ISLAMIC ARTICLE - ~ The Sacred Relics

When the caliphate passed tothe Ottoman Empire, the sacred relics,
consisting of items belonging to the Prophet Muhammad (saas) and his
followers were brought to Istanbul. Since 1517, the relics have been
kept with the great care in the "Hırka-i Saadet" section of Topkapi
Palace in Istanbul.
These sacred objects are preserved in a special chamber constructed
within Topkapı Palace by Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. With its finely
worked inlaid door, four windows and three recessed cases, this
chamber is one of the finest examples of Ottoman art.
Some of the sacred relics, which have been preserved with the utmost
care, are as follows:
The Blessed Mantle
The mantle given by the Prophet Muhammad (saas) toVeysel Karani is
regarded as the most important of the sacred relics. Some of the
Ottoman caliphs were accompanied by the Blessed Mantle on their
travels.
The Blessed Mantle has recently been restored with the very greatest care.
The Holy Tooth of the Prophet Muhammad (saas)
Part of a tooth belonging to the Prophet Muhammad (saas) that was
broken during the Battle of Uhud. It is kept in a cylindrical box,
framed in gold and covered in rubies and emeralds.
The Holy Banner
The banner of the Prophet Muhammad (saas), made from almost entirely
black woolen cloth. Due to its fragile state, it was placed ontop of a
green fabric. It has never been opened in any battle since the time of
our Prophet (saas).
The Holy Hair from the Beard of the Prophet Muhammad (saas)
Several hairs from the beard of our Prophet (saas) are kept in the
Hırka-i Saadet section. These are preserved in gold-framed glass boxes
and jewel cases.
The Holy Footprints
Four footprints belonging to the Prophet Muhammad (saas) are preserved
in a recessed case in the Hırka-i Saadet section.
The Holy Seal
The seal of the Prophet Muhammad (saas), which wasalso was used by
the early caliphs.
The Holy Letters
The letters belonging to the Prophet Muhammad (saas). A Frenchman
discovered them in 1850 inside the cover of a Gospel in the library of
a monastery in Egypt. Once it was established that it had belonged to
our Prophet (saas), it was given to Sultan Abdulmajid.
The Holy Swords
The swords of the Prophet Muhammad (saas). Only two of the swords in
the Hırka-i Saadet section belonged to the Prophet Muhammad (saas).
One of these belongedto the Prophet David (pbuh) and the other to the
people of the Prophet Muhammad (saas).
The Keys of the Kaaba
The replaced keys of the Kaaba are also among the sacred relics. Made
of iron and covered in silver and gold inlay, they were for a long
time preserved in Davutpaşa during the time ofthe Ottoman Empire.
The Holy Qur'an of Hazrat Uthman (ra)
Pages of the Qur'an collected during the time of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra),
were sent to provinces in book form during the time of Hazrat Uthman
(ra). The Qur'an that was being read when Hazrat Uthman (ra) was
martyred is now among the sacred relics in Topkapı Palace.
These sacred relics have beenprotected and preserved with the utmost
care since Ottoman times.
One example of the importance the Ottoman sultans attached to the
sacred relics is the ceremony performed by the sultan for them on the
15th day of every month of Ramadan. As the day approached, the chest
containing the long wide sleeved mantle of the Prophet Muhammad
(saas) was carried to the Revan section, every part of which was
cleansed, the walls washed with rose water and perfumed with musk.
The Qur'an has been recited in the Hırka-i Saadet chamber in
veneration of therelics of the Prophet Muhammad (saas) for hundreds of
years. This fine tradition was initiated by Sultan Selim the Stern.
Forty scholars who had memorizedthe Qur'an, including Sultan Selim,
recited the Qur'an beside the sacred relics, "for the victory of good
and the expulsion of affliction." This tradition was restored in
October 1996.
One of the reasons for the great care shown by the Ottoman sultans is
that they knew they were merely guardians of these sacred relics, and
that they really belong to Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), who will emerge from
Istanbul.
Our Prophet (saas) describes in great detail in the hadiths how Hazrat
Mahdi (pbuh) willappear together with the sacred relics. For example,
one hadith tells us that:
Nuaym bin Hammad related from Abu Jaferi that; "Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)
will appear in the evening together with the banner, mantle, sword,
signs, radiance and beauty ofour Prophet (saas)."
Another hadith describes how Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) willappear with the
sacred relics as follows:
As for the signs, he (Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)) will have the mantle, sword
and banner of the Messenger of Allah. That banner that has never been
unfurled since the death of the Prophet (saas), and will never be
opened until the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh).

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NEWS - ~ Did You Know About Masjid Al-Aqsa ?

Did You Know About Masjid Al-Aqsa ???
• Masjid Al Aqsa was the second Masjid on earth.
• It was built 40 years after the Ka'ba in Makkah.
• Most scholars are of the opinionthat Masjid Al Aqsa was first built
by Prophet Adam A.S.
• Ibrahim A.S. rebuilt the Masjid Al Aqsa in Jerusalem as he and
Ismail A.S. rebuilt the Ka'ba in Makkah.
• Prophet Daud A.S. began the rebuilding of Masjid Al Aqsa.
• It was Prophet Sulayman A.S. who finally completed the building of
Masjid Al Aqsa.
• Masjid Al Aqsa built by Sulayman A.S. was destroyed in 587 BC by
Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon.
• The Jews call this same Masjid AlAqsa built by Sulayman A.S. as their Temple.
• The Jews re-built their Temple on the same site in 167 BC but was
destroyed in 70 AD and Jews banished from Jerusalem.
• The site of Masjid Al Aqsa remained barren and was used asa rubbish
tip for nearly 600 yearsuntil the Great Khalifah Umar bin Khattab R.A.
liberated Jerusalem in637/8 AD.
• The Khalifah Umar bin Khattab R.A. began the foundation of Masjid Al
Aqsa and a timber Masjidwas built.
• The Umayyad Khalifah, Abd' al Malik ibn Marwan in 691/2 [72/73 AH]
began the construction of, Dome of the Rock- today this is the Golden
Domed Masjid.
• The al Buraq Wall or Western Wall where Prophet Muhammad SalAllahu
Alyehe Wasallam tied his animal the Buraq on the night journey of al
Isra is what the Jews call the wailing wall.
• To Muslims it is the land or the Haram Sharif area which is most
Holy and important.
• The Haram area of Al Aqsa has within it the Masjid Al Aqsa [Black
Domed Mosque] and Dome of the Rock [the Golden Domed Mosque].
• Israel occupied Masjid Al Aqsa in1967.
• That, the fundamentalist Jews have made 100's of attempts to destroy
Al Aqsa since 1967 when they occupied it. A fire in 1967 started by
their help destroyed the 900 year old Mimbar installed by Slah ud Deen
Ayubi, the Great Muslim Hero.
• That, the fundamentalist want to blow up and destroy Masjidul Al
Aqsa and replace it with a Jewish Temple.
May Allah Subhana Taala protects Masjid ul Aqsa. May we see a free
liberated Masjid ul Aqsa/Palestine in our life time. May Allah
SubhanaTaala gives us a chance to Pray in Masjid ul Aqsa. IN SHA ALLAH
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ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ Love Is an Important Sign of a Believer

Almost everyone will come across loveless and ruthless people in their
lives. These people are unaffected by almost everything that goes on
or is said around them and use a harsh form of language. There is no
doubt that it is none other than satan who leads these people to
lovelessness and ruthlessness. Satan does not want people to have good
conscience or to be rational, submissive, grateful, tolerant, pleased
with Allah's creation, full of love and showing moral virtue to those
around them. Yet Almighty Allah has created human nature to make
things easy and put others at their ease,so people will sacrifice
themselves if necessary, do this without letting the other party know,
to adapt to all legitimate things and to be full of love. Believers,
who use this attribute created by Allah very well, calm down the
environment they findthemselves in and always have apositive impact.
This harmonious, calming, positive, warm and relaxing character that
believers exhibit to those around them out of their love of Allah is
an excellent sign of a believer. Allah reveals in the Qur'an how He
has created the blessing of love for believers:
" As for those who believe and do right actions, the All-Mercifulwill
bestow His love on them." (Surah Maryam, 96)
The true source of the love for other people that believers feel in
their hearts is their love of Allah. Knowing that Allah created the
joy they feel in their hearts and that Allah is manifested in all
things is the true source of profound human love.
In true love, one can always express these emotions to the people one
loves with breathtaking and effective words one has never used before.
Each one is different to all those that have gone before because one
experiences that joy in the most vibrant form andat every moment in
one's heart.
Allah has created human beings with "souls," in contrast to all other
living things. Therefore, and again in contrast to all other living
things, the effect that the riches in one's soul will have on another
person will also be different. The love that everyoneexperiences is
directly proportional to the beauty in one's soul. The more traits
deserving of love and respect one has, the more people will love and
respect them. In the same way, the more sensitive one is to the traits
deserving of love and respect in other people, the more one will see
such beauties in others and love and respect them in proportion.
Mr. Adnan Oktar Speaks of the Love Described in the Qur'an:
The Qur'an describes the foundation of love. It does not tell us
simply to love. Love requires patience, for instance, loyalty,
generosity, care, protectiveness and consideration, doesn't it? An
egotistical, selfish person cannot know love. An egotistical, selfish
person inevitably loses love. People who are not forgiving lose love.
In other words, love does not form spontaneously. It calls for work
and care. You haveto protect love in the same way you tend a flower.
Love does notjust appear spontaneously. One does not love a person's
eyes and eyebrows; they can grow old or become diseased. Wealth can
also disappear, but faith and virtue, the moral values stemming from
faith, are permanent and have a profoundeffect on the soul. That is
why we love other people. One cannot just love a person made of flesh
and bone because lift the skin up by just a millimeter and flesh is
bright red, and all you have is blood and fat and nothing else. So
there is nothing left to love about a person.
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