Islamic scholars' views of the ''truth of the matter''

Some Muslims suggest that the fact that we only have experience of the
illusion of matter in our minds is not compatible with Islam, and
maintain that religious scholars in the past rejected this fact. That
is not actually the case, however. On the contrary, what we are saying
here is in complete conformity with the verses of the Koran. It is
exceedingly important for a definite understanding of many verses and
subjects revealed in the Koran, such as heaven and hell, timelessness,
infinity, resurrection and the Hereafter.
Unquestionably, even if he is unaware of this subject, a person can
stilllive in complete faith. Hecan have faith, with all his heart and
feeling no doubt, in what God has revealed in the Koran. We must still
make it clear, however, that an awareness of this subject allows such
a person to deepen his faith and certainty. A number of Islamic
scholars of the past looked on the matter from that same point of
view. The only factors that prevented what they had to say from being
widely spread andknown were 1) the fact that the level of science when
they lived was unable to totally clarify the subject and 2) the
existence of trends that were apt to lead to its being misunderstood.
Explanations by Imam Rabbani
The most important ofthose Islamic scholars who explained the
true nature of matter was Imam Rabbani, who has been widely respected
in the Islamic world for hundreds of years and is seen as "the
greatest reformer of the 10th century according to theMuslim
calendar." In his book Letters, Imam Rabbani provides a detailed
commentary on this very subject. In one of his letters, Imam Rabbani
says that God created the entire universe at the level of perception:
… The Glorious God assigned an appearance from all appearances for
names from all names in the sphere of non-existence with his Perfect
Might. And He created it at the sphere of sensations and perceptions.
At the time He willed and in the wayHe willed … Even in the exterior
level, there is nothing permanent and existing other than the being
and attributes of Almighty God... 1
In another letter, Imam Rabbani once again stresses that all
that exists is created only at the level of senses and perceptions:
I have used the following sentence above, "God's creation isat the
level of senses andperceptions." 2
On close examination, Imam Rabbani is careful to emphasize that
the world we see, in other words all that exists, has been created on
the level of perception. Another of his statements on the subject is
as follows:
Nothing but God existson the outside… Perhapsall of Almighty God's
creation finds constancy on the level of perception… It only has
permanency thanks to God's artistry on that one level. In short, it
only has permanency and appearance on one level. It does not have
existence on one plane and appearance on another… 3
Explanations by Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi
The great Islamic scholar Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi also believed
that the only thing that has definitive existence is God, Who has
created the whole universe only on the perceptual level. He is known
as "The Greatest Master" (Shaykhal-Akbar) on account of the depth of
his knowledge, and in his work The Essence of Wisdom (Fusûs al-Hikam),
he reveals that the universe is but ashadow existence consisting of
what is manifested by God:
I say that you must know that apart from God, all that exists, or
everything in the universe, stands in the same relation to God as a
shadow to a man. That being the case, everything apart from God is but
His shadow… There is no doubt that the shadow exists in perception. 4
The Prophet Muhammad said that"people are asleep and wake up when
they die." This is to say that the objects seen in the world when
alive are similar to those seen when asleep while dreaming, meaning
that they exist in the imagination. 5
The Perversion of Philosophers
These explanations regarding the fact that the matter is illusion
are misunderstood by some people and likened to the views of some
ancient Greek philosophers or some other disbelieving philosophers.
Indeed, there have been philosophers who said matter is illusion, yet
these people went astray since they failed to grasp that this
illusionwas created by God. For instance, ancient Greek sophists said,
"Matter is aperception we have created ourselves." This view is
rationally and scientifically flawed, anddeparts from true religion.
As stressed fromthe very beginning, the truth is that matter is
created by God and doesexist, but we don't knowthe actual matter but
merely a version of it weperceive in our minds.
It is a grave error to confuse this false view of those
philosophers with the explanation given here by Islamic scholars about
the"nature of matter." In fact, Imam Rabbani mentions those
philosophers who depart from the truth when discussing the subject of
matter. He stresses that what he says is very different to their
twisted views. He says the following in his Letters:
When I refer to the world as "imaginary," I do not mean that it
is made and shaped by theimagination … Of course,what it really means
is that God has created the world on the perceptual level …
On the other hand, philosophers who are comprise a group of
lunatics actually talk about something else. What they mean is that
the world is the work of imagination and it is shaped by the
imagination. There is a great difference between the two. 6
Having a Grasp of the Truth of the Matter is Essential
As we have seen, the fact that we merely deal wih the version of
matter in our minds is a very important fact also stated by Islamic
scholars. Yet throughout history, this issue has never been accessible
to the masses; only a limited number of people knew about it. Inthis
century, this fact hasnow become explicable, thanks to the evidence
science has provided. The fact that we have noexperience of the actual
material world that exists outside our minds is, for the first time in
history, being clearly and comprehensibly explained. For this reason,
everyone must seriously consider the matter. Muslims in particular
must attach vital importance to it, because comprehendingthe true
facts about matter is important for attaining true faith in God.
Otherwise people will assume matter to be the absolute truth, which
will help the development of materialist philosophies that deny God or
perverted faiths.
Materialists tell the lie,"Matter is all that exists, and there
is no God". We, on the other hand, say, "The only absolute being is
God; matter is created by Him but we merely deal with its version in
our minds." Allpower belongs to God, Who creates matter at every
moment. That is the true meaning of "La Ilaha Illallah", the basis of
Islam, which means"there is no deity other than God". There is no
deity other than God. And in fact, there is nothing other than God.
There is only God and Hismanifestations. Everything we see around are
but His manifestations.
Having a grasp of the true facts about matter is important
because it will help people to comprehend this inner meaning. The fact
that having a grasp of this fact is an attribute peculiar to people of
profound faith and wisdom is stated in a verse:
God bears witness that there is no deity but Him, as do the angels and
the people of knowledge, upholding justice. There is no deity but Him,
the Almighty, the All-Wise. (Koran, 3:18)
1 - Imam Rabbani, Lettersof Rabbani, Vol II, 470. Letter, p. 517-518
2 - Imam Rabbani, Lettersof Rabbani, Vol II, 357. Letter, p. 163
3- Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, Vol II, 470. Letter, p. 519
4- Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi, Fusus al-Hikam,p. 117-18
5- Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi, Fusus al-Hikam,p. 220
6- Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, Vol II, 480. Letter, p. 543, 545

Truths that will change your life

SOMEONE CROSSING THE OCEAN IN A PLANE ACTUALLY DOES SO IN HIS MIND
Everyone lives inside his brain throughout his life, and can in no
way ever step out of it. Perceptions related to every illusion we see,
every sound we hear, every object we touch and everything we taste are
the perceptions that electrical signals form in our brain. We can
never make direct contact withthe original of any illusion we see, any
sound we hear or the fruit we taste outside our brains. Throughout our
lives, we watch perceptions formed in our brains.
For instance, someonewho travels in a plane, crossing over
oceans, actually travels between images formed in his brain. The image
and noise of the airport, the announcements made tothe passengers, the
noise of the engines, thesensation produced by a plane taxiing on a
runaway, clouds, the image of the city left behind, the oceans, the
sense of distance, the hardness of the seats, the texture of its
fabric.... All of these are perceived in the tiny visual center in the
brain.
The sense of distance formed in that center, which is only a few
inches in size, on the other hand, is a great miracle created by God.
Within such images created in such a small area, God also creates a
sense of distance, perceived as if one's destination were miles away.
Someone looking at the ocean from a plane window actually watches it
in his brain from the plane in his mind. The distance between the two,
on theother hand, is a perception God creates in the human being
wholives within his brain.
At this point, we encounter another important fact: The
consciousness that sees the ocean miles below, hears the noise of the
engine or feels the hardness of the seat does not consist of the cells
or nerves in the brain.
Who does perceive these sensations, then? The answer to this
question, which materialists cannot answer, is the soul God creates.
It is our soul thatexperiences all these sensations.
You must also have a better understanding of this glorious and
unprecedented artistry, this infinite wisdom in God's creation and
draw the appropriate conclusions from this miracle of creation.
Have they not reflected within themselves? God did not create the
heavens and the earth and everything betweenthem except with truth and
for a fixed term. Yet many people reject the meeting with their Lord.
(Koran, 30:8)
THERE IS MATTER OUTSIDE OF US, BUT WE CAN NEVER REACH ITS
ORIGINAL THROUGH OUR SENSES
If someone asks you how far away the TV set is when you are
watching the late-night news, you will most probably answer, "A
fewfeet." Yet, that answer is far from accurate. That isbecause the TV
set is not"a few feet" away from you at all, but is in the sensory
center in your brain. What you see is not the television out there but
an image formed in the visual center in your brain. Thesignal reaching
you by means of light from the external world is transformed into
electrical signals by your cells, and these signals reaching the brain
are perceived as an image.
This fact is a great miracle created by God. In a tiny space made
up of flesh, lipids and proteins, God creates a colorful, bright image
that gives a true sense ofdepth. This is an image of perfect quality
and sharpness that has no blurriness, darkness or shift. Furthermore,
in another tiny spot in that same brain, God creates high-quality,
multi-dimensional sound with no distortion that accompanies this image
perfectly and is totally synchronized with it.
It is a scientific fact that everyone actually lives in a small
room in his skull, in a tiny part of his brain. No one, no matter how
much he strives, can ever step outof that room in his brain.He can
never reach the original of the world that occurs in his brain.
This scientific fact is very important in the sense that it
indicates the glorious and unprecedented creation of God. From the
Prophet Adam on, God has created separate lives in the brains of all
the people that have ever appeared on Earth, showed colorful, bright
images providing a sense of distance in the brains of billions of
people and caused them to hear the loveliest songs, the roaring of a
waterfall, thunder or thebuzzing of a bee. More strikingly, God
created all such perceptions withsuch delicate harmony and perfection
that the majority of these people never realized that they actually
heard the sounds or watched the images in their brains. They always
assumed that they saw the actual things that existed in theoutside
world, talked to them or touched them.
Never forget this important truth:
We can never reach the original object. We can only experience
what we see in our brains.
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION DARWINIST-MATERIALISTS CANNOT ANSWER:
Who Is It That Watches A Bright World, Hears BirdsSinging Or Smells A Rose?
Stimuli coming from the ears, eyes and nose reach the brain in
the form of electrical signals.Who is it in the brain that experiences
these electric signals as sound, smell and sensation? Inside the brain
there exists a consciousness that perceives all these without having
any need for eyes, ear or nose. To whom does thisconsciousness belong?
Darwinist-materialists, who believe that nothing exists except matter,
cannot answer these questions.
Never forget that it is in your power to destroythe basic claims
of Darwinist-materialist ideology.
The 21st century will be the century when all these facts will be
grasped and accepted.
EVERYONE LIVES HIS ENTIRE LIFE IN THE SMALL SPACE IN HIS BRAIN
There is one fact everyone knows: The senses of sight, sound,
smell and taste are perceived in the brain. That is, we experience the
outside world inside us. We spend our entire lives in that small space
in our brains. We watch the outside world on thetelevision in our
brain. We smell the electrical signals entering our brains from the
external world in our sensory centers. We again perceive the
electrical signals entering our brains from the external world as
hardness. The electrical signals entering our brains are transformed
into soundsin the loudspeakers in our brains.
We experience all these sensations in that room of a few cubic
inches in our brains, andall through our lives we can never step out
of it. No individual, not someone traveling from one continent to
another, nor the first man who walked on the moon, nor a farmer whohas
never left his village in his life can go anywhere outside the small
room in his brain. We see oceans, woods, the sky, the Sun, the Moon,
flowers and fruits,which do exist in the external world, in this small
room in our brain. We smell them there andhear the sounds they produce
in that room, without ever making direct contact with their originals
outside … Inside the brain there is a consciousness perceiving all
these sensations. However, that conscious certainly does not belong to
the nerve cells or lipids making up the brain. This consciousness is
the soul God creates.
Every individual who reads this obvious fact must ponder on God,
theExalted, Who places the entire universe with all its colors in a
pitch-dark space of a few cubic inches in the brain, fear Him and take
refuge in Him.
THE TRUTH OF THE LIFE OF THIS WORLD IS THE DESTINY GOD SHOWS US
IN OUR BRAINS
The entire life of a human being is made upof the perceptions in
his brain revealed to him through his five senses. For instance, a
person walking on the street actually walks on the street inside his
brain. His feet, the unevenness of the pavement, the sloping road, the
discomfort his shoes cause him, the height of the curbstones, the
windand all the cars passing by are seen and sensed in the brain.
A person who rubs hiseye because of an irritating dust particle
init will grasp this reality. When he rubs his eye, hesees the image
of the road, trees and cars moving up and down. This is similar to the
shifting of images on thetelevision. That system also exists in the
brain. In this sense, a person is similar to someone watching
television. In the same way that he watches television programs, he
also watches what is provided for him, through his senses, in
hisbrain.
This being the case, who is it that sees these images in his
brain or feels the cold wind on his face? God informs us that it is
the SOUL that perceives these sensations. What we call"our life" is
actually what our Lord shows our soul in accordance with the destiny
He creates for us.
WHO IS IT THAT WATCHES THE IMAGE OF A HOUSE FORMED IN HIS BRAIN?
The question that most bothers Darwinist-materialists is; "Who is
it that SEES the three dimensional, bright image that is formed in the
brain?" As we know, everything we see is an image formed by electrical
signals reaching our brains. Stimuli entering from the eye reach the
visual center in the brain, and the brain forms a three dimensional,
colorful image conveying a flawless sense of dimension.
Books on biology, physiology and biochemistry give a detailed
account of how this image is formed in the brain. However, you will be
unable to find the most important fact about this issue anywhere: The
image is formed in the brain. But,who is it that watches the image
formed there?An image without an audience is of no use. So, where is
this audience located in the body? No one has so far encountered a
being in the brain that watches this image.
The one who watchesthe image in the brain is not a being made up
of flesh and bone. It is rather man's consciousness, that is, his
soul. Because they donot want to accept the existence of the soul,
Darwinist-materialists always avoid this question. Once the issue is
raised, they strive to silence the speaker in a panic. You can try
askinga Darwinist-materialist that question yourself!
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT?
If someone asks you how far away a friend ofyours is from you as
you chat to him, you will most probably answer,"A few feet." Yet, that
is not an accurate answer. Your friend is not a few feet away at all;
he is in the visual center in your brain. The direction from which you
hear his sound and his three-dimensional image conveying a perfect
sense of depth makes you think that he is a few feet away from you.
This sensation is so strong that proving otherwise demands a
lotof explanation, as is the case right now. However, what we are
discussing here is not a philosophy or a system of thought. The fact
that what we call "the material world" is created in the sensory
centers in our brain is also verified by science today.
The TV set which you think exists in the cornerof your room, the
music you hear, the roses you smell, your friends you enjoy being
with, the ice-cream that tastes so good, in brief, everything in the
outside world an image formed in your brain.
NO LEAF FALLS WITHOUT HIS KNOWING IT
God knows;
That you are reading these lines right now,
What crosses your mind while you read these lines,
What you will be doing in a moment,
Everything you will dountil the end of your life,
Everything you assume you have witnessed alone.
In some sections of society, we observe the prevalence of a
distortedunderstanding of destiny. This distorted concept of fate
holds thesuperstitious belief that God has determined a"destiny" for
everyone, but that these destinies can sometimes be changed by people.
For instance, if someone comes back from the brink of death people
make superstitious statements like "He cheated fate." Yet, nobody is
able to change his destiny. The reason the person who comes back from
death'sdoor does not die is because he is destined not to do so at
that particular time. It is also the destiny of those people who
deceive themselves by saying "I cheated fate" to say so and maintain
such an erroneous mindset.
All events, whether we witness them or not, occur under God's
knowledge and control. Destiny is the eternal knowledge of God, and
for Him, Who knows time like a single moment and Who rules all time
and space, everything is determined and done with in destiny.
The keys of the Unseen are in His possession. No one knows them
but Him. He knows everything in the land and sea. No leaf falls
without His knowing it. There is no seed in the darkness of the earth,
and nothing moist or dry which is notin a Clear Book. (Koran, 6:59)
THE MAGNIFICENT SECRET IN THE BRAIN
A region of a few cubic centimetres in the cerebral cortex is similar
to a television screen collecting the stimuli coming from the optic
nerves. And we, or rather our minds, watch the colours, various
lightcombinations or the beautiful wing of a butterfly within our
pitch-dark skulls on the black cerebral cortex. This is similar to
watching something on a television screen. We see our entire world on
this screen in our brains.
Who knows what the originals of the objects we see are like? For
instance, does the original of the butterfly we see on the screen in
our brains, possess the same colours as the reds,blues and yellows we
perceive? Or are these only the colours of the image we see in our
brains? We can never know the answers to these questions. Our soulthat
watches these images in the brain can never step out of the brain and
see the originals of these images. Consequently, the soul can never
know whether the things it sees are the same as their originals.
This is such a great miracle that the majorityof people fail to grasp
this fact, and those who do feign ignorance of it. From the moment
they are born, God makes people watch a screen intheir brains, makes
every soul live inside a skull, a narrow, small and compact space.
However, the images God makes people perceive are so magnificent,
detailed and identical to their originals that they do not even notice
where they really are. When watching copy images intheir brains, and
living within their skulls, people assume they are sailing by boat,
flying in the sky in a jet, or covering thousands of miles.
Furthermore, no matter how often they may be told, they still cannot
conceive that they are, in reality, livingin their skulls. This is
oneof the greatest miracles a person can ever come across in this
world. You will see that pondering deeply over this miracle will open
new horizons for you.
THE GREATEST FEAR OF THOSE WHO ARE SWEPT AWAY BY MATERIAL GREED…
Think for a moment about those people who are swept away by material
greed: What do they value most? A fine house, luxurious things,
ostentatious jewellery, the latest model car, big bank accounts, a
yacht ...For this reason, such people are terrified of the fact that
they are observing all the things they possess on a screen in their
brains, and that they will never actually possess the originals of
these things.
However, this is a fact confirmed by the scientific advances in
the21st century. People live in a world of facsimiles composed in
their brains, and cannot possibly have any relationship with any
external world. Sound, light and smell cannot enter the skull; what
enters is only electrical impulses coming from these material things.
This is the situation of someone, as in the example above, who gives
money for the magnificent villa shown in the background. While he
thinks that he is buying the villa and counting out the money,he is
really buying an impression formed in hisbrain, and is not giving
actual money to the person in front of him, only an image of money.The
person receiving themoney is really receivingan impression. In other
words, there is a"transaction of impressions".
THE WEALTHIEST MAN IN THE WORLD ACTUALLY POSSESSES NOT WORLDLY GOODS
BUT THE IMAGES OFTHESE POSSESSIONS FORMED IN HIS BRAIN...
Have you ever thought that you can never possess the originals of the
possessions you think you own? This is a scientific fact that appears
even in biology and physiology textbooks.
Let's assume that you have a car. You actually watch this car on a
screen in your brain. When you hold the steering-wheel or drive down
the highway, you are actually watching these actions on the screen in
your brain. Light rays from the steering-wheel, the indicators,
rear-view mirror and all the other components of the car are
transformed into electrical signals in your eye and conveyed to the
visual centre of the brainvia the nerves. This way, an image of a car,
identical to its original, is formed in your brain. But you must be
cautious! YOU SEE AN IMAGE IDENTICAL TO THE ORIGINAL, YET WHICH IS NOT
THE ORIGINAL.
Even if you wished you could never see the original of that car. That
is because, no matter what you do, the image of the car will always
form in the visual centre in your brain. No matter what you do, you
can never see even a single point outside the image that is formed in
the visual centre in your brain. For this reason, what you possess is
actually not the car itself,but a copy.
In the same manner, youcan only have copies of your clothes in your
wardrobe, the house in which you live, your furniture and all the
fortune you think you own, in your brain. Consequently, even the
wealthiest man in the world does not possess the greatest fortune in
the world at all, but copies of that fortune in his brain.
THE OWNERS OF THE FACTORIES, YACHTS AND LANDS THAT ARE ONLY IMAGES IN
THE BRAIN FEEL DISTRESSED FOR NO REASON
The majority of people value their houses, factories, yachts, lands,
jewellery, bank accountsand antiques very much. They devote all their
lives to attaining these material goods, and work day and night to
that end. Their greatest fear is of losing these things accumulated
overthe years with such difficulty. Never pondering the real meaning
of these material goods, however, they are greatly misled.
That is because they can never encounter the originals of these
possessions they strive to preserve with such ambition.
They can never live in their actual houses, sail on their actual
yachts and can never wear their actual jewellery. They can only watch
the electrical signals from these objects on the screen in their
brains. What they watch are theone-to-one copies of their possessions.
This great fact renders all those ambitions and concerns meaningless,
and humiliates those who boast about what they watch on the screen in
their brains. However, when death comes upon them it will be too late
for those who spend their lives ongaining worldly benefitsand those
who yearn forthe worldly life and forget the hereafter. OurLord
informs us of this fact with the verse "If only death had really been
the end! My wealthhas been of no use to me. My power has vanished."
(Qur'an, 69:27-29)
HUMANITY UNDERSTANDS THIS GREAT FACT NOW
When you sit by the ocean and watch the sea, the breathtaking scenery
actually forms inyour brain. That is, you do not see the actual ocean
but a copy formedin your brain. The nerves, as with an electrical
cable, convey the light rays from the outside to the visual centre in
the brain. The scenery, on the other hand, forms in this tiny centre.
Yet, there exists not a single light, colour or movement in the visual
centre, because the skull is completely insulated from light. Despite
this fact, on this tiny and pitch-dark region, we watch a highly
detailed, coloured, three-dimensional external world with a quality
better than any image produced by high-tech equipment.
The blue colour of the sea and the sky, the white appearance of
theclouds, the grey colour of the buildings in the distance are all
colours produced by the electrical signals in your brain. You can
never know the actual colours of the sky, clouds, the sea and
buildings. That is because you can neverbe in touch with their real
images. But the image in your brain is soperfect that it is almost
identical to the original. That is why, from the moment you are born,
you are deceived by assuming that what you see in the external
worldare the real images. The fact is, however, you are always
watching the image formed in your brain.
In that case, can you be sure that the real colour of the sea is blue?
Or, is it certain that everyone sees the clouds as white and the sky
blue, like you do? This is something you can never know, and that you
can never learn. That is because you can never step out of the
boundaries of your brain and see the actual sky, ocean, clouds and
buildings.
This is one of the most important facts in your life, and for
centuries there has been a deliberate effort to keepthat fact hidden.
The scientific developments of the 20th and 21st centuries have now
made it possible to reveal that fact. Never feign ignorance of this
fact, but ponder over it.
ARE YOU IN THE ROOM, OR IS THE ROOM INSIDE YOU?
A person who sits in his house, watching television or having dinner
with his family, experiences a great miracle, even though he is
unaware of it. That miracle is the fact that the image of four walls
surrounding a person sitting in a room is, in reality, within the
brain of that person.
That being the case, are you in the room, or is the room inside you?
The majority of people are unaware of this great truth; they assume
themselves to be sitting in a room, watching television or chatting
with their family. Those who grasp this fact, on the other hand,
pretend not to understand this miracle since they fear it.Yet, this
great fact about which they plead ignorance is an undeniable,
confirmed one, also revealed by science. Stimuli reachingthe eye from
the four walls that make up the room, the pictures hanging on the
wall, thetelevision, the carpet on the floor, the coloured furniture
and the light on the ceiling are transformed into electrical currents
by theeye cells. These currents are then transmitted to the visual
centre in the brain, and the person watches the image of the house,
which he thinks he is in, in the tiny space in the rear part of his
brain.
At this point, an important question arises: What is it that sees
these coloured, vivid images, without the need for an eye, eye lens,
retina and iris in the pitch-dark skull?
It is the "soul".
The reason why a personassumes himself to be in a room is the
sharpness of the images he watches in his brain and their
identicalness to theoriginals. This is a miracle by itself.
EVERY ONE OF THE PEOPLE IN A STADIUM WATCHES A SEPARATE GAME
A person entering a stadium assumes that he will watch the same game
as thousands of other people in the stands. Yet, this is a
greatdelusion.
That is because, in the brain of each person in the stadium, there
exists a separate stadium, separate players, a separate playground, a
separate crowd, in brief,a separate image. Yet, everyone assumes that
there exists a single game being played in a single stadium and that
thousands of people are watching the same game. Furthermore,
theyassume that those who remain in their houses are watching the very
same game on their televisions.
Yet, the fact is that in everyone's brain, copies that are
indistinguishable from their originals are created. The number of
these copies is equal to the number of watchers.The people in the
stadium cannot see the image in the outer world, and neither can those
at home see the real image on the television screen. That is because
it is impossible for anyone to step outside the screen in their brain
and get in touch with the original image outside. The only thing these
people can see is their brain's interpretation of the information
reaching it. It is the soul that sees. It is, on the other hand, God,
the Lord of the entire universe, Who creates both the soul and the
images with one-to-one similarity to their originals. What is more,
God creates these copies one by one for each and every individual.
WHO IS IT THAT LISTENS TO A CONCERT IN THE DEEP SILENCE OF THE BRAIN?
The ear captures the sounds around us and delivers them to the middle
ear. The middle ear amplifies the sound vibrations and delivers them
to the inner ear. The inner ear transformsthese sound vibrations into
electric signals, and then transmits them to the brain. The hearing
process takes place in the hearing centre of the brain.
But, who is it that hears?
The hearing centre is completely insulated from sound. That is, no
matter what the level of noise coming from the outside, the inside of
thebrain is always silent. But, in this deep silence, we listen to our
favourite songs or the concerts of famous bands from the giant
loudspeakers placed in astadium.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Akhirah · Preparation

This morning was a cold walk accross the park to work. I made sure
that I was prepared by putting on my big coat, woolly hat and gloves
before even leaving the house. So what?
Well, we are always reminded, either in the quran, ahadith or by
others, of the temporary nature of this life in the dunya, yet we
still remainignorant to prepare for when we have to leave this world.
The journey to work/ school etc. for us is only a short one yet we
prepare for whateverthe weather may be outdoors, but for the permanent
abode of the akhirah (hereafter) we choose to cast aside in our mind
and ignore the signs telling us to prepare?
I leave you to ponder over this…May Allah Almighty give us the ability
to draw some important lessons from above and act in order toprepare
for our eternal life in the hereafter, ameen.

Akhirah · Currency of Jannah

Every country has its particular financial currency. Pakistani rupees
cannot function inAmerica, where the currency is the dollar , and
whoever has more dollars will live that muchmore comfortably.
Likewise, the currency of Saudi Arabia is the riyal , and whoever has
more riyals will be that much richer than the one who does not.
The currency of the Hereafter is righteous deeds and no other currency
will benefit manafter his death . There willbe no foreign currency
exchange where he can change his money for good deeds like we do here
when traveling from country to country. The person who has more of
this currency of good deeds will be in that much more comfort than the
person who does not. Today we have been given time to amassthis
currency so that we may be in comfort in the Hereafter. It will be too
late in the grave.
Does man ever stop to reflect on the fact that heis getting old? The
answer is an emphatic nobecause man always considers himself young in
every circumstance. Hisyouth slips away and man becomes an empty shell
but he does not realize this. He still thinks himself young when the
Angel of Death comes for him.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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First Infallible: First Infallible: Mohammad Al-Mustafa (saw) Sayings:

First Infallible: Mohammad Al-Mustafa (saw) Sayings:
-
First Infallible: Mohammad Al-Mustafa (saw) Sayings:
*. The most honored among people who is pious, and the strongest among
people who depends on Allah.
*. A man giving in alms one piece of silver in his lifetime is better
for him than giving one hundred when about todie.
*. To meet friends cheerfully and invite them to a feast are charitable acts.
*. To extend consideration towards neighbors and send them presents
are charitable acts.
*. To acquire knowledge is binding upon all Muslims, whether male or female.
*. The ink of the scholar ismore holy than the blood of the martyr.
*. He who travels in the search of knowledge, to him God shows the way
of Paradise.
*. Acquire knowledge, because he who acquires it, in the way of the
Lord, performs an act of piety; who speaks of it praises the Lord; who
seeks it, adores God, who dispenses instruction init, bestows alms;
and who imparts it to its fitting objects, performs an act of devotion
to God. Knowledge enables its possessor to distinguishwhat is
forbidden from what is not; lights the way to Heaven; it is our friend
in the desert, ourcompanion in solitude, our companion, when benefit
of friends; it guides us to happiness; it sustains us in misery; it is
our ornament in the company of friends;it serves as an armor against
our enemies. With knowledge the creatures of Allah rises to the
heights of goodness and to noble position, associates with the
sovereigns in this world and attains the perfection of happiness in
the next.
*. Keep yourselves far from envy, because it eats up and takes away
good actions, like the fire that eats up and burns wood.
*. Whoever suppresses hisanger, when he has in his power to show it,
God will give him a great reward.
*. He is not strong and powerful, who throws people down, but he is
strong who withholds himself from anger.
*. Deal gently with a people, and be not harsh; cheer them and condemn not.
*. Much silence and a good disposition; there are no two works better
than these.
*. The best of friends is hewho is best in behavior and character.
*. One who does not practice modesty and does not refrain from
shameless deeds is not a Muslim.
*. Paradise lies at the feet of thy mother.
*. He who wishes to enter Paradise must please his father and mother.
*. No one who keeps his mind focused entirely upon himself can grow
large, strong and beautiful in character.
*. Whoever loves to meet God, God loves to meet him.
*. The five stated prayers erase the sins which have been committed
during the intervals between them if they have not been mortal sins.
*. God is not merciful to him who is not so to humankind. He who is
not kind to God's creation and to his ownchildren, God will not be
kind to him.
*. Whosoever visits a sick person, an angel calls from Heaven: "Be
happy in the world and happy be your walking;and take your habitation
in Paradise."
*. The love of the world is the root of all evils.
*. Wealth properly employed is a blessing; and a man may
lawfullyendeavor to increase it by honest means.
*. One who listens to the call of a Muslim, and does not respond to
it, is NOT a Muslim.
*. One, who gets up in themorning and is not concerned about the
affairs of other Muslims,is NOT a Muslim.
*. Being in need of Allah isa source of pride for meand I take pride in it.
*. Honesty brings subsistence. Dishonesty brings poverty.
*. I will certainly hear himwho greets me near mytomb, and I will
surely respond the salaams of him who greets me from any place.

Islam's History - The Battle of Islam at Nahrawan:

After the unsatisfactory conclusion to the Battle of Siffin , Imam Ali
(A.S.) returned with his army back to Kufa on the 13th of Safar 37
A.H. During the march, a group of 12,000 men kept themselves at a
distance from the main part of thearmy.
The group was furious at the way things had ended at Siffin. These
were the Kharjites (Kharjite means one who rebels against religion).
They were the same people who had put down their weapons on the
battlefield. Now they said that Imam Ali (A.S.) had betrayed Islam by
agreeing to the truce andshould have referred judgment to the Holy
Qur'an alone or continued to fight. They demanded that he repentfor
this great sin.
When the army neared Kufa, the Kharjites camped at a village named
Harura. They started saying that all Muslims were equal and nobody
could rule over the other. In this way, they denounced both Imam Ali
(A.S.) and Muawiya and said that their belief was in "La Hukma Illa
Lillah", meaning, "No Ruler ship except by Allah alone."
Imam Ali (A.S.) sent Sasaa Bin Sauhan and Ziad Bin Nazr Harisi in the
company of Ibne Abbas towards them and afterwards himself went to the
place of their stay and tried to explain to them that they were
misunderstanding the words "La Hukma Illa Lillah" , and that in
accepting the arbitration (peace talks) at Siffin, he had not gone
against theteachings of the Holy Qur'an.
He pointed out that they themselves were at fault, because they should
never have laid down their arms and forced him to call back Malike
Ashtar , who was at the point of securing victory. He reminded them
that they had pressed for the arbitration and had forced him to
appoint Abu Musa Ash'ari as their representative. He told them that he
found their present behavior very strange, considering their
involvement in Siffin. To this they admitted that they had sinned but
now they had repented for it and he should do the same.
Imam Ali (A.S.) replied that he was a true believer and did not haveto
repent because he hadnot committed any sin and dispersed them after
discussion.
The Kharjites refused to accept the words of Imam Ali (A.S.) and
awaited the decision of Amr al-Aas and Abu Musa Ash'ari. When they
learnt of the decision they decided to revolt, and they set up their
headquarters at Nahrawan, twelve miles from Baghdad. Some people came
from Basra to join the rebels.
On the other side, after hearing the verdict of Arbitration Imam Ali
(A.S.)rose for fighting the army of Syria and wrote to the Kharijites
that the verdict passed by the twoarbitrators in pursuance of their
heart's wishes instead of the Qur'an andsunnah was not acceptable to
him, that he had therefore decidedto fight with them and they should
support him for crushing the enemy. But the Kharijites gave him this
reply, "When you had agreed to Arbitration in our view you had turned
heretic. Now if you admit your heresy and offer repentance we will
think over this matter and decide what we should do." Imam Ali (A.S.)
understood from their reply that their disobedience and misguidance
had becomevery serious. To entertainany kind of hope from them now was
futile. Consequently, ignoring them he encamped in thevalley of
an-Nukhaylah with a view to marching towards Syria to fight against
Muawiya.
Imam Ali (A.S.) had already started towards Muawiya when he received
the news that they had butchered the governor of Nahrawan namely
Abdullah Ibn Khabbab Ibn al-Aratt and his slave maid with the child in
her womb, and have killed three women of Banu Tayyi and Umm Sinan
as-Saydawiyyah. Imam Ali (A.S.) sent al-Harith Ibn Murrah al-Abdi for
investigation but he too was killed by them. When their rebellion
reached this stage it was necessary to deal with them. There was a
danger that the Kharjites might attack Kufa while Imam Ali (A.S.)and
his men were marching towards Muawiya, so Imam Ali (A.S.) decided to
stop them. He changed his course eastward, crossed the river Tigris
and approached Nahrawan.
On reaching there Imam Ali (A.S.) sent a messengerto the Kharjites
demanding that those people who had murdered innocent Muslims around
their camp should be surrendered. The Kharjites replied that they were
all equally responsible for killing these sinners.
There was some reluctance in the army of Imam Ali (A.S.) to fight the
Kharjites, because they had been their companions against Muawiya at
Siffin. Imam Ali (A.S.) himself did not desire the bloodshed of these
misguided fanatics,so he sent Abu Ayyub al-Ansari with a message of
peace. So he spoke to them aloud, "Whoever comes under this banner or
separates from that party and goes to Kufah or al-Mada'in would get
amnesty and he would not be questioned. As a result of this Farwah Ibn
Nawfal al-Ashja'i said that he did not know why they were at war with
Imam Ali (A.S.). Saying this he separated along with five hundred men.
Similarly group after group began to separate and some of them joined
Imam Ali (A.S.). In the end, only cores of 1,800 die-hards were left
under the command of Abdallah binWahab. These Kharjites swore that
they would fight Imam Ali (A.S.) at any cost.
Nahjul Balagha - Sermon 36/Warning the people of Nahrawan of their fate:
"I am warning you that you will be killed on the bend of this canal
and onthe level of this low area while you will have no clear excuse
before Allah nor any open authority with you. You have come out of
your houses and then divine decree entangled you. I had advised you
against this arbitration but you rejected my advice like adversaries
and opponents till I turned my ideas in the direction of your wishes.
You are a group whose heads are devoid of wit and intelligence. May
you have no father! (Allah's woe be to you!) I have not put you in any
calamity nor wished you harm."
The Kharjites attacked Imam Ali's (A.S.) army with desperate courage.
However, they did not stand a chance against the superior army that
faced them and they were all killed except nine men. These nine
managed to flee to Basra and elsewhere, where they spread the fire of
their hatred and recruited more followers.From Imam Ali's (A.S.) army
only eight persons fell as martyrs. The battle took place on the 9th
Safar, 38 A.H. Two years later, in 40 A.H., it was theKharjites who
sent out three assassins to kill Imam Ali (A.S.), Muawiya and Amr
al-Aas. The lattertwo survived but Imam Ali (A.S.) was martyred
following Ibne Muljam's cowardly attack in the mosque of Kufa.
Having disposed of the Kharjites at Nahrawan, Imam Ali (A.S.) resumed
his march to Syria. However, the chiefs of hisfollowers urged him to
stop at Kufa to let the men rest before the long journey and to enable
the army to repair their weapons and armours. Imam Ali (A.S.) agreed
to this request and camped at Nukhayla outside Kufa.The soldiers were
allowed to leave the camp for a day.
On the next day, hardly any men returned and at length, Imam Ali
(A.S.) entered Kufa and gave a stern sermon to the people. However,
nobodycame forward and finally,Imam Ali (A.S.) turned away from them
in disappointment. The Syrian expedition was abandoned, never to be
resumed.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Thumamah ibn Uthal - Biographies of the Companions (Sahabah)

In the sixth year after the hijrah, the Prophet, may the blessings of
God be on him, decided to expand the scope of his mission.He sent
eight letters to rulers in the Arabian peninsula and surrounding areas
inviting them to Islam. One of these rulers wasThumamah ibn Uthal.
Thumamah was one of the mostpowerful Arab rulers in pre-Quranic times.
This is not surprising since he was a chieftain of the Banu Hanifah
and one of the rulers of al-Yamamah whose word no one dared to
challenge or disobey.
When Thumamah received the Prophet's letter, he was consumed by anger
and rejectedit. He refused to listen to the invitation of Truth and
goodness. More than that, he felt a strong desire to go and killthe
Prophet and bury his mission with him.
Thumamah waited and waited for a convenient time to carry out his
design against the Prophet until eventually forgetfulness caused him
to loseinterest. One of his uncles, however, reminded him of his plan,
praising what he intended to do.
In the pursuit of his evil design against the Prophet, Thumamah met
and killed a group of the Prophet's companions. The Prophet thereupon
declared hima wanted man who could lawfully be killed on sight. Not
long afterwards, Thumamah decided to perform umrah. He wanted to
perform tawaf around the Kabah and sacrifice to the idols there. So he
left al-Yamamah for Makkah. As he was passing near Madinah, an
incident took place which he had not anticipated.
Groups of Muslims were patrolling the districts of Madinah and
outlying areas on the lookout for any strangers or anyone intent on
causing trouble. One of these groups came upon Thumamah and
apprehended him but they did not know who he was. They took him to
Madinah and tied him to one of the columns in themosque. They waited
for the Prophet himself to question the man and decide what should be
done with him.
When the Prophet was about to enter the mosque, he saw Thumamah and
asked his companions, 'Do you know whom you have taken?"
"No, messenger of God," they replied.
"This is Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Hanafi," he said. "You have done well
in capturing him."
The Prophet then returned home to his family and said,"Get what food
you can and send it to Thumamah ibn Uthal."He then ordered his camel
to be milked for him. All this was donebefore he met Thumamah or had
spoken to him.
The Prophet then approached Thumamah hoping to encouragehim to become
a Muslim. "What do you have to say for yourself?"he asked.
"If you want to kill in reprisal," Thumamah replied, "you can have
someone of noble blood to kill. If, out of your bounty, you want to
forgive, I shall be grateful. If you want money in compensation, I
shall give you whatever amount you ask."
The Prophet then left him for two days, but still personally sent him
food and drink and milk from his camel. The Prophet went back to him
and asked, "What do you have to say for yourself?" Thumamah repeated
what he had said the day before. The Prophet then leftand came back to
him the following day. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he
asked again and Thumamah repeated what he had said once more. Then the
Prophet turned to his companions and said, "Sethim free."
Thumamah left the mosque of the Prophet and rode until he came to a
palm grove on the outskirts of Madinah near al-Baqi' (a place of
luxuriant vegetation which later became acemetery for many of the
Prophet's companions). He watered his camel and washed himself well.
Then he turned back and made his way to the Prophet's mosque. There,
he stood before a congregation of Muslims and said: "I bear witness
that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is His
servant and His messenger." He then went tothe Prophet, upon whom be
peace, and said: "O Muhammad, by God, there was never on this earth a
face more detestable than yours. Now, yours is the dearest face of all
to me." "I have killed some of your men," he continued, "I am at your
mercy. What will you have done to me?"
"There is now no blame on you, Thumamah," replied the Prophet.
"Becoming a Muslim obliterates past actions and marks a new
beginning."
Thumamah was greatly relieved.His face showed his surprise andjoy and
he vowed, "By God, I shall place my whole self, my sword, and whoever
is with me at your service and at the serviceof your religion."
"O Rasulullah," he went on,"when your horsemen captured me I was on my
way to perform umrah. What do you think I should do now?"
"Go ahead and perform your umrah," replied the Prophet,"but perform it
according to the laws of God and His messenger."The Prophet then
taught him how to perform umrah according to Islamic rules.
Thumamah left to fulfill his intention. When he reached the valley of
Makkah, he began shouting in a loud, resonant voice:
"Labbayk Allahumma labbayk. Labbayka Laa shareeka Laka labbayk. Innal
hamda wan ni'mata Laka wall mulk. Laa shareeka Lak. (Here I am at Your
command O Lord, Here I am. Here I am. No partner have You. Here I am.
Praise, bounty and Dominion belong to You. No partner have You.")
He was thus the first Muslim on the face of the earth to enter Makkah
reciting the talbiyah.
The Quraysh heard the sound of the talbiyah and felt both anger and
alarm. With drawn swords, they set out towards the voice to punish the
one who had thus assaulted their preserve. As they came closer to him,
Thumamah raised his voice even higher while reciting the talbiyah and
looked upon them with pride and defiance. One of the Qurayshyoung men
was particularly incensed and was about to shoot Thumamah with an
arrowwhen the others grabbed his hand and shouted:
"Woe to you! Do you know who this is? He is Thumamah ibn Uthal, ruler
of al-Yamamah. By God, if you should harm him, his people would cut
our supplies, with dire consequences for us."
Swords were replaced in their scabbards as the Quraysh went up to
Thumamah and said:
"What's wrong with you, Thumamah? Have you given in and abandoned your
religion and the religion of your forefathers?"
"I have not given in," he replied,"but I have decided to follow
thebest religion. I follow the religion of Muhammad. "
He then went on: "I swear to you by the Lord of this House that after
my return to al-Yamamah, no grain of wheat or any of its produce shall
reach you until you follow Muhammad."
Under the watchful eyes of the Quraysh, Thumamah performed umrah as
the Prophet, peace be upon him, had instructed him. He dedicated his
sacrifice to God alone.
Thumamah returned to his land and ordered his people to withhold
supplies from the Quraysh. The boycott gradually began to have effect
and became more and more stringent. Prices began to rise. Hunger began
to bite and there was even fear of death among the Quraysh. Thereupon,
they wrote to the Prophet, saying:
"Our agreement with you (the treaty of Hudaybiyyah) is that you should
maintain the bonds of kinship but you have gone against that. You have
cut the bonds of kinship. You have killedand caused death through
hunger. Thumamah ibn Uthal has cut our supplies and inflicted harm on
us. Perhaps you would see fit to instruct himto resume sending us what
we need."
The Prophet immediately sent a messenger instructing Thumamah to lift
the boycott and resume supplies to the Quraysh. This Thumamah did.
Thumamah spent the rest of his life in the service of his religion,
abiding by the undertaking he had given to the Prophet. When the
Prophet died, many Arabs began leaving the religion of God in great
numbers. Musaylamah, the impostor, began calling the Banu Hanifah to
believe in him as a Prophet. Thumamah confronted him and said to his
people:
"O Banu Hanifah, beware of this grievous matter. There is no light or
guidance in it. By God, it will only bring distress and suffering to
whoever joins this movement and misfortune even to those who do not
join.
"O Banu Hanifah, two prophets do not come at the same time and there
shall be no Prophet after Muhammad and no Prophet to share in his
mission."
He then read out to them the following verses of the Quran:"Ha Mim.
The revelation of this Book is from God the Almighty, the Knowing. He
forgives sins and accepts repentance. He is severe in punishment and
has a long reach. There is no god except Him. To Him is the journey's
end." (Surah Ghafir; verses 1-3).
"Can you compare these words of God with the uttering of Musaylamah?" he asked.
He then gathered together all those who had remained in Islam and
began to wage a jihadagainst the apostates and to make the words of
God supreme. The loyal Muslims of Banu Hanifah needed additional help
to stand against the armiesof Musaylamah. Their arduous task was
completed by the forces dispatched by Abu Bakr but at the cost of many
a Muslimlife.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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A Day on the Tennis Courts

This is a funny short story about a tennis match in a competitive
tennis league... although I am not sure how funny it was at the time.
Our next opponent in the tennis league, Richmond, came into the match
witha dreadful record of 0 wins, 5 losses. The interesting thing about
Richmond was their captain. Every captain hasa different personality
in this league, but I have been warned about Mikhail being a"handful".
We hosted Richmond on Saturday. Some of their players, who had paid
large dues to be a member of their club, seemed annoyed that they had
to play on our public courts, a far cry from the quality of the
typical private club. As their players took the court, Mikhail grabbed
a measuring tape out of hisbag and measured the height of the net. He
complained that the net was a ½ inch too high and demanded that we
drop it. I felt like saying,"Look, your team is 0-5, does it really
matter?", but instead I lowered the net to his satisfaction. Then,
when he opened a can of balls that we supplied, he complained that the
balls were too fuzzy.
When I tested the ball, it bounced fine and I realized the only thing
fuzzy was his logic."You're welcome to open another can of your own if
you like." He muttered something under his breath before he found
something new to complain about, a few cracks on our public courts.
Due to Mikhail's shenanigans, we started the match about fifteen
minutes late. After my partner and I won a hard fought first set in
doublesagainst Mikhail and his partner, we had our next controversy.
For background, Mikhail is the kind of guy who would argue with a sign
post. He spent the next five minutes disputing (incorrectly) whose
serve and on what side the server should start in the next set.
This is exactly why every league captain should bring to each match
The Code, which lists all the league rules and regulations. It's not
enough to know the rules. When you have to deal with guys like
Mikhail, you have to actually show him the rules in black and white.
After showing Mikhail therelevant section of The Code, he mumbled,
"They must have changed the rule recently." Yeah, right.
Later in the match, four points into a game, Mikhail called out the
score "40-15."
"No, no. The score is 30 all," I said, approaching the net. My partner
nodded in agreement.
"No, it's 40-15," Mikhail said adamantly.
After a long argument and attempt to recall all the points in the
game, we could only remember three points, two, they won and one we
won. I said, "The rule in this caseis that we play from 30-15, the
specific points in the game we all agree on."
"No," Mikhail said, shaking his head. "As server, it's my call and I
say the score is 40-15. That's the rule."
I respectfully asked him what he had been smoking and was it for
medicinal purposes before pulling out the rule book again. After
showing him the relevantsite proving my point, Mikhail grumbled under
his breath that it should be the server's decision because he's the
one thatknows the score.
Mikhail went on to win his service game. Then, I started my next
service game by shouting the score "40 love". When Mikhail put both
hands on his hips in clear protest, I said, "As server, it's my call."
And the congeniality went down from there.
We went on to win the match. Afterwards, I learned Mikhail is one of
those league players whoalways had an excuse for a loss. Here is a
list of my favorite excuses (three of which Mikhail used) that all
start with the quote, "Iwould've won if it wasn't for the..."
(1) Bad line calls
(2) Blinding sun (didn't your opponent have to deal with this too?)
(3) Wind (didn't your opponent have to... nevermind)
(4) New racket (you believed the ad saying it would make you a better player)
(5) Play of my partner (Some people have never lost a doubles match...
but their partners have)
(6) Heat, if temperatures were greater than 75 degrees
(7) Cold, if temperatures were less than 75 degrees
(8) Crowd noise (because you play your best tennis in libraries)
(9) Fact that your opponent simply played better than you. The real
reason for almost all defeats in tennis.

The Bush Brothers: Children's Park (1)

Suddenly, his mobile phone on the seat next tohim rings. He frowns as
he looks over at it, and then quickly turns his attention back onto
the game. While he continuesto look at the ringing phone and then back
onto his game, his hesitant mind is telling him to ignore the game and
answer the damn phone, while the other side of his mind is arguing to
continue playing and ignore the phone.
Eventually, he sighs in loud frustration as the big, bold letters
appear on the screen. GAME OVER.
He snatches the phone and answers it. "What?" He snaps. "You better
not be those damn telemarketers trying to sell me crap again! I
already told you: I am NOT interested!"
"Frederik," a quiet, shaky voice says, "It's me, Matt."
"Matt?" Frederik repeats, while reaching for the television remote
nearby."What's up? Why are you whispering?"
"Listen, I don't have muchtime 'cos they'll come back. I need you to come and-"
"Yes! Digimon is on!" Frederik happily exclaims."Yoshi is so hot for
an anime and all."
"Frederik, pretty much all anime girls are freaking hot, but we can
discuss that later." Matt says sternly, "Right now, I'm ina crisis! I
need you to pay attention."
"Fine then," says Frederik,lowering the television volume. "The theme
tune is over anyway. Tell me what happened."
"Well, I went to town for some free supplies of pretzels in Sharpie's
Pretzel stand, but then I felt sick afterwards. So, I went to Kiddie's
Fun Park and played on the swings. Then-"
"Wait. What? You were inthe children's park?" Frederik repeats the words slowly.
"Yes!"
"What were you doing there?"
"Playing on the swings!" Matt hisses, "Then these big guys came and
tied me up in an awkward position. It really hurts! They've been
torturing me for hours, Frederik, hours! "
Frederik's eyes go wide as he listens to his brother. He confidently
says, "It's okay, I've got your back! I'm coming to save you, you hear
me?"
"Hurry! They're going to come back soon. They promised to play Justin
Bieber Baby ." Matt sobs,"I can't take it anymore! I've still got
Rebecca BlackFriday stuck in my head!"
Frederik gulps, "Hold on, Matt. Stay strong, I won't be long!" He
hangs up thephone and throws it on the sofa next to him."Don't worry,
I'll save you... Even if it's the last thing I do." He mutters."But
first - I'll need some equipment as it'll be a long, dangerous
mission."
********************************************************************************************
Frederik is hiking up a large hill, his face red andsweaty. The hot,
blazing sun is threatening to become an enemy to him.He opens his
rucksack and reaches for his waterbottle. He takes a large sip of
water, and then wipes away his sweat with the back of his hand.
"If only I caught the bus on time," mutters Frederik.
He finally reached the topof the hill and stared down at view. His
eyes immediately spot a cab parked nearby.
"Oi!" He screams, waving his hand, while running down the hill. "Wait
up!" His eyes turn wider in panic as the cab driver begins moving the
vehicle. He stumbles and rolls down the hill. Quickly, he picks
himself up and then runs after the cab that's driving away.
Knowing that the cab was getting away, Frederik scans the area closely
and then sees two bikes standing outside someone's house. His facelits
up and he races towards it. He climbs ontothe red bike, and then
pedals as fast as his aching legs could manage. The cab was still in
view, but it would soon get away if he didn't think of somethingfast.
Luckily for Frederik, he knew a shortcut. He turnsa corner and then
begins to gain speed. The ride is easy and there are no obstacles to
slow him down. It is simply a clean path. While pedaling freely, he
produced yet another bottle of water out of his rucksack.
In no time, he rode out ofthe corner and was now riding side-by-side
next to the cab. He finished gulping down his water and threw the
bottle behind his shoulder. He steers the bike away fromthe pavement
and onto the road. He is now in front of the cab, causing it to come
to a halt.
"You stupid f**king idiot!" The cab driver shouts angrily, "Were
youtrying to kill yourself or something?!"
Frederik jumps off the bike and opens the vehicle's door. He seats
himself comfortably."Nope, I just wanted a ride to Sharpie's Pretzel
stand."
"Sharpie's Pretzel stand?"The cab driver repeats.
"Yup, it's near Kiddie's Fun Park."
"Like the one over there?" The cab driver points towards a large,
colorful sign that read in a friendly tone: Kiddie's Fun Park. There's
a line ofinanimated children on the bottom of the sign, holding hands.
Frederik nods his head slowly, "Yup, that's the one." He chuckles
delightfully, and then turns to see an angry cab driver.
"Get out." The cab driver says.
Frederik hastily leaves thevehicle. He watches the cab drive away with
the driver still pissed off. Frederik shrugs. "Now, it's time for some
free pretzels!" He says.
He walks to the pretzel stand and pushes in frontof everyone else.
"Oi!"
"Watch it!"
"Do you mind?"
"Stop pushing! Get to the back of the line!"
"Oi, I was first!"
"Hey, can I have some free pretzels?" Frederik asks the annoyed
womandressed in white uniform.
"Sorry, but all the free supplies have been given out already." She informs him.
"Dammit!" Frederik groans.
A big, chubby female patted his shoulder with her pointy fingers.
"Erm, excuse me? This is a line . Go to the back of the line."
"No, I will not!" Frederik screams in her face,"Because I'm going to
save my brother Matt from being raped! So, I think you should just
shutup!"
The woman moves her head back, slightly stricken. She was about to
speak her mind, but Frederik repeats loudly,"Just SHUT UP! "
"Sir, please leave if you'renot buying any pretzels. You're scaring my
customers away." The pretzel lady says uncomfortably.
Frederik grumpily stompsaway, his steps purposely loud. He crosses the
road, while hearing the usual car beeps thrown his way. He then makes
his way to the large green fence. He gazes at the massive sign -
Kiddie's Fun Park.
"I've finally made it," Frederik says, panting slightly. With a deep
breath, he bravely steps in... The children's park...

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Jumma Prayers - Jumu’ah is obligatory for everyone in the city even if they do not hear the adhaan

If I cannot hear the adhaan in the city in which I live, because the
mosque is far away, is it obligatory for me to pray Jumu'ah and pray
in congregation?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Jumu'ah prayer is one ofthe symbols of Islam and is one of the major
obligations. There are stern warnings against abandoning it, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Whoever
misses three Jumu'ahs out of neglect, Allaah will place a seal upon
his heart." Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1052; al-Nasaa'i, 1369; Ibn
Maajah, 1126; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Prayer in congregation is obligatory for every able-bodied man who
hears the call. The fact that it is obligatory is indicated by a great
dealof evidence, which you may see in the answer toquestion no. 120 .
What is meant by hearing the call is that a person can hear the adhaan
if it is given at a normal volume without loudspeakers, when the
muezzin raises his voice, and the wind and other sounds etc that could
affect hearing are silent. See question no. 21969 and 20655 .
This has to do with the five daily prayers in congregation. As for
Jumu'ah, this is another matter. The fuqaha' say that everyone who is
in the city or village in which Jumu'ah prayers are held is obliged to
attend, whether they can hear the call or not. This is agreed upon, as
we shall see below.
As for those who are outside the city or village where no Jumu'ah
prayer is held, there is a difference of scholarly opinion concerning
them.
Some of the fuqaha' say that if they can hear the call – the call to
Jumu'ah in the city or village – then they are obliged to pray
Jumu'ah, but if theycannot hear it then they are not obliged to do
so.This is the view of the Shaafa'is and is the opinion of Muhammad
ibn al-Hasan. Fatwas to this effect have also been issued by the
Hanafis.
Some of them say that if there is more than one farsakh (i.e., three
miles)between them and the place of Jumu'ah, then they are not obliged
to attend Jumu'ah, but if it is a farsakh or less then they must
attend. This is the view of the Maalikis and Hanbalis.
Some of them say that the one who is able to go to Jumu'ah and then
return to his family before nightfall is obliged to attend. This was
narrated by Ibn al-Mundhir from Ibn 'Umar, Anas, Abu Hurayrah,
Mu'aawiyah, al-Hasan, Naafi' the freed slave of Ibn 'Umar, 'Ikrimah,
'Ata', al-Hakam,al-Awzaa'i and Abu Thawr.
We have drawn attention to the ruling on those who are outside the
city or village because some people think that this difference of
opinion applies to those who areinside the city, but that is mistaken
thinking.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:al-Shaafa'i said to his
companions: If there are forty or more mature people in the city, then
Jumu'ah is obligatory foreveryone who is in the city, even if the city
is wider than many farsakh, whether they can hear the call or not.
This is unanimously agreed upon.
End quote from al-Majmoo', 4/353
Al-Mardaawi said in al-Insaaf: The difference of opinion concerning
what is meant by a farsakh, or whether theyare able to hear the call,
or whether they can go and come back in one day, apply to those who
live in a village where the numbers do not reach the level stipulated
for Jumu'ah, or those who live in tents and the like, or those who are
travelling a distance that is less than that at which it becomes
permissible to shorten one's prayers. The dispute is concerning these
and similar cases. As for the one who is living in a city where
Jumu'ah prayers are held, he is obliged to attend even ifthere are
many farsakhs between him and the place of Jumu'ah, whether he can
hear thecall or not, and whether his building is contiguous to the
city or is separate, if it is called by the same name.
End quote.
See: Majma' al-Anhar, 1/169; Haashiyat al-'Adawi 'ala Sharh
al-Risaalah, 1/376; Kashshaaf al-Qinaa', 2/22.
Conclusion: The one whois living n a city is obliged to attend
Jumu'ah, whether he can hear the call or not. This is a matter
concerning which there is no difference of opinion among the scholars.
But there is a difference of opinion concerning what is meant by a
"city"in cases where the houses are far apart and scattered, and there
are farms and agricultural areas in between the residential quarters.
Some of the scholars said: If they are separated, with farms in
between, then each quarter is like a separatecity.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, after
quoting this opinion: But the correct view is that so long as they
come under one name, then this is one city. If we assume that the city
has spread and there aremiles or farsakhs between one side and the
other, it is still a single city and Jumu'ah is obligatory for those
on its eastern edge just as for those on its western edge, and the
same applies to the north and south, because it is one city. End quote
from al-Sharh al-Mumti', 5/17.

Jumma Prayers - Prohibition on stepping over people who are sitting in the mosque on Friday

I hope that you can tell us the ruling on stepping over people who are
sitting in the mosque on Friday – is it haraam or not?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Abu Dawood (1118) and Ibn Maajah (1115) narrated that 'Abd-Allaah ibn
Busr (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: A man came and started
stepping over the people one Friday when the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wasdelivering the khutbah,
and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to
him: "Sit down, for you have annoyed (people)."Classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
In this hadeeth there is aprohibition on stepping over people when
coming to Jumu'ah (Friday) prayer.
The scholars differed concerning this matter and there are two views.
1 – That it is makrooh. This was narrated by Ibnal-Mundhir from the
majority. Ibn Hajar said: The majority are of the view that it is
makrooh in the sense that it is better not to do it. This isthe
well-known view of the Shaafa'is and is the view of the Hanbalis.
See: Fath al-Baari, 2/392;Kashshaaf al-Qinaa', 2/44; al-Majmoo', 4/466
Maalik and al-Awzaa'i limited its being makrooh to when the khateeb is
on the minbar, It says in al-Mudawwanah (1/159): Maalik said: Rather
it is makrooh to step over people when the imam has come out and has
sat on the minbar. Whoever steps over people then is the one of whom
the hadeeth speaks. But before that there is nothing wrong with it if
there is a gap in front of him, but he should be polite in doing that.
End quote.
2 – That stepping over others is haraam in all cases, on Fridays and
at other times, because of the hadeeth of 'Abd-Allaah ibn Busr (may
Allaah be pleased with him) in which he said: A man came and started
stepping over the people one Friday when the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was delivering the
khutbah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said to him: "Sit down, for you have annoyed (people)."
Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1118; Ibn Maajah, 1115; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.
Al-Tirmidhi said: This is what is to be followed according to the
scholars. They regarded it as makrooh for a man to step over people on
Friday, and they were very strict with regard tothat. End quote.
This is what a number ofscholars regarded as more likely to be
correct,such as Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, al-Nawawi, and
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, asstated in al-Ikhtiyaaraat
al-Fiqhiyyah, p. 81, and others. Among contemporary scholars who held
this view is Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen.
Ibn al-Mundhir said, explaining the reason why he said it is
haraam:That is because causing annoyance is haraam, whether it is a
little or a lot, and this is causing annoyance, as it says in the
saheeh hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) saidto one whom he saw stepping over people: "Sit down, for
you are causing annoyance." Al-Majmoo', 4/467.
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said in al-Tamheed (1/316): The words of the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to the
one who was stepping over people on a Friday, "You are causing
annoyance,"indicate that stepping over people is an annoyance, and it
is not permissible to annoy a Muslim under any circumstances, on
Friday or at any other time.
Al-Nawawi said in Rawdat al-Taalibeen (11/224): The favoured view is
that stepping over people is haraam, because of the ahaadeeth on this
topic.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen said: Stepping over people is haraam duringthe
khutbah and at other times, because the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said to a man whom he saw stepping over people:
"Sit down, for you are causing annoyance." That is evenmore forbidden
if it happens during the khutbah, because it is causing annoyance to
people and distracting them from listening to the khutbah, even if he
is moving towards a gap. End quote.
Fataawa wa Rasaa'il al-Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 16/147.

Jumma Prayers - the first and second “hours” on Friday begin

In the hadeeth about thevirtue of coming early toJumu'ah prayer it
says that the one who comes in the first "hour" will have a reward
like that of one who sacrifices a camel, and the one who comes in the
second "hour" will have a similar reward. I hope that you can tell me
when the first "hour" begins and ends, so that the second "hour"
begins.
Praise be to Allaah.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"Whoever comes (to the mosque) in the first hour, it is as if he
sacrificed a camel. Whoever comes at the second hour, it is as if
hesacrificed a cow. Whoever comes at the third hour, it is as if he
sacrificed a horned ram. Whoever comes at the fourth hour, it is as if
he sacrificed a chicken. Whoever comes at the fifth hour, it is as if
he sacrificed an egg. Then when the imam comes out, the angels come in
to listen to the reminder (khutbah)."
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,841; Muslim, 850
The scholars differed as to the definition of thesehours. There are
three opinions.
1 – That they start when dawn breaks
2 – That they start when the sun rises. This is the view of
al-Shaafa'i, Ahmad, and others.
3 – That these 'hours' all fall within one period of time, which is
after the sun has passed its zenith.This is the view of Maalik, and
was favoured by some of the Shaafa'is.
The third view is weak, and was refuted by many.
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
It is well known that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) used to go out to offer the Jumu'ah prayer straight after
the sun passed its zenith, as do all imams in all regions. That is
after the end of the sixth hour, which indicates that the one who
comes after thesun has passed its zenith has no share of guidance and
virtue, and no reward will be recorded for him at all, because he has
come after the scrolls (of the recording angels) have been rolled up.
The mention of these hours is intended only to encourage people to
come early and attain the reward of being in the first row and waiting
for the prayer, and keeping busy with naafil prayers, dhikr andthe
like. None of that can be achieved by going to the mosque after the
sun has passed its zenith, and there is no virtue in doing so, because
the call to prayer is given at that time and it is haraam to delay
responding to it. End quote.
Al-Majmoo', 4/414
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
With regard to the view of Maalik that goes against these reports: it
is mustahabb to performJumu'ah prayer just afterthe sun has passed its
zenith. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used
to pray Jumu'ah early, and when the imam comes out the scrolls (of the
recording angels) are rolled up, and no reward is writtendown for the
one who comes to Jumu'ah prayerafter that, so what virtuecan there be
in such a person? End quote.
Al-Mughni, 2/73
The correct view is the second one, which says that these hours begin
when the sun rises, and the time between sunrise and the second adhaan
should be divided into five parts, of which each one is what is meant
by the word saa'ah (lit. "hour") in the hadeeth.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on
him) was asked:
When does the first hourof Friday begin?
He replied:
The hours which were mentioned by the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) are five. He said: "Whoever comes (to the mosque)
in the first hour, it is as if he sacrificed a camel. Whoever comes at
the second hour, it is as if hesacrificed a cow. Whoever comes at the
third hour, it is as if he sacrificed a horned ram. Whoever comes at
the fourth hour, it is as if he sacrificed a chicken. Whoever comes at
the fifth hour, it is as if he sacrificed an egg. Then when the imam
comes out, the angels come in to listen to the reminder (khutbah)." So
the time between sunrise and theimam's arrival is divided into five
parts, each of which may be equivalent to what we know as an hour
(sixty minutes), or it may be more or less, because time changes. So
there are five hours between sunrise and the imam's arrival for the
prayer, starting at sunrise. It wasalso said that it begins atthe
break of dawn, but the first view is more correct, because the time
before sunrise is the time for Fajr prayer.

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The light of the truth andthe fire of misconception

We live in a disturbed world. We encounter waves upon waves of
darkness. One who searches for the truth will struggle to see it,
except for he upon whom Allaah bestows His mercy and guides to it.
There are a multitude of television channels that people are exposed
to today, to the extent that the average universitygraduate watches
six hundred (600) hours of television annually.Eighty percent (80%) of
teenagersconsider television as their main source of information, to
say nothing of the effects of the internet. This is how great the
effect of this device is on them, to the point that one of those
surveyed stated that he flips between fifty two (52) television
channels daily.
Add to this other means, whether, text, audio or video, that influence
people's minds, and we come to realise that there is an immense
negative effect.
It is a common tool that has always been used by the enemiesof Islam.
They do not touch upon any aspect of our religion except that they
arouse misconceptions regarding it, and this represents a round in the
battle between the followers of the truth and thefollowers of
falsehood.
Man's natural disposition is to follow Islam as Allaah Says (what
means): "So direct your face [i.e., self] toward the religion,
inclining to truth. [Adhere to] theFitrah [i.e., natural disposition]
ofAllaah upon which He has created[all] people…" [Quran 30: 30] This
is what the enemies of Islam have launched a war against, in an
attempt to divert people from our religion. In a Sacred Hadeeth, the
Prophet narrated that Allaah Says: "I have created people upon natural
disposition (Islam), but the devils then divert them from their
religion and deem lawful for them what I have prohibited and command
them to associate with Me that for which I have not sent down
authority."
The situation has stemmed into people being divided into two groups:
those who believe and those who disbelieve. This is the wisdom of
Allaah, as He Says (what means): "And if your Lord had willed, He
could have made mankind one community; but they will not cease to
differ." [Quran 11: 118] A group of peoplewill go to Hell and a group
will goto Paradise. This is based on His ultimate wisdom. Hell will be
filled, as Allaah Says (what means): "…And the word of your Lord is to
be fulfilled that: 'I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all
together.'" [Quran 11: 119] Allaah has addressed both Hell and
Paradise and informed them that He will admit into each enough
inhabitants to fill them.
Allaah has distinguished the people of the truth from those
offalsehood saying (what means): "Not equal are the blind and the
seeing. Nor are the darkness and the light. Nor are the shade and the
heat. And not equal are the living and the dead. Indeed, Allaah causes
to hear whom he wills, but you cannot make hear those in the graves.
You [O Muhammad] are not but a warner." [Quran 35: 19-23]
This propagation of misconceptions through satellite television
channels, radio stations, magazines and newspapers is such a dangerous
development that it could lead tomass confusion and disorder; it may
thereby kill people's hearts so that they may no longer possess the
ability to distinguish the truth.
It is the will of Allaah that he established proof against mankind by
revealing His books and sending His messengers, the Quran being the
last and final proof against His creation. Allaah Says (what means):
"And thus Wehave revealed to you an inspiration of Our command [i.e.,
the Quran]. You did not know what is the Book or [what is] faith, but
We have made it a lightby which We guide whom We will of Our
slaves..." [Quran 26: 52]
It is the light of guidance and therescue for those who are exposed to
such misconceptions. Allaah Says (what means): "Allaahis the Light
[i.e., the source and bestower of light and enlightenment] of the
heavens and the earth. The example of Hislight [i.e., guidance] is
like a nichewithin which is a lamp. The lamp is within glass, the
glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from[the oil of] a
blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil
would almost glow even if untouched by fire…" [Quran 24: 35]
These misconceptions and falsehoods which the disbelieverspropagate
are described by Allaah as (what means): "But the disbelievers – their
deeds are like a mirage in a lowland which a thirsty one thinks is
water until, when he comes to it, he finds it nothing but finds Allaah
before him, and He will pay him in full his due; and Allaah is Swift
in Account. Or [they are] like darknesses within a deep sea which is
covered by waves, upon which are waves, over which are clouds –
darknesses, some of them upon others. When one puts out his hand
[therein], he can hardly see it. And for he for whom Allaah has not
granted light – for him there is no light." [Quran 24: 39-40]
Some people are deafened to hearing the truth and blinded from seeing
it, they can never be guided to it. There are, however, others for
whom Allaah opened their hearts and guided to the truth; these people
acknowledged and accepted this and are alert to what Allaah has
revealed. Such people can clearly see the truth and easily
recogniseit, and this is the light that Allaahaddressed in the
abovementioned (thirty-fifth) verse of chapter An-Noor.
Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim stated:"Belief is complete light, and produces
light, and the abode of this light is the slave's heart and soul;
disbelief is utter darkness and leads to darkness, the place of which
is also in the heart and soul… When one whose heart is filled with
light reads the Quran, he feels as if its meanings were written in his
heart."
One of the ways of Allaah is His decree that conflict would
alwaysexist between the followers of the truth and those of falsehood,
as He Says (what means): "…And ifit were not for Allaah checking
[some] people by means of others, the earth would have been
corrupted…" [Quran 2: 251] This is something that is continuous, but
the final victory and good end will be in favour of the believers, as
Allaah Says (what means): "Allaah has written [i.e., decreed]: 'I will
surely overcome, I and My messengers' …" [Quran 58: 21]
Allaah willing, nobody can mislead with a misconception one whose
heart is pure and upon the sound nature on which he was created. When
a misconception presents itself to a believer whose heart is filled
with light that he derives from the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of
the Messenger such a believer will strike truth upon the falsehood and
it destroys it, causing it to vanish.
True happiness and guidance lies in following the way of the Messenger
and real misery is the fruit of differing from his way. Imaam Ibn
Taymiyyah said: "The message (of Muhammad ) is light and life for the
universe, and is the way to its reformation. If life and lightare
missing, life becomes dark and cursed, except for the parts of it on
which the message was revealed. Likewise is the case for the slave:
unless the light of the message has risen in his heart and has
affected him, he will live in darkness until death."
The door of misconception was closed during the time of the Prophet
and during the caliphate of Abu Bakr but it was burst open by the
assassination of 'Umar . It was then that religious innovations began
to appear, andthe companions of the Messenger who had remained
resisted them resiliently. Things have continued to deteriorate from
that time until misconceptions have prevailed.
Allaah with His comprehensive Knowledge knew that such misconceptions
would appear, which is why He has instilled refutations for them in
the Quran. For example, a man once approached one of the Companions
holding a bone of a dead person and then crushed it in front of him,
asking:"Can your Lord revive this after what I have just done to it?"
Allaah then revealed the following verses (which mean): "Does man not
consider that We created him from a [mere] sperm-drop – then at once
he is aclear adversary. And he presents for Us an example and forgets
his[own] creation. He says: 'Who willgive life to bones while they are
disintegrated?' Say: 'He will give them life who produced them the
first time; and He is, of all creation, Knowing.'" [Quran 36: 77-79]
Also, the disbelievers claimed that the Prophet was receiving and
relating the Quran from a non-Arab carpenter in Makkah, so Allaah
revealed the following verse (which means): "And We certainly know
that theysay: 'It is only a human being who teaches him [i.e., the
Prophet ].' The tongue of the one they refer to is foreign, and this
[recitation, i.e., Quran] is in a clear Arabic language." [Quran
16:103]
The enemies of Islam have not left a single field except that theyhave
aroused misconceptions regarding it, even when it comes to Allaah, an
example of which is the claim of the Christians that Allaah is one of
three (i.e., the concept of trinity).
An important contemporary example of mass misconception is
globalisation, and this is something that we must all combat. Under
the pretext of this, everything is allowed, including television
channels thatpropagate Christianity and attack Islam, the Quran and
the Messenger and some of theseattacks are claimed, deceitfully
ofcourse, to be based on authentic prophetic narrations from
Al-Bukhaari. People therefore watch this and complain of thereby
becoming confused.
It is important, therefore, that a Muslim distances himself from
misconceptions and refuses to expose himself to them; he must leave
the matter of refuting misconceptions and debating with those who
propagate them to the scholars. How can a Muslim who believes in
Allaah and the Last Day attend gatherings or locations in which
misconceptions are discussed and expose his eyes to the prohibited
matters that occur in them and then complain of beingconfused? When
one watches anyof the multitudes of satellite television channels that
propagate misconception, he is committing a prohibition, because
Allaah Says (what means): "And when you see thosewho engage in
[offensive] discourse concerning Our verses, then turn away from them
until they enter into another conversation. And if Satan should cause
you to forget, then do not remain after the reminder with the
wrongdoing people." [Quran 6: 68]
Imaam Ash-Shawkaani said: "This verse includes a stern reminder to
those who undermine sitting with innovators who play with the words
found in the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah and who distort the correct
usage of words. The very least that one is required to do regarding
such people is to abandon sitting withthem, which is an effortless
action."
We have seen some of these cursed gatherings, refuted falsehood and
supported the truth on many occasions to the best of our ability, but
even thosewho are well founded upon knowledge have problems when they
sit with the people who propagate such filth. Therefore, ifa common
man allows such people to talk and sits and listensto them, he will
certainly becomeconfused.