As milk covers the water

Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) was mercilessly persecuted by
his master. Umayya bin Khalaf who was the worstenemy of Islam, would
make him lie down on theburning sand at mid-day and would place a
heavy stone on his chest so that he could not move even alimb. He
would then say to him: Renounce Islam orswelter and die in this state.
Even under these afflictions Bilal would exclaim: Ahad (the One Allah)
Ahad (the One Allah). At last Abu Bakr freed Bilal from Umayya.
Dear Muslims, when Bilal was asked how he endured all these
torturesand pain, he remarked that his belief in Allah covered all the
pains. It's like a glass of milk. If you put water into the glass of
milk, the water takes the colour of the milk. Thesame way, when Bilal
wastortured, his faith overcame the pain.

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What does Jihad mean?

The word Jihad representsa concept which is much misunderstood in the
West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian scholar Ira 6.
Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135. We
adapt from his answer thefollowing:
The essential meaning of Jihad is the spiritual, psychological, and
physical effort we exert tobe close to God and thus achieve a just and
harmonious society. Jihad literally means "striving" or "struggle" and
is shorthand for Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (struggle for God's cause). In
a sense, every Muslim is a Mujahid,one who strives for God and
justice.
Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said: "The real Jihad
is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi
calls Jihad "the execution of effort against evil in the self and
every manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the
Muslim's purest sacrifice: a struggle to livea perfect life and
completely submit to God.
Another form of Jihad is the striving to translate the Word of God
into action. If one has experienced God and received guidance from the
Qur'an, one struggles to apply that guidance in daily life. So the
larger, more prevalent meaning of Jihad is the spiritual struggle of
the soul. In this case, Jihad is always present for the believer
whether there is an external enemy or not. We should never reduce
Jihad to violence.
A third level of Jihad is popularly known as "holy war." The classic
passage is found in the Qur'an:
Fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, but transgress
not the limits. Truly Allah likesnot the transgressors (Qur'an 2:190).
It is crucial to note here that what is condoned is defensive warfare;
Islam cannot justify aggressive war. Muhammad and the Tradition are
also against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the
destruction of crops, animals and homes. Adapted from Ira 6. Zepp,
Jr., A Muslim Primer (1992,Wakefield Editions, US) pp.133-135.
Robert Ellwood of the University of Southern California has the
following to say about the Muslim concept of Jihad:
Out of the community ideal of Islam comes the concept of jihad, or
holy war, which is designed to defend Islam and allow itssocial
practice, though notto force individual conversions, which is
forbidden. Since Islam in principle is a community as well as a
religion, presumably only an absolute pacifist would beable to reject
the theory of jihad out of hand, since other communities also fight to
defend or expand their ways of life. (Many Peoples, Many Faiths by
Robert S. Ellwood, 4th edition, Simon & Schuster,US, 1982, p.346).

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Value Yourself

It would be nice if we all had loving and supportive parents. Some do,
Alhamdulillah. But some have parents who are critical, demeaning and
harsh. If you have an abusive parent who tells you that you are
worthless, stupid and good for nothing, you can't spend your life
waiting and hoping for that parent to love you and be proud of you.
It's not going to happen, my friend. Most likely your parent was
raised harshly himself/herself and doesn'tknow how to act any other
way. Accept that reality and learn to value yourself, no matter what
anyone says.
You will have to be strong and independent in spirit. You will have to
find validation of your worth within yourself. You do have worth,
after all. You are as unique and beautiful as the sun and the moon,
the sea and the stars. You are special and gifted and you will need
torealize that on your own, even in the face of external abuse.
Seek your support from Allah.
"And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them
on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and
preferred them over much of what We have created…" – Quran, 17:70.
Allah has honored you. Dignity is your birthright. It's okay if you're
not perfect. No one is. You can still love yourself, with all your
special gifts and funny habits, and whatever is lacking, well, you can
work on it. That's what all of us do.
"I Know Who I Am"
It can be very hard to resist the negative labels that parents put on
us. Their words have a way of worming into our brains even when we
know better. We must be patientwith them and love them, without buying
into their negativity.
Write some positive affirmations about yourself. Affirmations are true
statements that express your best qualities,and also express what kind
of person you strive to be. They represent the ideal you.
I personally have a list of 29 affirmations, and here'snumber 12 on my list:
"12. I am a good son to my parents. I am patient and loving with them.
When speaking to them I maintain a positive, independent and calm
spirit, knowing who I am and confident in my choices."
Read your affirmations every day. Even if you don't quite believe your
own affirmations at times, even if you feel inwardly skeptical, keep
reading them. When you speak to your parents, breathe deeply and
slowly. Don't let anything they say make you anxious or excited. Tell
yourself silently, "I know who I am."
Allah loves you and has a plan for you. Believe this and move forward,
and when you have children, shut down the cycle of negativity and do
better than your parents did. It's okay to be better than your
parents. Any good parent wants their children to surpass them.
Show your own children patience, gentleness and endless love.
May Allah bless you and fillyour heart with self-knowledge,
self-dignity, and hope for the future.

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Bellies and Souls

Most of us are concerned with our bellies and the souls of others;
when we should be concerned with our own souls, and the bellies of
others. The first thing the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said when he
arrived in Madinah was, "Spread peace, and feed the people."
Instead of judging others, care for them. Feed them, help them, and
spread peace. That is your representation as a Muslim, your da'wah,
and your salvation of the world. In the process, you save your own
soul.

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