Can sihr (witchcraft, magic) kill?

i would like information on majic (jadoo) what are the consequences
and can people use it to kill people.
Praise be to Allaah.
Yes, there is sihr that cankill. When discussing different forms of
murder the scholars have mentioned that theperson who kills anotherby
means of a kind of sihr that usually kills should be executed (qisaas
– retaliation), because he has killed by means of something
thatusually kills. Ibn Qudaamah said in al-Mughni (9/330): "The sixth
kind: if he killed him by means of a kind of sihr that usually kills,
then he has to be executed, because he has killed by means of
something that usually kills, like killing by use ofa knife. If he
killed by means of something thatdoes not usually kill or something
that sometimes kills and sometimes does not, then he has to pay
diyah(blood-money), but qisaas is not required, because he intended to
do harm, and it is akin tobeating someone with a stick (which may or
may not kill)."
The ruling concerning the saahir (practitioner of sihr) in
al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (24/267) says that in the case where he
killed a personby means of his sihr… the majority say that killing by
means of sihr may be done deliberately, in which case qisaas is
required. According to the Maalikis, evidence or a confession is
required. According to the Shaafi'is, if the person whom the
practitioner of sihr killed was his equal , then qisaas is required if
the killing was deliberate, which may be proven by a confession on the
part ofthe saahir, such as his saying "I killed him by means of my
sihr", or "I killed him with this type of thing", supported by the
testimony of two reliable witnesses who have practised sihr in the
past but have now repented, who can confirm that this kind of sihr
usually kills. If it is a type that does not usually kill, then the
matter is more akin to manslaughter.
And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Do the jinn help humans in some ways?

What is the difference between a shaytaan (devil) and a jinn? Do
theshayaateen reproduce from males and females?Do the shayaateen
interact with humans and serve them in returnfor the human's
disobeying his Lord? Are there Muslim jinn who serve the Muslims as
theyserved Sulaymaan (peace be upon him)? If the shayaateen or jinn
are able to serve humans, then why do the Muslim jinn not help the
Muslim humans in their wars against the kuffaar, and tell them their
secrets and supportIslam? Why do the kaafirjinn not help the kaafir
humans in some way? Did any examples of suchthings happen at the time
of the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? If there
are any books about such matters, please tell me about them so that I
can be safe from the evil of the shayaateen. May Allaah keep me and
you safe from their evil.
Praise be to Allaah.
The shayaateen are fromamong the jinn; they arethe rebellious ones and
the most evil among them, just as the devils among mankind are the
rebellious ones and the most evil among them. There are among the
jinn, as is the case among mankind, devils who are the rebellious ones
and the most evil, kaafirs and evildoers. There are also Muslims among
them who are righteous and good. Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):
"And so We have appointed for every Prophet enemies — Shayaateen
(devils) among mankind and jinn, inspiring one another with adorned
speech as a delusion (or by way of deception). If your Lord had so
willed, they would not have done it; so leave them alone with their
fabrications"
[al-'An'aam 6:112]
The Shaytaan is the father of the jinn according to many scholars. He
is the one who disobeyed his Lord and was too proud to prostrate to
Adam, so Allaah expelled him and banished him. Other scholars say that
the Shaytaan was one of a group of angels who were called al-jinn; he
was too proud to prostrate, so Allaah expelled him and banished him.
He became the leader of every evildoer and wicked one, every kaafirand
wrongdoer. Every person has a shaytaan and an angel with him, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"There is no one among you but he has with him a constant companion
(qareen) from among the jinn and a constant companion from among the
angels." They said, "You too, O Messenger ofAllaah?" He said, "Me too,
but Allaah has helped me against him (the devil-companion) and he has
become Muslim."
And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said that
the Shaytaan inspires man to evil and calls man to evil. There are
times when he has control over man's heart and can find out, by
Allaah's decree, what a person intends to do of good or evil. There
are also times when the angel has control over a person's heart. He
makeshim incline towards good and calls him to good. These are things
that Allaah has enabled them to do, i.e., He has enabled the two
companions, the jinn-companion and the angel-companion, to do these
things. Even the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
had a shaytaan with him, his constant companion (qareen) from among
the jinn, as stated above,in the hadeeth which says that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"There is no one among you but he has with him a constant companion
(qareen) from among the jinn and a constant companion from among the
angels." They said, "You too, O Messenger ofAllaah?" He said, "Me too,
but Allaah has helped me against him (the devil-companion) and he has
become Muslim."
The point is that every man has with him a companion from among the
angels and a companion from among the shayateen. The believer
suppresses his shaytaan by obeying Allaah and adhering steadfastly to
His religion, so he humiliates his shaytaan until he becomes weak and
unable to stop the believer doing good or make him fall into evil,
except what Allaah wills. The sinner, by his disobedience and evil
actions, gives his shaytaan the strength to make him do evil and
encourageshim to do evil, and discourage him from doing good. The
believer has to fear Allaah and strive against his shaytaan by obeying
Allaah and His Messenger, and seeking refuge with Allaah from the
Shaytaan. And he should strive to help his angel by obeying Allaah and
His Messenger and heeding the commands of Allaah.
The Muslims help their brothers among the jinn to obey Allaah and His
Messenger just as they help their human brothers. Humans may help them
in some matters without realizing it. They may help them to obey
Allaahand His Messenger by teaching and reminding other humans, for
the jinn may attend the lessons of humans in the mosques and elsewhere
and benefit from them. Humans may also hear some things from the jinn
which benefit them;they may wake them up to pray or draw their
attention to things which may benefit them or harm them. All of this
happens even though the jinn do not make themselves visible to humans.
A jinn may make himself visible to some people when pointing them
towards something good or something evil. This may happen, although it
is rare. Usually they do not appear to humans, although their voices
may be heard on some occasions when they wake a person for prayer or
tell him of some things. In conclusion, the believingjinn help the
believers even though the believers may not realizeit, and they love
everything good for them. Similarly, believing humans love everything
good for their believing brethren among the jinn, and they ask Allaah
to give them everything good. They may attend lessons,and they love to
listen tothe Qur'aan and knowledge, as stated above. The believers
among the jinn attend the lessons of humans, atsome times and in some
lands, and they benefit from the lessons of humans. All of this
happens and is well known. This has been clearly stated by many ofthe
scholars whom the jinn contacted and asked about some issues;they told
them that they had attended their lessons. All of this is well-known,
and Allaah is the One Whose help we seek.
Allaah has told us that the jinn listened to the Qur'aan from the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). At the end of
Soorat al-Ahqaaf, He says(interpretation of the meaning):
"And (remember) when We sent towards you (Muhammad) a group (three to
ten persons) of the jinn, (quietly) listening to the Qur'aan. When
they stood in the presence thereof, they said: 'Listen in silence!'
And when it was finished, they returned to their people, as warners.
They said: 'O our people! Verily, we have heard a Book (this Qur'aan)
sent down after Moosa (Moses), confirming what came before it, it
guides to the truth and to the Straight Path (i.e. Islam)"
[al-Ahqaaf 46:29-30]
And Allaah revealed other aayahs in a separate soorah, where He says:
"Say (O Muhammad): "It has been revealed to me that a group (from
threeto ten in number) of jinnlistened (to this Qur'aan). They said:
'Verily, we have heard a wonderful Recitation (this Qur'aan)!"
[al-Jinn 72:1]
Many books have been written on this matter. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah
have mercy on him) mentioned a great deal on this topic in his books.
There is also a book by one of the scholars entitled al-Marjaan fi
Bayaan Ahkaam al-Jaan, by al-Shibli, which is a useful book. There are
other books written on this topic as well. You can look for them and
ask for them in any bookstore. You could also read the books of
Tafseer and learn from the commentary on Soorat al-Jinn and the other
aayahs from Soorat al-Ahqaaf and elsewhere which speak of the jinn.
You can learna lot from what the mufassireen (may Allaah have mercy on
them) said about the jinn, boththe good and the bad among them.
Kitaab Majmoo' Fataawa wa Maqaalaat Mutanawwi'ah li Samaahat al-Shaykh
al-'Allaamah 'Abd al-'Azeez ibn 'Abd-Allaah ibn Baaz (may Allaah have
mercy on him), vol. 9, p. 373

Frightening dreams.

I am a young sister who got married recently to aman with very good
character and deen, masha-Allah. Since I havegot married, I
frequentlyhave very frightening dreams about my husband and others I
love.
Before marriage I never had frightening dreams as I always make my
adhkaar at bedtime. Sometimes I see that there are jinns inside other
people and I am trying to fight them by reciting ayatul-Kursi, butthey
are stopping me from doing so. I cannot sleep at night and wake up
several times. One good sister suggested to me that it may be the evil
eye brought on by others who are jealous. If that is the case, then
please could you guide me as to what I can do about this problem as it
is very distressing.
May Allah Reward you greatly for your advice.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
Undoubtedly the frightening dreams that this sister sees are from the
accursed Shaytaan who is trying his hardestto prevent people from
following the true religion and keep them away from their Lord Whom
they worship, and he wants to cause grief to the believers. But his
plots against the pious close friends of Allaah are weak and
insignificant, especially against those who fortify themselves with
ruqya as prescribed in sharee'ah day and night.
Secondly:
You should note that thebest way in which the Muslim can protect
himself against the Shaytaan is to rememberAllaah. According to the
hadeeth narrated by al-Tirmidhi (2863), Allaahcommanded Yahya ibn
Zakariyya (peace be upon him) to tell the Children of Israel to do
five things, including thefollowing:
"I command you to remember Allaah, for thelikeness of that is that of
a man who enemy comes after him, until hecomes to a strong fortress
where he protects himself from him. Similarly, a person cannot protect
himself against the Shaytaan except by remembering Allaah." Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmdihi.
If the Muslim fears Allaahin all his affairs, and adheres to that
which Allaah has commanded and avoids that which He has forbidden, and
he constantly remembers Allaah, praying and fasting and other kinds of
worship, and he fortifies himself by reading Qur'aan night and day,
out loud and silently, and he regularly recites the wirds and dhikrs
prescribed in Islam for the morning and evening, and when eating,
drinking, gettingdressed and going to sleep, then the Shaytaan will go
away from him, blameworthy and defeated, and will have no power to do
anything to him. How can it be otherwise when Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"Those who believe, fight in the Cause of Allaah, and those who
disbelieve, fight in the cause of Taaghoot (Satan). So fight you
against the friends of Shaytaan (Satan); ever feeble indeed is the
plot of Shaytaan (Satan)"
[al-Nisa' 4:76]?
The Shaytaan only comesclose to those who are far away from their
religion and Qur'aan. The Shaytaan may try to divert the righteous
from the straight path, in order to ruin their lives and religious
commitment and worldly interests. But protection may be sought against
him in the manner described above. You can also referto the books of
dhikr such as al-Adhkaar by al-Nawawi; 'Aml al-Yawm wa'l-Laylah by
al-Nasaa'i; 'Aml al-Yawm wa'l-Laylah by Ibn al-Sunni; and other books
of dhikr that deal with this topic, or books of Sunan in general. If
you do that we hope that your situation will improve and you will find
peace of mind, and Allaah will change your situation to a better one.
Among the dhikrs with which we advise you to recite regularly are the following:
1 – Adhkaar for morning and evening.
(a) Reciting every evening the words, "A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
il-taammah min sharri ma khalaqa (I seekrefuge in the perfect words of
Allaah from theevil of that which He has created)."
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: A man came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of
Allaah, I am suffering because of a scorpion that stung me yesterday."
He said, "If you had said in the evening, A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
il-taammah min sharri ma khalaqa (I seek refuge in the perfect words
of Allaah from theevil of that which He has created),' it would not
have harmed you.
Narrated by Muslim.
Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
encouraged us to say that in every place where we stop (when
travelling).
It was narrated that Khawlah bint Hakeem al-Salamiyyah said: I heard
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
say: "Whoever makes a stop in some place, then says, 'A'oodhu bi
kalimaat Allaah il-taammah min sharri ma khalaqa (I seekrefuge in the
perfect words of Allaah from theevil of that which He has created),'
nothing will harm him until he moveson from that place."
Narrated by Muslim, 2708.
(b) It was narrated that'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan (may Allaah be pleased
with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said: "There is no personwho says in the morningand
evening of each day, 'Bismillaah illaahi laa yadurru ma'a ismihi
shay'un fi'l-ard wa la fi'l-sama' wa huwa al-samee' ul-'aleem (In the
name of Allaah with Whose name nothing is harmed on earth nor in
heaven, and He is the All-Hearing, All-Knowing)' three times, but
nothing will harm him."
Narrated and classed as saheeh by al-Tirmidhi, 3388; also narrated by
Ibn Maajah, 3869. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn
Maajah.
(c) Reciting Aayat al-Kursiy and al-Mu'awwidhaat beforegoing to sleep.
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: "The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) put me in charge of
guarding the zakaah of Ramadaan. Someone came to me and started
grabbing handfuls of thefood. I took hold of him and said, 'I will
take you to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him).' He said, 'I will teach you some words by means of which
Allaah will benefityou.' I said, 'What are they?' He said, 'When you
go to your bed, recite this aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"Allaah! Laa ilaaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but
He), Al-Hayyul-Qayyoom (the Ever Living, the One Whosustains and
protects all that exists)…" [al-Baqarah 2:255] – until he completed
the aayah. Then Allaah will appoint a guard for you who will stay with
you and no shaytaan (devil) will come near you until morning.' The
Messengerof Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) asked
me, 'What did your prisoner do last night?' I said, 'O Messenger of
Allaah, he taught me something, and claimed that Allaah would benefit
me by it.' He said, 'What was it?' I said, 'He taught me to recite
Aayat al-Kursiy when I go to bed, and said that no shaytaan would come
near me until morning, and that Allaah would appoint a guard for me
who would stay with me.' TheProphet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said, 'He told you the truth, although he is an inveterate
liar. That was the Shaytaan.'"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,3101; Muslim, 505.
There are many such dhikrs; we do not have room to mention them all here.
Thirdly:
With regard to the hasad(envy) and the evil eye of which you speak, it
may be that this harm has come to you throughhasad. Protection against
that is to be sought by reciting the dhikrs prescribed in sharee'ah.
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them
both)said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
used to seek refuge withAllaah for al-Hasan and al-Husayn. He said:
'Your father [i.e., Ibraaheem] used to seek refuge withAllaah for
Ismaa'eel and Ishaaq with these words:A'oodhu bi kalimaat Allaah
al-taammah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min kulli 'aynin laammah
(I seek refuge in the perfect words of Allaah, from every devil and
every poisonous reptile, and from every bad eye).'"
Narrated by al-Bukhaari,3191.
With regard to the remedy:
It was narrated from Ibn 'Abbaas that the Prophet(peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "The evil eye is real,and if anything
were to overtake the divine decree (al-qadar) it would be the evil
eye. When you are asked to take a bath (to provide acure) from the
influence of the evil eye, you should take a bath"
Narrated by Muslim, 2188.
If you know that the evil eye has been put on you by a certain person,
thenyou should ask him to doghusl and wudoo', then you should pour the
water of his ghusl or wudoo' over yourself. The way in which this
should be done has beenexplained by Ibn al-Qayyim, who said:
In Sunan Abi Dawood it is narrated that 'Aa'ishah(may Allaah be
pleased with her) said: The 'aa'in(the one who put the evil eye on
another) would be ordered to do wudoo', then the ma'een (the one on
whom he had put the evil eye) would do ghusl with that water.
In al-Saheehayn it is narrated that 'Aa'ishah said: "The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded me or he
commanded us to recite ruqyah for protection against the evil eye."
Al-Tirmidhi narrated from Sufyaan ibn 'Uyayanah from 'Amr ibnDinaar
from 'Urwah ibn 'Aamir from 'Ubayd ibn Rafaa'ah al-Sarqi that Asma'
bint Umays said: "O Messenger of Allaah, the children of Ja'far have
been afflicted by the evil eye, shall we recite ruqyah for them?"He
said, "Yes, for if anything were to overtake the divine decree it
would be the evil eye." Al-Tirmidhi said: a saheeh hasan hadeeth. Then
he mentioned the hadeeth which described how 'Aamir ibn Rabee'ah
afflicted Sahl ibn Hunayf with his eye, and the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) commanded 'Aamir to do ghusl.
So he washed his face, hands, forearms, knees and the sides of his
feet, and inside his izaar (lower garment) in the vessel. Then that
water was poured over him, and a man poured it over his head and back
from behind. He did thatto him, then Sahl got up and joined the
people.
Al-Tibb al-Nabawi, p. 127-129.

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Determined prayer is the key to destiny

There are various elements in life you come face to face with every
day and that you imagine you know and understand very well; so much so
that you imagine it would be impossible to understand the majority of
them any better than you do already. But that is not always true.
Sometimes you may heara different account or witness something that
leads to a brand new door, a new horizon youhad never contemplated
before, opening up on a subject you thought you knew so well. Your
whole perspective changes, not only momentarily but fundamentally. You
acquire a new perspective on that long familiar subject, as if youwere
encountering it forthe first time.
One of these subjects about which one constantly acquires a new and
more profoundconception during the various stages of one's life is
'prayer.' A believer knows that Allah will heed all prayers, and
trusts in that truth with all his heart. But the more a person's
closeness to Allah, depth of faith and understanding of destiny grow,
the more his perspective toward prayer deepens and is perfected.
Although he knows the verses of the Qur'an very well, the spiritual
power that Allah instills in his heart through those verses constantly
increases whenever he reads themagain. And for someone who is
determined in faith, this situation is repeated constantly untilthe
end of his life.
One piece of knowledge regarding prayer that will again be
instrumental in the opening of his heart when he hears it is that
prayer 'is the key to destiny.' This is part of the law of Allah. When
Muslims beseech Allah with love and passion, by His leave, what they
desire will come about.
This is a secret mystery of Allah that very few people are aware of.
When one prays, Allah's destiny goes into motion. Mass prayer
especially has a particular power; when Muslims request something
determinedlyand en masse , and whenthey embrace natural causes, then
by Allah's leave, something that people thought would never happen
does in fact come to pass. Allah has created the world bythat law.
Allah is He Who heeds every prayer
Allah has cited many examples in the Qur'an so that people can
understand this secret ofdestiny: the Prophet Jonah (pbuh) frequently
prayed to Allah from inside the stomach of the whale, and Allah
rescued him in an incomparable manner. When the Prophet Moses(pbuh)
and his people were trapped between Pharaoh's army and the sea, the
Prophet Moses (pbuh) prayed to Allah infull submission, and Allah
created a miraculous escape for him and his people. Rasulullah (saas)
placed all his trust in the infinite might of Allah when he and a
friend were in the cave, and Allah spared him from the traps of the
unbelievers and grantedhim victory. In the same way, when the Prophet
Joseph (pbuh) was thrown down the well, Allah in His infinite mercy
sent him help. Allah again manifested His infinite mercy when the
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) was about to be cast into the flames, and made
them cool for him. The Prophet Zechariah (pbuh) prayed to Allah, and
despite their advanced age, he and his wife were blessed by Allah with
the birth of the Prophet John (pbuh).
Some of the verses of the Qur'an that reveal how Allah heeds the
sincere calls of His prophets are as follows:
Jonah too was one of the messengers. When he ran away to the fully
laden shipand cast lots and lost. Then the fish devoured him and he
was to blame. Had it not been that he was a man who glorified Allah,
he would have remained inside its belly until the Day they are raised
again. So We cast him uponto the beach and he was sick; and We caused
a gourd tree to grow over him. We sent him toa hundred thousand or
even more. They believed and so We gavethem enjoyment for a time.
(Surat as-Saffat, 139-148)
And when the two hosts came into sight of one another Moses'
companions said, "We will surely be overtaken!" He said, "Never! My
Lord is with me and He will guide me." So We revealed to Moses,
"Strike the sea with your staff." And it split in two, each part like
a towering cliff. And We brought the others right up to it. We rescued
Moses and all those who were with him. Then We drowned the rest. There
is certainly a sign in that yet most of them are notbelievers. (Surat
ash-Shu'ara', 61-67)
If you do not help him, Allah did help him when the unbelievers drove
him out and there were two of them in the Cave. He said to his
companion, "Do not be despondent, Allah is with us." Then Allah sent
down His serenity upon him and reinforced him with troops you could
not see. He made the word of the unbelievers undermost. It is the
wordof Allah which is uppermost. Allah is Almighty, All-Wise.
(Suratat-Tawba, 40)
When they declared, "Why! Joseph and his brother are dearer to our
father than we are although we constitute apowerful group. Our father
is clearly making a mistake. Kill Joseph or expel him to some land so
that your father will look to you alone and then you can be people who
do right." (Surah Yusuf, 8-9)
But when, in fact, they did go out with him and gathered all together
and agreed to put him atthe bottom of the well, We then revealed to
himthat: "You will inform them of this deed they perpetrate at a time
when they are totally unaware." (Surah Yusuf, 15)
Some travelers came that way and then dispatched their water-drawer
who let his bucket down. He said, "Good news for me, I've found a
boy!" They then hid him away among their goods. Allah knew very well
what they were doing. They sold him for a pittance, a fewsmall coins,
considering him to be of little worth. (Surah Yusuf, 19-20)
The Egyptian who had bought him told his wife, "Look after him with
honor and respect. It's possible he will be of use to us or perhaps we
might adopt him as a son." And thus We established Joseph in theland
to teach him the true meaning of events. Allah is in control of His
affair. However, most of mankind do not know. And then when he became
a full-grown man, We gave him knowledge and right judgement too. That
is how We reward all doers of good. (Surah Yusuf, 21-22)
They said, "Who has done this to our gods? He is definitely one of the
wrongdoers!" They said, "We heard a young man mentioning them. They
call him Abraham." They said, "Bring him before the people's eyes so
they can be witnesses." (Surat al- Anbiya', 59-61)
They said, "Burn him andsupport your gods if youare resolved to do
something." We said, "Fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham!" They
desired to trap him but We made them the losers. (Surat al- Anbiya',
68-70)
And Zechariah when he called out to his Lord, "My Lord, do not leave
me on my own, though You are the Best of Inheritors." We responded to
him and gave him John, restoringfor him his wife's fertility. They
outdid oneanother in good actions,calling out to Us in yearning and in
awe, and humbling themselves to Us. (Surat al- Anbiya', 89-90)
Then and there Zechariah called on his Lord and said, "O Lord, grant
me by Your favor an upright child. You arethe Hearer of Prayer." The
angels called out to him while he was standing in prayer in theUpper
Room: "Allah givesyou the good news of John, who will come to confirm
a Word from Allah, and will be a leader and a celibate, a Prophet and
one of the righteous." He said, "My Lord, how can I possibly have a
son when I have reached old age and my wife is barren?" He said, "It
will be so. Allah does whatever He wills." (Surah Al 'Imran, 38-40)
Some people who encounter similar situations to these cited in the
Qur'an in their own lives fall into the error of thinking that "it is
impossible" for their prevailing circumstancesto ever change. Since
their attitude is essentially one of despair and lack of faith,they
fail to properly appreciate the might of Allah and do not pray to Him
with a genuine and absolute submission to Him. And this stems from
these people being unaware of the secret ofdetermined prayer, and
being unaware that prayer is the key to destiny.
Yet if Allah so wishes He can immediately make those things that
people mistakenly think of as "impossible" a reality. In the same way
that Allah sent His help to messengers and true believers in the past,
andthat situations regarded as "impossible" were made a reality, so
this also applies to the lives of everyone today.
Praying with absolute faith
Everyone may face situations wherein they may truly want from Allah
but that look impossible to happen. But people must never be deceived
under thesecircumstances. It is very important not to forget that
prayer is the key to destiny and that when one prays, so Allah's
destiny goes into motion, and thus to beseech Allah with an absolute
faith. In the same way that our Lord smoothed the way for the Prophet
Moses (pbuh) and helped the prophets Jonah (pbuh), Abraham (pbuh) and
Zechariah (pbuh), so all sincere Muslims hope for Him to respond to
their prayers with mercy.
Of course, however, a believer who really wants something to happen
must frequently call on Allah, just like theProphet Jonah (pbuh) and
must, just like our Prophet Muhammad (saas) and the Prophet Moses
(pbuh), say "Of course, our Lord is with us," without losing
heartunder even the most difficult of conditions; he must trust in
Allah's might with a powerful faith, feeling no doubts at all. And
then the secret in prayer will come about and, by Allah's leave,
destiny willbegin to work in the desired direction.
The great Islamic scholarImam Rabbani reminds believers of this great
and certain truth in the following passage:
"To ask for something is to obtain it; because Almighty Allah will not
allow His servant to uttera prayer that He will not heed." (Imam
Rabbani)

Hujjat al-Islam al-Ghazali

Al-Ghazali, the great Islamic scholar who lived10 centuries ago, was a
great example to all believers with his good moral values and his
exemplary life. He trained many students and done great services to
the Islamic world. Al Ghazali was born in Tus, Iran in 1058 when there
were serious conflicts in the Islamic world and the Andalusian Empire
was in a period of decline . In such challenging times, through his
books and lectures, he was the means for the enlightening of the
Islamic world.
Because he had such deep and profound knowledge, he was also known as
'Hujjat al-Islam" and ' Zauniddin ' which means the 'evidence of
Islam, proofthat Islam is the true religion'. Hujjat al-Islam also
means the person who memorized three hundred thousand hadiths with the
names of the reporting people. When he was still young,he went to
Baghdad upon the invitation of the then Seljuk vizier Nizam al-Mulk.
The scholars in the court were amazed to see the depth of knowledge
andeloquence in explaining matters. Nizam al-Mulk appointed him to the
Nizamiye Madrassah to act as the master, a position equivalent to
today's university rectors. During his tenure , Al Ghazali trained
many students and selected three hundred of the best and taught them
allthe necessary knowledge. His students included prominent Islamic
scholars such as Muhammad ibn Asad al-Tusi, Abu Mansur Muhammad, Abu
Abd Allah Jumart al-Hussaini, and Abu al-Hasan al-Balansi.
Al Ghazali is recognized for his vast knowledge not only by the
Islamic world, but also by Westerners as well. The knowledge of Al
Ghazali was advanced in every aspect compared to the European
scholars of his time. For instance, at a time when the Europeans
commonly believed that the earth was flat, Al Ghazali asserted that
the earth was round, that liver cleansed the blood of toxins and
microbes and the ratio of substances in the blood were vital to keep
it healthy, the latter two being facts included in today's physiology
books.
Not only this;, Al Ghazali wrote about many othersubjects in his
books, which are around 1,000. His books deal with Islam, Islamic
moral values and science in a way that can be clearly understood by
people ofevery age and of every education level. Some of his most
famous books are as follows: Ihya Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the
Religious Sciences), Kimya al-Saadat (The Alchemy of the Happiness),
Jawahir al-Qur'an (The Jewels of the Qur'an), Mizan al-Amal (Balance
of Action), Durrat al- Fakhira (The Exquisite Pearl) , Ayyuh-al-Walad
(O my son!), Qistas al- Mustaqim(The Correct Balance) .
Europeans studied the books of Al Ghazali's in a very detailed
manner,. and in 1959, upon reading the books of Al Ghazali and being
fascinated by Islam religion, four Professors Ordinarius translated
thebooks of Al Ghazali into German and then converted to Islam.
AL GHAZALI CALLED ATTENTION TO THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSLIMS BEING
UNITED AND LIVING IN A BROTHERLY MANNER:
Another point Al Ghazali paid attention to was the brotherhood,
friendship and love between the Muslims. In his famous book, Ihya Ulum
al-Din , he explains in the light of the verses of the Qur'an and the
hadith, why the brotherhood of Muslims is very important as follows:
The Prophet Mohammed (saas) explains: "Muslims are siblings, they do
not hurt, wrong or afflict one another." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Don't get jealous of eachother, don't hold a grudge against each
other, don't say bad things to each other, don't turn your backs to
each other, don't gossip about each other. Servants of Allah, be
brothers. (Bukhari and Muslim; Hujjat al-Islam Al Ghazali, Ihya
al-Ulum al-Din, vol. 3, p. 315)
The great scholar Al Ghazali explains how thebelievers should approach
each other in these wise words:
... You should always approach them with the compassion that they
expect from you. You should see their good sides and ignore the
badones. When they come to you and talk to you, you should not turn
youreyes away from them. (Ihya al-Ulum al-Din, p. 431)
Some of the sage advice of Al Ghazali …
"Don't forget that Almighty Allah knows everything you think and say.
People see only the outside of each other, but Almighty Allahsees both
the inside and the outside of all. Those who know that will be careful
with their thoughts and actions. "
"O my lower self, if you are saying 'I'll repent and do good things
later', remember that death can come before that and you can only
regret. If you think repenting tomorrow is easier than it is today,
you are mistaken".
Al Ghazali gave the goodnews of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as)
In his works Hujjat al-Islam Al Ghazali explained in detail the
qualities of Hazrat Mahdi(as) who is to come in the End Times based on
the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) and heralded Muslims with
the comingof Hazrat Mahdi (as).

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Accusing chaste women of adultery

Allaah Almighty Says in the Noble Quran (what means):
"The [Unmarried] woman or [unmarried] man found guilty of sexual
intercourse— lash each one of them with a hundred lashes, and do not
be taken by pity for them in the religion [i.e. law] of Allaah, if you
should believe in Allaah and the Last Day.And let a group of the
believers witness their punishment. The fornicator does not marry
except a [female] fornicator or polytheist, and none marries her
except a fornicator or a polytheist, and that [i.e. marriageto such
persons] has been made unlawful to the believers. And those who accuse
chaste women (of adultery) and then do not produce four witnesses —
lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from them testimony
ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient. Except for those
who repent thereafter and reform, for indeed Allaah is Forgiving and
Merciful." [Quran 24: 2-5]
Islamic law (Sharee'ah) prescribes a very heavy penalty for adultery.
However, Islam does not legislate such a penalty without first putting
in place sufficient legislation that protects people against falling
in sin. It also ensures that the punishment is not enforced except in
cases where there is certainty about the offence and its perpetrators.
Islam is a complete code of living that is not based on punishment.
Its basis is toprovide all that promotesa clean and morally pure life.
If some individuals then abandon such a clean and easy life in order
to deliberately submerge themselves into filth, they incur such heavy
penalty.
In the case of adultery, Islam requires four witnesses to testify that
they have seen the offence, or else, a clear and confirmed confession
by the perpetrators.
It may be suggested, then, that the punishment is unreal
andunenforceable, which renders it ineffective as adeterrent.
Punishment is not the basis of the Islamic approach; its basis is
prevention, education and cultivatingpeople's finer feelings and
consciences so that they refrain from even contemplating this offence.
Imaam Maalik narrated that a man confessed to fornication in the time
of the Messenger of Allaah . The Messenger of Allaah called for a
whip, and he was brought a brokenwhip. He said: "Above this," and he
was broughta new whip whose knots had not been cut yet. He said:
"Below this," and he was brought a whip which had been used and made
flexible. The Messenger of Allaah gave the order and hewas flogged.
Then he said: "O people! Observe the limits of Allaah. Whoever has
committed any of these ugly things (adultery or fornication) should
cover them up with the veil of Allaah. Whoever reveals to us hiswrong
action, we shall perform what is in the Book of Allaah against him
(i.e. the prescribed penalty)." [Maalik]
Prescribing a very harsh punishment for adultery is not sufficient, on
its own, to protect the Muslim community and ensure the purity of its
atmosphere. Therefore, asupplementary order is given to isolate the
adulterers from the rest of the Muslim community.It goes further to
remove the air of the offence from the Muslim community, prescribing
aheavy punishment for those who accuse chaste women of adultery
without providing firm evidence in support of their accusation. Allaah
Almighty Says in the Quran (what means):
"And those who accuse chaste women of adultery and then do not produce
four witnesses — lash them with eighty lashes and do not accept from
them testimony ever after. And those are the defiantly disobedient.
Except for those who repent thereafter and reform, for indeedAllaah is
Forgiving and Merciful"." [Quran 24: 2-5]
Allowing people to accuse chaste women, whether married or not,
without a clear proof means that people could always make up such
accusation, fearing no repercussion. This means that the Muslim
community finds itself with a stained reputation. Every individual is
threatened with false accusation. Every man suspects his wife, and
every wife suspects her husband, and people doubt their legitimacy. In
such an intolerable state of doubtand suspicion, every family is
undermined. Moreover, when such accusations are frequently made, those
who steer themselves away from adultery will begin to think that the
crime is common in society. Thus, people begin to think about adultery
in a different spirit, with its ghastly nature sounding less ghastly
as a result of its frequent mention. Those who would not have
contemplated it at all may begin to think of doing so, feeling that
many others are doing it.
Thus, in order to protect people's honor and their suffering from
suspicion as a result of uncorroborated accusations, the Quran
prescribes for false accusation a punishment that comes close to that
of adultery. The punishment is flogging with 80 stripes, rejecting
their testimony in any case or situation, and giving them the label of
transgressors. The first part of the punishment isphysical, while the
second is moral. It is sufficient that the accuser is deprived of
theright to testify, and considered deceitful. The third part of the
punishment is a religious one. The one guilty of false accusation is
following a line that deviates from that of faith. The only way to
protect himself from suchpunishments is that the accuser should
provide four witnesses who have seen the offence being committed, or
three alongside him if he himself has seen it.
It is agreed upon by Muslim scholars that for adultery (or
fornication) case to be authentically proven, four witnesses must
simultaneously see, by their own eyes, the man's sexual organ inserted
in the woman's sexual organ. Only when these four witnesses givesuch
testimony is the accusation proved and the punishment of adultery (or
fornication) is enforced on the perpetrators.
Such restrictions are set forth by Sharee'ah in order to limit to the
least minimum the possibility of falsely accusing chaste women of
adultery (or fornication), which leads to social and psychological
troubles for the accused women. Even when such a sin –adultery (or
fornication)- is committed, such restrictions laid by Sharee'ah will
guarantee the suppression of the crime and prevents its spread among
the people, which contaminates the morallypure Muslim community.

Backbiting & Slander - AnIslamic perspective

Allaah Says in the Quran what means: "And why, when you heard it, did
you not say: 'It is notfor us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O
Allaah]; this is a great slander?'" [Quran 24:16]
Backbiting & Slander Defined
Prophet Muhammad once asked: "Do you know what backbiting is?" His
companions replied: "Allaah and His Messenger know best." He then
said: "It is to say something about your brother that he would
dislike." Someone asked:"But what if what is said is true?"The
Messenger of Allaah replied: "If what you say about him is true, then
you have backbitten him, but if it is not true then you have slandered
him." [Muslim]
Islam is a religion of peace, love and compassion. Lies, suspicion,
backbiting, slander and gossip are totally alien to Islam. In fact,
they are considered amongst the most destructive of major sins. This
is so because these sins sow enmity and discord among the Muslim Ummah
(nation) and lead to its destruction. They cause hostilities between
people of the same household, and between neighbours, friends and
relatives.
Islam demands that our relationship with mankind be one of sincerity
and responsibility. It should be one where we have respect for the
honour, reputation and privacy ofothers. Islam teaches us that we are
not only held accountable for our attitudes and actions, but also for
anything over which we have control or influence in our society or the
world around us.
Allaah has Forbidden the Believers from Backbiting
Allaah states in the Quran (what means): "O you who have believed!
Avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And
do not spyor backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the
flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allaah;
indeed, Allaah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful." [Quran 49:12]
If we were to reflect deeply over this example, it would be enoughto
keep us away from backbiting!
Backbiting and Slander are Great Sins and Cannot be Treated with Indifference
The Quran Says (what means): "When you received it with your tongues
and said with your mouths that of which you had noknowledge and
thought it was insignificant while it was, in the sight of Allaah,
tremendous." [Quran 24:15]
Many of us backbite and gossip without thinking. We think it is a
minor matter, however, Allaah reminds us to be careful, for eventhough
we think we are doing something small, it is in fact very large in the
sight of Allaah!
Allaah Teaches Us to Speak Out Against Slander and Try to Put a Stop to It
Allaah Says (what means): "And why, when you heard it, did you not
say: 'It is not for us to speak of this. Exalted are You, [O Allaah];
this is a great slander?'" [Quran 24:16]
Many people are so busy spreading the slander they hear that they do
not even stop to consider whether it is true or not.
Satan Wishes that We Use Our Tongues to Create Conflict and Hatred
Allaah Says (what means): "And tell My servants to say that which is
best. Indeed, Satan induces [dissension] among them. Indeed, Satan is
ever, to mankind,a clear enemy." [Quran 17:53]
Are we falling into Satan's trap? We can all analyse ourselves to see
if this is the case. Let's now compare that to what Prophet Muhammad
said about backbiting:
Allaah states in the Quran (what means): "There has certainly beenfor
you in the Messenger of Allaahan excellent pattern…" [Quran 33:21]
We Should Guard Our Tongue from Sins and Use Our Limbs in Acts of Obedience
Prophet Muhammad said: "Hewho protects his tongue from unlawful
utterances and his private parts from illegal sexual intercourse, I
shall guarantee himentrance into Paradise." [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]
The Best Muslim Defined
Prophet Muhammad was once asked: "Who is the best Muslim?" He replied:
"He is the one from whom Muslims are safe from the evil of his tongue
and hands." [Muslim]
Deriding people in their presence by making negative facial
expressions or by hand gestures while they are unaware is also a form
of backbiting.
We Need to Beware of the Slipping of Our Tongues
Prophet Muhammad said: "When man wakes up in the morning each day, all
his body parts warn his tongue saying: 'Fear Allaah with regards to
us, for we are under your mercy; if you are upright, we will be
upright and if you are crooked, we will be crooked.'" [At-Tirmithi]
Summary
Backbiting and slander are so widespread that they have become the
topic of people's meetings and an avenue for expressing their anger,
misgivings and jealousy. Those who indulge in backbiting are oblivious
of the fact that they are only harming themselves. This is because on
the Day of Resurrection, both the wrongdoer and the wronged willstand
before Allaah, the Just Judge. Allaah will then give the wronged
person from the good deeds of the person who wronged him by backbiting
or other injustices.
Some situations allow us to inform others of what someone has done. We
are permitted to inform the authorities when someone does injustice to
us or others. We are permitted to inform someone who can prevent a
perpetrator from committing further vice. It is alsopermissible for us
to tell whoeverseeks our advice about a person for business dealings
or marriage. In this case we are allowed reveal only as much as
necessary about the person so that the enquirer will not feel
deceived. All these forms of speaking about others are lawful.
Islam teaches us that if people are being ridiculed or backbitten in
our presence, we should defend their honour. If we neglect doing so,
we risk depriving ourselves of the ever-needed help and mercy
fromAllaah.
Prophet Muhammad said: "If a man's Muslim brother is slandered in his
presence, and he is capable of defending him and does so, Allaah will
defend him inthis world and in the next. But if he fails to defend
him, Allaah will destroy him in this world and thenext." [Al-Baghawi]
What will we do the next time we are tempted to backbite, or if we
hear slander in our presence? The choice is ours.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
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Dought & clear - , A fabricated hadeeth about the reward for charity given on behalf of the deceased being presented to him on a platter of light.

How sound is this hadeeth: "If you offer supplication for the
deceased, the angel will enter upon him with a platter of light and
will say: 'This is a gift to you from your brother or relative So and
and so,' and he will rejoice thereat"?.
Praise be to Allaah.
This hadeeth is fabricated. It was narrated by at-Tabaraani in
al-Mu'jam al-Awsat (6504): Muhammad ibn Dawood ibn Aslam as-Sadafi
told us, 'Ubaydullah ibn 'Abdillahal-Munkadiri told us, Muhammad ibn
Ismaa'eel ibn Abi Fudayksaid: I heard Abu Muhammad ash-Shaami narrate
that he heard Abu Hurayrah say that heheard Anas ibn Maalik say: I
heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) say: "There is no household of whom one person dies and they give
charity on his behalf after his death, but Jibreel (peace be upon him)
will present it to him on a platter of light. He will stand at the
edgeof the grave and say: 'O occupant of the deep grave, this is a
gift given to you by your family, so accept it.' Then he will enter
upon him, and he will rejoice thereat and be of good cheer, and his
neighbours who were not given anythingwill be sad."
At-Tabaraani said after quoting it: This hadeeth was not narrated from
Anas except via this isnaad, which was narrated only by Ibn Abi
Fudayk.
Al-Haythami (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
It was narrated by at-Tabaraani in al-Awsat;its isnaad includes Abu
Muhammad ash-Shaami, of whom al-Azdi said: He is a liar.
End quote from Majma' az-Zawaa'id, 3/139
Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it in
as-Silsilah ad-Da'eefah (486) and said: It is fabricated … The problem
with this hadeeth is that it is narrated by Abu Muhammad ash-Shaami.
Adh-Dhahabi said: He narrated odd hadeeths from some of the Taabi'een.
Al-Azdi said: He is a liar.
This is how it appears in al-Lisaan; it is as if what they meant by
munkar hadeeth was this report. End quote.
So it is not permissible toattribute these words to the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) or to narrate it from him
except for the purpose of explaining its status and to warn against
narrating it, because theProphet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said: "Whoever narrates a hadeeth from me thinking that it is a
lie is one of the liars." Narrated by Muslim in the Introduction to
his Saheeh (1/7).
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This hadeeth contains a stern warning against lying and indicates that
whoever thinks it most likely that what he is narrating is false but
stillnarrates it is a liar. How can he not be a liar when he is
telling you ofsomething that did not happen? End quote.
In the same chapter there is another hadeethwhich says: "The dead
person in his grave is like the drowning person who calls for help,
hoping for a supplication to reach him from his father or mother or
brother or friend, and when it reaches him it will be dearer to him
than this world and everything in it. Allah will cause to reach the
inhabitants of the graves gifts like mountains as a result of the
supplication of the inhabitant of houses (i.e., the living). And the
gift of the living to the dead is prayers for forgiveness."
This was quoted by Shaykh al-Albaani in as-Silsilah ad-Da'eefah (799).
He said: (It is) munkar jiddan (very odd). End quote.
With regard to the hadeeth which says: "When you offer supplication
for the dead, the angel enters upon him with a platter of light…", we
could not find any such report from the Prophet (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) whether this version or the first version. So it
is not permissible to attribute that to the Prophet (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) just as it is not permissible to quote it,
even if it is not attributed to the Prophet (blessings and peace of
Allah be upon him), because the matterof al-barzakh is one of the
matters of the unseen, and it is not permissible to indulge intalking
about it without knowledge.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear - , Ruling on the Muslims celebrating at the time of Christmas and decorating their homes with balloons.

What do you say to Muslims in the United Kingdom who celebrate at
Christmas time by holding dinner parties intheir houses on Christmas
or afterwards, for their Muslim families,such as preparing roast
turkey and the other dishes of the traditional Christmas dinner, and
they adorn their houses with balloons and paper chains, and they do
the "secret Santa" tradition, whereby each relative brings a gift for
one of the people present and these gifts are brought to the party to
be given to the one for whom he bought it, without the recipient
knowing who he is. ["Secret Santa" is anew, growing custom among
non-Muslims who celebrate Christmas,and is in accordance with their
belief in the myth of Santa Claus].
Is this action regarded ashalaal or haraam, if no one is attending
this party except Muslims (relatives and family members)?.
Praise be to Allaah.
There is no doubt that what is mentioned of celebrations is haraam,
because it is an imitationof the kuffaar. It is well known that the
Muslims do not have any festival apart from Eid al-Fitr andEid
al-Adha, and the weekly "Eid" which is Friday (Yawm al-Jumu'ah).
Celebrating any other festival is not allowed and is either of two
things: either it is aninnovation (bid'ah), if it is celebrated as a
means of drawing close to Allah, such as celebratingthe Prophet's
Birthday (Mawlid); or it is an imitation of the kuffaar, if it is
celebrated as a tradition and not as an act of worship, because
introducing innovated festivals is the action of the people of the
Book who we are commandedto differ from. So how about if it is a
celebration of one of their actual festivals?
Decorating the house with balloons at this time is obviously joining
in with the kuffaar and celebrating their festival.
What the Muslim is required to do is not to single out these days for
any kind of celebration, decorating or adornment, or special foods,
otherwise he will be joining the kuffaar intheir festivals, which is
something that is undoubtedly haraam.
Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Similarly it
is forbidden for the Muslims to imitate the kuffaar by holding parties
on these occasions, or exchanging gifts, or distributing sweets or
other foods, or taking time off work and so on,because the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever imitates a
people is one of them." Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in his book
Iqtida' al-Siraat al-Mustaqeem Mukhaalifat Ashaab al-Jaheem: Imitating
them on some of their festivals implies that oneis happy with the
falsehood they are following, and that could make them (the
non-Muslims) take this opportunity to mislead those who are weak in
faith. End quote.
Those who do any of these things are sinning,whether they do it to go
along with them, or to be friendly towards them, or because they feel
too shy (to refuse to join in) or any other reason, because it is a
kind of compromising the religion of Allah to please others, and it is
a means of lifting the spirits of the kuffaar andmaking them proud of
their religion,
End quote from Fataawa Ibn 'Uthaymeen, 3/44
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked
about a Muslim who makes the food of the Christians on Nawrooz
(Persian New Year) and on all their occasions such as Epiphany and
other feastdays, and who sells themthings to help them celebrate their
festivals. Is it permissible for the Muslims to do any of these things
or not?
He replied: Praise be to Allah. It is not permissible for the Muslims
to imitate them in any way that is unique to their festivals, whether
it be food, clothes, bathing, lightingfires or refraining from usual
work or worship, and so on. And it is not permissible to give a feast
or to exchange gifts or to sell things thathelp them to celebrate
their festivals, or to let children and others play the games that are
played on their festivals, or to adorn oneself or put up decorations.
In general, (Muslims) are not allowed to single outthe festivals of
the kuffaar for any of these rituals or customs. Rather the day of
their festivals is just an ordinary day for the Muslims, and they
shouldnot single it out for any activity that is part of what the
kuffaar do on these days.
End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 2/487; Majmoo' al-Fataawa, 25/329

Islamic Stories - , Ali's Sacrifice

"There! I found the moon," exclaimed six year old Ali to his father.
"Where?" asked Ali�s tenyear old brother, Abdullah.
"See that big tree? Its right next to it," replied Ali.
The boys were trying to sight the new moon for the beginning of the
Islamic month of Zulhijjah. Eid would be ten days from the day they
saw the new moon.
"Oh, I see it now," said Abdullah.
"Daddy, can we go tomorrow to buy a goat?" asked Ali.
"Sure, we�ll go tomorrow after the Zuhrprayer," replied their father.
The next day, all of the boys got in to the car with their father.
They were going to the neighboring hills to buy a goat to slaughter on
the day of Eid in commemoration of whatProphet Ibrahim (Abraham),
alayhi salam, did.
"We�re going to bring the goat home this time," said their father,"so
you will have to takecare of it and feed it. You can also play with
it."
"Yahoo! I�ll take care of it," said Ali, "I�ll even teach it tricks!"
The boys and their father finally found a goat and took it home. The
next day, Ali woke up early long before the time he used to wake up.
He washed and dressed, then went outside to play with the goat. His
brothers Usmanand Abdullah were already outside playing with the goat.
"Assalamu alaikum," they said together.
"Wa-alaikum as salam," replied Ali.
"We have decided that we will take turns to feed the goat. Everyone
will take care of the goatfor one day. You can be the first one to
feed him," said Abdullah.
"Okay," said Ali, "where is the food?"
"Right here," replied Abdullah, pointing to thefood hidden in a corner.
"Make sure, you give him enough water and hay," said Usman.
Ali then called the goat. The goat came to him obediently and ate the
food. Then he drank a little water.
The boys kept on taking turns until the Eid day. Many times they took
it for walks around their neighborhood. One time, as Abdullah was
getting out of his house to go for the Maghrib prayer, the goat
followed him. Abdullah then had to force the goat back into the
backyard, which the goat resisted very much. The boys started liking
the goat very much.
After the Eid prayer, on the Eid day, the family returned home. It was
time to slaughter the goat.
"D-d-daddy, why are yougoing to k-k-kill the goat?" asked Ali, who was
nearly crying, as his father sharpened his knife.
"We have to kill him, because Allah has ordered us to," came thereply,
"Every Eid-ul-Adha,Muslims all over the world, who can afford,
slaughter a goat, sheep, lamb, cow, or camel. Prophet Ibrahim, alayhi
salam, was ordered by Allah to slaughter his sonas a test. He was
about to do that because it wasAllah�s order, but then Allah provided
him with a ram to slaughter, and Ibrahim, alayhi salam, slaughtered
that. As a commemoration of that great sacrifice, Muslims are asked to
slaughter an animal. You will also be slaughtering an animal when you
grow up."
Ali did not reply but rather watched his father as he slaughtered the
goat. Then he ran into the house, because he could not stand watching
the goat die.
Abdullah went after him and explained everything to him again that his
father had said before. Ali finally understood, but he still seemed
sad.
The boys then helped their father in doing the rest of the work. As he
kept thinking about it, Ali realized he had just learned the
word"sacrifice" now: you giveup something you love for a higher
purpose. He had become happy now because he knew they had killed the
goat because Allah had commanded them to do so. Then he skipped into
his house and started helping his mother clear up the meat.

Islamic Stories - , We are extremly rich, yet we don't know it

Once a person came to a Shaikh (Islamic scholar) and complained to him
about his own poverty, saying that he was in great distress and
wouldprefer death to such a life. The Shaikh said to him, "Are you
willing to have your eyes taken out in exchange for ten thousand
Dirhams (silvercoins)." He replied"Certainly not." The Shaikh said
"Would you like to have your tongueplucked out and get ten thousand
Dirhams in return?" The man said,"Of course not." The Shaikh said,
"Would you agree to having both your hands and feet cut off in return
for twenty thousand Dirhams." The man said that he would not. The
Shaikh asked"Are you willing to be made a mad man and get ten thousand
Dirhams in return?" The man said that he was not willing. At this, the
Shaikh said to him, "Are you not ashamed of yourself? You admit that
Allah Ta'ala has granted you so many precious gifts, the value
whereof, in your own estimation, exceeds fifty thousand Dirhams
(counting only afew gifts, by way of illustration) and yet you
complain of poverty!"
Source: "Fadhail-e-Sadaqaa Part II", translated by Prof. AbdulKarim.
The value of the above mentioned gifts can be fully understood when we
lose them. Let us be more thankful to our Lord.

A Precious Dua

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ‏‎ -
'' All praise is due to Allah'. May peace and blessings beupon the
Messenger, his householdand companions '' - - - O Allah, I am Your
servant, son of Your servant, son of Your maidservant; my forelock is
in Your hand; Your command over me is forever executed and Your decree
over me is just; I ask You by every name belonging to You that You
have named Yourself with, or revealed in Your book, ortaught to any of
Your creation, or have preserved in the knowledge of the unseenwith
You, that You make the Qur'an thelife of my heart and the light of my
breast, and a departure for my sorrow and a release from my anxiety.

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Ethical Stories: Everythinghappens for a reason (African king Story or Ethics in Islam)

Once upon a time an African king who had a close friend that he grew
with. The friend had a habit to face each situation that happened in
its life (positive or negative) saying: "That is good! Almighty Allah
knows more".
The king and his friend one day left for a hunt. The friend loaded and
prepared the weapons for the king. Apparently, the friend had made
something missed in the preparation of one of theweapons, the king
shot and it took his thumb away. When examining the situation, the
friend observed as always: "Thatis good! Almighty Allah knows more".
The king answered, "No, this is notgood", he commanded the soldiers
who arrestedhis friend and put him in the prison. After one year, the
king was hunting in a region where, cannibals appeared, and captured
the king and took him to their village. They tied hishands, and piled
up the firewood. When the cannibals came closer to the fire they
noticed that the king did not have thethumb. As they were
superstitious, they never ate who had a part of his body missing.
Thus, after setting the king free, they banished him from the village.
When the king arrived at its palace, remembered the incident about his
thumb and felt remorse for the treatment given to his friend.
Immediately, he pays a visit to the prisoner to speak with his
friend."You were right", said the king. "It was good that I lost my
thumb". Theking started to tell his friend everything that happened to
him. "I am sorry that I have ordered you to prison for such a long
period. It was a great mistake". "No", the friend said, "That was
thegood decision, because Almighty Allah knows more". "What do you
mean by that? How it canbe good decision? I ordered my best friend
toprison?" The friend answered: "Remember that Almighty Allah knows
more and if I was not in the prison certainly I would be with you in
the hunt". Then you know what would have happened with me?
"He knows what is beforethem and what is behind them and to Allah are
all affairs turned back". Noble Qur'an, Surah Al Hajj (22:76)
Do not judge the facts or events for the immediate results! Almighty
Allah, the Highest, the Omniscient and the Wise, knows more.
When we faced by circumstances that are nogood, we react quickly,"This
is not good." but, perhaps we did not know the reason behind it. It
can become a good thing also. Hence, from next time onward, when we
face any type of situation. Let us not jumpinto any conclusion, always
remember. This life is a test. The good and the bad, nothing happen
without any reason. Our mind is not prepared to understand the reason.

An introduction to tenth infallible Hazrat Imam Ali Reza (AS)

Birth
On 11th of Zi-Qada, 148 Hijrah, a son was born in the house of Imam
Musa Ibn-e-Jaffar (A.S.) who took over the position of the Imam of
Islam, after his father. He was named Ali and titled Reza. The
honorable and gracious mother of the Imam (A.S.)was Najmiyya, who was
considered to be the most notable and distinguished lady in the realm
of wisdom and faith.
Right from the childhood period, he accompanied his father. Imam Musa
Kazim (A.S.) who repeatedly told his friends that, "He is the Imam
following him."
As such, Makhzoomi says one day Imam Musa Ibn-e-Jaffar (A.S.) summoned
and gatheredus and said, "I invited you to be witnesses that this
child (son) is my executor, and successor."
Since an extreme choking atmosphere and pressure prevailed in the
period of Imam (A.S.) he said in the end of his words, "What I said
must remain (restricted) up to you and do not reproduce it to anybody
unless that you know he is one of our friends and companions."
The Features of Imam's (A.S.) Morality
The infallible Imams werethe selected ones of the God and outstanding,
distinguished and superior to all the people. They used to become the
practical example for others during their lives. They taught the
lesson of life to the people. They did not segregate and separate
themselves fromthem and did not lead their lives on the style and
pattern of the tyrants and oppressors. They did not overlook or show
heedlessness and disrespect to anyone.
Sheikh Saduk narrates through the words of Ibrahim bin Abbas that,
"Inever saw Imam Reza (A.S.) committing excess over anyone in talking
and interrupting anybody's speech before its coming to the end. He did
not stretch his legs in the presence of others. When the meal table
was laid he invited the servants to it, and took his meals with them.
After taking rest in the nights he got up and made himself busy with
the prayers to God. Similar to his fore fathershe carried food to the
houses of the afflicted ones at the mid of nights."
"Mohammad bin Abi Ebad" says about Imam (A.S.) "He used mats of palm
date leaves, straws and marsh reed in the summer season, and woolen
carpets in the winter."
He led a simple life in his home, but when he wentout he used to
decorate himself and put on new and clean dress. He respected and
honored the guests to the extent that one night a lamp of the house
went out of order, the guest got to his feet to put it right. Imam
(A.S.) made him sit and himself set the lamp right, and said, "We do
not employ our guests (exploit) upon work."
Yasir, the servant of Imam (A.S.) says, Imam (A.S.) said to
us,"Whenever you are busy taking your meal, if I call you, do not get
up till you have finished up eating." Another friend of Imam (A.S.)
says, "One day a stranger came to Imam's (A.S.) house and said, I am
one of your friends and am also not apoor man but my money has
finished up and I do not have the expanses to return. You give me an
amount and when I return to my city I will give it out as alms on
youbehalf." Imam (A.S.) got up and went to another room, brought an
amount of two hundred dirhams and gave it to him from upside the
doorand said, "Take this and go and it is not necessaryto give it away
as alms onmy behalf."
They asked the Imam (A.S.), "Why did you do it this way that he may
not see you."
He said, "So that he does not catch my sight and get ashamed (embarrassed)."
"Suleman", one of the friends of Imam (A.S.) says, "I went along with
the Imam (A.S.) to the house. The labors were busy at work. There was
a stranger among them whom the Imam (A.S.) didnot recognize." He
said,"Who is this man?" They said we have brought him from outside, so
that he may help us. He said,"Have you concluded an agreement with him
and fixed his wages?" They said, "No, he is a good man, whatever we
pay him he accepts it and does not utter a word."
Imam (A.S.) was angry and annoyed and said, "I have always told you
thatwhen you employ someone for a job first ofall fix his wages.
Because,when his wages are fixedand you give more than that to him, he
will become happy. But if youdo not fix his wages and give him three
times the amount, he thinks you have not given him the correct wages."
Don't be Proud
Ahmed Bazanti was one of the wise men of his age. After he had written
letters to Imam Reza (A.S.)and received the answersfrom him, he became
a believer of his Imamate. One day he said to him (A.S.), "I wish to
be present with you alone for an hour and we talk to each other."
Imam (A.S.) accepted, andacceded to his request, sofar so, that he
sent to himhis personal horse so thathe arrives comfortably. That day
they had a mutual discussion till midnight. Bazanti solved his
problems and difficulties in the assembly of Imam (A.S.). In the
night, when it was time to go to bed Imam (A.S.) called his servant
and said, "bring my personal bed and prepare it for this guest, who
has a great dignity in my eyes, so that he may take rest."
The conversations of Imams ecstasies him and made the bird of his
heart fly. He said to himself, "Nobody is better than me, after the
Imam (A.S.), in this world.It is I, to whom Imam (A.S.) sent his horse
and gave his bed to me and sat along with me for hours together and
had discussion."
He was busy spinning his ideas when suddenly Imam (A.S.) returned to
the room and said, "Oh Bazanti what you came across with, never make
it a source of boasting upon others." Because, when Sassa who was
oneof the valuable friends of Imam Ali (A.S.) fell ill. He (A.S.)
visited him and treated him with great love and affection. And for the
reason that he does not become proud said to him, "Oh my kind friend
whatever you saw out of these things (love) you should not consider it
the fortress (stronghold) of boosting upon other and do not boast upon
others that I was such and such that the Imam loved me very much. I
have performed all these for the sake of my religious and human duty."
"Bazanti" says, "Imam (A.S.), by describing this story attracted my
attention towards my mistake and fault. I decided not to entertain
false ideas. Rather, I mustbe careful and vigilant about my intentions
and practices."
A man from Balkh says, "I was traveling with lmam Reza (A.S.) to
Khurrasan. When the meal cloth was spread he ordered all to come and
be present beside it. I said, "I may lay my life for you. Do allow
that the meal table of the slaves be segregated." He said,"Keep quiet!
Be aware none of us has superiority over the other. Our God is one;
ourmother and father are one. We attain superiority only under the
shade of Piety."
Jabbir Zahak says, "I was taking Imam (A.S.) along with me from Madina
to Maro upon the order of Mamoon. By God, all that time I was in the
service of Imam (A.S.) I had neverseen a man with that degree of
piety, chastity and innocence."
Imam Admonishes Brother
In the period when ImamReza (A.S.) was summoned to Khurrasan and he
forcibly accepted the special conditions of the succession of Mamoon,
Mamoon summoned his brother"Zaid" who had revolted and brought about a
riot in "Madina" to his court in Khurrasan. Mamoon kept him free as a
regardand honor to Imam (A.S.) and overlooked his punishment.
One day, when Imam (A.S.) was delivering a speech in a grand assembly.
He heard Zaid praising himself before the people, saying I am so and
so. Imam (A.S.) shouted at him saying,"Oh Zaid, have you trusted upon
the words of the grocers of Kufa and are conveying them to the people?
What kindof things are you talking about? The sons of Imam Ali (A.S.)
and Zahra (S.A.) are worthy and outstanding only when they obey the
command of God, and keep themselves away from sinand blunder. You
think you are like Musa Ibn-e-Jaffar (A.S.) and Imam Sajjad (A.S.) and
other Imams? Whereas, they took pains and bore hardships on the way to
God and prayed to God day and night. Do you think you will gain
without pain? Be-aware, that if a person out of us the Ahl al-Bayth
performsa good deed. He gets twice the reward. Because not only he
performed good deed like others also that he has maintained the honor
of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.). If he practices some thing bad and doesa
sin. He has performed two sins. One is that he performed a bad act
like the rest of the people and the other one is that he has negated
the honor of the Prophet (P.B.U.H.)."
Oh brother! The one who obeys God is from us the Ahl al-Bayth and the
one who is a sinner is not ours. God said about the son of Noah (A.S.)
who cut the spiritual bondagewith his father "He is not out of your
lineage, if he was out of your lineage, Iwould have (saved) and
granted him salvation."
A discussion with other religion scholars
One of the days Mamoon decided to invite the scholars from different
sects of the world and he brought Imam Reza (A.S.) to the assembly. He
thought he might be ableto get the Imam (A.S.) invalidated and
un-credential from the knowledge point of view, thus finish his
influence.
Therefore, he ordered hisminister Fazal bin Sahal to invite all the
scholars and wise men to hold a discussion with Imam (A.S.). And he
did it. Whenthe assembly had been arranged he informed Mamoon that all
are present. Mamoon summoned Imam Reza (A.S.) inviting him to attend
the assembly.
Hassan Naufali says, before leaving the house to attend that
aggregation facing myself Imam (A.S.) said, "Iknow the aim and
objective of Mamoon in this work." But I know the time when he will
repent upon his work that is; when you see thatI talk to the
Christians from their own Book andtalk to the Jews from Torah and with
fire worshipers in Persian language. When all of them are defeated
Mamoon will become aware that he is not fit for that past. He will
repent upon this work of his. What Imam (A.S.) hadsaid exactly and
accurately took place. When Imam (A.S.) arrivedthe assembly, all of
them got up from their seats tohonor him. He seated himself beside
Mamoon. Mamoon addressing"Jasaleeq," the great Christian scholar
said,"Ask him what you feel like." "Jasaleeq" said,"What is your
opinion about Christ Essa (A.S.)." Imam (A.S.) said, "We believe he
was the Prophet of God" Jasaleeq again asked, "What proofdo you have
about your own Prophet's Prophet-hood." Imam (A.S.) said,"Have you not
read it the Bible that Yohana narrates the saying of Christ (A.S.)
that, "A Prophet will come following me, who will be the accomplisher
of the constitution of the other Prophets."
He said, "Yes, but he did not name him as to who and where he will
be." Imam (A.S.) said, "Do you wish that I may read out to you from
the Bible?"
He said, "Read it." Imam (A.S.) recited the third chapter up to the
place where Christ (A.S.) said, "Iwill proceed towards Godand
"Barklita" i.e."Mohammad (P.B.U.H.)" will come towards you and he will
break and dismantle the infidelism.
Jasaleeq became silent and did not utter a word.
Then Imam (A.S.) facing"Raasul Jalout" the chief scholar of the Jewish
religion said, "What is the proof and argument that you have about the
Prophet-hood of Moses (A.S.)?"
He replied "Moses (A.S.) had miracles such as turning the club into a
serpent, splitting the river Nile and passing through it and a light
shone from his hand."
Hazrat Imam (A.S.) said,"Why did you not believein the Prophet-hood of
Essa the Christ (A.S.)?"
He said, "They say Christ (A.S.) made the dead menalive and cured the
skin diseases but we have not seen these to have faith and belief in
it?"
Imam (A.S.) said, "Then why do you believe in the Prophets before
him?Similarly in Moses himselfhave you seen the miracles of Moses?"
He replied, "The way it has been narrated to us he has said, such
things which other have not and brought such things which have no
previous record."
Imam (A.S.) said, "From which source did you come to know that he
brought these words."
He replied, "Through the history and those who heard those words from him."
Imam (A.S.) said, "Others too seek refuge in historyand so how do you
want to invite them to your creed?"
Raasul Jalout kept calm and quiet and did not utter a word.
Then Imam (A.S.) turned to Imran the chief of the Star worshipers and
said,you too ask me what you wish. Imran questioned him regarding a
few topics about God, the philosophy of creation and got his answers
and embraced Islam at the hand of Imam (A.S.). The assembly finalized
and came to an end to the benefit of Imam (A.S.) and Mamoon did not
expect and foresee such a thing to happen. He turned and twisted like
a snake bitten person and rebuked and scolded himself for organizing
such an aggregation.
Imam's (A.S.) Arrival at Qum
When Mamoon invited Imam (A.S.) to come to Khorrasan. He went from
Madina to Basra and Basra to Baghdad and from there he arrived Qum.
The people of Qum rushed to greet and welcome him; everyone keenly
desired to invite him at his home.
Hazrat Imam (A.S.) said,"Get aside, my camel is deputed and detailed
upon her work. On the door of which ever person she stops and lies
down, the same will be my destination."
The camel moved in the turning twisting and intricate streets of Qum
till she reached a door and lay down and Imam arrived into that house
which is today one of thereligious schools (Madrasas) named
as"Madrasa-e-Rizvia."
Imam (A.S.) kept on moving in the same manner towards Khorrasan.
Wherever he reached, people warmly and lovingly gathered around him
and manifested their strong feelings and sentiments of devotion for
him.
The Imam's (A.S.) Arrival at Nishapur
Nishapur in those days was one of the thickly and densely populated
cities of Iran. The welcome that the people of that city organized and
shaped for him did not have any match or parallel in the history. In
the later days this city was perished and destroyed by the Mongols.
The wise men and scholars of Nishapur rushed to the gate of the city
with pens in their hands, so that they mightwrite down the words,
which Imam (A.S.) said.
In those times Nishapur had hundreds of traditionalists (narrators of
traditions) and jurisprudents.
A few thousand of golden pen holders were readily present to jot down
the Imam's speech and because of the fact that the series and chain of
narrators of this Hadith reached the Prophet (P.B.U.H.), Jabriel
(A.S.) and finally the God it was named the "Series of Gold."
Mohammad Bin Aslam Tusi, who was one of the great narrators of
traditions, came forward and requested Imam (A.S.) to narrate a Hadith
for the people.
Imam (A.S.) pushed the curtain of the camel's pannier up and pepped
his head out from it. No sooner people caught hissight, they shouted
the slogans of Takbir and salutations and benediction for the Prophet
and his family.
Imam (A.S.) gave a gesture and all of them got calm and silent.
Then,he started reciting the Hadith whose translation is this: God has
said"Kalima of La-ilaha-ill-Ial-lah is my fort and fortification and
whosoever says it, will enter the realm of my fort and will be safe
and sound from my torment. (Here Imam again said, but this is with its
conditions, and I am one of those conditions.)"
Imam Arrives Sana Abad
Absalat narrates that when Imam (A.S.) arrived in the town of Sana
Abadit was Zuhr (afternoon) time and he wanted to offer prayers. He
asked for water to be brought. The (inhabitants) said wedo not have
water here. Imam (A.S.) dug some earth and the water started boiling
out. He himself and those who were accompanying him,made ablution and
offered their prayers. Then he leaned against the mountain from the
rocks of which stone potsare prepared. He prayed,"Oh God bestow upon
this mountain your benediction and favors." Then he ordered that all
the pots of his house be prepared from that stone. Thereafter, he
arrived the house of"Hameed bin Qahtaba" and entered the mausoleum
where the grave of Haroon was situated. He then draw a line at the
side of his grave and said, "Here is my grave and I will be buried
here. By Lord, whosoever visits (my grave) God will bless him and
(shower his benedictions upon him) and our recommendationand
intercession will be in his fate." Then Imam (A.S.) stood facing
Qibla, offered a few (Rakats) units of prayers and then went into a
very lengthy prostration.
Imam (A.S.) arrives Maro
When Imam (A.S.) arrivedMaro, Mamoon honored him and gathered all the
chiefs and notables in hisassembly and said to him (A.S.), "I wish to
deposes myself of the caliphate and surrender the ruler-ship to you."
Imam (A.S.) said, "If God has made you wear the dress of caliphate, it
is not just and fair that you dismiss yourself and hand it over to
another person. If the caliphate was not yours, then why did you under
take it?"
Mamoon said, "This decision has already be taken and you must accept
the caliphate." Because of the fact that Imam (A.S.) was aware of the
plan of Mamoon therefore, howsoever he insisted, Imam (A.S.) did not
accept it. Then he said, "You must accept my successor-ship (for the
throne). Imam (A.S.) said, "I have heard from my ancestors that I will
leave the world before you do. Do not insist so very much upon this
matter. I will be poisoned(to death) and buried beside the grave of
your father Haroon."
When Mamoon asked,"Who will poison you?" He said, "You know it
yourself as to who he is. Do not question me." Mamoon became disturbed
and uncomfortable and wept.Then he said, "You must accept my
successor-ship this is an order. If you reject it, I will order you to
be killed."
Imam (A.S.) was forced toaccept it but he made it conditioned with
himself not having any interference in the functioning of the
government all that time.
Haroon accepted it and arranged a big and grand celebration gathering,
and made the Imam (A.S.) present in it, and addressed the people
saying, "All of youmust take the oath of allegiance for Imam (A.S.)for
he is the caliph next to me. Honor and accept his word and obey his
orders."
Mamoon ordered that the people should take off (abandon) the black
dress, which was the standard color of Abbasades and put on the green
dress, a color of "Bani Hashim." He got his daughter Um-e-Habib
married to Imam (A.S.) and engaged his other daughter Um-ul-Fazal to
his son Imam MohammadTaqi (A.S.) and this itself was a diplomacy and
politics by which he desired that both of themmust remain under his
observation.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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Story of stone soup

There are many variations on the story ofstone soup, but they all
involve a traveler cominginto a town beset by famine. The inhabitants
try to discourage the traveler from staying, fearing he wants them
togive him food. They tell him in no uncertain terms that there's no
food anywhere to be found. The traveler explains that he doesn't need
any food and that, in fact, he was planning to make a soup to share
with all of them.
The villagers watch suspiciously as he builds a fire and fills a
cauldron with water. With great ceremony, he pulls a stone from a bag,
dropping the stone into the pot of water. He sniffs the brew
extravagantly and exclaims how delicious stone soup is. As the
villagers begin to show interest, he mentions how good the soup would
be with just a littlecabbage in it. A villager brings out a cabbage to
share. This episode repeats itself until the soup has cabbage,
carrots, onions, and beets-indeed, a substantial soup that feeds
everyone in the village.
This story addresses the human tendency to hoard in times of
deprivation. When resources are scarce, we pull back and put all of
our energy into self-preservation. We isolate ourselves and shut out
others. As the story of stone soup reveals, in doing so, we often
deprive ourselves and everyone else of a feast.
This metaphor plays out beyond the realm of food. We hoard ideas,
love, and energy, thinking we will be richer if we keep to themto
ourselves, when in truth we make the world,and ourselves, poorer
whenever we greedily stockpile our reserves. The traveler was able to
see that the villagers were holding back, and he had the genius to
draw them out and inspire them to give, thuscreating a spread that
none of them could have created alone.
Are you like one of the villagers, holding back? Ifyou come forward
and share your gifts, you will inspire others to do the same. The
reward is a banquet that can nourishmany.

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And Allah Knows the Best!

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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA

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