well
in the minds of the Sahabah)Prophet's companions(, which is why they
hastened to denounce it in the presence of the Prophetwithout first
asking his permission. The idea of enjoining what is good and
forbidding what is evil was also well established in their minds.
- We should also hasten to remove anything objectionable when there is
nothing to stop us from doing so, because when theman had finished
urinating, the Prophetissued instructions that the place should be
cleaned with water.
Explaining the seriousness of the mistake
Ibn 'Umar, Muhammad Ibn Ka'b, Zayd Ibn Aslam and Qutadahreported )the
following is compiled from their reports( thatduring the campaign of
Tabook, aman said, "We have never seen anyone who loves food and tells
lies more than our rectors, or anyone who is more cowardly in the
battlefield" - referring to the Messenger of Allahand his Companions.
Awf Ibn Malik said, 'You are lying! You are a hypocrite, and I am
going to tell the Messenger of Allah. ' Awf went to the Messenger of
Allahto tell him, but found that Qur'aan had already been revealed
concerningit. That man came to the Prophetwho was riding his camel,
and said, "O Messenger of Allahwe were only talking idly and joking,
just to pass time in the journey." Ibn 'Umarsaid, "It is as if I saw
him hanging onto the reins of the Prophet's camel, with the stones
hitting his feet, saying, "We were only talking idlyand joking,"
whilst the Messenger of Allahwas reciting )what means(:
"Say: 'Is it Allah and His verses and His Messenger that you were
mocking?'")Qur'an 9: 65(
We see that the prophet's reply to these abominable remarks was by
reciting some verses of the Qur'aan by which this man was told that
Allaah and His Messenger are far above mocking. Hedidn't become
enraged or order that the man should be punished severely. Any one
else may do that, but the Prophet was sent as a mercy to all creation
and to be an exampleof how people should behave.

Doctor Bee

In the Quran, Allaah, Almighty, Says )what means(:"And your Lord
inspired the bees, saying: 'Take you habitations in the mountains and
in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits, and
follow the ways of your Lord made easy ]for you[.' There comes forth
from their bellies, a drink of varying color wherein is healing for
men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think."]Quran 16:
68-69[
I am the doctor; I am the handcrafter of medicine. You come to me to
take your medicine from my pharmacy, the one that I prepare myself to
heal you, Allaah willing, from your diseases. The medicine I make
never tastes bitter to annoy whoever takes it; on the contrary,it is
sweet and delicious and everyone likes it. In fact, it has many colors
and many odors; it smells like roses in the garden, flowers and basil,
or even jasmine. The colors of my medicine are pure and beautiful:
pure white, red, or yellow.
Its healing power is guaranteed, and the patient does not need a
medical check by the physician; furthermore, whoever takes it will not
have any side effects or complications because it heals and
strengthens, it is always useful and never useless.
None of the whole creation can make such medicine because it is my
secret and no one else can have it. In fact, no creature taught me
this secret; moreover, I never went to school and never studied at any
university. However, I am excellent at manufacturing this healing
medicine.
Do not wonder at this speech, and do not say: "How should we believe?
These are just dreams." In fact, I am not dreaming or lying; I am
telling the truth and nothing but the truth.
Do you want to know who taught me my secret? He is the Great Creator,
Allaah, Almighty, Who created me and taught me the right path and
guided me by His inspiration and simplified thisability for me.
Allaah, Almighty, created a great factory in my tiny body, in which
there are very minute instruments that make this medicine. After that,
He permitted me to go and extract materials from fruits and roses'
nectar that would never harm the rose; then I mix that nectar inmy
body to let my instruments work with the Aid of the All-Powerful
Allaah to extract an excellent medicine, pure and veryuseful. Do you
know now who I am?
Yes, I guess you know that I am the BEE, and the medicine I make is
honey. I am a very tiny hyperactive creature that never tires or
becomes lazy or even sick. I usually do my work with determination and
never feel bored, but rather I spend my whole life making honey.
Allaah, Almighty, inspired me to build my well-organized shelter, so I
build it in a hexagonal shape,strongly fixed from its ends; thenHe let
me fly easily using my tiny wings in order to reach the valleys and
the green fields extracting flowers' nectar and tasting many fruits
before I return home. When I return, I empty all that I collected,
then store it. Then I go out again, and so on, feeling neither fatigue
nor boredom.
As a matter of fact, I do not ask any recompense from you for my
effort except to consider my existence and respect my living space.
Therefore, I do not like anyone to threaten my life or assault me
because we, bees, do not like aggression and we love to live safely.
However, if anyone attempts to endanger our lives, we are very brave
and our weapons are our stinging lances. Our soldiers sacrifice their
lives for the defense of our kingdom and they are fierce in battle for
a sting would certainly cost a bee its life.That is because its
stinging lance is attached to its vital organs, and when it impales
its victim its bowels exit its body and it dies horribly as you see.
Allaah, Almighty, has honored us in His Book )Quran( and featured us
by giving one chapter of His Book our name and has granted us the
honor of His inspiration. Not only that, but He, Almighty, predestined
our lives and guided us to the way of our work. If you want to know
something about our kingdom or the organization of our government,
then our kingdom does not differ much from yours, and our government
resembles yours to a great extent.
We have a Queen who rules us and whom we obey and guard. The work is
divided among us: some make wax, others work in honey and another team
builds the shelters, while still others bring water. We usually arise
veryearly in the morning, and our drone's example has led to people
saying: "he wakes as earlyas a drone."
Some of our hive members keep flapping their wings to refresh the air
of the cell, and some are the soldiers and yet some others are just
males. We shall return now, dear friends, to my medicine.
Honey has been mentioned in theQuran, and Allaah, Almighty, described
it as a cure for what ails people. It is a sterilized medicine in
which no microbe or insect can live. If you want to be sure of this
power take some honey and put an insect in it and you will find that
it will be dead in a few seconds.
Honey is a cure for so many diseases, and it is the medicine
recommended by our Prophet Muhammadwho said:"You have the two cures:
Honey and the Quran."]Ibn Maajah[
Moreover, honey is mentioned in the Quran when Allaah,
Almighty,speaking about the rivers of Paradise, Says )what
means(:"Thedescription of Paradise which thepious have been promised
]is that[ in it are rivers of water, the taste and smell of which are
not changed, rivers of milk of which the taste never changes, rivers
of wine delicious to those who drink, and rivers of clarified honey
]clear and pure[..."]Quran 47: 15[
A man came to the Prophetand said:"My brother has some abdominal
trouble." The Prophetsaid to him: "Let him drink honey," - the man
came for the second time and the Prophetsaid to him "Let him drink
honey." - He came for the third time and the Prophetsaid,"Let him
drink honey." - He returned again and said, "I have done that." The
Prophetthen said, "Allaah has said the truth, but your brother's
abdomen has told a lie. Let him drink honey." So he made him drink
honey and he was cured at last."
Some doctors said that the patient mentioned in the Hadeeth had the
following situation: That man had some harmful wastes gathered in his
abdomen. So when he drank honey for the first time, the wastes
disintegrated and left his body gradually. The wastes were discharged
from the patient's body and he was cured by the Power of Allaah,
Almighty.
Now have you been acquainted with my whole life, dear friends? I guess
you love me now and you are not afraid of me anymore, because as you
see I harm no oneexcept the one who harms me, since my sting costs me
my life.
So be my good friends and allow me to do the work that Allaah,
Almighty, has inspired and taught me to do. Peace be with you.

The disastrous Asian quake & Tsunami: who made it and why?

Much has been said, up to the moment, about thelate deadly earthquake
that hitSumatrawith devastating effects whichextended far to the East
African coast, distributingdifferent degrees of damage to nearly 10
countries. This much talk is, no doubt, justified andworth listening
to to some extent. Economists discuss this great event from an
economic perspective, the extent ofloss the quake and its concomitant
'Tsunamis' cost the inflicted countries, how much the reconstruction
of those damaged houses, buildings, green fields and tourist resorts
cost, the potential financial repercussions due to the loss of tourism
on which some countries depend as a source of national income, etc.
Geologists, for their part, highlight the scientific explanations for
such seismic events, focusing on the physical interactions that occur
within the Earth or on its surface that result in earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions and other phenomena that take place on land and in
sea.
Ordinary people, watching TV tearful scenes of floating corpses,
injured women and children, crying people who lost their shelters,
relatives, express their deep sympathy for them and may pray for the
salvation of their humans.
Mass media alert their armies of journalists and correspondents to
spot any late-breaking bits of news on such events, giving the chance
to all of the aforementioned kinds of people )both theinflicted and
the spectators( to express their reactions to the disastrous incidence
being witnessed. Viewersand listeners, worldwide and round the clock,
are now brought to the scene of the Asian tidal wave and its effects,
and informed in each news bulletin about the latest count of death and
injury.
International relief agencies and charitable organizations take their
responsibilities and makearrangements to extend a helping hand to the
afflicted areas with food, medicine, blankets, tents and other
essential relief items that are means to preserve their life, blood
and tears.
To sum up the whole issue, there are two kindsof witnesses on the
stageof the event: first, the people )or the real actors( who are
exposed to the earthquake and tsunami )including the surviving, dead,
and injured people( and second, the people outside the frame of the
disaster, who are spectators )journalists, media viewers/listeners,
analysts and commentators on different aspects of the event, such as
geologists, economists, and politicians, etc.(.
We are informed about the quake through the media, with the physical
reasons being explained by geologists, the financial losses
estimatedby economists, relief plans and procedures by relief agencies
and charitable individuals, and lastly, the heartfelt sorrow and pity
of ordinary people.
But is that all? Is it merelya land or marine slide or volcanic
eruption that caused all these disasters? Is it just an angry reaction
while in a bad temper on the part of 'Mother Nature', a mythical
non-entity? What about the Creator of the universe and all that it
contains: mankind,animals, seas, trees, air, fire, etc?! Does He not
have any say on those matters? Why do people look at nature as Master,
whereas the Real and True Master )Allaah Almighty( is forgotten or
made to rule supreme only in the confines of the Mosque, the church or
the Synagogue?
Yes, it is right to say that volcanoes, quakes, tsunamis, floods,
hurricanes and other catastrophes are caused by certain topographic
orgeologic factors )causes(, but what about the Causer? Why did the
Causer cause this or that catastrophe? Why does a same catastrophe
repeatedly happen in a same place? Why do they rarely take place in
certain places such asArabia, for example?
The Quran, the Muslim's Holy Book, provides answers to these questions
and addresses such disasters from different angles which are never
approached by almost all classes of people mentioned above when
commenting on such disasters in the media )regrettably, including
Muslims(.
The Noble Quran conveys to people the messages and points of wisdom
behind the different disasters that Allaah Almighty inflicts upon
people throughout human history. Volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc, according to the Quran, are soldiers sent by Allaah
Almighty to carry out one of the following duties )to mention only
some of them(:
1-Punishing sinful people:
This is applicable to the people of old who rejected the Divine
message brought to themby Prophets Nooh )Noah(,Luut )Lot(,
Moosa)Moses(, and other Prophets. The Quran states )what means(:"So We
)i.e. Allaah Almighty( punished each )of them- sinful people( for his
sins; of them weresome on whom We sent a violentwind with shower of
stones ]as on the people of Lût )Lot([, and ofthem were some who were
overtaken by an awful cry ]by Angel Jibreel )Gabriel( as a torment[,
and of them were some whom We caused the earthto swallow ]as Qaaroon
)Korah([, and of them were some whom We drowned ]as the people of Nooh
)Noah(, or Fir'awn)Pharaoh( and his people[. It was not Allaah Who
wronged them, but it was they who wronged themselves."]Quran 29:40[
Let us consider the placeswhere those disastrous events take place;
are there not sinful practices in public, especially on seashores and
in tourist resorts?
1-To remind people of the Hereafter so as to be heedful:
Allaah Almighty says in the Quran )what means(:
"And We sent not the signs)volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
tsunamis, etc,( except to )warn people and( make them afraid )of
destruction(."]Quran 17:59[
2- To show Allaah's Omnipotence and Supremacy:
This is stated in the following Quranic verse)which means(:"Say )O
Muhammad(: "He )Allaah( has power to send torment on you from above
)heavy devastating rain, winds, thunderbolts, etc.( orfrom under your
feet )volcanoes, earthquakes, etc.(, or to cover you with confusion in
party strife,and make you to taste the violence of one another." See
how variously We explain the signs, so that they may
understand."]Quran 6:65[
And the verse )which means(:"So their Lord destroyed them because of
their sin, and made them equal in destruction )i.e. all grades of
people, rich and poor, strong andweak(! And He )Allaah( feared not the
consequences thereof."]Quran 91:14, 15[
Allaah's irresistible Omnipotence is embodied through the vain
attempts by the most advanced countries to curb or evade the
fataleffects of hurricanes, earthquakes and other natural hazards by
alarm systems. What is worth pondering is that while man-made
instruments proved almost helpless inpredicting earthquakes, the case
is completely different with Allaah-made creatures. Many studies have
stated that some animals show unusual behavior before an earthquake
takes place. Studying this behavior, based on manypractical examples,
the researchers came up withthe "Animal Behavior Theory" which assumes
that some animals predict earthquakes.
"The animal-behavior theory for "predicting" earthquakes assumes that
pets leave their homes, places normally secure and comforting, inorder
to escape a disturbance or danger in their surroundings just before an
earthquake. In practice the theory is based on the assumption that
more pets run away from home at such times than at any other time. The
hypothesis states that when quantities of missing pets increase
extraordinarily, there is amarked increase in the probability of a
forthcoming earthquake)Maryanski, 1985; Allstetter, 1986(.
There are reports that turtles, eels, snakes, and catfish display
premonitory anomalous behavior before earthquakes )Quammen, 1985(. The
problem of identifying the actual stimulus of this behavior remains
unsolved, although ultrasonic and electromagnetic phenomena are
suspected )Simon, 1976(. Homing pigeons and geese are now known to
navigate by earth's magnetic field using tiny crystals of magnetite
incorporated in sense organs in their heads)Cooke, 1984(.
Magnetotactic bacteria, tuna, and salmon also contain similar
magnetitecrystals )Kirschvink and others, 1985(. The animal-behavior
theory tested in this study is based on the postulate that dogs and
cats can detect precursory magnetic disturbances from seven to ten
days before earthquakes)Allstetter, 1986(."
Here is a quotation from a report exactly related to this latest Asian Tsunami:
"YALA NATIONAL PARK,Sri Lanka-- Wildlife officials inSri
Lankaexpressed surpriseWednesday that they found no evidence of
large-scale animal deaths from the weekend's massive tsunami -
indicating that animals may have sensed the wave coming and fled to
higher ground.
An Associated Press photographer who flew over Sri Lanka's Yala
National Park in an air force helicopter saw abundant wildlife,
including elephants, buffalo, deer, and not a single animal corpse.
…
'This is very interesting. I am finding bodies of humans, but I have
yet tosee a dead animal,' said Wijeyeratne, whose hotelin the park was
totally destroyed in Sunday's tidal surge. 'Maybe what we think is
true, that animals have a sixth sense,' Wijeyeratne said."
From the Islamic point of view, animals or human beings should not be
saidto "predict" future events, as the knowledgeof the Unseen is
exclusiveto Allaah Alone. Most likely, in such cases, animals sense
something using their extraordinaryAllaah-given senses of smelling,
hearing, tasting, seeing or feeling.
Subhaan Allaah )praised be Allaah( who made those animals behave
likewise to save themselves and to act as alarm systems for their
masters )human beings(!
3- To test the believers:
Allaah, the Exalted, may also inflict some hardships on His
worshippers to test their faith and patience, purifytheir souls and
forgive their sins. He, the Almighty, says in the Noble Quran )what
means(:
"… and certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger,
loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to
thepatient"]Quran 2:155[.
Last, the question mentioned above: 'Why do they )the natural
disasters( rarely take place in certain places such as Makkah
)inArabia(?' has to be answered, but by whom? It is answered by
Allaah, the Creator, not a geologist. The Quran, the Word of Allaah
Says )what means(:"And )remember( when Ibraaheem )Abraham( said, "My
Lord, make this city )Makkah( a place of security and provide its
people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allaah and the Last
Day." He )Allaah( answered: "As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave
him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment
of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!"]Quran 2:126[
The history, both old and modern, give evidence that the bliss Allaah
showered on Makkah)security and welfare( hasspread out to encompass
the whole Arabian Peninsula )and almost most of the Islamic world(,
because of the relatively religious commitment and good Islamic spirit
of its inhabitants, which is, at the end, due to the mercy of Allaah.
This comparison can be realized through the scientific assumptions
that nearly one million quakes take place the world over every year.
To conclude, people, believers and non-believers, have to keep in mind
that all the above mentioned 'natural' disasters are acts of Allaah
Almighty, the Creator, not 'Mother Nature', to convey a message to
people. WhenMuslims discuss such matters, they have to approach them
Islamicly, i.e. in the light of the Holy Quran and the Sunnah
)Prophet's tradition(, and not only scientifically, economically, or
socially. Muslim scholars have to have a say, actually the say, on
these matters, so as to make people fully aware of their )disasters(
denotations and indications, and educate them to tackle matters
spiritually and not only physically.

They are denouncing him for applying the Sunnah and saying that it divides the Muslims.

The imam of our mosque said in a Friday khutbah that we should not be
strict in following the Sunnah ofthe Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) because the Sunnah divides Muslims and we must be
united. He quoted as evidence the fact that a Bedouin came to the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and
said: O Messenger of Allaah, tell me of an action which, if I do it, I
will enter Paradise. He said: Worship Allaah and do not associate
anything with Him, establish the prescribed prayers, pay the
obligatory zakaah and fast Ramadaan." He said: By the One in Whose
hand is my soul, Ishall never do anything more or less than that. When
he turned to leave, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Whoever would like to look upon a man who is one of the
people of Paradise, let him look upon this man."
Is this correct? Please note that we are followers of the Sunnah, and
he calls the one whofollows the Sunnah an extremist.
Please advise us, may Allaah bless you.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Your imam has said something that is wrongand false. What he should
have done was fear Allaah his Lord and refrain from speaking words
that involved sin.
The Prophetic Sunnah is the guidance of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his wordsand deeds. How can the
Sunnah be dividing the Muslims?! What can unite them if the
Sunnahdivides them?
If this imam was sincere he would have said that the Sunnah is what
unites people, and brings them together.
Imam Abu'l-Muzaffar al-Sam'aani (may Allaah have mercy on him)
said:The reason why ahl al-hadeeth were united is that they learned
theirreligion from the Qur'aan and Sunnah andsound reports, which
united them and brought them together, whereas the followers
ofinnovation learned theirreligion by means of reasoning, which
divided them and made them differ.Al-Intisaar li Ahl al-Hadeeth(p.
47),
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The cause of unity and harmony is accepting the religion as a whole
and following all of it, which is worshipping Allaah alone with no
partner or associate, as He enjoined, both inwardly and outwardly.The
cause of division is failing to do some of that which is enjoined upon
a person, and transgression among different groups.
The result of unity is mercy from Allaah, His pleasure and blessings,
happiness in this world and in the Hereafter andbrightness of the
face, whereas the result of division is the punishment and curse
ofAllaah, darkness of the face and the disavowal of the Messenger.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa(1/17).
He (may Allaah have mercy on him) also said:
Accepting sound reports from the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) brings harmony, as was narrated from Maalik (may Allaah
have mercy on him) who said: When knowledge decreases harshness will
prevail and when there is little knowledge of hadeeth then whims and
desires will prevail.
Dar' al-Ta'aarud (1/149)
How can the follower of the Sunnah be called an extremist when the
Muslim is enjoined to follow it and take the guidance of the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) as his example?
What would this imam say about the deeds of the Sahaabah (may Allaah
bepleased with them) when they followed the Sunnah of their
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) so closely? What
would he say about this event?
It was narrated that Abu Sa'eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with
him) said: Whilst the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) wasleading his companions in prayer, he took off
hissandals and placed themto his left. When the people saw that, they
took off their sandals too. When the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) finished the prayer he said: What
made you take off your sandals? They said: We saw you take off your
sandals so we took ours off too. The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Jibreel(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) came to me and told me that there was some dirt on
them. and he said: When one of you comes to the mosque, let him look
and if he sees any dirt (impurity) on his shoes, let him wipe it off
and pray in them."
Narrated by Abu Dawood (650); classed assaheeh by al-Albaani.
These companions of theProphet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) took off their shoes whilst praying simply because they saw their
Prophet(peace andblessings of Allaah be upon him) take off his shoes.
So what if it was aSunnah narrated from him or it was something that
he taught?
Secondly:
Criticizing the followers of the Sunnah of the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and accusing them of being
extremistsor fanatics is offensive and is slander. Allaah hasissued a
warning to the one who does that, let alone the fact that it is an
imitation of the mushrikeen who did thisbefore him.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And those who annoy believing men and women undeservedly, they bear
(on themselves) the crime of slander and plain sin"
[al-Ahzaab 33:58]
"Verily, (during the worldly life) those who committed crimes used to
laugh at those who believed.
30. And, whenever they passed by them, used to wink one to another (in mockery).
31. And when they returned to their own people, they would return jesting;
32. And when they saw them, they said: 'Verily, these have indeed gone astray'"
[al-Mutaffifeen 83:29-32]
Shaykh al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
"And when they saw them" means, when the sinners saw the believers, they said:
"Verily, these have indeed gone astray" i.e.,gone astray from the
right path, and they are backward and narrow-minded and extreme, and
other such labels. Those people have their successors in our own
times. Some people say of good people that theyare regressive and
backward, and they say of the one who is religiously committed that he
is extremist and narrow-minded. Even worse than all of that, they said
of the Messengers that they were sorcerers or madmen. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):"Likewise, no Messenger came to
thosebefore them but they said: 'A sorcerer or a madman!'"
[al-Dhaariyaat 51:52]. The heirs of the Messengers, who are
thescholars and those who are religiously committed encounter the same
from the enemies of the Messengers as the Messengers encountered, of
offensive labels and mockery, and so on. Among these accusationsthat
the followers of innovation and those who deny the attributes of
Allaah gave to those of the early generation who affirmed His
attributes was that they thought of Allaah as a physical being, and
other such negative accusations which put people off from the
rightway.
Liqaa'aat al-Baab il-Maftooh(no. 30).
Thirdly:
The kind of strictness in religious adherence which is to be
criticized is that which regards mustahabb things as obligatory and
makrooh things as haraam. The Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) warned against going to extremes in religion, andhe also
warned against undue strictness. Extremism and strictness does not
mean applying the Sunnah, rather it means changing its rulings and
being too strict with regard to commands and prohibitions when that is
not the case.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said – commenting on the hadeeth, "Do not
be too strict with yourselves, for some people were strict on
themselves and Allaah was strict on them, and we see the remnants of
that in theirhermitages and monasteries." - :
Here the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade
being strict in religion by going beyond what isprescribed. Strictness
may sometimes means taking what is not obligatory or mustahabband
making it obligatoryor mustahabb with regard to acts of worship, and
sometimes it may mean taking something that is not haraam or makrooh
and making it haraam or makrooh with regard to things that are good.
The reason for that is that Allaah was very strict on those among the
Christians who were too strict on themselves, until it ended up in the
innovation of monasticism.
Thus it may be noted that the Prophet dislikedsuch things that the
Christians did, such as innovation of monasticism, even though many
devoted Muslims have fallen into the same trap on the basis of their
interpretation for which they may be excused, or they fell into this
trap with no justification.
It may also be noted thatbeing too strict with oneself in the
beginningmay lead to further strictness imposed by Allaah, either
through laws or through His decree. As for laws, this is what the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) feared during his
own time, of an increase in obligations or prohibitions such as
thatwhich he feared when they gathered to pay Taraweeh with him, and
when they asked about things that had not beenforbidden, and such as
the fact that when a person vows to do an actof worship it becomes
obligatory for him to do it even though he is forbidden to make
vows,and similarly expiations which become obligatory for specific
reasons.
As for the divine decree, we have often seen and heard that those who
goto extremes in some issues, will be caused to suffer in ways that
lead to things becoming more strict on him with regard to what is
obligatory and what is haraam, such as many ofthose who are affected
with waswaas about purification. When they do more than is prescribed,
they will endup suffering from things that lead to something that may
cause more hardship and harm to them.
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem(103, 104).
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, commenting
on the hadeeth of the Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him): "O people, beware of going to extremes in religious matters for
those who came before you were doomed because of going to extremes in
religious matters." Narrated by al-Nasaa'i (3059) and Ibn Maajah
(3029); classed as saheehby al-Albaani inSaheeh al-Nasaa'i:
In this hadeeth the Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) warned his ummah against going toextremes and proved that going
to extremes isa cause of doom, because it is contrary to sharee'ah,
and because it led to the downfall of previous nations. So it may be
understood fromthis that going to extremes is haraam for two reasons:
1 –He(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against it,
and a warning is a prohibition and more.
2 –It is the cause of nations' downfall as those who came before us
were destroyed, and whatever is the cause of doom is haraam.
With regard to worship, people may go to one of two extremes or be
moderate. Some are negligent, some exaggerate and some are moderate.
The proper way (as prescribed by Islam) is the middle way betweengoing
to extremes and being negligent. Being moderate and not inclining
towards either extreme is what is required. It is not permissible to
exaggerate and go to extremes in religious matters, or to be
carelessand not pay any heed. Rather we should tread a middle path
between both.
Majmoo' Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen(9/367, 368).
Fourthly:
The hadeeth which your imam quoted as evidence was narrated by
al-Bukhaari (1333) and Muslim (14), and there is no dispute as to its
soundness, but he hasmisunderstood it. If he had studied its
narrations and what the scholars said, he would not have quoted it as
evidence in this manner.According to a report narrated by al-Bukhaari,
it says, "and taught him the laws of Islam." This wording includes all
other obligatory duties, and things that are recommended.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
The words "he was asking about Islam" mean, about the laws of Islam.
It may be understood that he asked about the realties of Islam. He did
not mention the Shahaadah to him because he knew that he already knew
it, or he knew that he was asking about practical laws, or he
mentioned it but the narrator did not transmit it because it is so
well known. And he did not mention Hajj either because it had notbeen
enjoined yet or because the narrator had shortened the report. This
second view is supported by the report narrated by the compiler –
i.e., al-Bukhaari – concerning fasting via Ismaa'eel ibn Ja'far from
Abu Suhayl in this hadeeth. He said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) toldhim of the laws of Islam, and he
included all obligatory and recommended deeds in that.
"And the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) mentioned zakaah" – in the report of Ismaa'eel ibn Ja'far it
says: He told me of what Allaah had enjoined upon me of zakaah. He
said: The Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) told him of the laws of Islam. This report shows that there were
things in the story that were told in brief form, such as explaining
the minimum thresholds for paying zakaah, which are not explained in
these two reports, and neither are the names of the prayers. It seems
that the reason for that is that these things were well known among
them, or that the purpose of the story wasto show that the one who
adheres to the obligatory duties will be saved even if he does not do
naafil actions.
With regard to him succeeding when he does not fall short in that,
this is clear, but how can he succeed if he does not add anything to
it? Al-Nawawi answered by saying that the hadeeth confirms that he
will succeed because he has done what he is required to do, and there
is nothing to suggest that if he does more than that he will not be
successful, because if he succeeds by doing what is obligatory, he is
more likely to succeed if he does recommended actions as well as
obligatory deeds.
Fath al-Baari(1/108)
We hope that the imam will think about the phrase "and he taught him
the laws of Islam", and we hope that he willthink about the last words
that we have quoted from al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar, in which he approved of
the words of Imam al-Nawawi, thatsuccess is more likely for the one
who does the obligatory duties and adds to them the recommended deeds.
Fifthly:
We advise you to adhereto the commands of Allaah, may He be exalted,
and His Messenger(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and we
also advise you to adhere to the Sunnah and kept doing mustahabb
deeds,without going to extremes or exaggerating, and teach that to
people with wisdom and good methods. It is not permissible for you to
put people off by being too strict in matters that are broad in scope,
or bymaking mustahabb things obligatory, or by going to extremes in
denouncing people, especially the elite such as the imam of the mosque
or the mufti or one who holds a similar status in people's eyes.
Listen to this comprehensive advice from a great scholar:
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allaah preserve him) said:
You must adhere to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) and stick to it, and not pay any
attention to the criticism of those who criticize you or blame you for
that. If your parents criticize you for adhering to the Sunnah and
they want you to be heedless about that, then do not obey them with
regard to that, especially if these sunnahs are obligatory duties that
must be adhered to, and they arenot just mustahabb, so long as it does
not reach the level of being exaggeration. But if it means that you
are exaggerating, then that is not appropriate, rather you should be
balanced and moderate in applying the Sunnah and acting upon it,
without going to extremes or exaggerating, and without being careless
or heedless. This is what you should do. Whateverthe case, you will be
rewarded – in sha Allaah– and you must adhere to the Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and try
to convince those who are criticizing you about that, especially your
parents. You shouldencourage them to follow the Sunnah and explain to
them the reward and goodness that there is in that. Perhaps they will
drop these objections, and maybe this deed will cause them to also
adhere to the Sunnah, and you will be the one who called them to
Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. Undoubtedly the one who wants
to call peopleto Allaah is obliged to begin with his relatives and the
closest of peopleto him, and one's parents are among the closest of
people to a person.
Whatever the case, if your adherence to the Sunnah does not go to
extremes of exaggeration, then it is something praiseworthy, and you
must continue in it, and call your parents and others to it. And
Allaah knows best.
Al-Muntaqa min Fataawaal-Shaykh al-Fawzaan(2/301, 302)
Finally: Just as it is blameworthy exaggeration to make mustahabb
things like obligatory deeds or makrooh things like haraam deeds, or
to oblige ourselves to do things that Allaah has not made obligatory
upon us, it is also ignorance of the basic principles of sharee'ah to
ignore the important general principle which is that harmony and
loveamong Muslims are essential, and we must be united in adhering
toIslam and protect the honour of the Muslim from criticism and shame,
let alone aggression and harm. It is ignorance to neglect all of that
just because someone adheres to something that is mustahabb but others
do not see it as such, or to something that he does not adhere to, and
respond by transgressing against the Muslim's honour or rights because
he neglects something that others adhere to. It is by such means that
the accursed enemy attains his goal among the believers, and it is
even worse when it happens in a foreign land where others see us as
representatives of Islam.
Imam Muslim narrated inhisSaheeh(2812) that Jaabir ibn 'Abd-Allaah
(may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I heard the Prophet(peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: "The Shaytaan has despaired of
being worshipped in the Arabian Peninsula, but he will sow seeds of
discord among them."
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
As for the description of prayer, one of its issues is the Basmalah
(saying Bismillaah…), and the people differ as to whether it is a
verse of the Qur'aan or not, and whether it is to be recited or
not.Both sideshave written books that show a great deal of ignorance
and wrongdoing, even though the issues is not that serious. Adhering
blindly to one's view in these and similar matters is one of the signs
of division and dissent which is forbidden for us. The reason for
discussing these controversial minor issues is to find out which view
is more sound, as these issues are among the least serious
controversial issues, but the shaytaan may play a role in creating
divisions among Muslims because of these minor issues.
Then he said: It is mustahabb for a man to try to reconcile people by
refraining from these mustahabb deeds, because the interests served by
reconciling people in Islam is greater than the interestserved by
doing such things. Similarly, the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) decided not to change the structure of the Ka'bah,
because leaving it as it was would reconcile people, and Ibn Mas'ood
criticized 'Uthmaan for offering prayers in full whilst travelling,
but he still prayed behind him when he offered the prayer in full, and
said: Dissent is evil.
Majmoo' al-Fataawa(22/405-407).
And Allaah knows best.

Dought & clear - Differing from the mushrikeen with regard to the beard.

I know that we are supposed to let our beards grow in order to be
different from the mushrikeen, but nowadays they let their beards grow
too. What is your opinion?
Praise be to Allaah.
It is waajib (obligatory) to let the beard grow, and shaving it is
haraam (forbidden). Imaam Ahmad, al-Bukhaari, Muslim and others
narrated from Ibn 'Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him and his
father) that the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Be different from the mushrikeen: let your beards grow and trim
your moutsaches." Ahmad and Muslim reported from Abu Hurayrah (may
Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: "Cut your moustaches and let your beards
grow: be different from the Magians." Persisting in shaving one's
beard is a major sin (kabeerah); the one who does this should be
advised against it, and his action should be denounced, especially if
he is in a position of religious leadership.
The idea of being different from the Magians and other mushrikeen does
not mean being different from them in every single thing, particularly
if they happen to be doing something righteous or good in accordance
with the fitrah (natural inclinations of man). What is meant is that
weshould be different fromthem in matters where they have gone astray
and deviated from the truth and the dictates of the fitrah, and gone
against the way of the Prophets and Messengers by shaving their
beards. We should differ from them in this case by letting our beards
grow and cuttingour moustaches, following the guidance of the Prophets
and Messengers, and in accordance with the fitrah. It is proven that
the Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "Ten things are part of the fitrah: cuttingthe moustache,
letting the beard grow, cleaning the teeth with a siwaak, rinsing the
nose with water, cuttingone's nails, washing between the
finger-joints, plucking the armpit hairs, shaving thepubic hair and
cleaning one's private parts with water." (Reported by Ahmad, Muslim
and the four authors ofSunan, from the hadeeth of 'Aa'ishah, may
Allaah be pleased with her).Even ifthe kaafiroon start letting their
beards grow, this does not mean that the Muslims are allowed to shave
theirs, because as we have stated above, the idea is not to be
different from them in everything, only in the things in which they
have deviated from the truth and from the fitrah.

Dought & clear - Ruling on upholding ties with one’s mother and siblings through breastfeeding.

I have a mother and siblings through breastfeeding (radaa'ah). Do I
have to uphold ties with them and visit them as I visit my mother and
siblings through blood ties? I used to visit them, then it was said to
me that I do not have to do that, and I am confused about that.
Praise be to Allaah.
The shar'i rulings concerning relationshipsthrough breastfeeding are
not the same as the rulings concerning relationships through blood
ties. Breastfeeding(radaa'ah) does not mean that one is obligedto
spend on those relatives, or that one is entitled to inherit from
them, or that one may be a guardian for the purpose of marriage –
unlike the case with ties of blood.
What they have in common is that people related in either way
areforbidden to marry, and may look at one anotherand be alone with
one another, and are regarded as mahrams for the purpose of travel.
This is the wisdom of sharee'ah, because Islamcannot give a mother who
breastfed a child five times the same rights as the mother who carried
him, gave birth to him, breastfed him and brought him up, and is the
reason for the child's existence. Canthe love, compassion and devotion
in the heart of the blood mother be likened to that in the heart of
the mother through breastfeeding?
There are verses of the Qur'aan which refer to that. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And We have enjoined on man (to be dutiful and good) to his parents.
His mother borehim in weakness and hardship upon weaknessand hardship,
and his weaning is in two years"
[Luqmaan 31:14]
And Allaah says, after commanding the child totreat his parents well
and forbidding him to do the slightest act of disobedience towards
them (interpretation of the meaning):
"and say: 'My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up
when I was young'"
[al-Isra' 17:24]
Hence some of the scholars said that a son through breastfeeding has
to respect and honour his mother and his parents through
breastfeeding, but he does not have to honourthem and uphold ties with
them in the same way as a son is obliged to honour his parents and
relatives by blood.
There are several da'eef (weak) ahaadeeth on this topic, which we will
mention here so that people may be aware of them.
1 – It was narrated that al-Tufayl (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: I saw the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
sharing out some meat in al-Ji'raanah, when a woman came up to the
Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and he spread out
her cloak for her, and she sat down on it. I said, "Who is she?" They
said, "This is his mother who breastfed him."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5144; classed asda'eef by al-Albaani inDa'eef
Abi Dawood, 1102.
Ibn Hibbaan (10/44) included this hadeeth in a chapter which he
called, "Ways in which it is recommended for a person to honour the
one who breastfed him when he was small."
2 – It was narrated from 'Umar ibn al-Saa'ib that he heard that the
Messenger of Allaah(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
wassitting when his father through breastfeeding came to him; he
spread part of his cloak for him and he sat on it. Then hismother
through breastfeeding came to him and he spread part of his cloak on
the other side and she sat on it. Then his brother through
breastfeeding came and the Messengerof Allaah(peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) stood up for him and made him sit in front of him.
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 5145; classed asda'eef by al-Albaani
inal-Silsilah al-Da'eefah, 1120.
3 – It was narrated from Hajjaaj ibn Hajjaaj al-Aslami that his father
asked the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "O
Messenger of Allaah, how can I repay the favour of breastfeeding?" He
said: "(By giving) a male or female slave."
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 1153; al-Nasaa'i, 3329; Abu Dawood, 2064.
Classed as da'eef by al-Albaani inDa'eef Abi Dawood, 445.
Al-Suyooti said inSharh al-Nasaa'i, 6/108.
What is meant by repaying the favour of breastfeeding is the duties
that are owed as a result of having been breastfed. It is as if he is
asking, How can I waive the duties I owe as a result of having been
breastfed so that I will have paid them off in full? They used to
regardit as something good to give a gift to the wet nurse once the
child hadbeen weaned, other the wages that had be agreed upon. End
quote.
4 – The biographers said that when the captive woman of Hawaazin
hadbeen gathered together,their spokesman Zuhayr ibn Sard came and
said: "O Messenger of Allaah, inside the enclosure are your mothers,
your maternal aunts and yournursemaids. Do us a favour (and free us),
may Allaah bless you."
These ahaadeeth speak of honouring and respecting, which are Islamic
manners that are encouraged with regardto all Muslims. This is the
reason why the Prophet(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) set
them all free.
Al-Bidaayah wa'l-Nihaayah, 4/419
And Allaah knows best.

Hereafter Preparation: Clever King Story, a Real Life Story

There was a country longtime ago where the people would change a king
every year. The person who would become the king had to agree to a
contract that he would be sent to an island after his one year of
being a king.
One king finished his term and it was time for him to go to the island
and live there. The people dressed him up inexpensive clothes and put
him on an elephant and took him around the cities to say goodbye to
all the people. This was the moment of sadness for all the kings who
ruled for one year. After saying farewell, the people took the king
with a boat to the remote island and left him there.
On their way back, they discovered a ship that had sunk just recently.
They saw a young man who survived by holding on to a floating piece of
wood. As they needed a new king, they picked upthe young man and took
him to their country. They requested him to bea king for a year. First
he refused but later he agreed to be a king. People told him about all
the rules and regulations and that how he will be sent to an island
after one year.
After three days of being a king, he asked the ministers if they could
show him the island where all the other kings were sent. They agreed
and took him to the island. The island was covered with thick jungles
and sounds of vicious animals were heard coming out of them. The king
went littlebit inside to check. Soon he discovered the dead bodies of
all the past kings. He understood that as soon as they wereleft in the
island, the animals came and killed them.
The king went back to the country and collected100 strong workers. He
took them to the island and instructed them to clean the jungle,
remove all the deadly animals and cut down all the excess trees. He
would visit the island every month to see how the work was
progressing. Inthe first month, all the animals were removed and many
trees were cut down. In the second month, the whole island was cleaned
out. The king then told the workers to plant gardensin various parts
of the island. He also took with himself useful animals like chickens,
ducks, birds, goats, cows etc. In the third month, he ordered the
workers to build big houses and docking stations for ships. Over the
months, the island turned into a beautiful place.
The young king would wear simple clothes and spend very little from
his earnings as a king. He sent all the earnings to the island for
storage. When nine months passed like this, the king called the
ministers and told them:
"I know that I have to go the island after one year, but I would like
to go there right now." But theministers didn't agree to this and said
that he has to wait for another 3 months to complete the year.
3 months passed and now it was a full year. The people dressed up the
young king and put him on an elephant to take him around the country
to say goodbye to others. However, this king is unusually happy to
leave the kingdom.
People asked him, "All the other kings would cryat this moment and why
are you laughing?"
He replied, "Don't you know what the wise people say? They say
thatwhen you came to this world as a baby, you were crying and
everyone was smiling. Live such a life that whenyou are die, you will
be smiling and everyone around you will be crying. I have lived that
life. While all the other kings were lost into the luxuries of the
kingdom, Ialways thought about the future and planned for it. I turned
the deadly island into a beautiful abode for me where I can stay
peacefully."
The moral lesson from this story is about how we should live our life.
The life of this world is toprepare for the life hereafter. In this
life, we shouldn't get lost into thedeceiving and attractive things of
this world and forget about what is to come in the afterlife. Rather,
even if we are kings, we should live a simple life like our beloved
Holy Prophet Muhammad (saww) and save all our enjoyments for the
hereafter. May Allah make it easy for us all. Amin.
Noble Qur'anSays: Verily the knowledge of the Hour is with Allah
(alone).It is He Who sends down rain, and He Who knows what is in the
wombs. Nor does any one know what it is that he will earn on the
morrow: Nor does any one know in what land he is to die. Verily with
Allah is full knowledge and He is acquainted (with all things).
(31:34)
Noble Qur'an urges us to prepare for tomorrow: O ye who believe! Fear
Allah, and let every soul look to what (provision) He has sent forth
for the morrow. Yea, fear Allah: for Allah is well-acquainted with
(all) that ye do. (59:18)

Preparing for the Hereafter: Drawbacks of a Palace, King Story

Many years ago there lived a King who built himself a huge and
magnificent palace. No one had seen anything like it before. The
turrets rose into the sky and many expensive materials were used in
itsconstruction. The King invited one and all to come and view his
palaceand left a guest book at the entrance for them to sign and leave
comments in.
He took pleasure in reading the various praises that people visiting
the palace had written for him in the book. However, he came across
two comments that were not in keeping with the general feeling. These
two comments were not in praise of the palace; on the contrary, they
criticized it. The King was upset and summoned the authors of the
comments. At first, neither of them was ready to explain his comment
but, after the King assured them that their lives were not in danger,
they disclosed the reasons.
"O King! There are two weaknesses in this palace. The first of these
is that some day, the palace will turn into ruins, and the second one
is that it does not have anything to ensure that its owner will not
beseparated from it one day. In a life of just a few days, why do we
have to attach ourselves to such worldly, material things?" (Bikhre
Moti)
Man will soon die and leave behind all his worldly possessions. What
will accompany himthe journey to the Hereafter are his noble deeds.
Imam Ali al Hadi (as)said: In the world, people are publicized by
their property, wealth and asset, and in eternity they are known by
their deeds and actions.
"Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of the world, but
lasting righteous deeds are better with your Lord in reward and better
in hope." Noble Qur'an, (18:46)
Wisdom therefore dictates that man should focus his attention to
things that are imperishable and highly rewardable.
Imam Ali (as)said: The world is a passage lodging, and eternity is a
place everlasting, yon should take advantage ofthe opportunity to save
something from your passage lodging for the rest of your Journey.
Some body asked Imam Hassan Mojtaba (as):
Why are we reluctant to die, why don't we like death?
"Because", replied the Imam Hassan Mojtaba (as), "You ruined your
next world (hereafter) and developed this one; naturally, you do not
like to be transferred from flourishing to decline."
Imam Hassan Mojtaba (as) said: The faithful people use this world to
gather provisions for the next world but faithless people only enjoy
the fruits of this world while living.
Imam Jafar Sadegh (as)quoted on the authority of Holy Prophet Muhammad
(saww): What do I have to do with this world, and what does this world
have to do with me? The story of me and the world is similar to that
of a man who is riding on a hot day and reaches a tree. He takes a nap
under the shade of the tree for a short while, and then goes on
leavingthe tree behind.
Imam Jafar Sadegh (as) said: The person, who is attached much to the
world, when it is time to depart, will have many deep regrets and many
grievances.