Enemy Becomes a Friend

In the sixth year after the hijrah, the Prophet, peace be upon him,
decided to expand the scope of his mission. He sent eight letters to
rulers in the Arabian peninsula and surrounding areas invitingthem to
Islam. One of these rulers was Thumamah ibn Uthal.
Thumamah was one of themost powerful Arab rulers in pre-Qur'anic
times. This is not surprising since he was a chieftain of the Banu
Hanifah and one of the rulers of al- Yamamah whose word no one daredto
challenge or disobey.
When Thumamah receivedthe Prophet's letter, he was consumed by anger
and rejected it. He refused to listen to the invitation of Truth and
goodness. More than that, he felt a strong desire to go and killthe
Prophet and bury his mission with him.
Thumamah waited and waited for a convenient time to carry out his
design against the Prophet until eventually forgetfulness caused him
to lose interest. One of his uncles, however, remindedhim of his plan,
praising what he intended to do.
In the pursuit of his evil design against the Prophet, Thumamah met
and killed a group of the Prophet's companions. TheProphet thereupon
declared him a wanted man who could lawfully be killed on sight.
Not long afterwards, Thumamah decided to perform umrah. He wanted to
perform tawaf around the Ka'bah and sacrifice to the idols there (The
people of Makkah, before becoming Muslims, placed hundreds of idols
inthe Holy Ka'bah. These idols were later destroyed by the Prophet).
So he left al-Yamamah for Makkah. As he was passing near Madinah, an
incident took place which he had not anticipated.
Groups of Muslims were patrolling the districts of Madinah and
outlying areas on the lookout for any strangers or anyone intent on
causing trouble. One of these groups came upon Thumamah and
apprehended him but theydid not know who he was.They took him to
Madinah and tied him to one of the columns in the mosque. They waited
for the Prophet himself to question the man and decide what should be
done with him.
When the Prophet was about to enter the mosque, he saw Thumamah and
asked his companions, "Do you know whom you have taken?"
"No, messenger of God," they replied.
"This is Thumamah ibn Uthal al-Hanafi," he said."You have done well in
capturing him."
The Prophet then returnedhome to his family and said, "Get what food
you can and send it to Thumamah ibn Uthal." He then ordered his camel
to be milked for him. All this was done before he met Thumamah or had
spoken to him.
The Prophet then approached Thumamah hoping to encourage him to become
a Muslim."What do you have to say for yourself" he asked.
"If you want to kill in reprisal," Thumamah replied, "you can have
someone of noble blood to kill. If, out of your bounty, you want to
forgive, I shall be grateful. If you want money in compensation, I
shall give you whatever amount youask."
The Prophet then left him for two days, but still personally sent him
food and drink and milk from his camel. The Prophet went back to him
and asked, "What do you have to say for yourself" Thumamah repeated
whathe had said the day before. The Prophet then left and came back to
him the following day. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he
asked again and Thumamah repeated what he had said once more. Then the
Prophet turned to his companions and said, "Set him free."
Thumamah left the mosque of the Prophet and rode until he came to a
palm grove on the outskirts of Madinah near al-Baqi' (a place of
luxuriant vegetation which later became a cemetery for many of the
Prophet's companions). Hewatered his camel and washed himself well.
Thenhe turned back and made his way to the Prophet's mosque. There, he
stood before a congregation of Muslims and said:
"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and I bear witness that
Muhammad is His servant and His messenger." He then went to the
Prophet, upon whom be peace, andsaid:
"O Muhammad, by God, there was never on this earth a face more
detestable than yours. Now, yours is the dearest face of all to me."
"I have killed some of yourmen," he continued, "I am at your mercy.
What will you have done to me?"
"There is now no blame on you, Thumamah," replied the
Prophet."Becoming a Muslim obliterates past actions and marks a new
beginning."

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Qur'anic names of Paradise

Firdaws — The Highest Gardens of the Paradise (al-Kahf,[11] Al-Mu'minoon[12 ])
Dār al-maqāmah — The Home (Fāṭir[13])
Dār as-salām — Home of Peace (Yūnus[14])
Dār al-ʾĀḫirah — The Homein the Hereafter (al-ʿAnkabūt[15 ])
al-Ǧannah — This is the most commonly used term in the Qur'an and
Hadith. (al-Baqarah,[16 ] Al-i-Imran,[17] [10] al-Maʾidah[18])
Ǧannat al-ʿadn — Gardens of Everlasting Bliss (at-Tawbah[19]: 72, ar-Raʾd[20])
Ǧannat al-Ḫuld — The Eternal Gardens (al-Furqān[21])
Ǧannat al-Maʾwā — Gardenof Abode (an-Naǧm[22])
Ǧannat an-Naʿīm — The Gardens of Delight (al-Māʾidah,[23 ]
Yūnus,[24]al-Ḥaǧǧ[25])
Maqʿad aṣ-Ṣidq — Assembly of Truth (al-Qamar[26])
al-Maqām al-ʾAmīn — The House of Security (ad-Duḫḫān[27])

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Ruling on one who forgets to make up missed fasts before the next Ramadaan comes

What is the ruling on one who forgets to make up missed fasts before
the next Ramadaan comes?.
Praise be to Allaah.
The fuqaha' are unanimously agreed that forgetting is an excuse which
means that there is no sin or accountability in all matters, because
of a great deal of evidence in the Qur'aan and Sunnah, but they
differed as to whether the fidyah is still required in cases of
forgetfulness.
With regard to the issue of forgetting to make up missed Ramadaan
fasts before the next Ramadaan comes, the scholars are also
unanimously agreed that they must still be made up after the second
Ramadaan, and they are not waived as a result of forgetting.
But they differed as to whether the fidyah (which is feeding a poor
person) is required when making up the missed fast (after the second
Ramadaan has come and gone). There are two points of view:
1 – That the fidyah is not required, because forgetting is an excuse
thatmeans there is no sin and the fidyah is waived.
This was the view of most of the Shaafa'is and some of the Maalikis.
See: Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj by Ibn Hajar al-Haytami (3/445); Nihaayat
al-Muhtaaj (3/196); Minah al-Jaleel (2/154); Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel
(2/263).
2 – That the fidyah is required, and forgetting is an excuse that
means thereis no sin only.
This was the view of al-Khateeb al-Sharbeeni among the Shaafa'is, who
said in Mughni al-Muhtaaj (2/176):
It seems that it means there is no sin only, and that the fidyah is not waived.
This was also stated by some of the Maalikis.
See: Mawaahib al-Jaleel Sharh Mukhtasar Khaleel (2/450).
The more correct view is the former, in sha Allaah, for three reasons:
1 – The general meaning ofthe verses and ahaadeeth which say that
people are not held accountable for forgetting, such as the verse in
which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
"Our Lord! Punish us not if we forget or fall into error"
[al-Baqarah 2:286]
2 – The basic principle that one is not subject to any expiation or
fidyah except with evidence, and there is no reliable evidence in this
case.
3 – There is a difference of opinion as to whether this fidyah is
required in the first place, even in the case of one who delays making
up the fasts deliberately. The Hanafis and Zaahiris are of the view
that it is not obligatory and Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen was of the view
that it is only mustahabb, because there is no report to suggest
thatit is prescribed except fromthe actions of some of the Sahaabah,
which is not strong enough to suggest that people be obliged to follow
it, let alone oblige them to do it in a case where Allaah has granted
an excuse.
See the answer to questionno. 26865 .
To sum up, he only has to make up the missed fasts, and he does not
have to feed the poor, so he shouldmake them up after Ramadaan.
And Allaah knows best.

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There is no compulsion in Islam, everyone enjoys freedom of worship and belief

There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned. Right guidance
has become clearly distinct from error. Anyone who rejects false
deities and believes in Allah has grasped the Firmest Handhold, which
will never give way. Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.(Surat
al-Baqara, 256)
Islam is a religion of love and beauty. Since people who live by Islam
see the essence and beauty of thisbeautiful faith and have a profound
belief in Allah, they live in a state of greatexcitement and
enthusiasm. This is an opening of the heart. The source of devotion to
Islam is love of Allah. A Muslim prays because of his love of Allah.
He performs his religious obligations and lives by the Qur'an because
of his love of Allah. In the Qur'an,Allah describes Muslims in that
regard as "those whose hearts turn to Allah" and "those who are
unreservedly devoted."
A Muslim comprehends Islam and the might of Allah with his mind and
confirms them with his heart. As set out in a definitive pronouncement
in the Qur'an, nobody can impose the religion on anyone else by the
use of force or compulsion. If attempts are made to force anyone to
convert toIslam, that may make him a hypocrite rather than a Muslim.
The result is the kind of person who is totally opposed to Islam.
Under pressure, the hypocrite will say that he is a Muslim, though in
his heart he harbors a conception that is a far cryfrom the moral
values of the Qur'an and is a fraud who harbors hatred for and is
inimical to Islam and Muslims. Allah describes those who engage in
hypocrisy in these terms in the Qur'an:
Among the people thereare some who say, 'We believe in Allah and the
Last Day,' when they are not believers. They thinkthey deceive Allah
and those who believe. They deceive no one but themselves but they are
not aware of it. There is a sickness in their heartsand Allah has
increased their sickness. They will have a painful punishment on
account of their denial. (Surat al-Baqara, 8-10)
When they meet those who believe, they say, 'We believe.' But then
when they go apart withtheir demons, they say, 'We are really with
you. We were only mocking.' (Surat al-Baqara, 14)
That is because they have had belief and thenreturned to unbelief. So
their hearts have been sealed up and they cannot understand. (Surat
al-Munafiqun, 3)
There is a group of you who propagated the lie... (Surat an-Nur, 24)
There is a sickness in their hearts and Allah has increased their
sickness. They will have a painful punishment onaccount of their
denial. (Surat al-Baqara, 10)
Every Muslim has an obligation to preach the word of Islam and tell
people of its pronouncements and excellent moral values. Butthis, the
Qur'an states, can never be done through compulsion. The Qur'an may be
communicated to Christians and Jews, but if these people insist of
living by their own faiths, then there can be no question of forcing
them to do otherwise.
For that reason, Allah says, "There is no compulsion in the religion"
and speaks of the need for voluntary love. Compellingpeople to be
Muslims is prohibited in Islam.
By the will of Allah, the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the End Times
in which we are living is close at hand. In the time of Hazrat Mahdi
(as) people will comprehend the essence of the religion and will turn
to belief in Allah en masse. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will rule Muslims with
the Qur'an, Christians with the Gospel and Jews with the Torah. Hazrat
Mahdi (as) will spill no blood and, as commanded in the Qur'an,will
call on people to believe in Allah and see the essence of the religion
with love and sound counsel.

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