ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ Knowledge, the Key to Success

... It is narrated byAbu Musa that the Prophet (SAW) said, "The
example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like
abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was fertile soil
that absorbed rain-water and brought forth vegetation and grass in
abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rain-
water and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for
drinking, (making their animals drink from it) and to irrigate the
land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it was barren which could
neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then the land was
of no benefit). The firstis the example of the person who comprehends
Allah's Religion and gets benefit from the knowledge which Allah
hasrevealed through me and learns and then teaches it to others. The
(last example is that of a) person who does not care for it and does
not take Allah's Guidance revealed through me (He is like the barren
land.)" (Bukhari). Through the above narration, the Prophet (SAW) is
telling us of the superiority of religious knowledge. This is the
knowledge that we should give priority to. All other knowledge will
not be of benefit if we do not have this one. First and foremost,
comes the knowledge of Allah. Knowing His names and Hisattributes.
Knowing what isexpected of us in regard to our servitude to Him, and
what mutual rights exist between us. Secondly, we should strive to
know Allah's Book, the Qur'an. We should learn to read it in Arabic,
if we don't already know how to do so. We should also be trying to
memorize as much of it as possible, and stressing the importance
ofboth of these things to our children. Reading the Qur'an should be
something commonplace in every Muslim home, and is an activity that
the whole family can, and should participate in. Thirdly, we should
know about the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, and his
companions. It's by readingtheir stories that we learn of their
bravery, love for the Deen and their complete devotion to Allah.It's
by knowing them that we grow to love them, ...

ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ A profound respect for Allah is a sign of genuine faith

A profound respect for Allah, the religion, the Qur'an, our Prophet
(saas), the angels and all our spiritual values is an important sign
of genuine faith. Allah described in the Qur'an how the prophets and
true believers stood in respectful awe of Him and remembered him with
awe, how their hearts were softened by fear of Him, and how they came
with a sound and pure faith through their profound fear. Therefore,
all Muslims must be scrupulous and punctiliouswhen it comes to
remembering Allah, in speaking of our Prophet (saas) and all the other
prophets, and in discussing religious matters.
Language that is disrespectful of Allah will impose a heavy
responsibility in the Hereafter and also have a negative impact on
peopleof weak or no faith who hear it. Every Muslim must carefully
avoid talking in any such way.
BELIEVERS' PROFOUND RESPECT FOR ALLAH
(Believers are) those WHO ARE FILLED WITH THE FEAR of their Lord.
(Surat al-Muminun, 57)
(People of intelligence are)those who join what Allah has commanded to
be joined and are AFRAID OF THEIR LORD and fear an evil Reckoning.
(Surat ar-Rad, 21)
Those who fear their Lord in their most secret thoughts, and WHO HOLD
THE HOUR (OF JUDGMENT)IN AWE. (Surat al-Anbiya', 49)
We responded to him and gave him John, restoring for him his wife's
fertility. They outdid one another in good actions, calling outto Us
in yearning and in awe, and HUMBLING THEMSELVES TO US. (Surat
al-Anbiya', 90)
If We Had sent down this Qur'an onto a mountain, YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN
ITHUMBLED, CRUSHED TO PIECES OUT OF FEAR OF ALLAH. We make such
examples for people so that hopefully they will reflect. (Surat
al-Hashr, 21)
HAS THE TIME NOT ARRIVED FOR THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE TO YIELD
to the remembrance of Allah andto the truth He has sent down, so they
are not like those who were given the Book before for whom thetime
seemed over long so that their hearts became hard? Many of them are
deviators. (Surat al-Hadid, 16)
(It is) so that you might allbelieve in Allah and His Messenger and
honor Him and RESPECT HIM and glorify Him in the morningand the
evening. (Surat al-Fath, 9)
Men and women who are Muslims, men and women who are believers, men
and women who are obedient, men and women who are truthful, men and
women who are steadfast, MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE HUMBLE, men and
womenwho give charity, men andwomen who fast, men andwomen who guard
their chastity, men and women who remember Allah much: Allah has
prepared forgiveness for them and an immense reward. (Surat al-Ahzab,
35)
Among the people of the Book there are some who believe in Allah and
in what has been sent down to you and what was sent down to them, and
WHO ARE HUMBLE BEFORE ALLAH. They do not sell Allah's Signs for a
paltry price. Such people will have their reward with their Lord. And
Allah is swift at reckoning. Surah Al 'Imran, 199)
Those who speak in a manner that is inappropriate towards Allah and
Islam, who foolishly adopt a mocking tone or who behave in such a way
as to weaken people's love and respect for Allah in this world will be
able to do none of these things when they are brought into His
Presence and will seriouslyregret their actions.
DENIERS' AND HYPOCRITES' FACIAL EXPRESSIONS AND SPEECHIN THE PRESENCE OF ALLAH
On that day they will follow the Summoner whohas no crookedness in
himat all. VOICES WILL BE HUMBLED BEFORE THE ALL-MERCIFUL AND NOTHING
BUT A WHISPER WILL BE HEARD. On that Day intercession will not be of
any use except for him whom the All-Mercifulhas authorized and with
whose speech He is well pleased. (Surah Ta Ha, 108-109)
You will see them as they are exposed to it, ABJECT IN THEIR
ABASEMENT, glancing around them furtively. Those who believe will say,
'Truly the losers are those who lose themselves and their families on
the Day of Resurrection.' The wrongdoers are in an everlasting
punishment. (Surat ash-Shura, 45)
'Be moderate in your tread and LOWER YOUR VOICE. THE MOST HATEFUL OF
VOICES IS THEDONKEY'S BRAY.' (Surah Luqman, 19)
Therefore, (O Prophet,) turn away from them. The Day that THE CALLER
WILL CALL (THEM) TO A TERRIBLE AFFAIR. They will emerge from their
graves with DOWNCAST EYES , like swarming locusts, necks outstretched,
EYES TRANSFIXED, RUSHING HEADLONG TO THE ONE WHO SUMMONS. The
unbelievers will say, 'This is a pitiless day!' (Surat al-Qamar, 6-8)
THEIR EYES WILL BE DOWNCAST, darkened by debasement; for they were
called on to prostrate when they were in full possession of their
faculties. (Surat al-Qalam, 43)
Do not consider Allah to be unaware of what the wrongdoers perpetrate.

ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ What’s Your Legacy?

"Who are you? What makes you special? What isthe legacy that you've
builtand shared with others (self, family, community and the world)?
If we died today, what would our obituaries say? What have we done for
GOD and GOD'speople lately? What is our mission and vision, and arewe
living it? If we died today, what would our obituaries say?" – Hanan
K. Bilal
This is what it's all about. I heard someone say recently that only
two things can happen with thewealth you accumulate in this life:
either it leaves you, or you leave it. Wealthis not a legacy. Having
fun is not a legacy. Helping a company to sell useless products is not
a legacy.
Making a difference in the lives of human beings, relieving the
suffering of even one person, raising righteous and happy children,
leaving behind knowledge that benefits people, making the world
abetter place, those are legacies.
I have not met the sister who is quoted at the top, but I have read
some of her writings. Whenever I hear her name I think of being
responsible, taking care of my family, loving my children and bringing
them up right, making a difference in the community, following my
dreams… that is a legacy. She has already created a vital legacy.
I have another friend whose name is Ismail. He isso humble
ma-sha-Allah, and as a friend he is the most discreet and
closed-mouthed person I know, by which I mean he never speaks badly
about anyoneelse, and never reveals anyone's secrets or violatestheir
trust. When I think of him, I am inspired to emulate him. That is his
legacy, and it's an important and valuable one.
More than twenty years ago I knew a brother named Qawiy. His life was
hard, but every time I met him he'd give me a big smile and an
enthusiastic handshake. He wore a kufi and carried a folded musalla
(prayer rug) on his shoulder, so he could pray whenever salat time
arrived, no matter where he was. Kind of quirky, but also inspiring.
All these years later, just the thought of Qawiy brings a smile to my
face, and reminds me of the importance of doing salat on time. That's
a legacy! SubhanAllah.
I could name many more people who have affected me in positive and
critical ways. I will always remember them, even afterthey are gone,
Insha'Allah. They have created lasting legacies.
Of course we don't even have to speak of the Prophets (peace be upon
them), and the Messenger of Allah (sws), and the Sahabah (may Allah be
pleased with them). Their legacies shine like the moon and stars and
will illuminate human history for all time.
What's your legacy? What do people say about you, and what will they
say when you're gone?

ISLAMIC ARTICLE :- ~ How a Muslim Should Live in a Non-Muslim Land in Light of Surah Yūsuf [1]

Indeed, the principle is that the Muslim should prefer an Islamic land
so as to establish the rights of his religion, but circumstances may
force him or her to live in a non-Muslim land. And Islam, being a
religion thatprovides guidance for all aspects of human life, has
addressed this issue. Numerous texts within Islamic literature have
expounded on the topic ofMuslims living in non-Muslim lands, and
thestory of Prophet Yūsuf ( 'alayhi al-salātu wa al-salām ) serves as
an ideal source of reference for such a discussion. The Prophet Yūsuf
was forced to leave the land of the Prophets, the land where his
father Ya'qūb resided and where the Heavenly Law was being applied.
Due to the betrayal of his brothers, Yūsuf was taken as a slave by a
caravan and eventually purchased by a minister of Egypt known by the
title al-'aziz .
The man in Egypt who bought him, said to his wife: "Make his stay
(among us) honourable: may be he will bring us much good, or we shall
adopt him as a son." Thus did We establish [i.e. give authority to]
Yūsuf in the land..." [Yūsuf (12):21]
The hint within this ayah is that a person may not be able to gain
authority in his own land but may acquire it in another. This brings
us to the question of how Yūsuf conducted himself in this
non-Muslimland.
The most obvious challenge that faces the Muslim in such a
land is how to cope with the non-Islamic values within society that
inevitably led to a prevalence of fawāhish [3] and thus conflict or
clash with one'sfaith. Certainly, falling into this fawāhish is easy,
but itwas just as easy in the time of Yūsuf ( 'alayhi al-salātu wa
al-salām ) as the ayah on Yūsuf's encounter with the wife of al-aziz
illustrates:
And she, in whose house he [Yūsuf] was, sought to seduce him. She
closed thedoors and said, "Come, you." He said, "I seek refuge in
Allah. Indeed, he (your husband) is my master, who has made good my
residence. Indeed, wrongdoers will never prosper." [Yūsuf (12):23]
It is not fitting for the Muslim who believes in Allah and the Last
Day to come near obscenity. The Prophet Muhammad ( sul Allahu 'alayhi
wa salim) mentioned seven people who will be shaded by Allah on the
Day of Judgement; [4] among them is a man who turns away from the
temptationand seduction of a womanwith beauty and status, saying "I
fear Allah." It is upon the Muslim to fear Allah in every gaze and in
every instance he or she is alone. And living in an environment where
the opportunities to sin are manifold, if a Muslim is notcareful, he
or she may not only fall into a sin or two but perhaps may reach a
stage of being immersed in sinning, such that one abandons repentance.
Soon, a love for these sins develops and by this the Muslim leads him
or herself astray.
And Allah would not let a people stray after He has guided them until
He makes clear to them what they should avoid. [At-Tawba (9):115]
The Muslim who abandons having taqwa and does not repel the fawāhish ,
his or her heart may start to see the evil asgood, perhaps even
leading him or herself out of the pail of Islam.
So it is incumbent on the Muslim to strive against the fawāhish and
constantly seek the help ofAllah. The Quran relates how Yūsuf (
'alayhi al-salātu wa al-salām ) sought the help of his lordin his
situation:
And if You do not avert from me their [evil] plan, I might incline
toward themand [thus] be of the ignorant. So his Lord responded to him
and averted from him their plan. [Yūsuf (12):33-34]
The desires and lusts are great and numerous, but they remain trifling
in the eyes of the believer, the one who is sincere to Allahand
trusting in His assistance.
Thus it was, that We might ward off from him evil and lewdness.
Indeed, he was of Our chosen servants. [Yūsuf (12):24]
So if the Muslim turns to Allah in supplication and with sincerity,
seeking refuge in Him, Allah will surely protect Him. Thus, the first
thing a Muslim must do in this society is to confront the fawāhish
that he or she faces and strive to overcome them.
After the Muslim is rendered victorious against his or her desires, it
is upon him or her to exemplify high Muslim morals, manners, and
character while living in this society, as the ProphetMuhammad ( sul
Allahu 'alayhi wa salim) instructed, "Treat the people with good
manners." It has been established that Yūsuf ( 'alayhi al-salātu wa
al-salām ) was innocent of what he was accused of, yet he was
oppressed, accused unjustly and put in jail where he stayed with two
youth.
And there entered the prison with him two young men.