Some Verses From The Qur'an

O believers, let not any people scoff at another people who may be
better than they; neither let women scoff at women who may be better
than themselves. And find not fault with one another, neither revile
one another by nicknames. An evil name is ungodliness after belief.And
whoso repents not, those -- they are the evildoers.
(Qur'an 49:11)
O believers, be you securers of justice, witnesses for God, even
though it be against yourselves, or your parents and kinsmen, whether
the man be rich or poor; God stands closest to either. Then follow not
caprice, so as to swerve; for if you twist or turn, God is aware of
the things you do.
(Qur'an 4:135)
Had God willed, they were not idolaters; and We have not appointed
thee a watcher over them,neither art thou their guardian.
Abuse not those to whomthey pray, apart from God,or they will abuse
God in revenge without knowledge. So We have decked out fair to every
nation their deeds; then to their Lord they shall return, and He will
tell them what they have been doing.
(Qur'an 6:107-108)
and finally,
It is not piety, that you turn your faces to the Eastand to the West.
True piety is this: to believe in God, and the Last Day, theangels,
the Book, and the Prophets, to give of one's substance, however
cherished, to kinsmen, and orphans, the needy, the traveller, beggars,
andto ransom the slave, to perform the prayer, to pay the alms. And
they who fulfil their covenant when they have engaged in a covenant,
and endurewith fortitude misfortune,hardship and peril, these are they
who are true in their faith, these are the truly godfearing.
(Qur'an 2:177)

Sunni and Shi'a

Introduction
Sunni and Shi'a
Mosaic tiled columns in a mosque ©
The words Sunni and Shi'a appear regularly in storiesabout the Muslim
world but few people know what they really mean. Religion permeates
every aspect of life in Muslim countries and understanding Sunni and
Shi'a beliefs is important in understanding the modern Muslim world.
Introduction
The division between Sunnis and Shi'as is the largest and oldest in
the history of Islam.
They both agree on the fundamentals of Islam and share the same Holy
Book (The Qur'an ), but there are differences mostly derived from
their different historical experiences, political and social
developments, as well as ethnic composition.
These differences originate from the question of who would succeed the
Prophet Muhammad as leader of the emerging Muslim community after his
death. To understand them, we need to know a bit about the Prophet's
life and political and spiritual legacy.
The Prophet Muhammad
When the Prophet died in the early 7th century he left not only the
religion of Islam but also a community of about one hundred thousand
Muslims organised as an Islamic state on the Arabian Peninsula. It was
the question of who should succeed the Prophet and lead the fledgling
Islamic state that created the divide.
The larger group of Muslims chose Abu Bakr, aclose Companion of the
Prophet, as the Caliph (politico-social leader) andhe was accepted as
such by much of the community which saw the succession in political
and not spiritual terms. However another smaller group, which also
included some of the senior Companions, believed that the Prophet's
son-in-law and cousin, Ali, should be Caliph. They understood that the
Prophet had appointed him as the soleinterpreter of his legacy, in
both political and spiritual terms. In the end Abu Bakr was appointed
First Caliph.
Leadership claims
Both Shi'as and Sunnis have good evidence to support their
understanding of the succession. Sunnis argue that the Prophet chose
Abu Bakr to lead the congregational prayers as he lay on his deathbed,
thus suggesting that the Prophet was naming Abu Bakr as the next
leader. The Shi'as' evidence is that Muhammad stood upin front of his
Companionson the way back from his last Hajj, and proclaimed Ali the
spiritual guide and master of all believers. Shi'a reports say he took
Ali's hand and said that anyone who followed Muhammad should
followAli.
Muslims who believe that Abu Bakr should have been the Prophet's
successor have come to be known as Sunni Muslims. Those who believe
Ali should have been the Prophet's successor are now known as Shi'a
Muslims. It was only later that these terms came into use. Sunni means
'one who follows the Sunnah' (whatthe Prophet said, did, agreed to or
condemned).Shi'a is a contraction of the phrase 'Shiat Ali', meaning
'partisans of Ali'.
The use of the word"successor" should not be confused to mean that
those leaders that came after the Prophet Muhammad were also prophets
- both Shi'a and Sunni agree that Muhammad was the final prophet.

US marks 9/11 sans politicians at ground zero 11 September 2012 07:30:00

Washington: Eleven years after terrorist attacks destroyed New York
World Trade Center's twin towers, thousands gathered Tuesday at ground
zero and elsewhere to mark the traumaticevent in sombre ceremonies
sans politicians.
In the midst of a heated electioncampaign, both President BarackObama
and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney have decided to steer away
from any political talk in a simple gesture of homage to the 11th
anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Obama has scheduled a momentof silence at the White House and a trip
to the Pentagon, the target of one of four planes Al Qaeda hijacked 11
years ago.
Romney, meanwhile, is set to address the National Guard, whose members
deployed as part of the US response to the attacks.

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|- - - - wassalam;
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And Allah knows the best!
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* visite our Blog, to improve your 'Islamic Knowledge :-
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--


|- - - - wassalam;
- -
And Allah knows the best!
~
* visite our Blog, to improve your 'Islamic Knowledge :-
http://aydnajimudeen.blogspot.com/