The festival of sacrifice - Eid ul Adha

This is a four-day public holiday in Muslim countries.
The festival remembers the prophet Ibrahim 's willingness to sacrifice
his son when God ordered him to.
Ibrahim's sacrifice
God appeared in a dream to Ibrahim and told him to sacrifice his son
Isma'il. Ibrahim and Isma'il set off to Mina forthe sacrifice.
As they went, the devil attempted to persuade Ibrahim to disobey God
and not to sacrifice his beloved son. But Ibrahimstayed true to God,
and drove the devil away.
As Ibrahim prepared to kill his son God stopped him and gave him a
sheep to sacrifice instead.
Celebrations
Ibrahim's complete obedience to the will of God is celebrated by
Muslims each year.
Each Muslim, as they celebrate, reminds themselves of their own
submission to God, and their own willingness to sacrifice anything to
God's wishes.
During the festival Muslims who can afford to, sacrifice domestic
animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibraham's sacrifice. (British
law insists that the animals must be killed in a proper
slaughterhouse.)
The meat is distributed among family, friends and the poor, who each
get a third share.
As with all festivals thereare prayers, and also presents.

Meaning of the Festival

The festival commemorates God's gift of a ram in place of Isma'il
(Ishmael), whom God had commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice. (In
Judaism and Christianity , the child in this story is Ishmael's
brother Isaac.)
The Devil tried to persuade Ibrahim to disobey God and not to
sacrifice his beloved son,but Ibrahim stayed absolutely obedient to
God and drove the devil away. Eid al-Adha is a celebration of this
supreme example of submission to God, which is the cornerstoneof the
Islamic faith ( islam means"submission").
Eid al-Adha Observances
On Eid al-Adha, families that can afford it sacrifice an animal such
as a sheep, goat, camel, or cow, and then divide the meat among
themselves, the poor, friends and neighbors. In Britain, the law
requires that this be done in a slaughterhouse. The sacrifice is
called Qurban . During the sacrifice, thefollowing prayer is recited:
In the name of Allah
And Allah is the greatest
O Allah, indeed this is from you and for you
O Allah accept it from me.
Eid al-Adha is a public holiday in Muslim countries. Like 'Id al-Fitr
,'Id Al-Adha begins with communal prayer at daybreak on its first
day,which takes place at the local mosque. Worshippers wear their
finest clothes for the occasion. It is also a timefor visiting friends
and family and for exchanging gifts.

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Islam: The second largest world religion...and growing.

Quotations:
"The messenger of Allah said: "Islam is to testify that there is no
god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to perform the
prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadan, and to make the
pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so." He said: " You have
spoken rightly", Jebreel (Gabriel) from Number 2 of " Al-Nawawi's
Forty Hadiths ." 1
"If anyone harms (others), God will harm him, and if anyone
showshostility to others, God will show hostility to him." Sunan of
Abu-Dawood, Hadith 1625.
"Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish
(scriptures), and the Christians...and (all) who believe in God and
the last day and work righteousness, shall have their reward with
their Lord; on them shall be nofear, nor shall they grieve." The
Qur'an, 2:62
"Jim Jones, David Koresh and Meir Kahane do not typify Christianity
and Judaism in the eyes of the civilized West, but those same eyes are
prone to see Osama bin Laden and Mullah Muhammad Omar as typifying
Islam , " Richard Bulliet 2
Webmaster's note about attributing guilt and responsibility:
One of the themes running through some holy books is that
of"scapegoating." 5 This is the concept that guilt and punishment can
be transferred from those responsible for an evil act, to others who
are innocent of that act. This theme is rarely -- if ever -- discussed
in religious homilies or sermons. Yet it seems fundamentally unjust
and evil accordingto every moral code that Ihave seen. By not holding
perpretrators directly responsibility for their actions, innocent
people become marginalized and denigrated.
For example:
*. When some Muslims think of Christianity in America, they think of
Pastor Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center in Florida as a
typical Christian. He burned a copy of the Qur'an.
*. When some Christians think of Islam in the Middle East, they think
of Bin Laden or Musab al-Zarqawi, leaders of Al-Qaeda, as typical
Muslims.
They confuse the beliefs or practices of an individual or a small
minority of believers for the entire religion. As one example, in the
minds of many Americans, responsibility for 9/11 terrorist attack has
spread from 19 radical, violent, fundamentalist Muslims and their
Al-Qaida handlers to all 1.6 billion followers of Islam.
We ask our visitors to consider two items whenreading this section of
our website -- and for that matter all of the other 6,000 essays:
*. The irrationality of blaming innocent persons for the sins of atiny
minority within their group. One of this web site's mottos is:"When
some people deviate from reality, others are often hurt."
*. When one refers to any religion or faith
group/tradition/denomination within areligion, we are generally
referring to more than the beliefs and teachings of its founder. The
culture in which the religion developed has generally had a major
impact as well. So, for example, the four main versions of Sharia law
are all based on the Qur'an -- and to a lesserdegree on the Hadith.
However, they have been profoundly influenced by the cultures in which
Islam grew.
About Islam:
Estimates of the total number of Muslims rangefrom 0.7 to 1.8 billion
worldwide and 1.1 to 7 million in the U.S. 3 We accept the best
estimate as 1.57 billion, concluded by the Pew Forums. About 23% of
all people on Earth follow Islam. Thereligion is currently in a period
of rapid growth.
Christianity is currently the largest religion in theworld. It is
followed by about 33% of all people -- a percentage that has remained
stable for decades. If current trendscontinue, Islam will become the
most popularworld religion sometime in the mid-21 st century.

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EID-UL-ADHA: THE FEAST OF SACRIFICEIN ISLAM

Overview:
Eid-Ul-Adha (a.k.a. the Feast of Sacrifice or Day of Sacrifice ) is
observed after the Hajj -- the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca) in
Saudi Arabia.
A duty of each Muslim, as described in the Five Pillars of Islam , is
to go on Hajj at least once once during their lifetime, unless they
are prevented by finances or ill health. " The Hajj consists of
several ceremonies, meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the
Islamic faith, and to commemorate the trials of prophet Abraham and
his family...The pilgrimage also enables Muslims from all around the
world, of different colors, languages, races, and ethnicities, to come
together in a spirit of universal brotherhood and sisterhood to
worship the One God together. " 1
It is the second of the two major Muslim holy days. The other is
Eid-ul-Fitr which follows Ramadan -- a lunar month of partial fasting.
When is it celebrated?
Eid-Ul-Adha is observed after the conclusion of the Hajj. The first
day of this celebration is held on the 10th day of Duhl-Hijja, which
is the last month of the Muslim year. In most areas, th e Feast of
Sacrifice is celebrated over several days. 2
Islamic months begin at sunset on the day when the lunar crescent
appears after the new moon, and can be sighted by the unaided eye . "
Visibility depends on a large number of factors including weather
condition, the altitude of the moon at sunset, the closeness of the
moon to the sun at sunset, the interval between sunset and moonset,
atmospheric pollution, the quality of the eyesight of the observer,
use of optical aids etc. " 3 As a result, although the phases of the
moon can be predicted accurately, the moon's visibility at a given
place on Earth cannot be estimated in advance. Thus, the feast day has
always been celebrated on different days in various areas of the
world.
Because the date of the Feast of Sacrifice is determined by a lunar
calendar, it is observed about 11 days earlier each year. According to
the Gregorian calendar:
Year Id al-Adha
1417 H 1997-APR-17
1418 1998-APR-07
1419 1999-MAR-28
1420 2000-MAR-16
1421 2001-MAR-05
1422 2002-FEB-22
1423 2003-FEB-11
1424 2004-FEB-01
1425 2005-JAN-21
1426 2006-JAN-10
1427 2006-DEC-31
1428 2007-DEC-20
1429 2008-DEC-08
1430 2009-NOV-28
1431 2010-NOV-17
1432 2011-NOV-07
Its significance:
"The celebration of Eid-Ul-Adha is in commemoration of the command
give by Allah toProphet Abraham (may Allah be pleased with him) to
sacrifice his first born son Ishmael to Him. The fulfilment [sic] of
thisnoble command of Allah by Abraham signifies his faith in Allah
...."

Its activities:

" Eid-Ul-Adha is a day of remembrance. Even in the most joyful times,
theMuslim makes a fresh start of the day by a session of
congregationalprayers to Allah in an open space. Muslims use the
occasion to pray to Allah and to glorify His name to demonstrate
theremembrance of His grace and favours. Muslims also remember the
deceased by praying for their souls to rest in peace. The needy and
vulnerable in society are also remembered by showing them sympathy and
consolation." 4
Muslims around the world celebrate
"this feast of commitment, obedience and self-sacrifice to Allah.They
wear their nicest clothing and attend Salatul-Eid (Eid Prayer) in the
morning. This is followed by a short sermon, after which everyone
socializes. Next,people visit each other's homes and partake in
festive meals with specialdishes, beverages, and desserts. Children
receive gifts and sweets on this happy occasion. In addition, like the
pilgrims in Makkah (Mecca), the Muslims, who can afford to do so,
offer domestic animals, usually sheep, as a symbol of Ibrahim's
sacrifice." 4,5
Some of the meat is given to the poor -- oftenone third. The rest is
shared among the family,relatives and friends.
In addition, Eid-Ul-Adha isa time when Muslims pray for forgiveness
fromGod and strength of faith. They, in turn, forgive others,
releasing any feelings of enmity or ill feeling towards others. 2 Many
Muslims exchangegreeting cards at this time. 6
Misunderstanding by the media:
In 2003-FEB, a rumor spread that there would be a terrorist attack on
the U.S. on Eid-Ul-Adha. Some news services garbled the story and
described the Day of Sacrifice as a time when passions and the
potential for violence were at their height throughout the Muslim
community. In fact, it is a time when Muslims concentrate on spiritual
matters and their forgiveness of those whohave wronged them. To claim
that many Muslims will resort to violence on this day would be
analogous to claiming that many Christians will become violent at
Christmas time, or Easter.

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Eid-ul-Adha: Abraham and the Sacrifice

Islam celebrates two great festivals annually - Eid-ul-Fitr and
Eid-ul-Adha. The first is the great festival that followsthe month of
Ramadan when the fast is broken. The second occurs about two months
later during the month of Zil-Hajj when an animal is sacrificed in
commemoration of Abraham's sacrifice of hisson. This festival is
incorporated in the greatpilgrimage to Mecca which should properly
bemade during this month but it is also observed all over the Muslim
world at the same time. The underlying importance ofthis festival is
the spirit ofsacrifice (qurbani) in memory of Abraham's great act of
faith many centuries ago.
Eid-ul-Adha is, according to Islamic teaching, a time for Muslims to
learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of something
living to God. It is stringently denied bymost Muslim theologians that
the sacrifice has any further significance and it is especially denied
that religious sacrifice has any atoning or propitiatory value.
Abraham's great act of submission is thus regarded solely as an
example of genuine surrender to the will of God and is to be
followedas such.
In this booklet we shall examine in some detail this great event in
Abraham's life and will study all the circumstances around it to
decide whether the Islamic negations of any propitiatory value or
representation in the sacrifice of his son are justified, or whether
there was not really somegreat underlying revelation in it.
We shall begin by makinga study of Abraham's faith for it is very
rarely realised just how considerably God tested his belief in his
faithfulness and trustworthiness.
1. THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM.
The story of Abraham andthe sacrifice of his son is of profound
significance and the best way of obtaining the deepest knowledge of
its meaning is to go throughthe life of Abraham from the very time
that this son was promised to him to the end when this son became the
progenitor of a great nation.
When Abraham was seventy-five years old, God spoke to him and said:
"Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the
land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and
I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a
blessing. I will bless those who blessyou, and him who curses you I
will curse; and by you all the families of theearth shall bless them
selves". (Genesis 12.1-3).
The Quran confirms that God gave this great promise toAbraham that he
would be the father ofmany nations:
"Lo: I have appointed thee a leader for mankind". (Surah 2.124).
As Abraham left his country and was travelling through the land of
Canaan (subsequently known as Palestine and Israel), God again spoke
to him and said "To your descendants I will give this land" (Genesis
12.7). Later, when Abraham again came to the land ofCanaan, God spoke
to him and said:
"Lift up your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward
and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you
see I will give to you and your descendants for ever. I will make your
descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if one can count the
dust ofthe earth, your descendants also can be counted". (Genesis
13.14-16).
Abraham must have marvelled at these awesome promises. He must have
wondered very deeply about the future generations and have pondered at
great length as to why he should be the father of somany descendants
and why they should be blessed through him. Presently, however, he was
concerned about thefact that he had no offspring of his own. His
nephew Lot had parted from him and his only heir at the time was a
slave named Eliezer of Damascus. Therefore, when God spoke to him
again, Abraham said:
"'0 Lord God, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and
the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? Behold, thou hast given
me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir. "
(Genesis15.2-3).
Immediately, however, God answered him and spoke these comforting words to him:
"This man shall not be your heir, your own son shall be your heir".
(Genesis 15.4).
After giving him the tidings that he would have a son, God made him
come out of his house and said:
"Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number
them". (Genesis 15.5).
As Abraham stared in awe at the myriads of stars above him on a clear
night, God said to him: "So shall your descendants be". (Genesis
15.5).
God had promised him that he would give him a son-even in his old age
- and that through this sonhe would give him offspring as many as the
stars he could see in the sky. Now Abraham knew that it was not
naturally possible for him to have a son because his wife was barren
and "it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women"
(Genesis 18.11). Furthermore he himself was to all intents and
purposes too old to bear offspring through her.
Abraham knew, therefore, that God's promise could only be fulfilled if
God himself supernaturally brought about the conception and birth of
the son by the power of his Spirit. Abraham nevertheless trusted him
whom he considered faithful to bring this about in his own wonderful
way.
"And he believed the Lord; and he reckoned it to him as
righteousness". (Genesis 15.6).
Why did Abraham believeGod? Was he the kind of man who did not reason
about difficult matters and preferred just to leave them to God to
achieve though he could neither understand nor comprehend them in any
way? Was fatalistic resignation Abraham's concept of surrendering to
the will of God? No - this man Abraham is set forth in the Bible as
the great figurehead of faith in a human creature whose example should
be followed by all men (Galatians 3.9). He considered the promise,
reasoned about it, came to a conclusion it was true, and then
believed. We have a fine summary of his thoughts in this passage:
"Abraham is the father ofus all, as it is written, 'I have made you
the father of many nations' - in the presence of the God in whom he
believed, who gives life to the dead and calls intoexistence the
things that do not exist. In hope he believed against hope, that he
should become the father of many nations; as he had been told 'So
shall your descendants be'. He did not weaken in faith when he
considered his own body, which was as good as dead because hewas about
a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's
womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he
grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that
God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was
'reckoned to him as righteousness'." (Romans 4.16-22).
He reasoned carefully about the promise. He questioned whether it
could be fulfilled. He could not naturally have a son but he knew that
God was faithful and if God had promised to give him a son, then
because of the faithfulness of God to his own word, the promise must
come true. Abrahambegan with this precept firmly fixed in his mind:
"Every word of God proves true". (Proverbs 30.5).
Knowing this he believedthat God would fulfil his promise. But he did
not stop there - he reasoned further as to how God could bring this
about. God would have to intervene in the natural order. He would have
to cause something to happen which otherwise could not naturally take
place. He believed, as Paul put it to the Roman Christians, that God
"calls into existence things thatdo not exist" (Romans 4.17). Because
of this exercise of faith, becausehe reasoned carefully about the
matter and didnot just accept the promise fatalistically, he came to
understand how the son would be conceived and in so doing gained a
greater understanding of the mind and will of God as well. God highly
commended him for this exercise of faith. Abraham did not believe, as
some men foolishly do,that God can just do anything he pleases
according to his arbitrarywill and that no one can question his acts -
even when what purports to be an act of God is altogether morally
questionable. Abraham did not have such a low concept of God.
He believed that God is absolutely righteous and that he would never
do something which human conscience would con-firm to be unrighteous.
He knew that God, whatever he did, would always act within the bounds
of his own absolute moral holiness and perfection. Some consider that
this attitude limits the power of God to do as he chooses - not so
Abraham. He believed in a God of eternal righteousness who was all the
more exalted and glorified by his own refusal to choose to do anything
that would go against his own love of righteousness and holiness. As
he said on another occasion, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right?" (Genesis 18.25). He knew that God's will is always good and
acceptable and perfect.
He knew that it was within the moral holinessof God, coupled with his
omnipotence, to bring about the son he had promised. So, as Paul said,
after he had reasoned about this, "no distrust made him waver
concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he
gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had
promised". (Romans 4.20). This process of reasoning strengthened his
faith so that he did not just believe the promise through blind,
uncomprehending acceptance of God's word, but rather saw by his faith
what was behind that word - God's ability to bring "into existence
things that do not exist" and when he saw this, he understood the
promise, he gained knowledge of the ways of God, and because he
obtained this better comprehension of the nature of God and his works,
he was able to believe with sound reason (and not blind resignation)
the promise he received. He was justifiably "fully convinced that God
was able to do as he had promised".
God commended him for this process of faith - andbecause he displayed
his faith by carefully reasoning about the promise in the light of
God's own righteous character, God "reckonedit to him as
righteousness". Such is the faith God requires from us. Such was the
faith of Abraham - and therefore he is set beforeus as the ideal
example of a man who had true faith in God.
2. THE REJECTION OF ISHMAEL.
Ten years after God had first given his great promises to Abraham, his
wife Sarah complained tohim of her barrenness. Soshe suggested to him
that he should bear offspring through her maid Hagar. (Genesis 16.2).
When Hagar had conceived a child, however, instead of remembering the
circumstances in which she was able to bear it, she looked on Sarah
withcontempt and Sarah, grieved by this betrayal of trust, drove Hagar
away into the wilderness.(Genesis 16.6). Nevertheless the Lord, in his
perfect justice and mercy, commanded her to return to Sarah and at the
same time promised that her descendants would be multiplied into a
great nation as well. Then the Lord said to her:
"Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his
name Ishmael; because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. He
shallbe a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every
man's hand against him; and heshall dwell over against all his
kinsmen". (Genesis 16.11-12). When the childwas born, Abraham did as
the Lord had commanded and called the son Ishmael (meaning "God
hears") and as far as he was concerned, this was the fulfilment of the
promise God had given him. Accordingly he temporarily abandoned his
belief that the promised son would be born of his wife Sarah. He
looked on Ishmael with extreme favour, persuaded that he was the child
of the promise.
For thirteen years Abraham looked on as Ishmael grew up. Ishmaelhad by
this time almost reached adulthood and Abraham looked forwardto seeing
the beginning of the offspring he longed for who would herald the
fulfilment of God's promise that he would give him descendants as many
as the stars in the sky. But the first of a number of shocks, designed
to reallytest his faith in the faithfulness of God, was about to
confront him.
After thirteen silent yearsduring which Ishmael grew to the threshold
of manhood, God again spoke to Abraham and said these words:
"I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make
my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly".
(Genesis 17.1-2).
Once again God renewed his promise that he was to be the father of
kings and nations (Genesis 17.6). With Ishmael now approaching
adulthood, Abraham no doubt eagerly anticipated what God still had to
say to him. But he was in for a surprise. God said to him of Sarah his
wife:
"I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will
bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples
shall come from her". (Genesis 17.16). At first Abraham marvelled at
this promise. Both he and his wife were now twenty three years older
than they were when God firstpromised him that he would have a son.
Was Sarah now to become themother of nations? Was God to make his
covenant with the son of his wife rather than the son of her maid
after all? Abraham took surprise now that he should bear a son through
Sarah his wife and said to the Lord:
"Shall a child be born to aman who is a hundred years old? Shall
Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" (Genesis 17.17).
But then, overwhelmed by his long expectancy ofthe fulfilment of God's
covenant through Ishmael and struck by God's word that the son he had
promised was to come from his wife Sarah, Abraham said to the Lord:
"0 that Ishmael might livein thy sight.'" (Genesis 17.8).
0 that Ishmael may be theapple of your eye, the child of your favours,
he pleaded. But God said to him:
"No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his
name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting
covenant for his descendants after him". (Genesis 17.19).
This must have been a bitter pill for Abraham to swallow. His hopes
for Ishmael vanished like a mist. God promised that he would make
Ishmael the father of a great nation after the flesh (Genesis 17.20),
but his covenant - a richly spiritual one - was to be made through
Isaac afterthe Spirit.
However deeply this might have affected Abraham, he was a deeply
spiritual man and he was, as a man of true faith, concerned only about
spiritual matters. Maintaining his faith without wavering, he again
believed the Lord and began to look forward to the child who was to be
born of the Spirit by the will of God. Accordingly he dismissed from
his hopes the child who was born of the flesh through the will of
himself, his wife and his mistress. From now on heanticipated the day
whenIsaac would be born to him.
God was so determined that his promise should be properly fulfilled
that he ensured that Ishmael should not appear to be the child of his
spiritual covenant. He had said to Hagar:
"He shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every
man's hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his
kinsmen". (Genesis 16.12).
He shall be a "wild ass of a man", God said, meaning that he would be
a thoroughly unspiritual man, a man offlesh and blood alone and born
of the flesh alone. In every way he would be sharply contrasted with
Isaac who was to be a deeply spiritual man, born of theSpirit by the
special will of God.
3. THE BIRTH OF ISAAC.
God had not promised the birth of Ishmael to Abraham -he spoke of
Isaac when he first promised that he would give Abraham a son through
whom all the nations of the earth in the coming ages would bless
themselves.
The Quran confirms that no tidings of the birth of Ishmael were given
to Abraham but that Isaac alone was the son who was promised to him.
Thepromise of the birth of Isaac is recorded in the Quran in these
words:"And we gave him tidingsof the birth of Isaac, a Prophet of the
righteous". (Surah 37.112).
The Quran says nothing of any tidings being given about the birth of
Ishmael but whenever it does speak of such tidings it always refers
toIsaac or specifically names him as the son who was promised (See
also Surah 11.71 as well where Isaac is again named as the promised
son). It is wise at this stage to note that the Quran takes no issue
withthe Bible on the chain of events we have thus far considered and
that, when it does refer to them, it plainly endorses them as we have
seen.
God fulfilled his promise and Isaac was duly born when Abraham was a
hundred years old. (Genesis 21.1-3). Nevertheless Ishmael took
exception to Isaac and the favour of God upon him and began to trouble
him while he played, envious of the blessings that had been promised
to his offspring. (Genesis 21.9). The Bible says of Ishmael's
treatment of Isaac:
"He who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born
according to the Spirit". (Galatians 4.29).
God's warning that Ishmael's hand would be against every man was
coming true. He was seeking for his offspring after the flesh the
blessings promised to Isaac's offspring after theSpirit. Sarah
perceived this and said to Abraham:
"Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave
woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac". (Genesis 21.10).
Because Ishmael was born of the flesh and only of a slave woman at
that, whereas Isaac was born of the Spirit according to the promise of
a free woman, God commanded Abraham to hearken to the voice of his
wife and to part from Hagar for Ishmael was not his true son, being
born only of a slave woman (Genesis 21.12). Isaac, however, was the
only son of his wife Sarah, the free woman, and God had
promised"through Isaac shall your descendants be named". (Genesis
21.12). So from that day Abraham bid Hagar and Ishmael farewell and
remained with Sarah and his only son by her, Isaac. The years went by
and Abraham lived in the landof the Philistines. (Genesis 21. 34).
Gradually, however, the intense anticipation of the fulfilment of
God's promise began to possessAbraham again as he sawhis son approach
adulthood. Presently he expected to see some of those descendants God
had promised him. As he had done many years before, Abraham eagerly
awaited the fulfilment of his promise.
But if the rejection of Ishmael came as a shock to him, far worse was
to follow now. God was nowhere near finished with testing and proving
the intensity and degree of his faith. The final and great test was
about to confront him.
4. THE COMMAND TO SACRIFICE.
After living for some timein the land of the Philistines, Abraham
heard again the voice of God calling him by name"Abraham.'" (Genesis
22.1). Immediately he responded "Here am I". Filled with excitement at
the prospect of knowing more of the effective realisation of God's
promises to him, he eagerly awaited the message God was to give him.
Was his son now to become the forefather ofmany nations?
With keen anticipation he expected some indication of the fulfilment
of God's promise that he was to have descendants as many as the stars
in the sky. But a sword was about to pierce his soul. For God
immediately saidto him: "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you
love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt
offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you".
(Genesis 22.2).
What a command this was: Ishmael had left himand Isaac alone was with
him. With great awe and wonder Abraham received this command to
sacrifice Isaac his son.
The Quran confirms the Biblical account of the sacrifice and also
plainly supports the clear statement in the Bible that it was Isaac
who wasto be sacrificed. We read of Abraham:
"My Lord! Vouchsafe me of the righteous. So We gave him tidings of a
gentle son. And when his son was old enough to walk with him, Abraham
said: 0 my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice
thee". (Surah 37.100-102).
It is quite obvious that the son who was to be sacrificed was the same
son whose birth was foretold. We have seen from other passages in the
Quran that the birth of Isaac alone was foretold to Abraham and it is
clearly this son who was to be offered up.
Secondly in the same Surah (37), we find a lengthy account of various
significant incidents in the lives of the prophets of old who are all
mentioned by name. In the case of Abraham, after the narration of the
tidings of the birth of the son and the vision to sacrificethe same
son, we read:
"And We gave him tidings of the birth of Isaac, a Prophet of the
righteous. And We blessed him and Isaac". (Surah 37.112-113).
These verses are clearly a summary of the narrativeabout the sacrifice
of Isaac by his father Abraham as a test of theirmutual faithfulness
to God throughout the whole ordeal until God provided a ram in Isaac's
place. Clearly the Quran here agrees with the Bible in making Isaac
the son who was to be sacrificed. Ishmael is mentioned elsewhere in
the Quran by name (particularly in the passage about the construction
of the Ka'aba where he is named as Abraham's helper - Surah 2.125) but
is nowhere mentioned inthis passage about the sacrifice wherein Isaac
is expressly mentioned twice by name.
Accordingly it must be concluded that the Quransupports the Bible in
making Isaac the object of the sacrifice. Certainly no fair and
impartial exposition of Surah 37. 100-113 can produce the conclusion
that it was Ishmael who was to be sacrificed in the vision that
Abraham saw.
Abraham must have beenstruck with bewilderment when he first heard
this command to sacrifice his son Isaac. If we suggested that he
received this order without any emotional shock or immediate repulsion
in his heart at what he was commandedto do, we would dishonour Abraham
as a real man of God. We cannot believe that such a father who loved
his son so much could automatically respond to the command with
unaffected resignation toit or with a straightforward complacency with
the divine will.
The very wording of the command shows that God did not expect it to be
received without heart-rending astonishment but rather that he
intended that Abraham should be shocked to the core of hisgreat human
soul. God deliberately placed emphasis on the nature of the price
Abraham wasto pay to fulfil this demand and quite clearlydetermined to
test him tothe extreme of his affections and love for his son and for
God:"Take your son, your onlyson Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering". (Genesis
22.2).
What a tremendous trial of faith this was for Abraham. God put him to
a severe threefold test - firstly to show his overriding love for God
by giving that which was dearest to his heart and which could not be
replaced, even his only son; secondly to maintainhis trust in the
absolute moral holiness and trustworthiness of God who he had hitherto
believed would never will something that was evil or morally
questionable; and thirdly to persevere in his faith in the steadfast
faithfulness of God to his own promise that he would yet give him
descendants through thisson as many as the stars in the sky.
For some real faith implies an unquestioningresignation to what
appears to be the will of God, no matter how improbable or morally
suspect the exercise of that will may appear to be. Abraham was not
such a man. He could not summarily abandon himself to the command to
sacrifice his son without considerable reflection on its implications
and circumstances. God confronted him with this awful test of his
faith because God knew that this man would never go through with the
command unless, as in the case of the birth of Isaac, he was fully
convinced both of the moral excellence of the order and its thorough
consistency with the promise that God would give him descendants as
many as the stars in the sky.
The greatness of this man's faith is found in hisrefusal to believe
anything unless it was credible - no matter who commanded it - and his
determination to understand and recognise the credibility of that
which appeared to be overpoweringly incredible - when the One who gave
the command was the God inwhose absolute holiness and faithfulness he
had always trusted, the "Holy God who shows himself holy in
righteousness". (Isaiah 5.16).

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28 hadith found in ' Virtues of the Prayer Hall (Sutra of the Musalla) ' of Sahih Bukhari.

474
Narrated 'Aun bin Abi Juhaifa: I heard my father saying, "The Prophet
led us, and prayed a two-Rak'at Zuhrprayer and then a two-Rak'at 'Asr
prayer at Al-Batha' with an 'Anza (planted) in front of him (as a
Sutra) while womenand donkeys were passing in front of him (beyond
that 'Anza)."


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COMPASSION, PATIENCE AND FORBEARANCE ARE REQUIRED IN ENJOINING RIGHT

These things must be done with compassion. The Prophet (sas) said:
"Compassion does not enter into anything without beautifying it, and
is not removed from anything without making it ugly." (Muslim and
others)
And, he (sas) said:
"O, Aisha: Verily Allah is Compassionate, and He loves compassion. He
gives based on compassion that which is not given based on force, and
is not given based on any other cause." (Muslim and others)
At the same time, the practitioner of enjoining right and forbidding
wrong must be forbearing and patient in the faceof adversity and
persecution. Persecution must, of necessity, confront the true
practitioner of enjoining right. If he is not patient, forbearing and
wise in the face of this, he will cause more corruption than reform.
Allah tells us of Luqman saying tohis son:
[And enjoin all that is right, and forbid all that is wrong, and be
patient in the face of that which afflicts you, verily, that is the
most upright of positions.] Qur'an 31/17.
Thus, Allah ordered His prophets, and they are the imam 's of
enjoining right and forbidding wrong, to have patience, just as He
ordered the seal of the Prophets Muhammad (sas). The order to have
patience came along with the order to deliver the message of Islam.
When the Prophet (sas) was first ordered todeliver the message to the
people, Allah sent Sura Al-Mudaththir , which followed after the
revelation of the first five verses of Sura Iqraa' which announced the
beginning of the prophethood. Allah said in Al-Mudaththir :
[O, you covered in a blanket * Stand up and warn * And praise the
greatness of your Lord * And purify your garments * And keep yourself
well away from false gods and other forms of foolishness * And do not
do all of this hoping for gain or payment *And for the sake of your
Lord maintain patience. ] Qur`an 74/1-7.
Allah began these seven ayas, with which He commissioned theProphet
(sas) to deliver the message to His creation, by ordering the Prophet
to warn , and concluded them with the order to have patience . Warning
people of Allah's punishment is of course enjoining them to do right
and forbidding them the doing of wrong, so we see that patience is
obligatory after undertaking the enjoining of right. In this vein,
Allah said:
[And be patient for the decree of your Lord, verily you are in our
Eyes] Qur'an 52/48
[And be patient with that which they say, and remove yourself from
them in a gracious manner.]Qur`an 73/10
[And so be patient, as the firmly-intentioned prophets were patient.]
Qur`an 46/35.
[So be patient for the decree of your Lord, and do not be as the man
in the Whale (i.e. Jonah)] Qur`an 68/48
[And be patient, and your patience is none other than by the leave of
Allah.] Qur'an 16/127.
[And have patience since, verily Allah does neglect the reward of the
good-doers.] Qur'an 11/115.
Thus, three things are absolutely essential: knowledge, compassion,
and patience. Knowledge is required before enjoining right and
forbidding wrong, compassion is required during its practice, and
patience is required after it. This separation is not to negate the
fact that these three qualities need to be present at all times. This
is similar to a statement narrated from the early generations of
scholars and which has been attributed by some to the Prophet. Abu
Ya'la mentioned it in his book entitled Al-Mu'tamad as follows:
"None should enjoin right and forbid wrong except one who is
knowledgeable in that which he enjoins, knowledgeable in that which he
forbids, compassionate in that which he enjoins, compassionate in that
which he forbids, forbearing in that which he enjoins, and forbearing
in thatwhich he forbids."

ACTION IS NOT POSSIBLE EXCEPT WITH KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

There can be no righteous deed in the absence of knowledge ( 'ilm )
and understanding of the law ( fiqh ), as 'Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz (the
grandson of 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab, and a righteous Khalifa) used to
say:
"Whoever worships Allah withoutknowledge corrupts more than he benefits."
And, as in the statement of Mu'adh ibn Jabal (a companion ofthe Prophet):
"Knowledge is the imam of action, and action is a corollary toit."
This is obvious: intentions and actions which are not based on
knowledge are ignorance and going astray, and following of hawaa , as
we have said before. This is the difference between the people of
Jahiliya , and the people of Islam. Thus, knowledgeof the Ma'ruf and
the Munkar are absolute necessities as are the ability to distinguish
between them, and knowledge of the condition of those to be ordered
and forbidden is also essential.
For optimum benefit, enjoining and forbidding should be performed on
the Straight Path. The Straight Path is the shortest route, and the
one which leads tothe attainment of the sought-after goal.

WHAT ARE "GOOD WORKS"?

In the final analysis, enjoining right and forbidding wrong is one of
the most obligatory of actions and one of the best and most
praiseworthy acts. Allah said:
[And He will test you, which of you are best in actions.] Qur'an 67/2.
Al-Fadheel ibn Ayaadh (A great Makkan scholar of the second century)
said about the "good actions" mentioned in this aya:
"(i.e.) The most sincere, and the most correct. Verily any action if
it is done in complete sincerity, but is not correct, it is rejected,
and if it is completely correct, butis not done with total sincerity,
itis rejected. Only that which is done with complete sincerity to
Allah and correctness according to Allah's law is acceptable. The
sincere action is that which is purely for the sake of Allah, and the
correct action that which is inthe tradition ( Sunnah ).
It is a requirement of righteous deeds that they be done solely for
the Face of Allah ta'ala, for Allah does not accept any actions except
for those with which His Face alone was sought. This is as in the
sahih hadith narrated by Abu Huraira that the Prophet said:
"Allah ta'ala says: I am the partner least in need of any partner.
Whenever someone doesan act, partly for me and partly for an imagined
partner, I am completely free of that action, and it is wholly for the
partner which was associated with me."
This is the essence of Tauhid which is the basis of Islam. It is the
deen of Allah with which He sent all of the Prophets. For its sake, He
created the creation, andit is His right over all of His slaves: that
they worship Him alone , andnot associate with Him anything.
The righteous deeds which Allah and His Prophet have enjoined are
simply obedience . Every act ofobedience is a righteous deed, and it
is the work dictated by the shari'a and the Sunnah. They are
everything which has been enjoined upon us either as obligations or as
commendable acts. This then is righteous deeds( Al-'amal As-saalih ),
and it is what is good ( hassan ), and it is righteousness ( Al-Birr
), and it is all that is good ( Al-khair ). Its opposite is
disobedience ( Ma'siya ), and corrupt action ( Al-'amal Al-faasid ),
bad deeds ( As-Sayyi'aat ), rebellion ( Al-fujuur ), oppression (
Adh-dhulm ), and transgression ( Al-baghyu ).
Every action must contain two thing: intention, and movement (action).
Thus, the Prophet said:
"The most truthful names are Harith (i.e. he who tills the earth) and
Hammaam (one who ever sets objectives and seeks their fulfillment)."
Everyone is a tiller and a seeker ofobjectives he has actions, and he
has intentions. However, the onlypraiseworthy intention which Allah
accepts and rewards, is the intentions of doing an action solely for
the sake of Allah.
The praiseworthy deed is the righteous deed, and it is the the deed
with which we have been ordered. For this reason, Umar ibn Al-Khattab
used to say in his du'a :
"O, Allah make all of my deeds righteous, and make all of them purely
for your Face, and do not make therein any share at all for anyone
else."
This being the case for all righteous deeds, it is also the case for
enjoining right and forbidding wrong, and it is necessary for it to be
so (i.e. the act of ordering or forbidding must be good and
praiseworthy which as we have seen means that it is correct and solely
for thesake of Allah, is obedience to Allah, and is done for no
ulterior motive.) This is in reference to the one who enjoins and
forbids others.

WHAT A PERSON LOVES AND HATES MUST BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ORDER OF ALLAH AND HIS PROPHET (SAS)

The obligation upon every slave of Allah, then, is to look very
closely into his or her likes and dislikes, and the intensity of his
love for that which he loves and his hate for that which he hates: is
it in harmony with the order ofAllah and His Prophet (sas)? This, then
is the guidance of Allah which He sent down upon His Prophet such that
he was ordered to have these loves and hates. In this way, a slave of
Allahwill avoid putting himself ahead of Allah and His Prophet (sas),
because Allah said:
O you who believe, do not put forth (anything) in front of Allah and
His Prophet] Qur'an 49/1. i.e. Do not decide your position in any
action or issue without first knowing the position of Allah and His
Prophet therein.
Anyone who loves or hates before Allah and His Prophet haveordered him
to do so, has entered the area of putting something forth in front of
Allah and His Prophet (sas). Simple loves and hates are hawaa, but the
hawaa which is forbidden to the Muslim is the following of these
inclinations without guidance from Allah. This is why Allah said to
His Prophet:
[And do not follow your hawaa such that it leads you astray fromthe
path of Allah. For those who go astray from the path of Allah there
awaits a terrible punishment.] Qur'an 38/26.
Here Allah informs us that the following of one's hawaa will leadone
astray from the path of Allah.The path of Allah is the guidance and
the program with which He sent His Prophet (sas), and it is the path
to Allah.

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Eid prayer for women isSunnah

Is Eid prayer obligatory for women? If it is obligatory, should they
pray at home or in the musalla (prayer place)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
It is not obligatory for women, but it is Sunnah.Women should offer
this prayer in the prayer-placewith the Muslims, becausethe Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined them to do that.
In al-Saheehayn and elsewhere it is narrated that Umm 'Atiyah (may
Allaah be pleased with her) said: "We were commanded (and in one
report it says, he commanded us – meaning the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)) to bring out to the Eid prayers the
adolescent girls and the women in seclusion, andhe commanded the
menstruating women to avoid the prayer-place of the Muslims." Narrated
by al-Bukhaari, 1/93; Muslim,890. According toanotherreport: "We were
commanded to come outand to bring out the adolescent girls and
thosein seclusion."
According to a report narrated by al-Tirmidhi: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to bring out the
virgins, adolescent girls, women in seclusion and menstruating women
on the two Eids, but the menstruating women were to keep away fromthe
prayer place and witnessthe gathering of the Muslims. One of them
said, "O Messenger of Allaah, what if she does not have a jilbaab?" He
said, "Then let her sister lend her one of her jilbaabs." (Agreed
upon).
According to a report narrated by al-Nasaa'i, Hafsah bint Sireen said:
Umm 'Atiyyah hardly evermentioned the Messengerof Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) but she would say, "May my father be
sacrificed for him." I said, "Did you hear the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say such and such," and
she said, "Yes, may my father be sacrificed for him, and he said, 'Let
the adolescent girls, women in seclusion and menstruating women come
out to attend Eid and witness the gatheringof the Muslims, but let
themenstruating womenavoid the prayer place.'" Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 1/84
Based on the above, it is clear that for women to go out and attend
the Eid prayers is a confirmed Sunnah, but that is subjectto the
condition that they do not go out unveiled or making a wanton display
of themselves, as is known from other evidence.
With regard to boys whohave reached the age of discretion going out
to Eidprayer, Jumu'ah prayers, etc., this is something which is well
known and is prescribedin Islam, because there isa great deal of
evidence to that effect.
And Allaah is the Source ofstrength.

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Signs of Allah in Body Growth

Our eyelashes, eyebrows,bones and teeth stop growing when they reach a
certain length. However, hair does not stop growing. In other words,
whereas those body parts the growth of which will be disadvantageous
and unsightly stop growing, hair, the growth of which is aesthetically
pleasing, keeps on growing. Besides that, there is perfect harmonyand
proportion in the growth of bones. For example the bones of the upper
human limbs do not grow unnecessarily long leaving the body relatively
undersized. Their growth comes to a halt just in time as if each knows
how long it should grow. Who placed just as much as is necessary of
hormones and enzymes in the bodythus determining the growth of
everything?

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Ask Allah, He WILL HelpYou

If you ask Allah for guidance sincerely, believing in Him and trusting
in Him, he WILL guide you. If you approach Him with humility and faith
and ask Him for help, He WILL help you. "And your Lord says: "Call on
Me; I will answer you." (Quran 40:60). I personally have experienced
this in my life again and again. Allah is real and miracles do happen.
I remember one time when I was deeply confused about something that
mattered very much to me. I prayed to Allah late at night, and began
crying. After my prayer, I laid down right there on the musalla
(prayer rug), andfell asleep, and BAM, herecomes one of the most
powerful dreams I have ever had, with a very clear answer to my
problem. Then the next night I'm outside and feeling some doubts
again, and all of a sudden I see a tremendous meteor go flaming across
the sky right in front of me. I wasamazed and I laughed out loud
because Allah could not have made it any clearer.
I'm not promising you a dream and a meteor (smile). But Allah's
promise is true. He WILL answer you, maybe in ways that you see
clearly,or in ways that you don't.The answer might be to protect you
from harm, or to give you something better than what you requested. Or
the answer might only be a feeling of faith and tranquility inyour
heart that allows you to move forward confidently. He WILL help you.

Inspirational Islamic Sayings and Short Poems

1
The Prophet Muhammad (s) said: "Be kind, for whenever kindness becomes
part of something, it beautifies it. Whenever it is taken from
something, it leavesit tarnished." – Imam Bukhari's Book of Muslim
Manners.
2
Abdullah bin Al-Haarith said, "I didn't see anyone who smiled more
than the Messenger of Allah (s)." – (At-Tirmithee, 3641).
3
"Allah. It all starts with Him – the universe, humanity, and our own
conception – and it all comes back to Him in the end. There's no
victory without Him, no progress, no peace. Strengthen your
relationship with Him in the easy times, and you will find Him beside
you in the hard times." – WaelAbdelgawad
4
"Allah (God) is an exponential word." – Imam Zaid Shakir
5
"Keep your head up, forge forward fee-sabeel-illah, keep praying,
learning, thinking, following your dreams, and loving the people in
your life. It's all worth it, it all matters and makes a difference.
Every single thing you do is meaningful, even when you don't see it.
You are my brothers, my sisters, my heroes." – Wael Abdelgawad
6
"When you're out of ideas, that's when faith comes in. Let Allah show
you the way." – Wael Abdelgawad
7
"No one should ever be depressed by his or her worldly situation as
long as he or she is walking on the path leading to Paradise.
Attaining Paradise is the great objective of this life, and the person
who gains it is victorious, regardless of what he achieved in the
world." – Imam Zaid Shakir
8
Allah has a beautiful plan
for every woman and man.
Trust Allah and pray
and He will light the way.
- Wael Abdelgawad
9
"When I am feeling low and downtrodden I just find a quiet place and
sit alone with my favorite book (the Quran)! When Iturn each of its
miraculous pages my heart begins to feel lighter and the world around
me brighter! The love, warmth and security of each word sets in and it
is in these very moments that I know for sure in my heart how much
Allah really loves me! Alhamdulillah! Subhanallah! Allahu Akbar!" –
Asmaa Deanna-Dee
10
"'Oh, but what's the use of trying to be a good Muslim when I end up
sinning again and again?'… Well, what's theuse of bathing when you get
dirty again and again? Salat (prayer) is a purifier. Though you sin
again and again, keep returning to Allah for purification. Fasting is
a purifier, Zakat is a purifier, Hajj is a purifier… We can use the
same analogy for hope and motivation. We have to keep finding them
again and again. That's the nature of life." – WaelAbdelgawad
11
"Try to become an embodiment of compassion and mercy inyour daily
life. Do not wait for a situation to occur that will call out these
virtues in you. Rather, seek out opportunities where you can manifest
them along with all of the other prophetic virtues. Do not live your
life passively waiting to be used, roused or stimulated intoaction by
events. Live an active life wherein you become the one who is
initiating acts of goodness and kindness in all that you do. Be an
embodiment of the truth you represent. Let your words and comportment
convey the dignity of the believer to all that you meet." – Imam Zaid
Shakir
12
"Wash your heart every morning with salat, then warm it up with dhikr.
Approach life with hope and faith. Every day do your best, Allah will
do the rest." – Wael Abdelgawad
13
"God is truly AWESOME! I see the POWER of GOD moving in MY LIFE, in my
families' lives, in the world….GOD has GREAT things in store for us.
All we have to do is submit and accept GOD's direction for our lives.
I accept!" – Hanan K. Bilal
14
"I believe in Allah because He believes in me… and in you too. He made
us Muslim, didn't He? That is a gift and a blessing. So believe in
Hisplan for you, because He believes in you, He has faith in you, He
has a purpose for you." – Wael Abdelgawad
15
"Is not the help of God close by? Certainly it is. God says "Call upon
Me and I will respond." Don'ttire on calling on Him. Don't despair
from receiving His Mercy. Despair is a sign of disbelief." – Imam Zaid
Shakir
16
"It's okay to feel sad, anxious, lonely, frustrated, and confused.
Feeling these emotions doesn't make you less of a believer. The
differencebetween the believer and non-believer is that the believer
remains patient and turns to Allahfor help." – Wael Abdelgawad
17
"Sharpen the mind, harden the body, soften the heart, and be of
service to others." – a motto for the believer, byAbdelMalik Ali.
18
"When we're out of ideas, surrounded by problems, and feeling totally
alone… we're not alone. Allah is with us. If we pray sincerely and
strive to the best of our capacity, He will put light in our minds and
hearts and help us from directions we did not expect." – Wael
Abdelgawad
19
"We come to love not by finding a perfect person, but by learning to
see an imperfect person perfectly. Let's all practicehaving a lot more
love for self and others… LOVE is a verb… it's an action in constant
motion…. we are either loving or unloving… love starts at home with
our family." – Hanan Bilal
20
"If Allah brings you to it, He will bring you through it." – Unknown author
21
"If we let Taqwa – Allah-consciousness – become our guide then it
leads usto self-awareness and sincerity. A person who cultivates Taqwa
can never be a terrorist, an oppressor, or a hypocrite.A person with
true Taqwa must shed compassion as the sun sheds light." – Wael
Abdelgawad
22
"You will not believe until you are merciful to each other. Your faith
is not complete until you are merciful to each other." – Imam Zaid
Shakir
23
"Even when we think we have nothing, we have Allah, and Allah is
everything." – Wael Abdelgawad
24
Let love be selfless
and truth fearless;
Let our breasts be flooded with light -
Make our hearts clear as crystal.
– Muhammad Iqbal
25
"One of Allah's names is Al-Wadood, The Most Loving, and this is
appropriate because a Creator must have love inorder to create works
of beauty and power. Allah created you out of love. He created you
with intent. He created you to succeed, not to fail, and He gave you
all the tools that you need to thrive. Open your eyes and see what a
miracle you are, what a thing of beauty, what a gift to the world.
Isee that in every person I know. Do you see it in yourself?" – Wael
Abdelgawad
26
"True religion shines from the face of the believer and impresses
itself on others without words. It is subsequently followed by words
that are uplifting and beneficial." – Imam Zaid Shakir
27
It's okay if you're not freefrom sin;
Allah will forgive you, and let you in.
Just turn to Him, and from your soul
ask forgiveness, and make Him your goal.
- Wael Abdelgawad
28
"I asked Allah for strength and Allah gave me difficulties to make me
strong. I asked Allah for wisdom and Allah gave me problems to solve.
I asked Allah for courage and Allah gave me obstacles to overcome. I
asked Allah for love and Allah gave me troubled people to help. I
asked Allah for favors and Allah gave me opportunities. Maybe I
received nothing I wanted, but I received everything I needed –
Alhamdulillah." – Anonymous
29
"Forgiveness is not for the weak. Being able to forgive those who have
wronged you is a mark ofspiritual strength and confidence. When you
forgive, you grow, your heart begins to heal, your back straightens
up,your eyes clear so that you can see the road ahead. Anger is a
spiritual sickness; but when you forgive you live." – Wael Abdelgawad
30
"You are all my family. I know that you are human and imperfect. Some
are confused, somestruggling, some tired, needing a moment's
rest.Tired of the rain and needing the rainbow. I love you all
fee-sabeel-illah. Have no fear. Allah is with you and will not abandon
you for a single heartbeat. The rainbow is coming, or maybe it's
already here and all you need to do is look up. "

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