The light of guidance

I was coming back from a long journey, and Allâh decreed that my seat
in the airplane should be beside a group of carefree young men whose
loud laughter and voices were too much, and the air was filled with
clouds of smokefrom their cigarettes. By the wisdom of Allâh, the
plane was completely full and I could not change myseat.
I tried to escape from the problem by sleeping, but itwas impossible…
When I got fed up of their noise, I took out my Mus-haf (copyof the
Qur'ân), and started to read what I could of theQur'ân in a soft
voice. Soonafter that these young men started to quieten down. Some of
them started to read newspapers, and some of them fell asleep.
Suddenly one of them saidin a loud voice, even though he was sitting
right next to me, "Enough! Enough!"
I thought that I had disturbed him because my voice was too loud, so I
apologized to him and carried on reading in a whisper that only I
could hear. I saw him holding hishead in his hands, then fidgeting in
his seat, moving a lot. Then he raised his head and said tome angrily,
"Please, stop it,I can't stand it!!"
Then he got up from his seat and went away for a while, then he came
back, greeted me with salâms, and apologized. He fell silent, and I
did not know what was going on. But after a while he turned to me with
his eyes full of tears and said to me in a whisper,
"For three years or more I have not put my forehead on the ground, and
I have not read even one âyah!
For a whole month I have been on this trip, and there is no evil
action that I did not indulge in. Then I saw you reading Qur'ân, and
my world turned blackand my heart was filled with despair. I felt as
if someone was strangling me… I felt every âyah that you read coming
down on my body like a whip .
I said to myself, for how long will this negligence go on? Where will
this path lead you? What will happen after all this foolish play? Then
I went to the washroom, do you know why?
I had the strong urge to weep, and I could not find anywhere else to
hide from the people's sight!"
I spoke to him in general terms about tawbah (repentance) and turning
back to Allâh, then he fell silent.
When the plane landed, hestopped me, and it seemedthat he wanted to
keep away from his companions. He asked me, with a serious expression
on his face, "Do you think that Allâh will accept my repentance?" I
said, "If youare sincere and serious in your repentance, then Allâh
will forgive all your sins."
He said, "But I have done terrible things, very terrible."
I said, "Have you not heardwhat Allâh says (interpretation of the meaning) :
'Say: O 'Ibâdi (My slaves) who have transgressed against themselves
(by committing evil deeds and sins)! Despair not of the Mercy of
Allâh, verily, Allâh forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft
Forgiving,Most Merciful' [al-Zumar 39:53]?"
I saw him smiling with joy,with his eyes filled with tears, then he
bade me farewell and left. Subhân Allâh al-'Azîm !
No matter how great a man's evil and sin, in his heart there is a seed
of goodness. If only we can reach it and make it grow, it will bear
fruit, in sha Allâh.
This seed of goodness is always fighting in man's heart, even when it
is covered by layers of whims and desires. When Allâh wills good for
His slave, He causes the light of guidance to shine in his heart and
guides him to the path of those who are guided. Allâh says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"And whomsoever Allâh wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam;
and whomsoever He wills to send astray, He makes his breast closed and
constricted, as if he is climbing up to the sky" [al-An'âm 6:125]

The Meaning of The Pronoun "We" As Used in The Qur'aan

It is a feature of literary style in Arabic that a person may refer to
himself by the pronoun nahnu (we) for respect or glorification. He may
also use the word ana (I), indicating one person, or the third person
huwa (he).All three styles are used in the Qur'an, where Allaah
addresses the Arabs in their own tongue. ( Fataawa al-Lajnah
al-Daa'imah , 4/143).
"Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted, sometimes refers to Himself
in the singular, by name or by use of a pronoun, and sometimes by use
of the plural, as in the phrase (interpretation of the meaning):
'Verily, We have given you a manifest victory" [al-Fath 48:1] , and
other similar phrases. But Allaah never refers to Himself by use of
the dual, because the plural refers to the respect that He deserves,
and may refer to His names and attributes, whereas the dual refers to
a specific number (and nothing else),and He is far above that."
) Al-'Aqeedah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 75).
These words, innaa ("VerilyWe") and nahnu ("We"), and other forms of
the plural, may be used by oneperson speaking on behalf of a group, or
they may beused by one person for purposes of respect or
glorification, as is done by some monarchs when theyissue statements
or decrees in which they say " We have decided… " etc. [This is known
in English as "The Royal We" – Translator]. In such cases, only one
person is speaking but the plural is used for respect. The One Who is
more deserving of respect than any other is Allaah, may He be
glorifiedand exalted, so when He says in the Qur'an innaa ("Verily
We") and nahnu ("We"), it is for respect andglorification, not to
indicate plurality of numbers. If an aayah of this type is causing
confusion, it is essential to refer to the clear, unambiguous aayaat
for clarification, and if a Christian, for example, insists on taking
ayaat such as
"Verily, We: it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e., the Qur'an)"
[al-Hijr 15:9 – interpretation of the meaning] as proof of divine
plurality, we may refute this claim by quoting such clear and
unambiguous aayaat as (interpretation of the meanings):
"And your god is One God, there is none who has the right to be
worshipped but He, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful" [al-Baqarah
2:163]
and
"Say: He is Allaah, the One" [al-Ikhlaas 112:1]
and other aayaat which can only be interpreted in one way. Thus
confusion will be dispelled for the one who is seeking the truth.
Every time Allaah uses the plural to refer to Himself, it is based on
the respect and honour that He deserves, and on the great number of
His namesand attributes, and on the great number of His troopsand
angels.
(Al-'Aqeedah al-Tadmuriyyah by Shaykhal-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, p. 109).

Concerns of the Islamic Scholar During the Month of Ramadan

Allah Almighty declares in the Quran:
Verily, [O you who believein Me,] this community of yours is one
single community, since I am the Sustainer of you all: worship, then
Me [alone]' (21:92).
He further explains:
'All believers are but brethren' (49:10)
As for the Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam, he clarified the
nature of the relationship between Muslims in this famous hadith:
'The example of the Muslims in their love and mercy for each other is
likethe body. If one part is afflicted, all the other partsrally to
its aid with fever and sleeplessness.'
Today Muslims pass this month of Ramadan in transgression and crises.
Capitalism is rife with greed. It directs its hostility against the
Islamic world with intellectual onslaughts. The foremost means toward
this is through women, wine and other enticements, distractions,
luxuries and unlawful amusements.
Secularism calls for the separation between the religion and worldly
affairs. It seeks to oust Islam from life's stage on the pretext that
religion distinguishes between people. In effect, secularism is an
atheist ideology that disregards all religions and, therefore,excludes
Islam in its entirety from playing any role in human life.
Freemasonry, the Jewish creation, has come to destroy religions
including Islam. On the surface it appears to be calling for the unity
of all people. It has its own means, taboos,emblems and cliques. It
operates in secret, has world-wide influence and springs from Zionist
origins. Hence today the Islamic nation suffers from intensewounds:
Palestine has been stolen from it, Al Aqsa mosque remains a hostage
while old men, women and children are slaughtered morning and evening.
Yet, Palestine will never be returned to the Muslim lands except by an
Islam with the rage of Umar ibn al Khattab, the boldness of Salah al
Din and the sincerity of Ibn Taymiya.
The Muslim woman is fought against because of her covering, modesty,
purity and religion.
Our young men are seduced by destructive means, satanic enticements
and sensual delights.
Evangelism is penetrating the Islamic world from all four directions.
Divisions and schisms are widespread among Muslims except those whom
Allah has shielded.
In the circumstances, whatis required is that the Muslim should live
for these great issues with his sentiments, wealth and prayers. He
should strive to increase awareness among his Muslim brothers of these
dangers. The Muslim should work relentlessly to bring about unity
within the ranks of his own community. More importantly, the Islamic
nation must avoid disputes and internal wrangling that only cause
failure; particularly when the news of these calamities that afflict
the Islamic world are exposed and become the issues of the day. As a
result, no Muslim should despise himself because in every Muslim there
is good. Indeed, every Muslim is expected to struggle if he or she is
able and to stop making excuses. They must strive with their persons
and their wealth. If not, with their wealth and the support of others
who spend of their wealth to advance the cause of Islam. They should,
at the end of each prayer, in the early hours of the morning, and
other times when prayers are answered, implore Allah toestablish and
grant victoryto the Muslims. We must, moreover, all call upon Allah to
increase us in piety and God-consciousness because the disasters and
calamities that have befallen us are all on account of our sins and
shortcomings. 'And do you,now that a calamity has befallen you after
you had inflicted twice as much [onyour foes], ask yourselves
"How has this come about?" Say: "It has come from your own selves"' (3:165)

Zakat: pay extra or the exact amount?

Question:
1. Does it matter if I give a bit more than the exactmoney I have to
give as zakat or does zakat has to be precise?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
1. Yes it is always good to pay an extra amount as a precaution.
2. Credits, money owed to you will be included in theearnings and
Zakat has to be given on that money also.
And Allah knows best